High performance of mixed halide perovskite solar cells: Role of halogen atom and plasmonic nanoparticles on the ideal current density of cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohebpour, Mohammad Ali; Saffari, Mohaddeseh; Soleimani, Hamid Rahimpour; Tagani, Meysam Bagheri

2018-03-01

To be able to increase the efficiency of perovskite solar cells which is one of the most substantial challenges ahead in photovoltaic industry, the structural and optical properties of perovskite CH3NH3PbI3-xBrx for values x = 1-3 have been studied employing density functional theory (DFT). Using the optical constants extracted from DFT calculations, the amount of light reflectance and ideal current density of a simulated single-junction perovskite solar cell have been investigated. The results of DFT calculations indicate that adding halogen bromide to CH3NH3PbI3 compound causes the relocation of energy bands in band structure which its consequence is increasing the bandgap. In addition, the effect of increasing Br in this structure can be seen as a reduction in lattice constant, refractive index, extinction and absorption coefficient. As well, results of the simulation suggest a significant current density enhancement as much as 22% can be achieved by an optimized array of Platinum nanoparticles that is remarkable. This plan is able to be a prelude for accomplishment of solar cells with higher energy conversion efficiency.

Start current of dielectric-loaded grating in Smith-Purcell radiation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Wenxin, E-mail: lwenxin@mail.ie.ac.cn; Wang, Yong, E-mail: wangyong3845@sina.com; Cao, Miaomiao, E-mail: mona486@yeah.net

In this paper, a three-dimensional dielectric loaded grating (DLG) is proposed for the Smith-Purcell (SP) device. Taking into the considerations of thickness and width of electron beam, the dispersion equation is derived by using field matches method. The complex frequency is obtained by the numerical solution of dispersion equation, in which the imaginary part represents linear growth rate. The impacts of the electron beam filling factor (EBFF) on growth rate are discussed under the condition that the beam current and beam current density are kept as constants, respectively. In addition, the start current for SP oscillator is obtained by usingmore » the dispersion relation combined with boundary conditions. The relationship between the start current and other parameters is discussed and compared with the conventional metal grating. The results show that with the increasing of EBFF, the peak growth rate increases rapidly firstly and then decreases slowly, in which the current and current density are kept as constants, respectively. For the SP oscillator, the start current is increased with the shifting up beam voltage, but it is decreased with the improved EBFF, and only it has a slightly increasing trend when EBFF is close to 1. In addition, the start current is decreased with the increasing of relative dielectric constant, which indicates that by introducing DLG, the start current can be effectively reduced. Theoretical results are in good agreement with that of the simulations.« less

Ion energy distribution and gas heating in the cathode fall of a direct-current microdischarge

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ito, Tsuyohito; Cappelli, Mark A.

2006-04-15

This paper reports on measurements of the ion energy distribution (IED) at the cathode of an argon dc microdischarge using energy-resolved molecular beam mass spectrometry. The measurements are conducted at a fixed pressure-electrode separation product (pd) of 1 cm Torr with a maximum discharge pressure of 20 Torr. The measured IED is compared to the theory of Davis and Vanderslice [W. D. Davis and T. A. Vanderslice, Phys. Rev. 131, 219 (1963)]. A higher pressure in a case of almost constant normalized current densities by pressure (Jp{sup -2}=0.080{+-}0.006 mAecm{sup -2} Torr{sup -2}) yields a lower ratio of the ion meanmore » free path to the sheath thickness. The results in almost constant Jp{sup -2} case then indicate that a scaling law of Jp{sup -2} is no longer applicable for IED of microdischarge. Expected background gaseous temperatures from IEDs with the collisional Child law have reasonable increasing with increased current density (J) in both cases of almost constant Jp{sup -2} and a constant pressure of 10 Torr. Supported by temperature measurement by laser absorption spectroscopy, it is demonstrated that the expanded theory might be applicable also to microdischarges (Ar{approx}20 Torr) with temperature adjusting.« less

Electrical characteristics of thin Ta2O5 films deposited by reactive pulsed direct-current magnetron sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, J.-Y.; Nielsen, M. C.; Rymaszewski, E. J.; Lu, T.-M.

2000-02-01

Room temperature deposition of tantalum oxide films on metallized silicon substrates was investigated by reactive pulsed magnetron sputtering of Ta in an Ar/O2 ambient. The dielectric constant of the tantalum oxide ranged from 19 to 31 depending on the oxygen percentage [P(%)=PO2/(PO2+PAr)] used during sputtering. The leakage current density was less than 10 nA/cm2 at 0.5 MV/cm electric field and the dielectric breakdown field was greater than 3.8 MV/cm for P=60%. A charge storage as high as 3.3 μF/cm2 was achieved for 70-Å-thick film. Pulse frequency variation (from 20 to 200 kHz) did not give a significant effect in the electrical properties (dielectric constant or leakage current density) of the Ta2O5 films.

Electrical and Mechanical Performance of Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Used as the Impressed Current Anode Material.

PubMed

Zhu, Ji-Hua; Zhu, Miaochang; Han, Ningxu; Liu, Wei; Xing, Feng

2014-07-24

An investigation was performed by using carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) as the anode material in the impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) system of steel reinforced concrete structures. The service life and performance of CFRP were investigated in simulated ICCP systems with various configurations. Constant current densities were maintained during the tests. No significant degradation in electrical and mechanical properties was found for CFRP subjected to anodic polarization with the selected applied current densities. The service life of the CFRP-based ICCP system was discussed based on the practical reinforced concrete structure layout.

Novel operation and control of an electric vehicle aluminum/air battery system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xin; Yang, Shao Hua; Knickle, Harold

The objective of this paper is to create a method to size battery subsystems for an electric vehicle to optimize battery performance. Optimization of performance includes minimizing corrosion by operating at a constant current density. These subsystems will allow for easy mechanical recharging. A proper choice of battery subsystem will allow for longer battery life, greater range and performance. For longer life, the current density and reaction rate should be nearly constant. The control method requires control of power by controlling electrolyte flow in battery sub modules. As power is increased more sub modules come on line and more electrolyte is needed. Solenoid valves open in a sequence to provide the required power. Corrosion is limited because there is no electrolyte in the modules not being used.

Diamagnetic currents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macris, N.; Martin, Ph. A.; Pulé, J. V.

1988-06-01

We study the diamagnetic surface currents of particles in thermal equilibrium submitted to a constant magnetic field. The current density of independent electrons with Boltzmann (respectively Fermi) statistics has a gaussian (respectively exponential) bound for its fall off into the bulk. For a system of interacting particles at low activity with Boltzmann statistics, the current density is localized near to the boundary and integrable when the two-body potential decays as |x|-α, α >4, α>4, in three dimensions. In all cases, the integral of the current density is independent of the nature of the confining wall and correctly related to the bulk magnetisation. The results hold for hard and soft walls and all field strength. The analysis relies on the Feynman-Kac-Ito representation of the Gibbs state and on specific properties of the Brownian bridge process.

Electrical properties of radio-frequency sputtered HfO2 thin films for advanced CMOS technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarkar, Pranab Kumar; Roy, Asim

2015-08-01

The Hafnium oxide (HfO2) high-k thin films have been deposited by radio frequency (rf) sputtering technique on p-type Si (100) substrate. The thickness, composition and phases of films in relation to annealing temperatures have been investigated by using cross sectional FE-SEM (Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope) and grazing incidence x-ray diffraction (GI-XRD), respectively. GI-XRD analysis revealed that at annealing temperatures of 350°C, films phases change to crystalline from amorphous. The capacitance-voltage (C-V) and current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of the annealed HfO2 film have been studied employing Al/HfO2/p-Si metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structures. The electrical properties such as dielectric constant, interface trap density and leakage current density have been also extracted from C-V and I-V Measurements. The value of dielectric constant, interface trap density and leakage current density of annealed HfO2 film is obtained as 23,7.57×1011eV-1 cm-2 and 2.7×10-5 Acm-2, respectively. In this work we also reported the influence of post deposition annealing onto the trapping properties of hafnium oxide and optimized conditions under which no charge trapping is observed into the dielectric stack.

Heat Convection at the Density Maximum Point of Water

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balta, Nuri; Korganci, Nuri

2018-01-01

Water exhibits a maximum in density at normal pressure at around 4° degree temperature. This paper demonstrates that during cooling, at around 4 °C, the temperature remains constant for a while because of heat exchange associated with convective currents inside the water. Superficial approach implies it as a new anomaly of water, but actually it…

Apparatus for in situ prediction of the thermal conductivity of fiberglass batts using acoustic propagation constant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tinianov, Brandon D.; Nakagawa, Masami; Muñoz, David R.

2006-02-01

This article describes a novel technique for the measurement of the thermal conductivity of low-density (12-18kg/m3) fiberglass insulation and other related fibrous insulation materials using a noninvasive acoustic apparatus. The experimental method is an extension of earlier acoustic methods based upon the evaluation of the propagation constant from the acoustic pressure transfer function across the test material. To accomplish this, an analytical model is employed that describes the behavior of sound waves at the outlet of a baffled waveguide. The model accounts for the behavior of the mixed impedance interface introduced by the test material. Current results show that the technique is stable for a broad range of absorber thicknesses and densities. Experimental results obtained in the laboratory show excellent correlation between the thermal conductivity and both the real and imaginary components of the propagation constant. Correlation of calculated propagation constant magnitude versus measured thermal conductivity gave an R2 of 0.94 for the bulk density range (12-18kg/m3) typical for manufactured fiberglass batt materials. As an improvement to earlier acoustic techniques, measurement is now possible in noisy manufacturing environments with a moving test material. Given the promise of such highly correlated measurements in a robust method, the acoustic technique is well suited to continuously measure the thermal conductivity of the material during its production, replacing current expensive off-line methods. Test cycle time is reduced from hours to seconds.

Interfacial morphology of low-voltage anodic aluminium oxide

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hu, Naiping; Dongcinn, Xuecheng; He, Xueying

X-ray reflectivity (XRR) and neutron reflectivity (NR), as well as ultra-smallangle X-ray scattering (USAXS), are used to examine the in-plane and surfacenormal structure of anodic films formed on aluminium alloy AA2024 and pure aluminium. Aluminium and alloy films up to 3500 A thick were deposited on Si wafers by electron beam evaporation of ingots. Porous anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) films are formed by polarizing at constant voltage up to 20 V noble to the open circuit potential. The voltage sweet spot (5 V) appropriate for constant-voltage anodization of such thin films was determined for both alloy and pure Al. Inmore » addition, a new concurrent voltage- and current-control protocol was developed to prepare films with larger pores (voltages higher than 5 V), but formed at a controlled current so that pore growth is slow enough to avoid stripping the aluminium substrate layer. USAXS shows that the pore size and interpore spacing are fixed in the first 10 s after initiation of anodization. Pores then grow linearly in time, at constant radius and interpore spacing. Using a combination of XRR and NR, the film density and degree of hydration of the films were determined from the ratio of scattering length densities. Assuming a chemical formula Al2O3xH2O, it was found that x varies from 0.29 for the native oxide to 1.29 for AAO grown at 20 V under concurrent voltage and current control. The average AAO film density of the porous film at the air surface is 2.45 (20) g cm3. The density of the barrier layer at the metal interface is 2.9 (4) g cm3, which indicates that this layer is also quite porous« less

Influence of argon pressure and current density on substrate temperature during magnetron sputtering of hot titanium target

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Komlev, Anton A.; Minzhulina, Ekaterina A.; Smirnov, Vladislav V.; Shapovalov, Viktor I.

2018-01-01

The paper describes physical characteristics of the hot target sputtering process, which have not been known before. To switch a magnetron over to the hot target regime, a titanium disk of 1 mm thick with a 1-mm-gap was attached on a 4-mm-thick copper plate cooled by running water. A thermocouple sensor was used to investigate the thermal processes occurring in substrates. The study was performed at the discharge current density of 20-40 mA/cm2 and argon pressure of 3-7 mTorr. The accuracy of temperature measurement appeared to be within ± 5%, due the application of a chromel-copel thermocouple. The study reveals that under these conditions the heating curves have the inflection points positioned proportionally to the discharge current density and argon pressure on a time axis. The inflection point appears in the kinetic curves due to the finite value of the target heating time constant. The study shows that the substrate fixed temperature and substrate heating time constant depend on the argon pressure and relate to the current density by the polynomials of the first and second degrees, respectively. The influence of a target on the substrate heating kinetics is considered in an analytical description by the introduction of a multiplier in the form of an exponential function of time. The results of the research make a novel contribution to the field of the sputtering process.

Interface trap of p-type gate integrated AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field effect transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Kyu Sang

2017-09-01

In this work, the impact of trap states at the p-(Al)GaN/AlGaN interface has been investigated for the normally-off mode p-(Al)GaN/AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors (HFETs) by means of frequency dependent conductance. From the current-voltage (I-V) measurement, it was found that the p-AlGaN gate integrated device has higher drain current and lower gate leakage current compared to the p-GaN gate integrated device. We obtained the interface trap density and the characteristic time constant for the p-type gate integrated HFETs under the forward gate voltage of up to 6 V. As a result, the interface trap density (characteristic time constant) of the p-GaN gate device was lower (longer) than that of the p-AlGaN. Furthermore, it was analyzed that the trap state energy level of the p-GaN gate device was located at the shallow level relative to the p-AlGaN gate device, which accounts for different gate leakage current of each devices.

Heat convection at the density maximum point of water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balta, Nuri; Korganci, Nuri

2018-01-01

Water exhibits a maximum in density at normal pressure at around 4° degree temperature. This paper demonstrates that during cooling, at around 4 °C, the temperature remains constant for a while because of heat exchange associated with convective currents inside the water. Superficial approach implies it as a new anomaly of water, but actually it is not.

