PID Control of Planar Nonlinear Uncertain Systems in the Presence of Actuator Saturation

This paper investigates PID control design for a class of planar nonlinear uncertain systems in the presence of actuator saturation. Based on the bounds on the growth rates of the nonlinear uncertain function in the system model, the system is placed in a linear differential inclusion. Each vertex system of the linear differential inclusion is a linear system subject to actuator saturation. By placing the saturated PID control into a convex hull formed by the PID controller and an auxiliary linear feedback law, we establish conditions under which an ellipsoid is contractively invariant and hence is an estimate of the domain of attraction of the equilibrium point of the closed-loop system. The equilibrium point corresponds to the desired set point for the system output. Thus, the location of the equilibrium point and the size of the domain of attraction determine, respectively, the set point that the output can achieve and the range of initial conditions from which this set point can be reached. Based on these conditions, the feasible set points can be determined and the design of the PID control law that stabilizes the nonlinear uncertain system at a feasible set point with a large domain of attraction can then be formulated and solved as a constrained optimization problem with constraints in the form of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Application of the proposed design to a magnetic suspension system illustrates the design process and the performance of the resulting PID control law.      

Pressure-induced transparency of MgO,Al2O3, AlN,and cBN ceramics at room temperature

The in situ axial X-ray diffraction patterns of four ceramic powder samples (MgO, Al₂O₃, AlN, and cBN) that were compressed in a diamond anvil cell under uniaxial non-hydrostatic conditions were recorded. The microscopic deviatoric stress as a function of the pressure was determined from the X-ray diffraction peak broadening analysis: the curves increased approximately linearly with the pressure at the initial compression stage and then levelled off under further compression. Pressure-induced transparency was observed in all of the samples under compression, and the pressure at the turning point on the curves of the microscopic deviatoric stress versus pressure corresponded to the pressure at which the samples became transparent. Analysis of the microstructural features of the pressure-induced transparent samples indicated that the compression caused the grains to fracture, and the broken grains bonded with each other. We demonstrated that the ceramics’ pressure-induced transparency was a process during which the grains were squeezed and broken, the pores were close between the grains, and the broken grains were re-bonded under compression.     

Enhanced strains of Nb-doped BNKT-4ST piezoelectric ceramics via phase boundary and domain design

A strategy that constructs the morphotropic phase boundary and manipulates the domain structure has been used to design the component of 0.96[Bi_0.5(Na_0.84K_0.16)_0.5Ti_(1-x)Nb_xO₃]-0.04SrTiO₃ (BNKT-4ST-100xNb) to enhance the strain properties for actuator application. Non-equivalent Nb⁵⁺ donor doping modulates the phase transition from the mixture of rhombohedral and tetragonal phases to the pseudocubic phase and results in the coexistence of multiple phases. Moreover, the high-resolution TEM confirms the existence of polar nano regions that contribute to the macroscopic relaxor behaviour. The size of the domains is reduced with increasing Nb⁵⁺, resulting in an enhanced relaxor behaviour. The ferroelectric-relaxor transition temperature decreases from 85 to below 30 °C, implying a non-ergodic to ergodic relaxor transition. An improved strain of 0.56% and a giant normalized strain of 1120 pm/V were achieved for BNKT-4ST-1.5Nb, which were attributed to the unique domain structure in which nanodomains are embedded in an undistorted cubic matrix. Ferroelectric, antiferroelectric, and relaxor phases coexist. As the electric field is large enough, a reversible phase transition occurs. Furthermore, good temperature stability was obtained due to the stability of the nanodomains, and no degradation in strains was observed even after 10⁴ cycles, which may originate from the reversible phase transition and dynamic domain wall. The results show that this design strategy offers a reference way to improve the strain behaviour and that BNKT-4ST-100xNb ceramics could be a potential material for high-displacement actuator applications.     

