Chemical Vapor Deposition and Atomic Layer Deposition of Coatings for Mechanical Applications

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of films and coatings involves the chemical reaction of gases on or near a substrate surface. This deposition method can produce coatings with tightly controlled dimensions and novel structures. Furthermore, the non-line-of-sight-deposition capability of CVD facilitates the coating of complex-shaped mechanical components. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is also a chemical gas phase thin film deposition technique, but unlike CVD, it utilizes “self-limiting” surface adsorption reactions (chemisorption) to control the thickness of deposited films. This article provides an overview of CVD and ALD, discusses some of their fundamental and practical aspects, and examines their advantages and limitations versus other vapor processing techniques such as physical vapor deposition in regard to coatings for mechanical applications. Finally, site-specific cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy inside the wear track of an ALD ZnO/ZrO₂ 8 bilayers nanolaminate coating determined the mechanisms that control the friction and wear.     

Hybrid modelling of inhomogeneous transformer winding for very fasttransient overvoltage studies

This paper presents a novel approach for the modelling of transformer windings, which is valid in the frequency range of 10 kHz to a few MHz. It is a hybrid model; coil-by-coil detailed plus inter-coil black box model. The parameter estimation of the detailed model and the synthesis of the black box model is based on frequency domain measurements. The technique is applied to a high-voltage transformer winding. The comparison of the measurements and the frequency domain simulation of the model with EMTP confirms the validity and accuracy of the model for the intended frequency range. Experiments in the frequency range of several MHz reveal that remarkable overvoltages appear at the connecting point of the inverted and interleaved part of this winding. It is shown that the reason of the VFTO (very fast transient overvoltage) in the MHz range is the inhomogeneity of the winding parts     

Effect of plate-like glass fillers on the mechanical properties of dental nanocomposites

In this study, glass flakes were incorporated into the spherical nanosilica component of the dental composites and its effect on the mechanical properties of these composites was investigated. To achieve a good interfacial adhesion between matrix resin and fillers, the particles were surface treated with a silane coupling agent (γ-MPS). Composites with different plate-like and spherical nanoparticle contents were prepared and their mechanical properties, including flexural strength, flexural modulus and fracture toughness were measured. The morphology of the particles and fracture surface of the composites were studied by SEM. The distribution of the flakes in the composite was also monitored using EDXA. Statistical analysis of the data was performed with ANOVA and the Tukey’s post hoc test was at a significance level of 0.05. The results showed that the flexural modulus and fracture toughness of specimens were improved with increasing the glass flake content up to 15 vol % which then declined upon further increase due to the stacking of the flakes on each other. A good interfacial adhesion was observed between matrix resin and particles in the SEM micrographs. The results of this study suggest that incorporation of glass flakes into the dental composites containing spherical nanosilica particles may enhance their mechanical properties.     

Wireless multichannel biopotential recording using an integrated FM telemetry circuit.

This paper presents a four-channel telemetric microsystem featuring on-chip alternating current amplification, direct current baseline stabilization, clock generation, time-division multiplexing, and wireless frequency-modulation transmission of microvolt- and millivolt-range input biopotentials in the very high frequency band of 94-98 MHz over a distance of approximately 0.5 m. It consists of a 4.84-mm2 integrated circuit, fabricated using a 1.5-microm double-poly double-metal n-well standard complementary metal-oxide semiconductor process, interfaced with only three off-chip components on a custom-designed printed-circuit board that measures 1.7 x 1.2 x 0.16 cm3, and weighs 1.1 g including two miniature 1.5-V batteries. We characterize the microsystem performance, operating in a truly wireless fashion in single-channel and multichannel operation modes, via extensive benchtop and in vitro tests in saline utilizing two different micromachined neural recording microelectrodes, while dissipating approximately 2.2 mW from a 3-V power supply. Moreover, we demonstrate successful wireless in vivo recording of spontaneous neural activity at 96.2 MHz from the auditory cortex of an awake marmoset monkey at several transmission distances ranging from 10 to 50 cm with signal-to-noise ratios in the range of 8.4-9.5 dB.     

Alternating active-phase algorithm for multimaterial topology optimization problems: a 115-line MATLAB implementation

Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization - A new algorithm for the solution of multimaterial topology optimization problems is introduced in the present study. The presented method is based on...     