Dynamics of electrical double layer formation in room-temperature ionic liquids under constant-current charging conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Xikai; Huang, Jingsong; Zhao, Hui; Sumpter, Bobby G.; Qiao, Rui

2014-07-01

We report detailed simulation results on the formation dynamics of an electrical double layer (EDL) inside an electrochemical cell featuring room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) enclosed between two planar electrodes. Under relatively small charging currents, the evolution of cell potential from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations during charging can be suitably predicted by the Landau-Ginzburg-type continuum model proposed recently (Bazant et al 2011 Phys. Rev. Lett. 106 046102). Under very large charging currents, the cell potential from MD simulations shows pronounced oscillation during the initial stage of charging, a feature not captured by the continuum model. Such oscillation originates from the sequential growth of the ionic space charge layers near the electrode surface. This allows the evolution of EDLs in RTILs with time, an atomistic process difficult to visualize experimentally, to be studied by analyzing the cell potential under constant-current charging conditions. While the continuum model cannot predict the potential oscillation under such far-from-equilibrium charging conditions, it can nevertheless qualitatively capture the growth of cell potential during the later stage of charging. Improving the continuum model by introducing frequency-dependent dielectric constant and density-dependent ion diffusion coefficients may help to further extend the applicability of the model. The evolution of ion density profiles is also compared between the MD and the continuum model, showing good agreement.

Dynamics of electrical double layer formation in room-temperature ionic liquids under constant-current charging conditions.

PubMed

Jiang, Xikai; Huang, Jingsong; Zhao, Hui; Sumpter, Bobby G; Qiao, Rui

2014-07-16

We report detailed simulation results on the formation dynamics of an electrical double layer (EDL) inside an electrochemical cell featuring room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) enclosed between two planar electrodes. Under relatively small charging currents, the evolution of cell potential from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations during charging can be suitably predicted by the Landau-Ginzburg-type continuum model proposed recently (Bazant et al 2011 Phys. Rev. Lett. 106 046102). Under very large charging currents, the cell potential from MD simulations shows pronounced oscillation during the initial stage of charging, a feature not captured by the continuum model. Such oscillation originates from the sequential growth of the ionic space charge layers near the electrode surface. This allows the evolution of EDLs in RTILs with time, an atomistic process difficult to visualize experimentally, to be studied by analyzing the cell potential under constant-current charging conditions. While the continuum model cannot predict the potential oscillation under such far-from-equilibrium charging conditions, it can nevertheless qualitatively capture the growth of cell potential during the later stage of charging. Improving the continuum model by introducing frequency-dependent dielectric constant and density-dependent ion diffusion coefficients may help to further extend the applicability of the model. The evolution of ion density profiles is also compared between the MD and the continuum model, showing good agreement.

Antidamping spin-orbit torques in epitaxial-Py(100)/β-Ta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tiwari, Dhananjay; Behera, Nilamani; Kumar, Akash; Dürrenfeld, Philipp; Chaudhary, Sujeet; Pandya, D. K.; Åkerman, Johan; Muduli, P. K.

2017-12-01

We perform spin torque ferromagnetic resonance measurements on the Si(100)/TiN(100)/epi-Py(100)/β-Ta system. We demonstrate current induced modulation of the Gilbert damping constant, which is about 30% for a current density of 6.25 × 109 A/m2. We show that the observed modulation of the Gilbert damping constant cannot be explained by spin transfer torques arising from the spin Hall effect of the β-Ta layer. An additional mechanism such as antidamping spin-orbit torque resulting from the interface or the crystalline structure of Py thin films needs to be considered.

Observations of internal waves in the Gulf of California by SEASAT SAR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fu, L. L.; Holt, B.

1983-01-01

Internal waves which are among the most commonly observed oceanic phenomena in the SEASAT SAR imagery are discussed. These waves are associated with the vertical displacements of constant water density surfaces in the ocean. Their amplitudes are maximum at depths where the water density changes most rapidly usually at depths from 50 to 100 m, whereas the horizontal currents associated with these waves are maximum at the sea surface where the resulting oscillatory currents modulate the sea surface roughness and produce the signatures detected by SAR.

Observations of internal waves in the Gulf of California by SEASAT SAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, L. L.; Holt, B.

1983-07-01

Internal waves which are among the most commonly observed oceanic phenomena in the SEASAT SAR imagery are discussed. These waves are associated with the vertical displacements of constant water density surfaces in the ocean. Their amplitudes are maximum at depths where the water density changes most rapidly usually at depths from 50 to 100 m, whereas the horizontal currents associated with these waves are maximum at the sea surface where the resulting oscillatory currents modulate the sea surface roughness and produce the signatures detected by SAR.

Inertial Currents in Isotropic Plasma

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heinemann, M.; Erickson, G. M.; Pontius, D. H., Jr.

1993-01-01

The magnetospheric convection electric field contributes to Birkeland currents. The effects of the field are to polarize the plasma by displacing the bounce paths of the ions from those of electrons, to redistribute the pressure so that it is not constant along magnetic field lines, and to enhance the pressure gradient by the gradient of the bulk speed. Changes in the polarization charge during the convection of the plasma are neutralized by electrons in the form of field-aligned currents that close through the ionosphere. The pressure drives field-aligned currents through its gradient in the same manner as in quasi-static plasma, but with modifications that are important if the bulk speed is of the order of the ion thermal speed; the variations in the pressure along field lines are maintained by a weak parallel potential drop. These effects are described in terms of the field-aligned currents in steady state, isotropic, MED plasma. Solutions are developed by taking the MHD limit of two-fluid solutions and illustrated in the special case of Maxwellian plasma for which the temperature is constant along magnetic field lines. The expression for the Birkeland current density is a generalization of Vasyliunas' expression for the field-aligned current density in quasi-static plasma and provides a unifying expression when both pressure gradients and ion inertia operate simultaneously as sources of field-aligned currents. It contains a full account of different aspects of the ion flow (parallel and perpendicular velocity and vorticity) that contribute to the currents. Contributions of ion inertia to field-aligned currents will occur in regions of strong velocity shear, electric field reversal, or large gradients in the parallel velocity or number density, and may be important in the low-latitude boundary layer, plasma sheet boundary layer, and the inner edge region of the plasma sheet.

Inertial currents in isotropic plasma

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heinemann, M.; Erickson, G. M.; Pontius, D. H. JR.

1994-01-01

The magnetospheric convection electric field contributes to Birkeland currents. The effects of the field are to polarize the plasma by displacing the bounce paths of the ions from those of electrons, to redistribute the pressure so that it is not constant along magnetic field lines, and to enhance the pressure gradient by the gradient of the bulk speed. Changes in the polarization charge during the convection of the plasma are neutralized by electrons in the form of field-aligned currents that close through the ionosphere. The pressure drives field-aligned currents through its gradient in the same manner as in quasi-static plasma, but with modifications that are important if the bulk speed is of the order of the ion thermal speed; the variations in the pressure along field lines are maintained by a weak parallel potential drop. These effects are described in terms of the field-aligned currents in steady state, isotropic, magnetohyrodynamic (MHD) plasma. Solutions are developed by taking the MHD limit of two-fluid solutions and illustrated in the special case of Maxwellian plasma for which the temperature is constant along magnetic field lines. The expression for the Birkeland current density is a generalization of Vasyliunas' expression for the field-aligned current density in quasi-static plasma and provides a unifying expression when both pressure gradients and ion inertia operate simultaneously as sources of field-aligned currents. It contains a full account of different aspects of the ion flow (parallel and perpendicular velocity and vorticity) that contribute to the currents. Contributions of ion inertia to field-aligned currents will occur in regions of strong velocity shear, electric field reversal, or large gradients in the parallel velocity or number density, and may be important in the low-latitude boundary layer, plasma sheet boundary layer, and the inner edge region of the plasma sheet.

Inertial currents in isotropic plasma

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heinemann, M.; Erickson, G. M.; Pontius, D. H., Jr.

1994-01-01

The magnetospheric convection electric field contributes to Birkeland currents. The effects of the field are to polarize the plasma by displacing the bounce paths of the ions from those of electrons, to redistribute the pressure so that it is not constant along magnetic field lines, and to enhance the pressure gradient by the gradient of the bulk speed. Changes in the polarization charge during the convection of the plasma are neutralized by electrons in the form of field-aligned currents that close through the ionosphere. The pressure drives field-aligned currents through its gradient in the same manner as in quasi-static plasmas, but with modifications that are important if the bulk speed is of the order of the ion thermal speed; the variations in the pressure along field lines are maintained by a weak parallel potential drop. These effects are described in terms of the field-aligned currents in steady state, isotropic, MHD plasma. Solutions are developed by taking the MHD limit ot two-fluid solutions and illustrated in the special case of Maxwellian plasma for which the temperature is constant along magnetic field lines. The expression for the Birkeland current density is a generalization of Vasyliunas' expression for the field-aligned current density in quasi-static plasma and provides a unifying expression when both pressure gradients and ion inertia operate simultaneously as sources of field-aligned currents. It contains a full account of different aspects of the ion flow (parallel and perpendicular velocity and vorticity) that contribute to the currents. Contributions of ion inertia to field-aligned currents will occur in regions of strong velocity shear, electric field reversal, or large gradients in the parallel velocity or number density, and may be important in the low-latitude boundary layer, plasma sheet boundary layer, and the inner edge region of the plasma sheet.

Electroosmotic Flow Rectification in Membranes with Asymmetrically Shaped Pores: Effects of Current and Pore Density

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bishop, Gregory W.; Lopez, Marcos M.; Ramiah Rajasekaran, Pradeep

2015-07-09

We have recently demonstrated a new electrokinetic phenomenon—electroosmotic flow rectification in membranes with asymmetrically shaped pores. Flow rectification means that at constant driving force the flow rate in one direction through the membrane is faster than the flow rate in the opposite direction. EOF rectification could be of practical use in microfluidic devices incorporating porous membranes, but additional research is required. We explore here the effects of two key experimental variables—current density used to drive flow through the membrane and membrane pore density—on EOF rectification. We have found that the extent of EOF rectification, as quantified by the rectification ratio,more » increases with increasing current density. In contrast, the rectification ratio decreases with increasing membrane pore density. We propose explanations for these results based on simple EOF and membrane-transport theories.« less

Critical current densities in superconducting Y-Ba-Cu-O prepared by chelating method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujisawa, Tadashi; Okuyama, Katsuro; Ohshima, Shigetoshi; Takagi, Akira

1990-10-01

The IDA, NTA, HEDTA, EDTA, TTHA, and DTPA chelating agents have been used to prepare the Y-Ba-Cu-O compounds whose critical current is presently investigated. It is noted that the precursor YBCO prepared from large stability-constant metal complexes (HEDTA, EDTA, DTPA, and TTHA) exhibited very fine and homogeneous particles. The critical current density of a 1 x 4 x 15 mm block of YBCO sintered at 880-910 C for 24 h and subsequently annealed at 500 C in an O2 flow was approximately 500 A/sq cm at 77 K, in zero magnetic field.

Zn/gelled 6 M KOH/O 2 zinc-air battery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohamad, A. A.

The gel electrolyte for the zinc-air cell was prepared by mixing hydroponics gel with a 6 M potassium hydroxide aqueous solution. The self-discharge of cells was characterized by measuring the open-circuit voltage. The effect of a discharge rate of 50 mA constant current on cell voltage and plateau hour, as well as the voltage-current and current density-power density were measured and analysed. The electrode degradation after discharge cycling was characterized by structural and surface methods. The oxidation of the electrode surface further blocked the utilization of the Zn anode and was identified as a cause for the failure of the cell.

First measurements of the temporal evolution of the plasma density in HiPIMS discharges using THz time domain spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meier, Steffen M.; Hecimovic, Ante; Tsankov, Tsanko V.; Luggenhölscher, Dirk; Czarnetzki, Uwe

2018-03-01

In this paper, the novel technique of THz time domain spectroscopy has been applied to obtain time-resolved measurements of the plasma density in the active zone of a HiPIMS discharge with a titanium target. The obtained peak values are in the range of 1012-1013 cm-3 for discharge current densities of 1-4 A cm-2 at 0.5 and 2 Pa argon pressure. The measured densities show good correlation with the discharge current and voltage and the intensity of various atomic and ionic lines. The well known phases of the discharge have been identified and related to the variation of the electron density. The measurement results show that the plasma density remains nearly constant during the runaway/self-sputtering phase. Based on that, it is conjectured that singly charged titanium ions are the dominant ion species during this phase.

Ionospheric and Birkeland current distributions inferred from the MAGSAT magnetometer data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zanetti, L. J.; Potemra, T. A.; Baumjohann, W.

1983-01-01

Ionospheric and field-aligned sheet current density distributions are presently inferred by means of MAGSAT vector magnetometer data, together with an accurate magnetic field model. By comparing Hall current densities inferred from the MAGSAT data and those inferred from simultaneously recorded ground based data acquired by the Scandinavian magnetometer array, it is determined that the former have previously been underestimated due to high damping of magnetic variations with high spatial wave numbers between the ionosphere and the MAGSAT orbit. Among important results of this study is noted the fact that the Birkeland and electrojet current systems are colocated. The analyses have shown a tendency for triangular rather than constant electrojet current distributions as a function of latitude, consistent with the statistical, uniform regions 1 and 2 Birkeland current patterns.

The limiting velocity effect in a magnetically held discharge with a moving wall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drobyshevskii, E. M.; Zhukov, B. G.; Nazarov, E. V.; Rozov, S. I.; Sokolov, V. M.; Kurakin, R. O.

1991-08-01

Experiments are reported in which bodies with a mass of about 1 g were accelerated in nearly constant current regimes by using a discharge magnetically held against the channel wall, with maximum permissible accelerations of 3.5 x 10 exp 6 g and linear current densities of 60 kA/mm. A saturation of the velocity was observed at 4-6 mm/microsec. The velocity limit does not depend on the current intensity and duration or linear electrode inductance and is proportional to m exp -1/2; it is practically unaffected by the characteristics of body friction against the channel walls and by small deviations of the current pulse shape from its constant value. A simple empirical theory is proposed which provides an adequate description of the experimentally observed phenomena.

Incorporation of Ca and P on anodized titanium surface: Effect of high current density.

