Benchmark experiment of large-angle scattering reaction cross section of iron at 14 MeV using two shadow bars – Comparison of experimental results with ENDF/B-VIII –

ABSTRACT

It is important to perform neutron transport simulations with accurate nuclear data in the neutronics design of a fusion reactor. However, absolute values of large-angle scattering cross sections vary among nuclear data libraries even for well-examined nuclide of iron. Benchmark experiments focusing on large-angle scattering cross sections were thus performed to confirm the correctness of nuclear data libraries. The series benchmark experiments were performed at a DT neutron source facility, OKTAVIAN of Osaka University, Japan, by the unique experimental system established by the authors’ group, which can extract only the contribution of large-angle scattering reactions. This system consists of two shadow bars, target plate (iron), and neutron detector (niobium). Two types of shadow bars were used and four irradiations were conducted for one experiment, so that contribution of room-return neutrons was effectively removed and only large-angle scattering neutrons were extracted from the measured four Nb reaction rates. The obtained experimental results were compared with calculations for five nuclear data libraries including JENDL-4.0, JEFF.-3.3, FENDL-3.1, ENDF/B- VII, and recently released ENDF/B-VIII. It was found from the comparison that ENDF/B-VIII showed the best result, though ENDF/B-VII showed overestimation and others are in large underestimation at 14 MeV.     

Structural Analysis of silica aerogels for the interlayer dielectric in semiconductor devices

As semiconductor devices have become miniaturized and highly integrated, interconnection problems such as RC delays, power dissipation, and crosstalk appear. To alleviate these problems, materials with a low dielectric constant should be used for the interlayer dielectric in nanoscale semiconductor devices. Silica aerogel as a porous structure composed of silica and air can be used as the interlayer dielectric material to achieve a very low dielectric constant. However, the problem of its low stiffness needs to be resolved for the endurance required in planarization. The purpose of this study is to discover the geometric effect of the electrical and mechanical properties of silica aerogel. The effects of porosity, the distribution of pores, the number of pores on the dielectric constant, and elastic modulus were analyzed using FEM. The results suggest that the porosity of silica aerogel is the main parameter that determines the dielectric constant and it should be at least 0.76 to have a very low dielectric constant of 1.5. Additionally, while maintaining the porosity of 0.76, the silica aerogel needs to be designed in an ordered open pores structure (OOPS) containing 64 or more pores positioned in a simple cubic lattice point to endure in planarization, which requires an elastic modulus of 8 GPa to prevent delamination.     

Φ177mm PQF无缝管连轧机前横移系统改进

对鞍钢股份无缝钢管厂连轧机前毛管坯横移装置存在的设计缺陷进行了分析,并提出改进方案,将原横移装置由高架轨道横移机构及上下升降链传动装置,改进为地面轨道横移系统及同步旋转臂实现取管、放管过程。实施后消除了生产故障,缩短了轧制周期,降低生产成本。     

Synergistic effect of co-alloying elements on site preferences and elastic properties of Ni3Al: A first-principles study

The site preferences of co-alloying elements (Mo–Ta, Mo–Re, Mo–Cr) in Ni₃Al are studied using first-principles calculations, and the effects of these alloying elements on the elastic properties of Ni₃Al are evaluated by elastic property calculations. The results show that the Mo–Ta, Mo–Re and Mo–Cr atom pairs all prefer Al–Al sites and the spatial neighbor relation of substitution sites almost has no influence on the site preference results. Furthermore, the Young's modulus of Ni₃Al increases much higher by substituting Al–Al sites with co-alloying atoms, among which Mo–Re has the best strengthening effect. The enhanced chemical bondings between alloying atoms and their neighbor host atoms are considered to be the main strengthening mechanism of the alloying elements in Ni₃Al.     

The Electron–Phonon Interaction of Low-Dimensional and Multi-Dimensional Materials from He Atom Scattering

Atom scattering is becoming recognized as a sensitive probe of the electron–phonon interaction parameter λ at metal and metal-overlayer surfaces. Here, the theory is developed, linking λ to the thermal attenuation of atom scattering spectra (in particular, the Debye–Waller factor), to conducting materials of different dimensions, from quasi-1D systems such as W(110):H(1 × 1) and Bi(114), to quasi-2D layered chalcogenides, and high-dimensional surfaces such as quasicrystalline 2ML-Ba(0001)/Cu(001) and d-AlNiCo(00001). Values of λ obtained using He atoms compare favorably with known values for the bulk materials. The corresponding analysis indicates in addition, the number of layers contributing to the electron–phonon interaction, which is measured in an atom surface collision.     

