Interferometric lithography for nanoscale feature patterning: a comparative analysis between laser interference, evanescent wave interference, and surface plasmon interference

In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate and compare single-exposure multiple-beam interference lithography based on conventional laser interference, evanescent wave interference, and surface plasmon interference. The proposed two-beam and four-beam interference approaches are carried out theoretically and verified experimentally, employing the proposed configurations so as to realize the patterning of one- and two-dimensional periodic features on photoresists. A custom-fabricated grating is employed in the configuration in order to achieve two- and four-beam interference.     

Coupling of rigid body dynamics and moving particle semi-implicit method for simulating isothermal multi-phase fluid interactions

The moving particle semi-implicit (MPS) method does not require grids for simulating fluid motions. Therefore, the MPS method can easily handle a large deformation of fluid. However, the MPS method has some difficulties in simulating transfer of momentum caused by a physical collision between different fluids because fluid particles have no mass or volume and only have weights for interacting with other particles. To overcome this inherent defect of the MPS method, rigid body dynamics is explicitly coupled with the MPS method in this study. In the first step, the MPS calculation is performed with particles which are considered to have no mass or volume. In the second step, rigid body dynamics comes into the calculation and considers the particles to have a slightly lesser diameter than the initial distance between particles. Then, physical contacts between particles are simulated with the dynamic energy conserved while the incompressibility of fluids is effectively maintained. In the single fluid region, the coupled method deals with the behavior of the particles. For the interface of the different fluids, only rigid body dynamics is used to simulate the transfer of the momentum caused by physical collisions of fluids. Through this coupling of rigid body dynamics and the MPS method, the overall stability related with the incompressibility of a fluid is comparatively increased in the single-phase fluid simulation. For the calculation of the multi-phase fluids behavior, fluids interactions can be easily treated with improving stability of the MPS calculation. In this study, collapse of water column and the isothermal fuel–coolant interaction (FCI), in which a water jet is directed into a denser fluid pool, were simulated to validate the coupling method of the MPS method and rigid body dynamics.     

Finite size effect on hydrogen gas sensing performance in single Pd nanowires

We present the hydrogen sensing performance of individual Pd nanowires grown by electrodeposition into nanochannels of anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) templates investigated as a function of the nanowire diameter. Four-terminal devices based on individual Pd nanowires were found to successfully detect hydrogen gas (H(2)). Our experimental results show that the H(2) sensing sensitivity increases and the response time decreases with decreasing diameter of Pd nanowires with d = 400, 200, 80 and 20?nm, due to the high surface-to-volume ratio and short diffusion paths, respectively. This is in qualitatively good agreement with simulated results obtained from a theoretical model based on a combination of the rate equation and diffusion equation.     

Enhanced solvent resistance of acrylonitrile–butadiene rubber by electron beam irradiation

In this study, we investigated the effect of electron beam irradiation on NBR (acrylonitrile–butadiene rubber) with TMPTMA (trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate), focusing on the polar and non-polar solvent resistance at different electron beam radiation doses. The electron beam irradiation on NBR containing TMPTMA sheets was performed over a range of absorbed doses from 20 to 200 kGy to make three-dimensional network structures. The solvent resistance was characterized according to ASTM D 471 in benzene and THF solvent. The solvent resistance of NBR was enhanced by the addition of TMPTMA in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, the volume change of immersed NBR in THF solvent was slightly lower than in benzene solvent.     

Non-volatile organic memory based on CdSe nano-particle/PMMA blend as a tunneling layer

The use of nano-particle/polymer blend as the tunneling layer for non-volatile organic memory is an alternative to change and improve the device characteristics and performances. A non-volatile organic memory based on the pentacene semiconductor/polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) + CdSe nano-particle blend tunneling insulator/PMMA gate insulator, is demonstrated by a simple fabrication process. We have observed the charging and discharging effect of CdSe NPs, using capacitance–voltage and current–voltage measurement. The capacitance and current change were observed by a charge transport between the pentacene semiconductor and the CdSe nano-particles. In addition, good reliability was confirmed by the retention characteristics.     

Electromagnetic wave shielding effectiveness of Fe73.5Si13.5B9Nb3Cu1 powder/epoxy composites

Magnetic powders composed of Fe_73.5Si_13.5B₉Nb₃Cu₁ were prepared using a ball milling technique, and selected powders were annealed at 823 K in a vacuum. Scanning electron microscopy observations determined the shapes of the powders to be of a flake type. To test the electromagnetic wave absorption properties, Fe_73.5Si_13.5B₉Nb₃Cu₁ and epoxy composites were fabricated using an electron beam curing technique with powder/epoxy ratios of 20/80, 30/70, 40/60, and 50/50 by weight. The complex permeability and permittivity of the composites were measured using a network analyzer (0.5–8 GHz), and were used to calculate the refection losses as a function of the composite thickness and frequency. The band width of a reflection loss below ?20 dB was 700 MHz from 4.23 GHz to 4.93 GHz at 3.8 mm thickness, attributed to the composite containing 50 wt% of powder. For the composite containing 50 wt% of annealed powder, the minimum reflection loss was observed near 8 GHz at 2.8 mm thickness.     