PubMed

Laurindo, Carlos A H; Torres, Ricardo D; Mali, Sachin A; Gilbert, Jeremy L; Soares, Paulo

2014-04-01

This study systematically evaluated the surface and corrosion characteristics of commercially pure titanium (grade 2) modified by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) with high current density. The anodization process was carried out galvanostatically (constant current density) using a solution containing calcium glycerophosphate (0.02mol/L) and calcium acetate (0.15mol/L). The current densities applied were 400, 700, 1000 and 1200mA/cm(2) for a period of 15s. Composition, crystalline structure, morphology, roughness, wettability and "in-vitro" bioactivity test in SBF of the anodized layer were evaluated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, profilometry and contact angle measurements. Corrosion properties were evaluated by open circuit potential, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization measurements. The results show that the TiO2 oxide layers present an increase of thickness, porosity, roughness, wettability, Ca/P ratio, and bioactivity, with the applied current density up to 1000mA/cm(2). Corrosion resistance also increases with applied current density. It is observed that for 1200mA/cm(2), there is a degradation of the oxide layer. In general, the results suggest that the anodized TiO2 layer with better properties is formed with an applied current of 1000mA/cm(2). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Emergence of currents as a transient quantum effect in nonequilibrium systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Granot, Er'El; Marchewka, Avi

2011-09-01

Most current calculations are based on equilibrium or semi-equilibrium models. However, except for very special scenarios (like ring configuration), the current cannot exist in equilibrium. Moreover, unlike with equilibrium scenarios, there is no generic approach to confront out-of-equilibrium currents. In this paper we used recent studies on transient quantum mechanics to solve the current, which appears in the presence of very high density gradients and fast transients. It shows that the emerging current appears instantaneously, and although the density beyond the discontinuity is initially negligible the currents there have a finite value, and remain constant for a finite period. It is shown that this nonequilibrium effect can be measured in real experiments (such as cooled rubidium atoms), where the discontinuity is replaced with a finite width (hundreds of nanometers) gradient.

Fundamental quantum noise mapping with tunnelling microscopes tested at surface structures of subatomic lateral size.

PubMed

Herz, Markus; Bouvron, Samuel; Ćavar, Elizabeta; Fonin, Mikhail; Belzig, Wolfgang; Scheer, Elke

2013-10-21

We present a measurement scheme that enables quantitative detection of the shot noise in a scanning tunnelling microscope while scanning the sample. As test objects we study defect structures produced on an iridium single crystal at low temperatures. The defect structures appear in the constant current images as protrusions with curvature radii well below the atomic diameter. The measured power spectral density of the noise is very near to the quantum limit with Fano factor F = 1. While the constant current images show detailed structures expected for tunnelling involving d-atomic orbitals of Ir, we find the current noise to be without pronounced spatial variation as expected for shot noise arising from statistically independent events.

High modulation bandwidth of a light-emitting diode with surface plasmon coupling (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Chun-Han; Tu, Charng-Gan; Yao, Yu-Feng; Chen, Sheng-Hung; Su, Chia-Ying; Chen, Hao-Tsung; Kiang, Yean-Woei; Yang, Chih-Chung

2017-02-01

Besides lighting, LEDs can be used for indoor data transmission. Therefore, a large modulation bandwidth becomes an important target in the development of visible LED. In this regard, enhancing the radiative recombination rate of carriers in the quantum wells of an LED is a useful method since the modulation bandwidth of an LED is related to the carrier decay rate besides the device RC time constant To increase the carrier decay rate in an LED without sacrificing its output power, the technique of surface plasmon (SP) coupling in an LED is useful. In this paper, the increases of modulation bandwidth by reducing mesa size, decreasing active layer thickness, and inducing SP coupling in blue- and green-emitting LEDs are illustrated. The results are demonstrated by comparing three different LED surface structures, including bare p-type surface, GaZnO current spreading layer, and Ag nanoparticles (NPs) for inducing SP coupling. In a single-quantum-well, blue-emitting LED with a circular mesa of 10 microns in radius, SP coupling results in a modulation bandwidth of 528.8 MHz, which is believed to be the record-high level. A smaller RC time constant can lead to a higher modulation bandwidth. However, when the RC time constant is smaller than 0.2 ns, its effect on modulation bandwidth saturates. The dependencies of modulation bandwidth on injected current density and carrier decay time confirm that the modulation bandwidth is essentially inversely proportional to a time constant, which is inversely proportional to the square-root of carrier decay rate and injected current density.

Mathematical model of the current density for the 30-cm engineering model thruster

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cuffel, R. F.

1975-01-01

Mathematical models are presented for both the singly and doubly charged ion current densities downstream of the 30-cm engineering model thruster with 0.5% compensated dished grids. These models are based on the experimental measurements of Vahrenkamp at a 2-amp ion beam operating condition. The cylindrically symmetric beam of constant velocity ions is modeled with continuous radial source and focusing functions across 'plane' grids with similar angular distribution functions. A computer program is used to evaluate the double integral for current densities in the near field and to obtain a far field approximation beyond 10 grid radii. The utility of the model is demonstrated for (1) calculating the directed thrust and (2) determining the impingement levels on various spacecraft surfaces from a two-axis gimballed, 2 x 3 thruster array.

[Alterations of cardiac hemodynamics, sodium current and L-type calcium current in rats with L-thyroxine-induced cardiomyopathy].

PubMed

Wang, Jing; Zhang, Wei-Dong; Lin, Mu-Sen; Zhai, Qing-Bo; Yu, Feng

2010-08-25

The aim of the present study is to investigate the alterations of cardiac hemodynamics, sodium current (I(Na)) and L-type calcium current (I(Ca-L)) in the cardiomyopathic model of rats. The model of cardiomyopathy was established by intraperitoneal injection of L-thyroxine (0.5 mg/kg) for 10 d. The hemodynamics was measured with biological experimental system, and then I(Na) and I(Ca-L) were recorded by using whole cell patch clamp technique. The results showed that left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP), left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP), +/-dp/dt(max) in cardiomyopathic group were significantly lower than those in the control group, while left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) in cardiomyopathic group was higher than that in the control group. Intraperitoneal injection of L-thyroxine significantly increased the current density of I(Na) [(-26.2+/-3.2) pA/pF vs (-21.1+/-6.3) pA/pF, P<0.01], shifted steady-state activation and inactivation curves negatively, and markedly prolonged the time constant of recovery from inactivation. On the other hand, the injection of L-thyroxine significantly increased the current density of I(Ca-L) [(-7.9+/-0.8) pA/pF vs (-5.4+/-0.6) pA/pF, P<0.01)], shifted steady-state activation and inactivation curves negatively, and obviously shortened the time constant of recovery from inactivation. In conclusion, the cardiac performance of cardiomyopathic rats is similar to that of rats with heart failure, in which the current density of I(Na) and especially the I(Ca-L) are enhanced, suggesting that calcium channel blockade and a decrease in Na(+) permeability of membrane may play an important role in the treatment of cardiomyopathy.

Modelling bio-electrosynthesis in a reverse microbial fuel cell to produce acetate from CO2 and H2O.

PubMed

Kazemi, M; Biria, D; Rismani-Yazdi, H

2015-05-21

Bio-electrosynthesis is one of the significant developments in reverse microbial fuel cell technology which is potentially capable of creating organic compounds by combining CO2 with H2O. Accordingly, the main objective in the current study was to present a model of microbial electrosynthesis for producing organic compounds (acetate) based on direct conduction of electrons in biofilms. The proposed model enjoys a high degree of rigor because it can predict variations in the substrate concentration, electrical potential, current density and the thickness of the biofilm. Additionally, coulombic efficiency was investigated as a function of substrate concentration and cathode potential. For a system containing CO2 as the substrate and Sporomusa ovata as the biofilm forming microorganism, an increase in the substrate concentration at a constant potential can lead to a decrease in coulombic efficiency as well as an increase in current density and biofilm thickness. On the other hand, an increase in the surface cathodic voltage at a constant substrate concentration may result in an increase in the coulombic efficiency and a decrease in the current density. The maximum coulombic efficiency was revealed to be 75% at a substrate concentration of 0.025 mmol cm(-3) and 55% at a surface cathodic voltage of -0.3 V producing a high range of acetate production by creating an optimal state in the concentration and potential intervals. Finally, the validity of the model was verified by comparing the obtained results with related experimental findings.

Finite Element Analysis of Magnetoelastic Plate Problems.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-08-01

deformation and in the incremental large deformation analysis, respectively. The classical Kirchhoff assumption of the undeformable normal to the midsurface is...current density , is constant across the thickness of the plate and is parallel to the midsurface of the plate; (2) the normal component of the

Construction of Lines of Constant Density and Constant Refractive Index for Ternary Liquid Mixtures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tasic, Aleksandar Z.; Djordjevic, Bojan D.

1983-01-01

Demonstrates construction of density constant and refractive index constant lines in triangular coordinate system on basis of systematic experimental determinations of density and refractive index for both homogeneous (single-phase) ternary liquid mixtures (of known composition) and the corresponding binary compositions. Background information,…

Effect of solution combusted TiO2 nanopowder within commercial BaTiO3 dielectric layer on the photoelectric properties for AC powder electroluminescence devices.

PubMed

Park, Sung; Choi, Gil Rak; Kim, Youn Cheol; Lee, Jae Chun; Lee, Ju Hyeon

2013-05-01

A unique synthesis method was developed, which is called solution combustion method (SCM). TiO2 nanopowder was synthesized by this method. This SCM TiO2 nanopowder (-35 nm) was added to the dielectric layer of AC powder electroluminescence (EL) device. The dielectric layer was made of commercial BaTiO3 powder (-1.2 microm) and binding polymer. 0, 5, 10 and 15 wt% of SCM TiO2 nanopowder was added to the dielectric layer during fabrication of AC powder EL device respectively. Dielectric constant of these four kinds of dielectric layers was measured. The brightness and current density of AC powder EL device were also measured. When 10 wt% of SCM TiO2 nanopowder was added, dielectric constant and brightness were increased by 30% and 101% respectively. Furthermore, the current density was decreased by 71%. This means that the brightness was double and the power consumption was one third.

Integrated Power Adapter: Isolated Converter with Integrated Passives and Low Material Stress

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2010-09-01

ADEPT Project: CPES at Virginia Tech is developing an extremely efficient power converter that could be used in power adapters for small, lightweight laptops and other types of mobile electronic devices. Power adapters convert electrical energy into useable power for an electronic device, and they currently waste a lot of energy when they are plugged into an outlet to power up. CPES at Virginia Tech is integrating high-density capacitors, new magnetic materials, high-frequency integrated circuits, and a constant-flux transformer to create its efficient power converter. The high-density capacitors enable the power adapter to store more energy. The new magnetic materialsmore » also increase energy storage, and they can be precisely dispensed using a low-cost ink-jet printer which keeps costs down. The high-frequency integrated circuits can handle more power, and they can handle it more efficiently. And, the constant-flux transformer processes a consistent flow of electrical current, which makes the converter more efficient.« less

Assessment of Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy Modes Inspecting Electron Confinement in Surface-Confined Supramolecular Networks

PubMed Central

Krenner, Wolfgang; Kühne, Dirk; Klappenberger, Florian; Barth, Johannes V.

2013-01-01

Scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) enables the local, energy-resolved investigation of a samples surface density of states (DOS) by measuring the differential conductance (dI/dV) being approximately proportional to the DOS. It is popular to examine the electronic structure of elementary samples by acquiring dI/dV maps under constant current conditions. Here we demonstrate the intricacy of STS mapping of samples exhibiting a strong corrugation originating from electronic density and local work function changes. The confinement of the Ag(111) surface state by a porous organic network is studied with maps obtained under constant-current (CC) as well as open-feedback-loop (OFL) conditions. We show how the CC maps deviate markedly from the physically more meaningful OFL maps. By applying a renormalization procedure to the OFL data we can mimic the spurious effects of the CC mode and thereby rationalize the physical effects evoking the artefacts in the CC maps. PMID:23503526

Size-dependent electrocatalytic activity of gold nanoparticles on HOPG and highly boron-doped diamond surfaces.

PubMed

Brülle, Tine; Ju, Wenbo; Niedermayr, Philipp; Denisenko, Andrej; Paschos, Odysseas; Schneider, Oliver; Stimming, Ulrich

2011-12-06

Gold nanoparticles were prepared by electrochemical deposition on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) and boron-doped, epitaxial 100-oriented diamond layers. Using a potentiostatic double pulse technique, the average particle size was varied in the range from 5 nm to 30 nm in the case of HOPG as a support and between < 1 nm and 15 nm on diamond surfaces, while keeping the particle density constant. The distribution of particle sizes was very narrow, with standard deviations of around 20% on HOPG and around 30% on diamond. The electrocatalytic activity towards hydrogen evolution and oxygen reduction of these carbon supported gold nanoparticles in dependence of the particle sizes was investigated using cyclic voltammetry. For oxygen reduction the current density normalized to the gold surface (specific current density) increased for decreasing particle size. In contrast, the specific current density of hydrogen evolution showed no dependence on particle size. For both reactions, no effect of the different carbon supports on electrocatalytic activity was observed.

Laser collisional induced fluorescence electron density measurements as a function of ring bias and the onset of anode spot formation in a ring cusp magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arthur, N. A.; Foster, J. E.; Barnat, E. V.

2018-05-01

Two-dimensional electron density measurements are made in a magnetic ring cusp discharge using laser collisional induced fluorescence. The magnet rings are isolated from the anode structure such that they can be biased independently in order to modulate electron flows through the magnetic cusps. Electron density images are captured as a function of bias voltage in order to assess the effects of current flow through the cusp on the spatial extent of the cusp. We anticipated that for a fixed current density being funneled through the magnetic cusp, the leak width would necessarily increase. Unexpectedly, the leak width, as measured by LCIF images, does not increase. This suggests that the current density is not constant, and that possibly either electrons are being heated or additional ionization events are occurring within the cusp. Spatially resolving electron temperature would be needed to determine if electrons are being heated within the cusp. We also observe breakdown of the anode magnetosheath and formation of anode spots at high bias voltage.

Charging/discharging stability of a metal hydride battery electrode

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Geng, M.; Han, J.; Feng, F.

1999-07-01

The metal hydride (MH) alloy powder for the negative electrode of the Ni/MH battery was first pulverized and oxidized by electrochemically charging and discharging for a number of cycles. The plate of the negative electrode of an experimental cell in this study was made from a mixture of a multicomponent AB{sub 5}-based alloy powder, nickel powder, and polytetra fluoroethylene (PTFE). The characteristics of the negative electrode, including discharge capacity, exchange current density, and hydrogen diffusivity, were studied by means of the electrochemical experiments and analysis in an experimental cell. The exchange current density of a Mm{sub 0.95}Ti{sub 0.05}Ni{sub 3.85}Co{sub 0.45}Mn{submore » 0.35}Al{sub 0.35} alloy electrode increases with increasing number of charge/discharge cycles and then remains almost constant after 20 cycles. A microcracking activation, resulting from an increase in reaction surface area and an improvement in the electrode surface activation, increases the hydrogen exchange current densities. Measurement of hydrogen diffusivities for Mm{sub 0.95}Ti{sub 0.05}Ni{sub 3.85}Co{sub 0.45}Mn{sub 0.35}Al{sub 0.35} alloy powder shows that the ratio of D/a{sup 2} (D = hydrogen diffusivity; a = sphere radius) increases with increasing number of cycles but remains constant after 20 cycles.« less

Temporal survey of electron number density and electron temperature in the exhaust of a megawatt MPD-arc thruster.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Michels, C. J.; Rose, J. R.; Sigman, D. R.