Study of metal assisted anisotropic chemical etching of silicon for high aspect ratio in crystalline silicon solar cells

Textured surface is commonly used to enhance the efficiency of silicon solar cells by reducing the overall reflectance and improving the light scattering. In this study, a comparison between isotropic and anisotropic etching methods was investigated. The deep funnel shaped structures with high aspect ratio are proposed for better light trapping with low reflectance in crystalline silicon solar cells. The anisotropic metal assisted chemical etching (MACE) was used to form the funnel shaped structures with various aspect ratios. The funnel shaped structures showed an average reflectance of 14.75% while it was 15.77% for the pillar shaped structures. The average reflectance was further reduced to 9.49% using deep funnel shaped structures with an aspect ratio of 1:1.18. The deep funnel shaped structures with high aspect ratios can be employed for high performance of crystalline silicon solar cells.     

Synthesis of Diamond@SiO2@Ag composite materials for high SERS effect

Among various carbon materials, diamond stands out due to excellent physical and chemical properties. In this work, we designed Dia@SiO₂@Ag composites combining diamond micropowder and Ag nanoparticles by a simple chemical method and obtained stable substrate for surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) owing to its high surface-to-volume ratio, low density, as well as close bond between diamond and Ag. As-prepared Dia@SiO₂@Ag presented high activity to detect crystal violet and rhodamine 6G molecules, which was demonstrated by significantly enhanced SERS spectra and high enhancement factor values (10⁸-10⁹). Moreover, Dia@SiO₂@Ag also showed desired sensitivity, which was investigated by detection limit. Therefore, our study provided more theoretical support and broadened the functional applications of diamond, particularly in Raman detection.     

Study of haze emission efficiency based on new co-opetition data envelopment analysis

As haze intensifies in China, controlling haze emission has become the country's top priority for environmental protection. Because haze moves across different regions, it is necessary to develop a data envelopment analysis (DEA) model underpinned by both competition and cooperation to evaluate the haze emission efficiency in different provinces. This study innovatively adopts the spatial econometrics to construct the co-opetition matrices of Chinese provinces, then builds the co-opetition DEA model to evaluate the haze emission efficiency of them, and finally uses the haze data of 2015 as an example to assess the applicability of the model. The results of the study include the following: First, compared with the traditional CCR (A. Charnes & W. W. Cooper & E. Rhodes) model, this study constructs the co-opetition DEA cross-efficiency model that integrates haze's feature of cross-border moving; thus, it is more in line with the reality of haze emission and movement. Second, compared with the efficiency value gained from the CCR model, the haze emission efficiency values for Tianjin and Guangdong, two decision-making units, register greater variance when using the DEA model. The reason might lie in that they have a different spatial transportation relationship with their surrounding provinces. Third, the haze emission efficiency of provinces, according to the evaluation based on the co-opetition DEA method, varies greatly: Those with high efficiency are mostly inland provinces with slow economic growth and adverse climatic conditions, whereas many of the provinces with low efficiency are located in the relatively prosperous East China. The specific co-opetition DEA model constructed in this study enriches the research on the DEA model, which can be applied to the emission efficiency evaluation of similar pollutants around the world and can contribute empirical support to the haze reducing efforts of the government with its empirical results.     

Polarity Effect and Electromagnetic Radiation of Partial Discharge Accompanying Growth of Electrical Tree

We have investigated the characteristics of radiated electromagnetic (EM) waves from positive and negative partial discharges (PD) in epoxy resin and cross‐linked polyethylene. We found that there is a correlation among the EM level from PD, the positive PD current, and electrical trees. Therefore, the growth of an electrical tree produces a lot of positive PD. We have also investigated the characteristics of the frequency region of EM waves from PD in air, insulating oil, and liquid epoxy in addition to the above insulators. EM waves were detected in the frequency region of 40 MHz to 300 MHz from positive and negative PD in epoxy resin and cross‐linked polyethylene. EM waves were also detected in the frequency region of 40 MHz to 150 MHz from positive and negative PD in air. In the case of insulating oil and liquid epoxy, EM waves were detected in the frequency regions of 40 MHz to 150 MHz from positive PD, and 40 MHz to 250 MHz from negative PD. The frequency region differed depending on the material and the discharge polarity. Our investigation indicates that the cause is differences in electric field strength at the time of PD occurrence.     

A highly transparent and thermally stable copolymer of 1‐adamantyl methacrylate and styrene

Thermal and optical properties of copolymers of 1‐adamantyl methacrylate (AdMA) and styrene (St) prepared by free radical polymerization in the bulk are investigated. The copolymer forms an azeotrope when the composition is AdMA/St = 55/45 mol%. The glass transition temperature and decomposition temperature of the azeotropic copolymer are 170 and ca 340 °C, respectively. The refractive index increases nonlinearly with St content from 1.522 to 1.591. The light scattering loss at 633 nm is 28.1 dB km^?1, which is less than half of that of polystyrene. The total optical loss including molecular vibrational absorption, which is evaluated using a copolymer‐based optical fiber, is 292–645 dB km^?1 at 500–700 nm. These values correspond to transmittances of 86–93% for a 1 m optical path length. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry