Optical switching properties of RCo2-type alloy thin films by electrochemical hydrogenation

The switchable optical properties of Pd-protected RCo₂-type Ho_0.6Mm_0.4Co₂ alloy thin films have been investigated in a KOH electrolyte. The reversible optical switching has been carried out simultaneously by measuring transmitted light through the thin film during electrochemical charging–discharging of hydrogen. The dependence of switching speed and cyclic durability of the film on the charging and discharging current density as well as concentration of KOH electrolyte has been studied. In addition, cyclic voltammetric measurements have been performed to examine the hydride formation and decomposition reactions.     

结构陶瓷的高温疲劳强度衰减理论

提出了陶瓷材料疲劳强度衰减理论并由此导出了各种疲劳关系式。建立了疲劳基本方程ｄσ＿ｒ／ｄ＿ｉ＝一Ａσ（ｔ）￣ｎｔ￣（－ｍ），得出了疲劳寿命公式Ｔ＝Ｍ（σ＿０－σ）／Ａσ￣ｎ（静疲劳时Ｍ＝１，连续增载疲劳时Ｍ＝ｎ＋１，循环疲劳时Ｍ＝（ｎ＋１）／（１＋Ｒ＋Ｒ￣２＋……＋Ｒ￣ｎ），逐级加载时，并导出不同疲劳方式下疲劳寿命间的关系。同时，用多种Ｓｉ＿３Ｎ＿４材料在高温中作了论证试验，结果与理论一致。     

Constructing Pseudo-Random Permutations with a Prescribed Structure

We show how to construct pseudo-random permutations that satisfy a certain cycle restriction, for example that the permutation be cyclic (consisting of one cycle containing all the elements) or an involution (a self-inverse permutation) with no fixed points. The construction can be based on any (unrestricted) pseudo-random permutation. The resulting permutations are defined succinctly and their evaluation at a given point is efficient. Furthermore, they enjoy a fast forward property, i.e. it is possible to iterate them at a very small cost. Received 10 August 2000 and revised 30 September 2000 Online publication 9 April 2001     

Promising alloys for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cell interconnect application

The formation of a low Cr-volatility and electrically conductive oxide outer layer atop an inner chromia layer via thermal oxidation is highly desirable for preventing chromium evaporation from solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) metallic interconnects at the SOFC operation temperatures. In this paper, a number of ferritic Fe–22Cr alloys with different levels of Mn and Ti as well as a Ni-based alloy Haynes 242 were cyclically oxidized in air at 800 °C for twenty 100-h cycles. No oxide scale spallation was observed during thermal cycling for any of these alloys. A mixed Mn₂O₃/TiO₂ surface layer and/or a (Mn, Cr)₃O₄ spinel outer layer atop a Cr₂O₃ inner layer was formed for the Fe–22Cr series alloys, while an NiO outer layer with a Cr₂O₃ inner layer was developed for Haynes 242 after cyclic oxidation. For the Fe–22Cr series alloys, the effects of Mn and Ti contents as well as alloy purity on the oxidation resistance and scale area specific resistance were evaluated. The performance of the ferritic alloys was compared with that of Haynes 242. The mismatch in thermal expansion coefficient between the different layers in the oxide scale was identified as a potential concern for these otherwise promising alloys.     

Behavior of a Semiintegral Bridge Abutment under Static and Temperature-Induced Cyclic Loading

This paper presents the results of an experimental study of semiintegral bridge abutments. Primary interests were to investigate (1) potential problems with the particular detail tested; (2) rotational characteristics of the semiintegral abutments; and (3) ability of the specimens to withstand cyclic loading induced by temperature variations during the expected life of the bridge. Sixteen experiments were conducted on three large-scale specimens. The results of the tests have shown that semiintegral abutments can significantly reduce the moments transferred from the superstructure to the foundation piles. Test results have also shown that semiintegral abutments can tolerate the number of displacement cycles that a bridge will experience during the course of its economic life.     

Evaluating Liquefaction Strength of Partially Saturated Sand

A method is presented for evaluating the liquefaction strength of partially saturated sand using the compression wave velocity (P-wave velocity), a new indicator of saturation. Based on laboratory test results, an empirical correlation that relates the liquefaction strength with the pore pressure coefficient B is firstly proposed. The strength is defined as the cyclic stress ratio required to cause liquefaction at a specified number of cycles. With the aid of a theoretical relation between B and the P-wave velocity, an explicit correlation of more interest is then established between the liquefaction strength of sand and its P-wave velocity. A comparison of the predictions using this explicit correlation with laboratory measurements shows a satisfactory agreement. The significance of this method lies in that it makes it possible to evaluate the liquefaction strength of sand as affected by saturation through the measurement of P-wave velocity, which can be made not only in the laboratory but particularly in the field.     

Nanoporous activated carbon cloth for capacitive deionization of aqueous solution

Activated nanostructured-carbon cloths with a high ratio of surface area to volume are used as electrode for capacitive deionization. The electrochemical properties on capacitive deionization for NaCl solution have been investigated to improve efficiency of capacitive deionization properties from aqueous solution, employing chemical surface-modification by etching in alkaline and acidic solution. The removal efficiency of inorganic salts of activated carbon cloths by chemical modification significantly increased. Specially the carbon cloth surface modified in HNO₃ showed an effect of improvement in the CDI efficiency due to not only ion adsorption by an electric double layer, but also electron transfer by Faradaic reaction.     

A study on the interaction between ibuprofen and bilayer lipid membrane

Ibuprofen is a well-known nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, which can interact with lipid membranes. In this paper, the interaction of ibuprofen with bilayer lipid membrane was studied by UV-vis spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and AC impedance spectroscopy. UV-vis spectroscopy data indicated directly that ibuprofen could interact with lipid vesicles. In electrochemical experiments, ibuprofen displayed a biphasic behavior on bilayer lipid membrane supported on a glassy carbon electrode. It could stabilize the lipid membrane in low concentration, while it induced defects formation, even removed off bilayer lipid membrane from the surface of the electrode with increasing concentration. The mechanism about the interaction between ibuprofen and supported bilayer lipid membrane was discussed.     

Influence of pencil lead hardness on voltammetric response of graphite reinforcement carbon electrodes

This work studied the voltammetric response of graphite reinforcement electrodes made of different pencil lead hardness. The studies showed that harder graphite leads, regardless of their manufacturer, are more appropriate as electrode material for voltammetric purposes due to their higher peak currents, increasing sensitivity and reproducibility, with ΔEp closer to the theoretical value for a reversible system.