1972-01-01

Temporal and radial profiles are obtained 30 cm downstream from the anode for two peak arc currents (11.2 kA and 20 kA) and for various auxiliary magnetic fields (0, 1.0 T, and 2.0 T) using the Thomson scattering technique. Average density and temperature are relatively constant for over 100 microseconds with significant fluctuations. Radial profiles obtained are relatively flat for 4 cm from the axis. Compared to earlier 20 cm data, the exhaust density has decreased significantly, the average temperature has not changed, and the density ?hole' with an auxiliary magnetic field has enlarged.

Impact of operating conditions on the acetylene contamination in the cathode of proton exchange membrane fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhai, Yunfeng; St-Pierre, Jean

2017-12-01

Realistically, proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are operated under varying operating conditions that potentially impact the acetylene contamination reactions. In this paper, the effects of the cell operating conditions on the acetylene contamination in PEMFCs are investigated under different current densities and temperatures with different acetylene concentrations in the cathode. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy is applied during the constant-current operation to analyze the impacts of the operating conditions on the acetylene electrochemical reactions. The experimental results indicate that higher acetylene concentrations, higher current densities and lower cell temperatures decrease the cell performance more. In particular, cathode poisoning becomes more severe at medium cell current densities. The cell cathode potentials at such current densities are not sufficient to completely oxidize the intermediate or sufficiently low to completely reduce the adsorbed acetylene. Based on these investigations, the possible condition-dependent limitations of the acetylene concentration and cell operating voltage are proposed for insight into the acetylene contamination mitigation stratagem. Regarding the barrier conditions, the acetylene reactions change abruptly, and adjusting the cell operation parameters to change the acetylene adsorbate and intermediate accumulation conditions to induce complete oxidation or reduction conditions may mitigate the severe acetylene contamination effects on PEMFCs.

Combinatorial Investigation of ZrO2-Based Dielectric Materials for Dynamic Random-Access Memory Capacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiyota, Yuji; Itaka, Kenji; Iwashita, Yuta; Adachi, Tetsuya; Chikyow, Toyohiro; Ogura, Atsushi

2011-06-01

We investigated zirconia (ZrO2)-based material libraries in search of new dielectric materials for dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) by combinatorial-pulsed laser deposition (combi-PLD). We found that the substitution of yttrium (Y) to Zr sites in the ZrO2 system suppressed the leakage current effectively. The metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor property of this system showed a leakage current density of less than 5×10-7 A/cm2 and the dielectric constant was 20. Moreover, the addition of titanium (Ti) or tantalum (Ta) to this system caused the dielectric constant to increase to ˜25 within the allowed leakage level of 5×10-7 A/cm2. Therefore, Zr-Y-Ti-O and Zr-Y-Ta-O systems have good potentials for use as new materials with high dielectric constants of DRAM capacitors instead of silicon dioxides (SiO2).

FOREWORD: Special issue on density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujii, Kenichi

2004-04-01

This special issue on density was undertaken to provide readers with an overview of the present state of the density standards for solids, liquids and gases, as well as the technologies developed for measuring density. This issue also includes topics on the refractive index of gases and on techniques used for calibrating hydrometers so that almost all areas concerned with density standards are covered in four review articles and seven original articles, most of which describe current research being conducted at national metrology institutes (NMIs). A review article was invited from the Ruhr-Universität Bochum to highlight research on the magnetic suspension densimeters. In metrology, the determinations of the volume of a weight and the density of air are of primary importance in establishing a mass standard because the effect of the buoyancy force of air acting on the weight must be known accurately to determine the mass of the weight. A density standard has therefore been developed at many NMIs with a close relation to the mass standard. Hydrostatic weighing is widely used to measure the volume of a solid. The most conventional hydrostatic weighing method uses water as a primary density standard for measuring the volume of a solid. A brief history of the determination of the density of water is therefore given in a review article, as well as a recommended value for the density of water with a specified isotopic abundance. The most modern technique for hydrostatic weighing uses a solid density standard instead of water. For this purpose, optical interferometers for measuring the diameters of silicon spheres have been developed to convert the length standard into the volume standard with a small uncertainty. A review article is therefore dedicated to describing the state-of-the-art optical interferometers developed for silicon spheres. Relative combined standard uncertainties of several parts in 108 have been achieved today for measuring the volume and density of silicon spheres. These technologies are currently being used not only for establishing a solid density standard, but also for determining the Avogadro constant by the x-ray crystal density method, where the density, molar mass and lattice constant of a silicon crystal are measured based on the definition of the SI units. Considering that much of the present research on the Avogadro constant has been undertaken to replace the present definition of the kilogram with a new definition based on a number of atoms, it is satisfying to note that the most accurate density standard may contribute to a new definition of the kilogram. Differential density measurements by hydrostatic weighing and by the pressure of flotation method developed for measuring the density differences between silicon crystals and solids are given in a review article and three original articles, where combined standard uncertainties of a few parts in 108 have been achieved in measuring relative density differences. These technologies are being used not only for the determination of the Avogadro constant, but also for evaluating defects in silicon crystals used in the semiconductor industry. Another important liquid used in the density standard is mercury because the pressured standard determined from mercury column barometers, the molar gas constant determined from an acoustic resonator, and the Josephson constant determined from a mercury voltmeter are all dependent on the density of mercury. A review article is therefore dedicated to an overview of the history, recommended value and recent progress in the measurement of the density of mercury. This special issue also features the technologies developed for measuring the thermodynamic properties of fluids. New instruments with a magnetic suspension balance have substantially improved the uncertainty in measuring the density of fluids at elevated pressures and temperatures. Two review articles and an original article are therefore dedicated to describing the history, principle and recent progress in magnetic suspension densimeters. When the diamagnetic properties of organic liquids are taken into account, an unprecedented uncertainty of a few parts in 106 can be achieved for density measurements at high pressures. The papers collected in this special issue reflect the general trends in research on density standards. I hope that this special issue will stimulate new directions of research in the density standard, and also help to create more accurate, reliable and convenient methods for many applications. Thanks are addressed to all the authors who have contributed to this special issue on density, to the referees who have given their time, and also to the former editor Professor Martin and the present editor Dr~Williams for their support and useful suggestions in collecting the articles.

Effect of substrate thinning on the electronic transport characteristics of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Hui; Meng, Xiao; Zheng, Xiang; Yang, Ying; Feng, Shiwei; Zhang, Yamin; Guo, Chunsheng

2018-07-01

We studied how substrate thinning affected the electronic transport characteristics of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. By thinning their sapphire substrate from 460 μm to 80 μm, we varied the residual stress in these HEMTs. The thinned sample showed decreased drain-source current and occurrence of kink effect. Furthermore, shown by current transient measurements and time constant analysis, the detrapping behaviors of trap states shifted toward a larger time constant, and the detrapping behavior under the gate and in the gate-drain access region showed increased amplitude. By using pulsed current-voltage measurements, the thinned sample showed a positive shift of the threshold voltage, a decrease in peak transconductance, and an aggravation in current collapse, as compared with the thick one. The degradation of electrical behavior were associated with the structural degradation, as confirmed by the increase of pit density on the thinned sample surface.

Extending the Diffuse Layer Model of Surface Acidity Constant Behavior: IV. Diffuse Layer Charge/Potential Relationships

EPA Science Inventory

Most current electrostatic surface complexation models describing ionic binding at the particle/water interface rely on the use of Poisson - Boltzmann (PB) theory for relating diffuse layer charge densities to diffuse layer electrostatic potentials. PB theory is known to contain ...

Measuring the acoustoelectric interaction constant using ultrasound current source density imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Qian; Olafsson, Ragnar; Ingram, Pier; Wang, Zhaohui; Witte, Russell

2012-10-01

Ultrasound current source density imaging (UCSDI) exploits the acoustoelectric (AE) effect, an interaction between ultrasound pressure and electrical resistivity, to map electrical conduction in the heart. The conversion efficiency for UCSDI is determined by the AE interaction constant K, a fundamental property of all materials; K directly affects the magnitude of the detected voltage signal in UCSDI. This paper describes a technique for measuring K in biological tissue, and reports its value for the first time in cadaver hearts. A custom chamber was designed and fabricated to control the geometry for estimating K, which was measured in different ionic salt solutions and seven cadaver rabbit hearts. We found K to be strongly dependent on concentration for the divalent salt CuSO4, but not for the monovalent salt NaCl, consistent with their different chemical properties. In the rabbit heart, K was determined to be 0.041±0.012%/MPa, similar to the measurement of K in physiological saline (0.034±0.003%/MPa). This study provides a baseline estimate of K for modeling and experimental studies that involve UCSDI to map cardiac conduction and reentry currents associated with arrhythmias.

Large-eddy-simulation approach in understanding flow structures of 2D turbulent density currents over sloping surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nayamatullah, M.; Rao Pillalamarri, Narasimha; Bhaganagar, Kiran

2018-04-01

A numerical investigation was performed to understand the flow dynamics of 2D density currents over sloping surfaces. Large eddy simulation was conducted for lock-exchange (L-E) release currents and overflows. 2D Navier-Stokes equations were solved using the Boussinesq approximation. The effects of the lock aspect-ratio (height/length of lock), slope, and Reynolds number on the flow structures and turbulence mixing have been analyzed. Results have confirmed buoyancy within the head of the two-dimensional currents is not conserved which contradicts the classical thermal theory. The lock aspect-ratio dictates the fraction of initial buoyancy which is carried by the head of the current at the beginning of the slumping (horizontal) and accelerating phase (over a slope), which has important implications on turbulence kinetic energy production, and hence mixing in the current. For L-E flows over a slope, increasing slope angle enhances the turbulence production. Increasing slope results in shear reversal within the density current resulting in shear-instabilities. Differences in turbulence production mechanisms and flow structures exist between the L-E and constant-flux release currents resulting in significant differences in the flow characteristics between different releases.

Scanning tunneling spectroscopy under large current flow through the sample.

PubMed

Maldonado, A; Guillamón, I; Suderow, H; Vieira, S

2011-07-01

We describe a method to make scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy imaging at very low temperatures while driving a constant electric current up to some tens of mA through the sample. It gives a new local probe, which we term current driven scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy. We show spectroscopic and topographic measurements under the application of a current in superconducting Al and NbSe(2) at 100 mK. Perspective of applications of this local imaging method includes local vortex motion experiments, and Doppler shift local density of states studies.

A finite element analysis of the effect of electrode area and inter-electrode distance on the spatial distribution of the current density in tDCS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faria, Paula; Hallett, Mark; Cavaleiro Miranda, Pedro

2011-12-01

We investigated the effect of electrode area and inter-electrode distance on the spatial distribution of the current density in transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). For this purpose, we used the finite element method to compute the distribution of the current density in a four-layered spherical head model using various electrode montages, corresponding to a range of electrode sizes and inter-electrode distances. We found that smaller electrodes required slightly less current to achieve a constant value of the current density at a reference point on the brain surface located directly under the electrode center. Under these conditions, smaller electrodes also produced a more focal current density distribution in the brain, i.e. the magnitude of the current density fell more rapidly with distance from the reference point. The combination of two electrodes with different areas produced an asymmetric current distribution that could lead to more effective and localized neural modulation under the smaller electrode than under the larger one. Focality improved rapidly with decreasing electrode size when the larger electrode sizes were considered but the improvement was less marked for the smaller electrode sizes. Also, focality was not affected significantly by inter-electrode distance unless two large electrodes were placed close together. Increasing the inter-electrode distance resulted in decreased shunting of the current through the scalp and the cerebrospinal fluid, and decreasing electrode area resulted in increased current density on the scalp under the edges of the electrode. Our calculations suggest that when working with conventional electrodes (25-35 cm2), one of the electrodes should be placed just 'behind' the target relative to the other electrode, for maximum current density on the target. Also electrodes with areas in the range 3.5-12 cm2 may provide a better compromise between focality and current density in the scalp than the traditional electrodes. Finally, the use of multiple small return electrodes may be more efficient than the use of a single large return electrode.

Investigation of Fumed Silica/Aqueous NaCl Superdielectric Material.

PubMed

Jenkins, Natalie; Petty, Clayton; Phillips, Jonathan

2016-02-20

A constant current charge/discharge protocol which showed fumed silica filled to the point of incipient wetness with aqueous NaCl solution to have dielectric constants >10⁸ over the full range of dielectric thicknesses of 0.38-3.9 mm and discharge times of 0.25->100 s was studied, making this material another example of a superdielectric. The dielectric constant was impacted by both frequency and thickness. For time to discharge greater than 10 s the dielectric constant for all thicknesses needed to be fairly constant, always >10⁸, although trending higher with increasing thickness. At shorter discharge times the dielectric constant consistently decreased, with decreasing time to discharge. Hence, it is reasonable to suggest that for time to discharge >10 s the dielectric constant at all thicknesses will be greater than 10⁸. This in turn implies an energy density for a 5 micron thick dielectric layer in the order of 350 J/cm³ for discharge times greater than 10 s.