Electron‐beam‐radiation‐induced grafting of acrylonitrile onto polypropylene fibers: Influence of the synthesis conditions

Electron‐beam‐radiation‐induced grafting of acrylonitrile onto polypropylene fibers was investigated with a pre‐irradiation method. Grafting conditions such as the solvents, additives, monomer concentration, radiation dose, and temperature were varied, and the effects on the degree of grafting were studied. The nature of the reaction medium and additives had a considerable influence on the degree of grafting. The dilution of acrylonitrile with N,N‐dimethylformamide significantly enhanced the degree of grafting in comparison with other solvents. The addition of sulfuric acid to the reaction mixture led to an increase in the degree of grafting and an acceleration of the rate of grafting. The order of dependence of the rate of grafting on the pre‐irradiation dose and monomer concentration was found to be 1.31 and 1.21, respectively, in the presence of sulfuric acid. The activation energy for grafting was calculated to be 21.9 kJ/mol. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Boiling characteristics of dilute polymer solutions and implications for the suppression of vapor explosions

Quenching experiments of hot solid spheres in dilute aqueous solutions of polyethylene oxide polymer and surfactant have been conducted for the purpose of investigating the physical mechanisms of the suppression of vapor explosions in this polymer solutions. Two spheres of 22.2 and 9.5 mm-diameter were tested in the polymer solutions of various concentrations and pool temperatures from 30°C to its boiling point. The minimum film boiling temperature in 30°C liquid rapidly decreased from over 700°C for pure water to about 150°C as the polymer concentration was increased up to 300 ppm for a 22.2 mm sphere, and it decreased to 350°C for a 9.5 mm sphere. This trend is observed consistently in the heated pool up to its boiling temperature, while the tests with surfactant solutions do not show an appreciable reduction in the minimum film boiling temperature. The ability of suppression of vapor explosions by dilute polyethylene oxide solutions against an external trigger pressure was tested by dropping molten tin into the polymer solutions at 25°C. It was observed that in 50 ppm solutions more mass fragmented than in pure water, but it produced weaker explosion pressures. The explosion was completely suppressed in 300 ppm solutions with the external trigger. The debris size distributions of fine fragments smaller than 0.7 mm were shown to be almost identical regardless of the polymer concentrations.     

Soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) hexane extracts inhibit cellular fatty acid uptake by reducing the expression of fatty acid transporters

Intake of saturated and trans-fatty acids is a strong risk factor for coronary heart disease. We investigated the inhibitory effects of 2 hexane extracts from white (WBE) and black soybeans (BBE) on cellular fatty acid uptake in vitro. Transcellular uptake of elaidic acid (t18:1), a major trans-fatty acid present in processed foods, in Caco-2 monolayers was significantly reduced by 28.3 and 16.7% 60 min after WBE and BBE treatment, respectively. Results of flow cytometry (FACS) analysis showed significant reductions in boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) fluorescence-labeled fatty acid uptake by 35.4 and 40.2% with WBE and BBE treatment, respectively. BBE treatment significantly reduced the expression of fatty acid transport protein-4 and CD36 in Caco-2 cells, as determined by quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Similar trends were found in WBE treatment, although to a lesser degree. These observations suggest that soybean extract may reduce fatty acid uptake and cellular fat accumulation by altering fatty acid transporter expression.     

PASCAR: Long burning small modular reactor based on natural circulation

PASCAR is a 100 MWt/35 MWe lead-bismuth-cooled small modular reactor which requires no on-site refueling and well suits to be used as a distributed power source in either a single unit or a cluster for electricity, heat supply, and desalination. This paper includes both steady-state and transient performance evaluations for neutronics and thermal-hydraulics. Through design optimization studies for minimizing a burn-up reactivity loss, the metallic fuels-loaded core was designed with less than 1$ reactivity swing over 20-year cycle. A radial peaking power location shows the slow inward migration from outer enrichment zones while maintaining peaking factor within 1.35, reducing radiation damage and corrosion duty of high temperature environments. Equipped with coolant flow path large enough to ensure low pressure drop, this reactor is intended to operate by only natural circulation of chemically inert coolant within relatively low temperature range, 320-420 °C. Peak outlet temperature is nearly 450 °C where an Al-containing duplex cladding has sufficient corrosion resistance. Despite of 50% decrease of fuel thermal conductivity after swelling, inherent negative reactivity feedback and passive decay heat removal capability could secure an ample safety margin of peak fuel centerline temperature in tow safety analyses, unprotected transient overpower and unprotected loss of heat sink. The likelihood of loss of coolant, loss of flow, and local blockage is virtually eliminated by employing respectively a double-walled vessel, pump-less cooling, and cross-flow allowed open square assemblies. Simple fabrication, modular construction, and long burning cycle would compensate for economic disadvantages over smaller power and lower temperature than those of conventional fast reactors.