Surface analysis of CVD diamond exposed to fusion plasma

Microcrystalline undoped and heavily boron-doped polycrystalline diamond layers have been deposited on various substrates by hot filament CVD and exposed to hydrogen plasma in a linear plasma reactor (Pilot-PSI, The Netherlands) that simulates the high flux and high density plasma conditions of tokamak divertors, as well as in the DIII-D tokamak (US). Pre- and post-exposure analysis by SEM and Raman spectroscopy characterised the surface appearance and the sp³ and sp² components of the diamond films respectively. Surface roughness variation was measured by AFM. Hardness and Young's modulus were assessed by nanoindentation in order to characterise the effect of the plasma on the mechanical properties. HRTEM and EELS have been used to evaluate the nature of the modification induced at the diamond surface by the plasma exposure. The measurements have shown that, despite some surface amorphisation of the exposed layers, further long-term exposure studies are warranted as neither delamination, dramatic film failure nor entire erosion of the film were observed.     

Cs Promoted Triglyceride Transesterification Over MgO Nanocatalysts

The influence of Cs on the structure and basicity of nanocrystalline MgO was assessed via electron microscopy, CO₂ chemisorption, XRD and XPS. Caesium incorporation via co-precipitation under supercritical conditions generates Cs₂Mg(CO₃)₂ nanocrystallites with an enhanced density and strength of surface base sites. Wet impregnation proved less effective for modifying MgO nanocrystals. A strong synergy between Cs and Mg components in the co-precipitated material dramatically enhanced the rate of tributyrin transesterification with methanol relative to undoped MgO and homogeneous Cs₂CO₃ catalysts. On-stream deactivation of Cs-doped MgO reflects heavy surface carbon deposition and loss of the high activity Cs₂Mg(CO₃)₂ phase due to limited Cs dissolution.     

Optical properties of undoped n-AlGaN/GaN superlattices as affected by built-in and external-electric field and by ar-implantation-induced partial disordering

High-resolution x-ray diffraction patterns and 90 K microcathodoluminescence (MCL) spectra were taken for undoped, symmetric AlGaN/GaN superlattices (SLs) with GaN quantum-well (QW) widths of 35 Å and 80 Å. The short-period SL spectra were blue shifted by about 60 meV compared to the GaN substrate, and the magnitude of the blue shift was increased by about 20 meV by application of a reverse bias of ?3 V (electric field of about 4 · 10⁵ V/cm) to a Schottky diode prepared on this SL. A small red shift of about 40 meV compared to GaN was observed for the long-period SL. The two latter observations were interpreted as manifestations of the presence of a strong built-in piezoelectric field, giving rise to the quantum-confined Stark effect (QCSE). Partial disordering of the short-period SL was observed after Ar ion implantation (energy 150 keV, dose 8·10¹³ cm^?2 and 80 keV, 2·10¹³ cm^?2) and subsequent annealing at 1000°C for 3 h under the protective layer of Si₃N₄. However, it was observed that this partial disordering was accompanied by strain relaxation via formation of misfit dislocations or cracks.     

Rapid identification technique for virtual CNC drives

This paper presents a technique for rapid identification of machine tool drives by conducting a short G-code test. The proposed strategy uses commanded and measured axis profiles and requires minimal intervention to the servo control loop. The drive system is identified as a whole, including the feed mechanism, motor, amplifier, and the control law. The methodology is fairly general and applicable to linear or ball screw drives, controlled with commonly used controllers like P, PI, PID, P–PI Cascade or Adaptive Sliding Mode Control; with or without feedforward dynamic or friction compensation. In order to guarantee the stability of identified dynamics, bounds are imposed on the pole locations. The identified models can be used in a Virtual CNC system for predicting the contouring and tracking errors to different part programs. Simulation and experimental case studies are presented, where tracking and contour errors are successfully predicted using drive models identified with the proposed strategy.     