Investigation of Fumed Silica/Aqueous NaCl Superdielectric Material

PubMed Central

Jenkins, Natalie; Petty, Clayton; Phillips, Jonathan

2016-01-01

A constant current charge/discharge protocol which showed fumed silica filled to the point of incipient wetness with aqueous NaCl solution to have dielectric constants >108 over the full range of dielectric thicknesses of 0.38–3.9 mm and discharge times of 0.25–>100 s was studied, making this material another example of a superdielectric. The dielectric constant was impacted by both frequency and thickness. For time to discharge greater than 10 s the dielectric constant for all thicknesses needed to be fairly constant, always >109, although trending higher with increasing thickness. At shorter discharge times the dielectric constant consistently decreased, with decreasing time to discharge. Hence, it is reasonable to suggest that for time to discharge >10 s the dielectric constant at all thicknesses will be greater than 109. This in turn implies an energy density for a 5 micron thick dielectric layer in the order of 350 J/cm3 for discharge times greater than 10 s. PMID:28787918

The development of the time dependence of the nuclear EMP electric field

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eng, C

The nuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP) electric field calculated with the legacy code CHAP is compared with the field given by an integral solution of Maxwell's equations, also known as the Jefimenko equation, to aid our current understanding on the factors that affect the time dependence of the EMP. For a fair comparison the CHAP current density is used as a source in the Jefimenko equation. At first, the comparison is simplified by neglecting the conduction current and replacing the standard atmosphere with a constant density air slab. The simplicity of the resultant current density aids in determining the factors thatmore » affect the rise, peak and tail of the EMP electric field versus time. The three dimensional nature of the radiating source, i.e. sources off the line-of-sight, and the time dependence of the derivative of the current density with respect to time are found to play significant roles in shaping the EMP electric field time dependence. These results are found to hold even when the conduction current and the standard atmosphere are properly accounted for. Comparison of the CHAP electric field with the Jefimenko electric field offers a direct validation of the high-frequency/outgoing wave approximation.« less

Determination of mass density, dielectric, elastic, and piezoelectric constants of bulk GaN crystal.

PubMed

Soluch, Waldemar; Brzozowski, Ernest; Lysakowska, Magdalena; Sadura, Jolanta

2011-11-01

Mass density, dielectric, elastic, and piezoelectric constants of bulk GaN crystal were determined. Mass density was obtained from the measured ratio of mass to volume of a cuboid. The dielectric constants were determined from the measured capacitances of an interdigital transducer (IDT) deposited on a Z-cut plate and from a parallel plate capacitor fabricated from this plate. The elastic and piezoelectric constants were determined by comparing the measured and calculated SAW velocities and electromechanical coupling coefficients on the Z- and X-cut plates. The following new constants were obtained: mass density p = 5986 kg/m(3); relative dielectric constants (at constant strain S) ε(S)(11)/ε(0) = 8.6 and ε(S)(11)/ε(0) = 10.5, where ε(0) is a dielectric constant of free space; elastic constants (at constant electric field E) C(E)(11) = 349.7, C(E)(12) = 128.1, C(E)(13) = 129.4, C(E)(33) = 430.3, and C(E)(44) = 96.5 GPa; and piezoelectric constants e(33) = 0.84, e(31) = -0.47, and e(15) = -0.41 C/m(2).

Studies on niobium triselenide cathode material for lithium rechargeable cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ratnakumar, B. V.; Ni, C. L.; Distefano, S.; Somoano, R. B.; Bankston, C. P.

1988-01-01

NbSe3 exhibits superior characteristics such as high capacity, high volumetric and gravimetric energy densities, and high discharge rate capability, as compared to other intercalating cathodes. This paper reports the preparation, characterization, and performance of NbSe3. Several electrochemical techniques, such as cyclic voltammetry, constant-current/constant-potential discharges, dc potentiodynamic scans, ac impedance, and ac voltammetry, have been used to give insight to the mechanisms of intercalation of three lithiums with NbSe3 and also into the rate determining process in the reduction of NbSe3.

Communication: Diffusion constant in supercooled water as the Widom line is crossed in no man's land

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ni, Yicun; Hestand, Nicholas J.; Skinner, J. L.

2018-05-01

According to the liquid-liquid critical point (LLCP) hypothesis, there are two distinct phases of supercooled liquid water, namely, high-density liquid and low-density liquid, separated by a coexistence line that terminates in an LLCP. If the LLCP is real, it is located within No Man's Land (NML), the region of the metastable phase diagram that is difficult to access using conventional experimental techniques due to rapid homogeneous nucleation to the crystal. However, a recent ingenious experiment has enabled measurement of the diffusion constant deep inside NML. In the current communication, these recent measurements are compared, with good agreement, to the diffusion constant of E3B3 water, a classical water model that explicitly includes three-body interactions. The behavior of the diffusion constant as the system crosses the Widom line (the extension of the liquid-liquid coexistence line into the one-phase region) is analyzed to derive information about the presence and location of the LLCP. Calculations over a wide range of temperatures and pressures show that the new experimental measurements are consistent with an LLCP having a critical pressure of over 0.6 kbar.

Spin polarization effects and their time evolutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vernes, A.; Weinberger, P.

2015-04-01

The time evolution of the density corresponding to the polarization operator, originally constructed to commute with the Dirac Hamiltonian in the absence of an external electromagnetic field, is investigated in terms of the time-dependent Dirac equation taking the presence of an external electromagnetic field into account. It is found that this time evolution leads to 'tensorial' and 'vectorial' particle current densities and to the interaction of the spin density with the external electromagnetic field. As the time evolution of the spin density does not refer to a constant of motion (continuity condition) it only serves as auxiliary density. By taking the non-relativistic limit, it is shown that the polarization, spin and magnetization densities are independent of electric field effects and, in addition, no preferred directions can be defined.

Temporal survey of electron number density and electron temperature in the exhaust of a megawatt MPD-Arc thruster

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Michels, C. J.; Rose, J. R.; Sigman, D. R.

1971-01-01

Temporal and radial profiles are obtained 30 cm downstream from the anode for two peak arc currents (11.2 kA and 20 kA) and for various auxiliary magnetic fields (0, 1.0 T, and 2.0T) using the Thomson scattering technique. Average density and temperature are relatively constant for over 100 microseconds with significant fluctuations. Radial profiles obtained are relatively flat for 4 cm from the axis. Compared to earlier 20 cm data, the exhaust density has decreased significantly, the average temperature (4.6 eV) has not changed, and the density hole with an auxiliary magnetic field has enlarged.

Influence of excitons interaction with charge carriers on photovoltaic parameters in organic solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Głowienka, Damian; Szmytkowski, Jędrzej

2018-03-01

We report on theoretical analysis of excitons annihilation on charge carriers in organic solar cells. Numerical calculations based on transient one-dimensional drift-diffusion model have been carried out. An impact of three quantities (an annihilation rate constant, an exciton mobility and a recombination reduction factor) on current density and concentrations of charge carriers and excitons is investigated. Finally, we discuss the influence of excitons interaction with electrons and holes on four photovoltaic parameters (a short-circuit current, an open-circuit voltage, a fill factor and a power conversion efficiency). The conclusion is that the annihilation process visibly decreases the efficiency of organic photocells, if the annihilation rate constant is greater than 10-15m3s-1 .

Influences of the current density on the performances of the chrome-plated layer in deterministic electroplating repair

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, H.; Shen, X. M.; Yang, X. C.; Xiong, Y.; Jiang, G. L.

2018-01-01

Deterministic electroplating repair is a novel method for rapidly repairing the attrited parts. By the qualitative contrast and quantitative comparison, influences of the current density on performances of the chrome-plated layer were concluded in this study. The chrome-plated layers were fabricated under different current densities when the other parameters were kept constant. Hardnesses, thicknesses and components, surface morphologies and roughnesses, and wearability of the chrome-plated layers were detected by the Vickers hardness tester, scanning electron microscope / energy dispersive X-ray detector, digital microscope in the 3D imaging mode, and the ball-milling instrument with profilograph, respectively. In order to scientifically evaluate each factor, the experimental data was normalized. A comprehensive evaluation model was founded to quantitative analyse influence of the current density based on analytic hierarchy process method and the weighted evaluation method. The calculated comprehensive evaluation indexes corresponding to current density of 40A/dm2, 45A/dm2, 50A/dm2, 55A/dm2, 60A/dm2, and 65A/dm2 were 0.2246, 0.4850, 0.4799, 0.4922, 0.8672, and 0.1381, respectively. Experimental results indicate that final optimal option was 60A/dm2, and the priority orders were 60A/dm2, 55A/dm2, 45A/dm2, 50A/dm2, 40A/dm2, and 65A/dm2.

An empirical model for parameters affecting energy consumption in boron removal from boron-containing wastewaters by electrocoagulation.

PubMed

Yilmaz, A Erdem; Boncukcuoğlu, Recep; Kocakerim, M Muhtar

2007-06-01

In this study, it was investigated parameters affecting energy consumption in boron removal from boron containing wastewaters prepared synthetically, via electrocoagulation method. The solution pH, initial boron concentration, dose of supporting electrolyte, current density and temperature of solution were selected as experimental parameters affecting energy consumption. The obtained experimental results showed that boron removal efficiency reached up to 99% under optimum conditions, in which solution pH was 8.0, current density 6.0 mA/cm(2), initial boron concentration 100mg/L and solution temperature 293 K. The current density was an important parameter affecting energy consumption too. High current density applied to electrocoagulation cell increased energy consumption. Increasing solution temperature caused to decrease energy consumption that high temperature decreased potential applied under constant current density. That increasing initial boron concentration and dose of supporting electrolyte caused to increase specific conductivity of solution decreased energy consumption. As a result, it was seen that energy consumption for boron removal via electrocoagulation method could be minimized at optimum conditions. An empirical model was predicted by statistically. Experimentally obtained values were fitted with values predicted from empirical model being as following; [formula in text]. Unfortunately, the conditions obtained for optimum boron removal were not the conditions obtained for minimum energy consumption. It was determined that support electrolyte must be used for increase boron removal and decrease electrical energy consumption.

Limitations of the Conventional Phase Advance Method for Constant Power Operation of the Brushless DC Motor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lawler, J.S.

2001-10-29

The brushless dc motor (BDCM) has high-power density and efficiency relative to other motor types. These properties make the BDCM well suited for applications in electric vehicles provided a method can be developed for driving the motor over the 4 to 6:1 constant power speed range (CPSR) required by such applications. The present state of the art for constant power operation of the BDCM is conventional phase advance (CPA) [1]. In this paper, we identify key limitations of CPA. It is shown that the CPA has effective control over the developed power but that the current magnitude is relatively insensitivemore » to power output and is inversely proportional to motor inductance. If the motor inductance is low, then the rms current at rated power and high speed may be several times larger than the current rating. The inductance required to maintain rms current within rating is derived analytically and is found to be large relative to that of BDCM designs using high-strength rare earth magnets. Th us, the CPA requires a BDCM with a large equivalent inductance.« less

Domain-wall motion at an ultrahigh speed driven by spin-orbit torque in synthetic antiferromagnets.

PubMed

Yu, Ziyang; Zhang, Yue; Zhang, Zhenhua; Cheng, Ming; Lu, Zhihong; Yang, Xiaofei; Shi, Jing; Xiong, Rui

2018-04-27

In this article, we present our numerical investigation about the spin-orbit-torque induced domain-wall (DW) motion in a synthetic antiferromagnetic multilayer nanotrack. This nanotrack was composed by two ferromagnetic (FM) layers with a RKKY inter-layer antiferromagnetic (AFM) exchange coupling. The velocity of DW was well manipulated by varying parameters including inter-layer exchange constant, the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) strength, the current density and the magnetic anisotropy. The DW velocity was found to be strictly related to the orientation of the moments in the two FM layers. When the interlayer exchange constant or the DMI constant were larger than a critical value, there was a large angle between the moments in one FM layer and that in the other one under the current, and the DW was driven to move at an ultrahigh speed (around 10 000 m s -1 ). However, when the DMI or the AFM exchange coupling was weaker than the critical value, the moments in one FM layer were parallel to that in the other one under the current, and the velocity was significantly reduced.

Al/CuxO/Cu Memristive Devices: Fabrication, Characterization, and Modeling

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-01

where Js is the current density, q is the electron charge, ε0 is the permittivity of free space, εr is the dielectric constant of the material, k is...and N. Nagaosa, “Interfaces of Correlated Electron Systems: Proposed Mechanism for Colossal Electroresistance,” Phys. Rev. Lett., Vol. 95, p. 266403

On the radiative and thermodynamic properties of the cosmic radiations using COBE FIRAS instrument data: I. Cosmic microwave background radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fisenko, Anatoliy I.; Lemberg, Vladimir

2014-07-01

Using the explicit form of the functions to describe the monopole and dipole spectra of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation, the exact expressions for the temperature dependences of the radiative and thermodynamic functions, such as the total radiation power per unit area, total energy density, number density of photons, Helmholtz free energy density, entropy density, heat capacity at constant volume, and pressure in the finite range of frequencies v 1≤ v≤ v 2 are obtained. Since the dependence of temperature upon the redshift z is known, the obtained expressions can be simply presented in z representation. Utilizing experimental data for the monopole and dipole spectra measured by the COBE FIRAS instrument in the 60-600 GHz frequency interval at the temperature T=2.72548 K, the values of the radiative and thermodynamic functions, as well as the radiation density constant a and the Stefan-Boltzmann constant σ are calculated. In the case of the dipole spectrum, the constants a and σ, and the radiative and thermodynamic properties of the CMB radiation are obtained using the mean amplitude T amp=3.358 mK. It is shown that the Doppler shift leads to a renormalization of the radiation density constant a, the Stefan-Boltzmann constant σ, and the corresponding constants for the thermodynamic functions. The expressions for new astrophysical parameters, such as the entropy density/Boltzmann constant, and number density of CMB photons are obtained. The radiative and thermodynamic properties of the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation for the monopole and dipole spectra at redshift z≈1089 are calculated.

Reformulated space-charge-limited current model and its application to disordered organic systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woellner, Cristiano F.; Freire, José A.

2011-02-01

We have reformulated a traditional model used to describe the current-voltage dependence of low mobility materials sandwiched between planar electrodes by using the quasi-electrochemical potential as the fundamental variable instead of the local electric field or the local charge carrier density. This allows the material density-of-states to enter explicitly in the equations and dispenses with the need to assume a particular type of contact. The diffusion current is included and as a consequence the current-voltage dependence obtained covers, with increasing bias, the diffusion limited current, the space-charge limited current, and the injection limited current regimes. The generalized Einstein relation and the field and density dependent mobility are naturally incorporated into the formalism; these two points being of particular relevance for disordered organic semiconductors. The reformulated model can be applied to any material where the carrier density and the mobility may be written as a function of the quasi-electrochemical potential. We applied it to the textbook example of a nondegenerate, constant mobility material and showed how a single dimensionless parameter determines the form of the I(V) curve. We obtained integral expressions for the carrier density and for the mobility as a function of the quasi-electrochemical potential for a Gaussianly disordered organic material and found the general form of the I(V) curve for such materials over the full range of bias, showing how the energetic disorder alone can give rise, in the space-charge limited current regime, to an I∝Vn dependence with an exponent n larger than 2.