Analysis of Ferroresonance Modes in Power Transformers Using Preisach-Type Hysteretic Magnetizing Inductance

The magnetic hysteresis phenomenon plays an important role in the ferroresonance behavior of a transformer. However, most existing transformer models for the analysis of the ferroresonance phenomenon either ignore the hysteresis effects or represent it based on the hysteresis major loop and scale it for lower current levels. Such a modeling approach does not reflect the actual physical behavior of the magnetic core with respect to the ferroresonance phenomenon. This paper, based on Preisach theory, introduces an accurate model of hysteretic inductor to represent a single-phase transformer for the investigation of the ferroresonance phenomenon. Based on the developed model, time-domain simulation studies show that even in the case of a single-phase transformer where no magnetic coupling exists between the three-phases, all known types of ferroresonance, including fundamental, sub-harmonic, quasi-periodic and chaotic modes, may occur. The effects of hysteresis and its initial conditions, grading capacitors and transformer winding capacitance on occurrence of ferroresonance and its change of mode are also discussed     

Coupling ultraviolet photolysis and biofiltration for enhanced degradation of aromatic air pollutants

Coupling UV photolysis and biofiltration was evaluated as an effective treatment strategy for the enhanced degradation of hardly biodegradable aromatic volatile organic compounds (VOCs). o‐Xylene, a recalcitrant and poorly water‐soluble VOC, was used as a model compound and treated in two parallel treatment systems with and without UV pretreatment. Contaminated streams with flow rates of 0.186–0.384 m³ h^?1 and inlet o‐xylene concentrations of up to 0.22 g m^?3 were passed through the treatment system. About 20% (between 10 and 35%) of o‐xylene was converted into water‐soluble intermediates during the UV photolysis stage, which partially oxidized o‐xylene to more water‐soluble and biodegradable byproducts. The untreated contaminant along with the byproducts of UV photolysis was then removed effectively in the biofiltration stage, with improvements of up to 100% compared with the control biofiltration process. The results suggested that combined UV photolysis–biofiltration is promising as an effective technique to eliminate hydrophobic and recalcitrant organic compounds from contaminated air steams. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

A study on the relationship between biodegradability enhancement and oxidation of 1,4-dioxane using ozone and hydrogen peroxide

Advanced oxidation involving O₃/H₂O₂ was used to eliminate 1,4-dioxane and to enhance the biodegradability of dioxane-contaminated water. Oxidation experiments were carried out in a bubble column reactor operating in fed-batch. The rate of dioxane removal and enhancement in biodegradability was investigated at hydrogen peroxide to ozone ratios between 0 and 0.6 mol:mol and pH between 5 and 11. A theoretical model was also applied to predict the experimental data and to investigate the effects of dioxane concentration, pH, and H₂O₂ concentration. The model predictions fit the experimental data well and there was a linear correlation between dioxane oxidation and BOD enhancement. At low dioxane concentrations, the oxidation rate was first order and it gradually approached zero order with increasing dioxane concentration. Also, the biodegradability of the solution increased with pH up to about 9 and it stayed constant with further pH increase. Hydrogen peroxide initially enhanced dioxane removal and biodegradability enhancement of the solution. However, at H₂O₂:O₃ ratios greater than about 0.4-0.45 mol:mol, i.e. about 2.90 mM for H₂O₂ concentration, H₂O₂ had negative impacts and resulted in reduced dioxane removal and biodegradability increase.     

A miniaturized system for spike-triggered intracortical microstimulation in an ambulatory rat

This paper reports on a miniaturized system for spike-triggered intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) in an ambulatory rat. The head-mounted microdevice comprises a previously developed application-specific integrated circuit fabricated in 0.35-μm two-poly four-metal complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technology, which is assembled and packaged on a miniature rigid-flex substrate together with a few external components for programming, supply regulation, and wireless operation. The microdevice operates autonomously from a single 1.55-V battery, measures 3.6 cm × 1.3 cm × 0.6 cm, weighs 1.7 g (including the battery), and is capable of stimulating as well as recording the neural response to ICMS in biological experiments with anesthetized laboratory rats. Moreover, it has been interfaced with silicon microelectrodes chronically implanted in the cerebral cortex of an ambulatory rat and successfully delivers electrical stimuli to the second somatosensory area when triggered by neural activity from the rostral forelimb area with a user-adjustable spike-stimulus time delay. The spike-triggered ICMS is further shown to modulate the neuronal firing rate, indicating that it is physiologically effective.