A mini review on two-dimensional nanomaterial assembly

Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials have attracted a great deal of attention since the discovery of graphene in 2004, due to their intriguing physicochemical properties and wide-ranging applications in catalysis, energy-related devices, electronics and optoelectronics. To maximize the potential of 2D nanomaterials for their technological applications, controlled assembly of 2D nanobulding blocks into integrated systems is critically needed. This mini review summarizes the reported strategies of 2D materials-based assembly into integrated functional nanostructures, from in-situ assembly method to post-synthesis assembly. The applications of 2D assembled integrated structures are also covered, especially in the areas of energy, electronics and sensing, and we conclude with discussion on the remaining challenges and potential directions in this emerging field.

     

Real-time molecular characterization of air pollutants in a Hong Kong residence: Implication of indoor source emissions and heterogeneous chemistry

Due to the high health risks associated with indoor air pollutants and long-term exposure, indoor air quality has received increasing attention. In this study, we put emphasis on the molecular composition, source emissions, and chemical aging of air pollutants in a residence with designed activities mimicking ordinary Hong Kong homes. More than 150 air pollutants were detected at molecular level, 87 of which were quantified at a time resolution of not less than 1 hour. The indoor-to-outdoor ratios were higher than 1 for most of the primary air pollutants, due to emissions of indoor activities and indoor backgrounds (especially for aldehydes). In contrast, many secondary air pollutants exhibited higher concentrations in outdoor air. Painting ranked first in aldehyde emissions, which also caused great enhancement of aromatics. Incense burning had the highest emissions of particle-phase organics, with vanillic acid and syringic acid as markers. The other noteworthy fingerprints enabled by online measurements included linoleic acid, cholesterol, and oleic acid for cooking, 2,5-dimethylfuran, stigmasterol, iso-/anteiso-alkanes, and fructose isomers for smoking, C₂₈-C₃₄ even n-alkanes for candle burning, and monoterpenes for the use of air freshener, cleaning agents, and camphor oil. We showed clear evidence of chemical aging of cooking emissions, giving a hint of indoor heterogeneous chemistry. This study highlights the value of organic molecules measured at high time resolutions in enhancing our knowledge on indoor air quality.     

H型丝光沸石催化剂催化甲苯与叔丁醇的烷基化反应

针对合成对叔丁基甲苯传统工艺中存在的缺点,采用环境友好、可重复利用的H型丝光沸石催化剂(以下简称催化剂)进行了甲苯与叔丁醇的烷基化反应,并用X射线衍射和氨程序升温脱附等方法对不同焙烧温度下得到的催化剂的物相结构和酸性质进行了表征,研究了各种反应条件对催化剂的催化性能的影响。实验结果发现,在适宜的操作条件下,即催化剂的焙烧温度823K、反应温度180℃、反应时间3h、初始压力1.0MPa、原料与催化剂的质量比为8、叔丁醇与甲苯的摩尔比为4、溶剂环己烷与甲苯的摩尔比为5时,甲苯转化率达42.73%,叔丁基甲苯的选择性为96.30%,对叔丁基甲苯的选择性为80.37%。     

干涉型激光直写技术用于光盘防伪

利用作者研制的干涉型激光直写系统，阐述了干涉型激光直写设计OVD的方法，防伪特征，介绍了应用于光盘防伪的OVD技术和应用前景，给出了实验结果。     

世界十家公司发布承诺实现水泥行业可持续发展

2002年7月3日，在法国巴黎，由世界10大水泥公司与总部位于日内瓦的世界可持续发展商业协会（WBCSD）联手制定、发布了可持续发展工程“我们的行动计划”，旨在共同采取行动加快实现可持续发展步伐。　　该“行动计划”包括3年的规模计划、各企业独立进行研究并与股东磋商，重点解决6个主要问题即：保护全球气候、燃料和原材料、员工健康和安全、减少排放量（气、水、灰尘）、对当地环境的影响以及内部业务流程。　　该行动计划中还有若干个五年计划，其中第一个五年计划的主要项目有以下内容：　　1、所有10家公司将在2006年之前，分…