Low-Cost and High-Productivity Three-Dimensional Nanocapacitors Based on Stand-Up ZnO Nanowires for Energy Storage.

PubMed

Wei, Lei; Liu, Qi-Xuan; Zhu, Bao; Liu, Wen-Jun; Ding, Shi-Jin; Lu, Hong-Liang; Jiang, Anquan; Zhang, David Wei

2016-12-01

Highly powered electrostatic capacitors based on nanostructures with a high aspect ratio are becoming critical for advanced energy storage technology because of their high burst power and energy storage capability. We report the fabrication process and the electrical characteristics of high capacitance density capacitors with three-dimensional solid-state nanocapacitors based on a ZnO nanowire template. Stand-up ZnO nanowires are grown face down on p-type Si substrates coated with a ZnO seed layer using a hydrothermal method. Stacks of AlZnO/Al2O3/AlZnO are then deposited sequentially on the ZnO nanowires using atomic layer deposition. The fabricated capacitor has a high capacitance density up to 92 fF/μm(2) at 1 kHz (around ten times that of the planar capacitor without nanowires) and an extremely low leakage current density of 3.4 × 10(-8) A/cm(2) at 2 V for a 5-nm Al2O3 dielectric. Additionally, the charge-discharge characteristics of the capacitor were investigated, indicating that the resistance-capacitance time constants were 550 ns for both the charging and discharging processes and the time constant was not dependent on the voltage. This reflects good power characteristics of the fabricated capacitors. Therefore, the current work provides an exciting strategy to fabricate low-cost and easily processable, high capacitance density capacitors for energy storage.

Polarization-Induced Interfacial Reactions between Nickel and Selenium in Ni/Zirconia SOFC Anodes and Comparison with Sulfur Poisoning

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marina, Olga A.; Pederson, Larry R.; Coyle, Christopher A.

2011-01-10

Three distinctly different characteristic responses of a nickel/yttria-stabilized zirconia (Ni/YSZ) cermet anode to the presence of hydrogen selenide in synthetic coal gas were observed, depending on temperature (650-800oC), H2Se concentration (0-40 ppm), and especially on the extent of anodic polarization (0 to ~0.5 V). The first level of response was characterized by a rapid but modest decrease in power density to a new steady state, with no further degradation observed in tests up to 700 hours in duration. Mostly observed at high temperatures, low H2Se concentrations, and low anodic polarizations, this response level was similar to effects caused by themore » presence of H2S, but with slower onset and lower reversibility. Higher anodic polarization at a constant current could trigger a second level of response characterized by oscillatory behavior involving cycles of rapid performance loss followed by rapid recovery. Oscillations at the constant current density were accompanied by the appearance and disappearance of a new feature in the electrochemical impedance spectrum with a summit frequency of ~100 Hz. Oscillatory behavior ceased when the current density was lowered. Such behavior was not observed for cells operated at a constant potential of similar magnitude, though. A third level of response, irreversible cell failure, could be induced by further increases in anodic polarization, additionally favored by low temperature and high H2Se concentration. Post-test analyses of failed cells by electron microscopy revealed the extensive microstructural changes including the appearance of nickel oxide and nickel selenide alteration phases, only at the anode/electrolyte interface. From bulk thermochemical considerations the formation of nickel selenides could not be expected. Local chemical conditions created at the anode/electrolyte interface appear to be of overriding importance with respect to the extent of Ni/YSZ anode interactions with H2Se in coal gas.« less

Use of Ground Penetrating Radar at the FAA's National Airport Pavement Test Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Injun, Song

2015-04-01

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States has used a ground-coupled Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) at the National Airport Pavement Test Facility (NAPTF) since 2005. One of the primary objectives of the testing at the facility is to provide full-scale pavement response and failure information for use in airplane landing gear design and configuration studies. During the traffic testing at the facility, a GSSI GPR system was used to develop new procedures for monitoring Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) pavement density changes that is directly related to pavement failure. After reviewing current setups for data acquisition software and procedures for identifying different pavement layers, dielectric constant and pavement thickness were selected as dominant parameters controlling HMA properties provided by GPR. A new methodology showing HMA density changes in terms of dielectric constant variations, called dielectric sweep test, was developed and applied in full-scale pavement test. The dielectric constant changes were successfully monitored with increasing airplane traffic numbers. The changes were compared to pavement performance data (permanent deformation). The measured dielectric constants based on the known HMA thicknesses were also compared with computed dielectric constants using an equation from ASTM D4748-98 Standard Test Method for Determining the Thickness of Bound Pavement Layers Using Short-Pulse Radar. Six inches diameter cylindrical cores were taken after construction and traffic testing for the HMA layer bulk specific gravity. The measured bulk specific gravity was also compared to monitor HMA density changes caused by aircraft traffic conditions. Additionally this presentation will review the applications of the FAA's ground-coupled GPR on embedded rebar identification in concrete pavement, sewer pipes in soil, and gage identifications in 3D plots.

Recent Results From Internal and Very-Near-Field Plasma Diagnostics of a High Specific Impulse Hall Thruster

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hofer, Richard R.; Gallimore, Alec D.; Jacobson, David (Technical Monitor)

2003-01-01

Floating potential and ion current density measurements were taken on the laboratory model NASA-173Mv2 in order to improve understanding of the physical processes affecting Hall thruster performance at high specific impulse. Floating potential was measured on discharge chamber centerline over axial positions spanning 10 mm from the anode to 100 mm downstream of the exit plane. Ion current density was mapped radially up to 300 mm from thruster centerline over axial positions in the very-near-field (10 to 250 mm from the exit plane). All data were collected using a planar probe in conjunction with a high-speed translation stage to minimize probe-induced thruster perturbations. Measurements of floating potential at a xenon flow rate of 10 mg/s have shown that the acceleration layer moved upstream 3 1 mm when the voltage increased from 300 to 600 V. The length of the acceleration layer was 14 2 mm and was approximately constant with voltage and magnetic field. Ion current density measurements indicated the annular ion beam crossed the thruster centerline 163 mm downstream of the exit plane. Radial integration of the ion current density at the cathode plane provided an estimate of the ion current fraction. At 500 V and 5 mg/s, the ion current fraction was calculated as 0.77.

Molecular Rayleigh Scattering Diagnostic for Dynamic Temperature, Velocity, and Density Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mielke, Amy R.; Elam, Kristie A.; Sung, Chi-Jen

2006-01-01

A molecular Rayleigh scattering technique is developed to measure dynamic gas temperature, velocity, and density in unseeded turbulent flows at sampling rates up to 16 kHz. A high power CW laser beam is focused at a point in an air jet plume and Rayleigh scattered light is collected and spectrally resolved. The spectrum of the light, which contains information about the temperature and velocity of the flow, is analyzed using a Fabry-Perot interferometer. The circular interference fringe pattern is divided into four concentric regions and sampled at 1 and 16 kHz using photon counting electronics. Monitoring the relative change in intensity within each region allows for measurement of gas temperature and velocity. Independently monitoring the total scattered light intensity provides a measure of gas density. A low speed heated jet is used to validate the measurement of temperature fluctuations and an acoustically excited nozzle flow is studied to validate velocity fluctuation measurements. Power spectral density calculations of the property fluctuations, as well as mean and fluctuating quantities are presented. Temperature fluctuation results are compared with constant current anemometry measurements and velocity fluctuation results are compared with constant temperature anemometry measurements at the same locations.

Liquid Droplet Thrusters to Provide Constant Momentum Exchange Between Formation Flying Spacecraft

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-01

density; 1070 kg/m3 for DC704 and 1097 kg/m3 for DC705. The fluids differ chemically by a single methyl group, which is replaced by a fifth Benzene...of photon energy. The relative light intensity was monitored by the fluorescence of Sodium Salicylate . Division of the current by the intensity of

Electrochemical Method of Making Porous Particles Using a Constant Current Density

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferrari, Mauro (Inventor); Cheng, Ming-Cheng (Inventor); Liu, Xuewu (Inventor)

2014-01-01

Provided is a particle that includes a first porous region and a second porous region that differs from the first porous region. Also provided is a particle that has a wet etched porous region and that does have a nucleation layer associated with wet etching. Methods of making porous particles are also provided.

Stability of short-axial-wavelength internal kink modes of an anisotropic plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faghihi, M.; Scheffel, J.

1987-12-01

The double adiabatic equations are used to study the stability of a cylindrical Z-pinch with respect to small axial wavelength, internal kink (m ≥ 1) modes. It is found that marginally (ideally) unstable, isotropic equilibria are stabilized. Also, constant-current-density equilibria can be stabilized for P > P and large β

Dark energy and the cosmic microwave background radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dodelson, S.; Knox, L.

2000-01-01

We find that current cosmic microwave background anisotropy data strongly constrain the mean spatial curvature of the Universe to be near zero, or, equivalently, the total energy density to be near critical-as predicted by inflation. This result is robust to editing of data sets, and variation of other cosmological parameters (totaling seven, including a cosmological constant). Other lines of argument indicate that the energy density of nonrelativistic matter is much less than critical. Together, these results are evidence, independent of supernovae data, for dark energy in the Universe.

Dark energy and the cosmic microwave background radiation.

PubMed

Dodelson, S; Knox, L

2000-04-17

We find that current cosmic microwave background anisotropy data strongly constrain the mean spatial curvature of the Universe to be near zero, or, equivalently, the total energy density to be near critical-as predicted by inflation. This result is robust to editing of data sets, and variation of other cosmological parameters (totaling seven, including a cosmological constant). Other lines of argument indicate that the energy density of nonrelativistic matter is much less than critical. Together, these results are evidence, independent of supernovae data, for dark energy in the Universe.

On current transients in MoS2 Field Effect Transistors.

PubMed

Macucci, Massimo; Tambellini, Gerry; Ovchinnikov, Dmitry; Kis, Andras; Iannaccone, Giuseppe; Fiori, Gianluca

2017-09-14

We present an experimental investigation of slow transients in the gate and drain currents of MoS 2 -based transistors. We focus on the measurement of both the gate and drain currents and, from the comparative analysis of the current transients, we conclude that there are at least two independent trapping mechanisms: trapping of charges in the silicon oxide substrate, occurring with time constants of the order of tens of seconds and involving charge motion orthogonal to the MoS 2 sheet, and trapping at the channel surface, which occurs with much longer time constants, in particular when the device is in a vacuum. We observe that the presence of such slow phenomena makes it very difficult to perform reliable low-frequency noise measurements, requiring a stable and repeatable steady-state bias point condition, and may explain the sometimes contradictory results that can be found in the literature about the dependence of the flicker noise power spectral density on gate bias.

Preparation of dielectric coating of variable dielectric constant by plasma polymerization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hudis, M.; Wydeven, T. (Inventor)

1979-01-01

A plasma polymerization process for the deposition of a dielectric polymer coating on a substrate comprising disposing of the substrate in a closed reactor between two temperature controlled electrodes connected to a power supply is presented. A vacuum is maintained within the closed reactor, causing a monomer gas or gas mixture of a monomer and diluent to flow into the reactor, generating a plasma between the electrodes. The vacuum varies and controls the dielectric constant of the polymer coating being deposited by regulating the gas total and partial pressure, the electric field strength and frequency, and the current density.

Hierarchical MoS2 nanowires/NiCo2O4 nanosheets supported on Ni foam for high-performance asymmetric supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Shiyang; Liu, Yu; Zhu, Fangfang; Shao, Rong; Xu, Wei

2018-01-01

The hierarchical MoS2 nanowires/NiCo2O4 nanosheets (MS/NCO) supercapacitor electrode materials supported on Ni foam were synthesized by a two-step hydrothermal method. The capacitance was investigated by using various electrochemical methods including cyclic voltammetry, constant-current galvanostatic charge/discharge curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The MS/NCO networks show 7 times more capacitance (7.1 F cm-2) than pure NiCo2O4 nanosheets by CV at a scan rate of 2 mV s-1. The specific capacitance of the assembled MS/NCO//active carbon (AC) asymmetric supercapacitor could reach up to 51.7 F g-1 at a current density of 1.5 A g-1. Also, the maximum energy density of 18.4 W h kg-1 at a power density of 1200.2 W kg-1 was achieved, with 98.2% specific capacitance retention after 8000 cycles. These exciting results exhibit potential application in developing energy storage devices with high energy density and high power density.

The current-density distribution in a pulsed dc magnetron deposition discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vetushka, Alena; Bradley, James W.

2007-04-01

Using a carefully constructed magnetic probe (a B-dot probe) the spatial and temporal evolution of the perturbation in the magnetic field ΔB in an unbalanced pulsed dc magnetron has been determined. The plasma was run in argon at a pressure of 0.74 Pa and the plasma ions sputtered a pure graphite target. The pulse frequency and duty were set at 100 kHz and 55%, respectively. From the ΔB measurements (measured with magnitudes up to about 0.01 mT) the axial, azimuthal and radial components of the total current density j in the plasma bulk were determined. In the plasma 'on' phase, the axial current density jz has a maximum value of approximately 200 A m-2 above the racetrack region, while high values in the azimuthal current density jΦ are distributed in a region from 1 to 3 cm into the bulk plasma with jΦ exceeding 350 A m-2. In the 'off' phase of the plasma, jz decays almost instantaneously (at least within the 100 ns time-resolution of the ΔB measurements) as the electric field collapses; however, jΦ decays with a characteristic time constant of about 1 µs. This slow decay can be attributed to the presence of decaying Grad-B and curvature drifts, with their rates controlled by the decay in the plasma density. A comparison between axial and azimuthal current densities in the plasma 'on' time, when the plasma is being driven, strongly indicates that classical transport does not operate in the magnetron discharge.

Minimized open-circuit voltage reduction in GaAs/InGaAs quantum well solar cells with bandgap-engineered graded quantum well depths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xiaohan; Dasika, Vaishno D.; Li, Ping-Chun; Ji, Li; Bank, Seth R.; Yu, Edward T.

2014-09-01

The use of InGaAs quantum wells with composition graded across the intrinsic region to increase open-circuit voltage in p-i-n GaAs/InGaAs quantum well solar cells is demonstrated and analyzed. By engineering the band-edge energy profile to reduce photo-generated carrier concentration in the quantum wells at high forward bias, simultaneous increases in both open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current density are achieved, compared to those for a structure with the same average In concentration, but constant rather than graded quantum well composition across the intrinsic region. This approach is combined with light trapping to further increase short-circuit current density.