Thermally insulating robust carbon composite foams with high EMI shielding from-natural cotton

Thermally insulating and fire-resistant carbon composite foams are prepared by consolidating natural cot-ton fibre dispersed in aqueous sucrose solution by filt...     

Effect of fungal damage on seed composition and quality of soybeans

Fungal damage caused by pathogens such asFusarium, Cercospora, andPhomopsis can have a devastating impact on physical quality and farm price of soybeans. In some price-discount schedules, soybeans may be rejected with as low as 5% fungal damage. Although the severity of this problem varies throughout the United States, millions of bushels of fungus-damaged soybeans may be destroyed annually due to a lack of markets. The effect of fungal damage on seed composition was evaluated to assess potential utility of highly damaged soybeans. Graded samples of the cv. Centennial soybean were dried to 10% moisture and blended on a proportional weight basis to derive a series of treatments from 0 to 80% fungal damage. A positive correlation was found between fungal damage and both protein and oil concentrations. This condition was attributed to loss of residual seed mass. As a result, the protein concentration of defatted meal increased from ca. 54 to 66% over the range of 0 to 80% fungal damage. Mycotoxin contamination appeared to be insignificant in these high-protein meals. Fixed colors in bleached, alkali refined oils were intensified by heat treatment prior to extraction. No significant differences, however, were noted in total polar lipid content, phospholipid, or tocopherol composition among treatments of up to 20% fungal damage. Oils from treatments of more than 40% fungal damage were more severely oxidized and could not be degummed effectively. These data suggest that fungus-damaged soybeans may be blended with high-quality soybeans to alleviate the chemical symptoms associated with unacceptable product quality. Thus, through various blend ratios, processors may consider using fungus-damaged soybeans to gain economic advantage, especially when high-quality soybeans have lower protein concentration.     

Chemically mediated ovipositional behaviors of the european corn borer,Ostrinia nubilalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

The volatile plant sesquiterpenoids farnesene, nerolidol, and farnesol were tested to determine their effect on European corn borer,Ostrinia nubilalis, oviposition during the first six nights of the adult stage. Adult European corn borers were released into cages designed to encourage oviposition on eight glass plates randomly arranged on top of the cage: four coated with either 80µg/cm² farnesene, nerolidol, or farnesol, and four coated with the solvent methylene chloride. The setup was used as a binary choice test. Farnesene was preferred by females because they deposited significantly more egg masses on plates coated with the compound. Nerolidol had no effect. Farnesol, by contrast, deterred oviposition: the number of egg masses was significantly lower on plates covered with that compound. These data show that structural modification at a single terminal functional group in these compounds affects the ovipositional behavior of European corn borer females.This paper reports the results of research only. Mention of a proprietary product does not constitute an endorsement or a recommendation for its use by USDA.     

Experiment and simulation study of 3D magnetic field sensing for magnetic flux leakage defect characterisation

Magnetic flux leakage (MFL) testing is widely used to detect and characterise defects in pipelines, rail tracks and other structures. The measurement of the two field components perpendicular to the test surface and parallel to the applied field in MFL systems is well established. However, it is rarely effective when the shapes of the specimens and defects with respect to the applied field are arbitrary. In order to overcome the pitfalls of traditional MFL measurement, measurement of the three-dimensional (3D) magnetic field is proposed. The study is undertaken using extensive finite element analysis (FEA) focussing on the 3D distribution of magnetic fields for defect characterisation and employing a high sensitivity 3-axis magnetic field sensor in experimental study. Several MFL tests were undertaken on steel samples, including a section of rail track. The experimental and FEA test results show that data from not only the x- and z-axes but also y-axis can give comprehensive positional information about defects in terms of shape and orientation, being especially advantageous where the defect is aligned close to parallel to the applied field. The work concludes that 3D magnetic field sensing could be used to improve the defect characterisation capabilities of existing MFL systems, especially where defects have irregular geometries.