Composite polarizability and the construction of an invariant function of refraction and mass density for solutions.

PubMed

Szymański, Krzysztof; Petrache, Horia I

2011-04-14

Re-examination of dynamical ionic polarizabilities in water solutions leads to the formulation of a solution function r(c), which combines the indices of refraction and mass densities of solutions. We show that this function should be independent of ionic concentration if the composite polarizabilities of hydrated solute clusters are constant. Using existing experimental data for a number of aqueous salt and organic solutions, we find that the r(c) function is either constant or varies linearly with concentration, in most cases with negligible slope. We use this function to compare ionic polarizabilities of crystals and aqueous solutions and to highlight how solute polarizabilities at infinite dilution scale with the electronic valence shell of cations and anions. The proposed r(c) function can be used generally to verify the consistency of experimental measurements and of simulation results, and it provides a test of assumptions in current theories of ionic polarizabilities.

Investigation on VOX/CNTS Nanocomposites Act as Electrode of Supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Quanyao; Li, Zhaolong; Zhang, Xiaoyan; Huang, Shengnan; Yu, Yue; Chen, Wen; Zakharova, Galina S.

2013-07-01

The VOx/CNTs nanocomposites were synthesized by the hydrothermal method. The structure and morphologies of the nanocomposites were characteristic by XRD, SEM and TEM. The electrochemical properties of the nanocomposites were explored by cyclic voltammetry, constant current charge/discharge testing and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in 1M KNO3 aqueous solution. The results showed that the nanocomposites perform characteristics of electrical both double-layer capacitance and pseudocapacitance. The specific capacitances were 136.5F/g, when the current density was 0.15A/g.

Lower Current Large Deviations for Zero-Range Processes on a Ring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chleboun, Paul; Grosskinsky, Stefan; Pizzoferrato, Andrea

2017-04-01

We study lower large deviations for the current of totally asymmetric zero-range processes on a ring with concave current-density relation. We use an approach by Jensen and Varadhan which has previously been applied to exclusion processes, to realize current fluctuations by travelling wave density profiles corresponding to non-entropic weak solutions of the hyperbolic scaling limit of the process. We further establish a dynamic transition, where large deviations of the current below a certain value are no longer typically attained by non-entropic weak solutions, but by condensed profiles, where a non-zero fraction of all the particles accumulates on a single fixed lattice site. This leads to a general characterization of the rate function, which is illustrated by providing detailed results for four generic examples of jump rates, including constant rates, decreasing rates, unbounded sublinear rates and asymptotically linear rates. Our results on the dynamic transition are supported by numerical simulations using a cloning algorithm.

Quantum Effects in Cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saharian, A. A.

2016-09-01

We investigate the vacuum expectation value of the current density for a charged scalar field on a slice of anti-de Sitter (AdS) space with toroidally compact dimensions. Along the compact dimensions periodicity conditions are imposed on the field operator with general phases and the presence of a constant gauge field is assumed. The latter gives rise to Aharonov-Bohm-like effects on the vacuum currents. The current density along compact dimensions is a periodic function of the gauge field flux with the period equal to the flux quantum. It vanishes on the AdS boundary and, near the horizon, to the leading order, it is conformally related to the corresponding quantity in Minkowski bulk for a massless field. For large values of the length of the compact dimension compared with the AdS curvature radius, the vacuum current decays as power-law for both massless and massive fields. This behavior is essentially different from the corresponding one in Minkowski background, where the currents for a massive field are suppressed exponentially.

Current Density Functional Theory Using Meta-Generalized Gradient Exchange-Correlation Functionals.

PubMed

Furness, James W; Verbeke, Joachim; Tellgren, Erik I; Stopkowicz, Stella; Ekström, Ulf; Helgaker, Trygve; Teale, Andrew M

2015-09-08

We present the self-consistent implementation of current-dependent (hybrid) meta-generalized gradient approximation (mGGA) density functionals using London atomic orbitals. A previously proposed generalized kinetic energy density is utilized to implement mGGAs in the framework of Kohn-Sham current density functional theory (KS-CDFT). A unique feature of the nonperturbative implementation of these functionals is the ability to seamlessly explore a wide range of magnetic fields up to 1 au (∼235 kT) in strength. CDFT functionals based on the TPSS and B98 forms are investigated, and their performance is assessed by comparison with accurate coupled-cluster singles, doubles, and perturbative triples (CCSD(T)) data. In the weak field regime, magnetic properties such as magnetizabilities and nuclear magnetic resonance shielding constants show modest but systematic improvements over generalized gradient approximations (GGA). However, in the strong field regime, the mGGA-based forms lead to a significantly improved description of the recently proposed perpendicular paramagnetic bonding mechanism, comparing well with CCSD(T) data. In contrast to functionals based on the vorticity, these forms are found to be numerically stable, and their accuracy at high field suggests that the extension of mGGAs to CDFT via the generalized kinetic energy density should provide a useful starting point for further development of CDFT approximations.

Sensitivity of simulated snow cloud properties to mass-diameter parameterizations.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duffy, G.; Nesbitt, S. W.; McFarquhar, G. M.

2015-12-01

Mass to diameter (m-D) relationships are used in model parameterization schemes to represent ice cloud microphysics and in retrievals of bulk cloud properties from remote sensing instruments. One of the most common relationships, used in the current Global Precipitation Measurement retrieval algorithm for example, assigns the density of snow as a constant tenth of the density of ice (0.1g/m^3). This assumption stands in contrast to the results of derived m-D relationships of snow particles, which imply decreasing particle densities at larger sizes and result in particle masses orders of magnitude below the constant density relationship. In this study, forward simulations of bulk cloud properties (e.g., total water content, radar reflectivity and precipitation rate) derived from measured size distributions using several historical m-D relationships are presented. This expands upon previous studies that mainly focused on smaller ice particles because of the examination of precipitation-sized particles here. In situ and remote sensing data from the GPM Cold season Experiment (GCPEx) and Canadian CloudSAT/Calypso Validation Program (C3VP), both synoptic snowstorm field experiments in southern Ontario, Canada, are used to evaluate the forward simulations against total water content measured by the Nevzorov and Cloud Spectrometer and Impactor (CSI) probe, radar reflectivity measured by a C band ground based radar and a nadir pointing Ku/Ka dual frequency airborne radar, and precipitation rate measured by a 2D video disdrometer. There are differences between the bulk cloud properties derived using varying m-D relations, with constant density assumptions producing results differing substantially from the bulk measured quantities. The variability in bulk cloud properties derived using different m-D relations is compared against the natural variability in those parameters seen in the GCPEx and C3VP field experiments.

The Effects of High Density on the X-ray Spectrum Reflected from Accretion Discs Around Black Holes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garcia, Javier A.; Fabian, Andrew C.; Kallman, Timothy R.; Dauser, Thomas; Parker, Micahel L.; McClintock, Jeffrey E.; Steiner, James F.; Wilms, Jorn

2016-01-01

Current models of the spectrum of X-rays reflected from accretion discs around black holes and other compact objects are commonly calculated assuming that the density of the disc atmosphere is constant within several Thomson depths from the irradiated surface. An important simplifying assumption of these models is that the ionization structure of the gas is completely specified by a single, fixed value of the ionization parameter (xi), which is the ratio of the incident flux to the gas density. The density is typically fixed at n(sub e) = 10(exp 15) per cu cm. Motivated by observations, we consider higher densities in the calculation of the reflected spectrum. We show by computing model spectra for n(sub e) approximately greater than 10(exp 17) per cu cm that high-density effects significantly modify reflection spectra. The main effect is to boost the thermal continuum at energies 2 approximately less than keV. We discuss the implications of these results for interpreting observations of both active galactic nuclei and black hole binaries. We also discuss the limitations of our models imposed by the quality of the atomic data currently available.

Fermionic currents in AdS spacetime with compact dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bellucci, S.; Saharian, A. A.; Vardanyan, V.

2017-09-01

We derive a closed expression for the vacuum expectation value (VEV) of the fermionic current density in a (D +1 )-dimensional locally AdS spacetime with an arbitrary number of toroidally compactified Poincaré spatial dimensions and in the presence of a constant gauge field. The latter can be formally interpreted in terms of a magnetic flux treading the compact dimensions. In the compact subspace, the field operator obeys quasiperiodicity conditions with arbitrary phases. The VEV of the charge density is zero and the current density has nonzero components along the compact dimensions only. They are periodic functions of the magnetic flux with the period equal to the flux quantum and tend to zero on the AdS boundary. Near the horizon, the effect of the background gravitational field is small and the leading term in the corresponding asymptotic expansion coincides with the VEV for a massless field in the locally Minkowski bulk. Unlike the Minkowskian case, in the system consisting of an equal number of fermionic and scalar degrees of freedom, with same masses, charges and phases in the periodicity conditions, the total current density does not vanish. In these systems, the leading divergences in the scalar and fermionic contributions on the horizon are canceled and, as a consequence of that, the charge flux, integrated over the coordinate perpendicular to the AdS boundary, becomes finite. We show that in odd spacetime dimensions the fermionic fields realizing two inequivalent representations of the Clifford algebra and having equal phases in the periodicity conditions give the same contribution to the VEV of the current density. Combining the contributions from these fields, the current density in odd-dimensional C -,P - and T -symmetric models are obtained. As an application, we consider the ground state current density in curved carbon nanotubes described in terms of a (2 +1 )-dimensional effective Dirac model.

Beyond the dynamic density functional theory for steady currents: application to driven colloidal particles in a channel.

PubMed

Tarazona, P; Marini Bettolo Marconi, Umberto

2008-04-28

Motivated by recent studies on the dynamics of colloidal solutions in narrow channels, we consider the steady state properties of an assembly of noninteracting particles subject to the action of a traveling potential moving at a constant speed, while the solvent is modeled by a heat bath at rest in the laboratory frame. Here, since the description we propose takes into account the inertia of the colloidal particles, it is necessary to consider the evolution of both positions and momenta and study the governing equation for the one-particle phase-space distribution. First, we derive the asymptotic form of its solutions as an expansion in Hermite polynomials and their generic properties, such as the force and energy balance, and then we particularize our study to the case of an inverted parabolic potential barrier. We numerically obtain the steady state density and temperature profile and show that the expansion is rapidly convergent for large values of the friction constant and small drifting velocities. On the one hand, the present results confirm the previous studies based on the dynamic density functional theory (DDFT): On the other hand, when the friction constant is large, it display effects such as the presence of a wake behind the barrier and a strong inhomogeneity in the temperature field which are beyond the DDFT description.

Extended Constant Power Speed Range of the Brushless DC Motor Through Dual Mode Inverter Control

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lawler, J.S.

2000-06-23

The trapezoidal back electromotive force (emf) brushless direct current (dc) motor (BDCM) with surface-mounted magnets has high-power density and efficiency especially when rare-earth magnet materials are used. Traction applications, such as electric vehicles, could benefit significantly from the use of such motors. Unfortunately, a practical means for driving the motor over a constant power speed ratio (CPSR) of 5:1 or more has not yet been developed. A key feature of these motors is that they have low internal inductance. The phase advance method is effective in controlling the motor power over such a speed range, but the current at highmore » speed may be several times greater than that required at the base speed. The increase in current during high-speed operation is due to the low motor inductance and the action of the bypass diodes of the inverter. The use of such a control would require increased current rating of the inverter semiconductors and additional cooling for the inverter, where the conduction losses increase proportionally with current, and especially for the motor, where the losses increase with the square of the current. The high current problems of phase advance can be mitigated by adding series inductance; however, this reduces power density, requires significant increase in supply voltage, and leaves the CPSR performance of the system highly sensitive to variations in the available voltage. A new inverter topology and control scheme has been developed that can drive low-inductance BDCMs over the CPSR that would be required in electric vehicle applications. This new controller is called the dual-mode inverter control (DMIC). It is shown that the BDCM has an infinite CPSR when it is driven by the DMIC.« less

The Effect of Sn Orientation on Intermetallic Compound Growth in Idealized Sn-Cu-Ag Interconnects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kinney, Chris; Linares, Xioranny; Lee, Kyu-Oh; Morris, J. W.

2013-04-01

The work reported here explores the influence of crystal orientation on the growth of the interfacial intermetallic layer during electromigration in Cu||Sn||Cu solder joints. The samples were thin, planar Sn-Ag-Cu (SAC) solder layers between Cu bars subject to a uniaxial current. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) was used to characterize the microstructure before and after testing. The most useful representation of the EBSD data identifies the Sn grain orientation by the angle between the Sn c-axis and the current direction. The tested samples included single-crystal joints with c-axis nearly parallel to the current ("green" samples) and with c-axis perpendicular to the current ("red" samples). At current density of 104 A/cm2 (steady-state temperature of ~150°C), an intermetallic layer grew at an observable rate in the "green" samples, but not in the "red" ones. A current density of 1.15 × 104 A/cm2 (temperature ~160°C) led to measurable intermetallic growth in both samples. The growth fronts were nearly planar and the growth rates constant (after an initial incubation period); the growth rates in the "green" samples were about 10× those in the "red" samples. The Cu concentrations were constant within the joints, showing that the intermetallic growth is dominated by the electromigration flux. The measured growth rates and literature values for the diffusion of Cu in Sn were used to extract values for the effective charge, z *, that governs the electromigration of Cu. The calculated value of z * is significantly larger for current perpendicular to the c-axis than along it.

GaAsP/InGaP HBTs grown epitaxially on Si substrates: Effect of dislocation density on DC current gain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heidelberger, Christopher; Fitzgerald, Eugene A.

2018-04-01

Heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) with GaAs0.825P0.175 bases and collectors and In0.40Ga0.60P emitters were integrated monolithically onto Si substrates. The HBT structures were grown epitaxially on Si via metalorganic chemical vapor deposition, using SiGe compositionally graded buffers to accommodate the lattice mismatch while maintaining threading dislocation density at an acceptable level (˜3 × 106 cm-2). GaAs0.825P0.175 is used as an active material instead of GaAs because of its higher bandgap (increased breakdown voltage) and closer lattice constant to Si. Misfit dislocation density in the active device layers, measured by electron-beam-induced current, was reduced by making iterative changes to the epitaxial structure. This optimized process culminated in a GaAs0.825P0.175/In0.40Ga0.60P HBT grown on Si with a DC current gain of 156. By considering the various GaAsP/InGaP HBTs grown on Si substrates alongside several control devices grown on GaAs substrates, a wide range of threading dislocation densities and misfit dislocation densities in the active layers could be correlated with HBT current gain. The effect of threading dislocations on current gain was moderated by the reduction in minority carrier lifetime in the base region, in agreement with existing models for GaAs light-emitting diodes and photovoltaic cells. Current gain was shown to be extremely sensitive to misfit dislocations in the active layers of the HBT—much more sensitive than to threading dislocations. We develop a model for this relationship where increased base current is mediated by Fermi level pinning near misfit dislocations.

Moderate temperature-dependent surface and volume resistivity and low-frequency dielectric constant measurements of pure and multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) doped polyvinyl alcohol thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edwards, Matthew; Guggilla, Padmaja; Reedy, Angela; Ijaz, Quratulann; Janen, Afef; Uba, Samuel; Curley, Michael

2017-08-01

Previously, we have reported measurements of temperature-dependent surface resistivity of pure and multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNCT) doped amorphous Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) thin films. In the temperature range from 22 °C to 40 °C with humidity-controlled environment, we found the surface resistivity to decrease initially, but to rise steadily as the temperature continued to increase. Moreover, electric surface current density (Js) was measured on the surface of pure and MWCNT doped PVA thin films. In this regard, the surface current density and electric field relationship follow Ohm's law at low electric fields. Unlike Ohmic conduction in metals where free electrons exist, selected captive electrons are freed or provided from impurities and dopants to become conduction electrons from increased thermal vibration of constituent atoms in amorphous thin films. Additionally, a mechanism exists that seemingly decreases the surface resistivity at higher temperatures, suggesting a blocking effect for conducting electrons. Volume resistivity measurements also follow Ohm's law at low voltages (low electric fields), and they continue to decrease as temperatures increase in this temperature range, differing from surface resistivity behavior. Moreover, we report measurements of dielectric constant and dielectric loss as a function of temperature and frequency. Both the dielectric constant and dielectric loss were observed to be highest for MWCNT doped PVA compared to pure PVA and commercial paper, and with frequency and temperature for all samples.

Determination of bulk and interface density of states in metal oxide semiconductor thin-film transistors by using capacitance-voltage characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Xixiong; Deng, Wanling; Fang, Jielin; Ma, Xiaoyu; Huang, Junkai

2017-10-01

A physical-based straightforward extraction technique for interface and bulk density of states in metal oxide semiconductor thin film transistors (TFTs) is proposed by using the capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics. The interface trap density distribution with energy has been extracted from the analysis of capacitance-voltage characteristics. Using the obtained interface state distribution, the bulk trap density has been determined. With this method, for the interface trap density, it is found that deep state density nearing the mid-gap is approximately constant and tail states density increases exponentially with energy; for the bulk trap density, it is a superposition of exponential deep states and exponential tail states. The validity of the extraction is verified by comparisons with the measured current-voltage (I-V) characteristics and the simulation results by the technology computer-aided design (TCAD) model. This extraction method uses non-numerical iteration which is simple, fast and accurate. Therefore, it is very useful for TFT device characterization.

Treatment of reverse-osmosis concentrate of printing and dyeing wastewater by electro-oxidation process with controlled oxidation-reduction potential (ORP).

PubMed

Wang, Jiade; Zhang, Tian; Mei, Yu; Pan, Bingjun

2018-06-01

Reverse osmosis concentrate (ROC) of printing and dyeing wastewater remains as a daunting environmental issue, which is characterized by high salinity, chemical oxygen demand (COD), chroma and low biodegradability. In this study electro-oxidation process (PbO 2 /Ti electrode) coupled with oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) online monitor was applied to treat such a ROC effluent. The results show that with the increase of specific electrical charge (Q sp ), the removal efficiencies of COD, TN and chroma increased significantly at the incipience and then reached a gentle stage; the optimal total current efficiency (12.04 kWh m -3 ) was obtained with the current density of 10 mA cm -2 (Q sp , 3.0 Ah L -1 ). Meanwhile, some inorganic ions can be simultaneously removed to varying degrees. FTIR analyses indicated that the macromolecular organics were decomposed into smaller molecules. A multi-parameter linear relationship between ORP and Q sp , COD and Cl - concentration was established, which can quantitatively reflect the effect of current density, chloride ion concentration, pollutants and reaction time on the performance of the electro-oxidation system. As compared to a traditional constant-current system, the constant-ORP system developed in this study (through the back-propagation neural network [BPN] model with ORP monitoring) approximately reduced the energy cost by 24-29%. The present work is expected to provide a potential alternative in optimizing the electro-oxidation process. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Novel ultrathin Bi2O3 nanowires for supercapacitor electrode materials with high performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiu, Yongfu; Fan, Hongbo; Chang, Xueyi; Dang, Haifeng; Luo, Qun; Cheng, Zhiyu

2018-03-01

In this paper, the ultrathin Bi2O3 nanowires are synthesized by an oxidative metal vapor transport deposition technique. Their diameters and length are about 10 nm and several tens of micrometers, the growth direction is along [101] and the specific surface area is about 7.34 m2 g-1. The galvanostatic charge-discharge measurement results show that the specific capacitances of the Bi2O3 nanowires-based electrodes increase with the decrease of the current densities. The maximum capacitance is 691.3 F g-1 at the current density of 2.0 A g-1. The Ragone plot shows that the Bi2O3 nanowires has excellent supercapacitive performance. Moreover, the cyclic stability is measured by the galvanostatic charge/discharge technique at a constant current density of 10.0 A g-1 in 6.0 M KOH electrolyte. The results show the excellent capacitance retention of 75.5% over 3000 cycles. In a word, the Bi2O3 nanowires should be the ideal potential electrode materials for low-costing and effective electrochemical supercapacitors.

[Effect of imidapril on the effective refractory period and sodium current of ventricular noninfarction zone in healed myocardial infarction].

PubMed

Li, Yang; Niu, Hui-Yan; Liu, Nian; Zhang, Cun-Tai; Lu, Zai-Ying; Wang, Shi-Wen

2005-07-01

To investigate the effects of imidapril (IMI) on effective refractory period (ERP) and sodium current (I(Na)) of myocytes in ventricular noninfarction zone of healed myocardial infarction (HMI) in rabbit models. Rabbits with left coronary artery ligation were prepared and IMI (0.625 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1), 8 weeks) was orally administered. The ERP and sodium current were recorded. The ERP in HMI heart was prolonged. The ERP in IMI group was lower significantly than that of HMI group. The I(Na) density of myocyte in HMI ventricle decreased obviously. V 1/2 of steady state inactivation of I(Na) shifted to hyperpolarization, and time constant (tau) of recovery from inactivation in HMI ventricular myocyte was longer than that of sham ventricular myocyte. I(Na) density in IMI group increased markedly as compared with that of HMI group. IMI was shown to reverse the abnormal prolongation of ERP in rabbit heart with the HMI and increase I(Na) density. It may be the mechanism of IMI preventing against antiarrhythmia in healed myocardical infarction.

Bioconcentration kinetics of hydrophobic chemicals in different densities of Chlorella pyrenoidosa

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sijm, D.T.H.M.; Broersen, K.W.; Roode, D.F. de

1998-09-01

Algal density-dependent bioconcentration factors and rate constants were determined for a series of hydrophobic compounds in Chlorella pyrenoidosa. The apparent uptake rate constants of the hydrophobic compounds in algae varied between 200 and 710,000 L/kg/d, slightly increased with hydrophobicity within an experiment, were relatively constant for each algal density, and fitted fairly within existing allometric relationships. The bioavailability of the hydrophobic test compounds was significantly reduced by sorption by algal exudates. The sorption coefficients of the hydrophobic compounds to the algal exudates were between 80 and 1,200 L/kg, and were for most algal densities in the same order of magnitudemore » as the apparent bioconcentration factors to the algae, that is, between 80 and 60,200 L/kg. In typical field situations, however, no significant reduction in bioavailability due to exudates is expected. The apparent elimination rate constants of the hydrophobic compounds were high and fairly constant for each algal density and varied between 2 and 190/d. Because the apparent elimination rate constants were higher than the growth rate constant, and were independent of hydrophobicity, the authors speculated that other factors dominate excretion, such as exudate excretion-enhanced elimination. Bioconcentration factors increased less than proportional with hydrophobicity, i.e., the octanol-water partition coefficient [K{sub ow}]. The role of algal composition in bioconcentration is evaluated. Bioconcentrations (kinetics) of hydrophobic compounds that are determined at high algal densities should be applied with caution to field situations.« less

On the modelling of scalar and mass transport in combustor flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nikjooy, M.; So, R. M. C.

1989-01-01

Results are presented of a numerical study of swirling and nonswirling combustor flows with and without density variations. Constant-density arguments are used to justify closure assumptions invoked for the transport equations for turbulent momentum and scalar fluxes, which are written in terms of density-weighted variables. Comparisons are carried out with measurements obtained from three different axisymmetric model combustor experiments covering recirculating flow, swirling flow, and variable-density swirling flow inside the model combustors. Results show that the Reynolds stress/flux models do a credible job of predicting constant-density swirling and nonswirling combustor flows with passive scalar transport. However, their improvements over algebraic stress/flux models are marginal. The extension of the constant-density models to variable-density flow calculations shows that the models are equally valid for such flows.

Cr2O3 nanoparticles: Advanced electrode materials for high performance pseudocapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babu, I. Manohara; William, J. Johnson; Muralidharan, G.

2017-05-01

Cr2O3 nanoparticles have been synthesized via simple and facile microwave irradiation method. The structural, morphological and electrochemical performances of Cr2O3 nanoparticles have been studied. Electrochemical analysis indicates the Cr2O3 electrodes to be good pseudocapacitor material with a specific capacitance (122 F g-1 at a constant current of 1 A g-1), high energy density (6.08 W h kg-1), large power density (218.98 W kg-1). These results allow us to state with confidence that new class of electrode materials with good electrochemical performance has been identified.

A study of tablet dissolution by magnetic resonance electric current density imaging.

PubMed

Mikac, Ursa; Demsar, Alojz; Demsar, Franci; Sersa, Igor

2007-03-01

The electric current density imaging technique (CDI) was used to monitor the dissolution of ion releasing tablets (made of various carboxylic acids and of sodium chloride) by following conductivity changes in an agar-agar gel surrounding the tablet. Conductivity changes in the sample were used to calculate spatial and temporal changes of ionic concentrations in the sample. The experimental data for ion migration were compared to a mathematical model based on a solution of the diffusion equation with moving boundary conditions for the tablet geometry. Diffusion constants for different acids were determined by fitting the model to the experimental data. The experiments with dissolving tablets were used to demonstrate the potential of the CDI technique for measurement of ion concentration in the vicinity of ion releasing samples.

Preparation and electrochemical capacitance performances of super-hydrophilic conducting polyaniline

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xingwei; Li, Xiaohan; Dai, Na; Wang, Gengchao; Wang, Zhun

Super-hydrophilic conducting polyaniline was prepared by surface modification of polyaniline using tetraethyl orthosilicate in water/ethanol solution, whereas its conductivity was 4.16 S cm -1 at 25 °C. And its electrochemical capacitance performances as an electrode material were evaluated by the cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge test in 0.1 M H 2SO 4 aqueous solution. Its initial specific capacitance was 500 F g -1 at a constant current density of 1.5 A g -1, and the capacitance still reached about 400 F g -1 after 5000 consecutive cycles. Moreover, its capacitance retention ratio was circa 70% with the growth of current densities from 1.5 to 20 A g -1, indicating excellent rate capability. It would be a promising electrode material for aqueous redox supercapacitors.

Origin of terminal voltage variations due to self-mixing in terahertz frequency quantum cascade lasers.

PubMed

Grier, Andrew; Dean, Paul; Valavanis, Alexander; Keeley, James; Kundu, Iman; Cooper, Jonathan D; Agnew, Gary; Taimre, Thomas; Lim, Yah Leng; Bertling, Karl; Rakić, Aleksandar D; Li, Lianhe H; Harrison, Paul; Linfield, Edmund H; Ikonić, Zoran; Davies, A Giles; Indjin, Dragan

2016-09-19

We explain the origin of voltage variations due to self-mixing in a terahertz (THz) frequency quantum cascade laser (QCL) using an extended density matrix (DM) approach. Our DM model allows calculation of both the current-voltage (I-V) and optical power characteristics of the QCL under optical feedback by changing the cavity loss, to which the gain of the active region is clamped. The variation of intra-cavity field strength necessary to achieve gain clamping, and the corresponding change in bias required to maintain a constant current density through the heterostructure is then calculated. Strong enhancement of the self-mixing voltage signal due to non-linearity of the (I-V) characteristics is predicted and confirmed experimentally in an exemplar 2.6 THz bound-to-continuum QCL.

The Sheath-less Planar Langmuir Probe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooke, D. L.

2017-12-01

The Langmuir probe is one of the oldest plasma diagnostics, provided the plasma density and species temperature from analysis of a current-voltage curve as the voltage is swept over a practically chosen range. The analysis depends on a knowledge or theory of the many factors that influence the current-voltage curve including, probe shape, size, nearby perturbations, and the voltage reference. For applications in Low Earth Orbit, the Planar Langmuir Probe, PLP, is an attractive geometry because the ram ion current is very constant over many Volts of a sweep, allowing the ion density and electron temperature to be determined independently with the same instrument, at different points on the sweep. However, when the physical voltage reference is itself small and electrically floating as with a small spacecraft, the spacecraft and probe system become a double probe where the current collection theory depends on the interaction of the spacecraft with the plasma which is generally not as simple as the probe itself. The Sheath-less PLP, SPLP, interlaces on a single ram facing surface, two variably biased probe elements, broken into many small and intertwined segments on a scale smaller than the plasma Debye length. The SPLP is electrically isolated from the rest of the spacecraft. For relative bias potentials of a few volts, the ion current to all segments of each element will be constant, while the electron currents will vary as a function of the element potential and the electron temperature. Because the segments are small, intertwined, and floating, the assembly will always present the same floating potential to the plasma, with minimal growth as a function of voltage, thus sheath-less and still planar. This concept has been modelled with Nascap, and tested with a physical model inserted into a Low Earth Orbit-like chamber plasma. Results will be presented.

Dielectric and permeability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cole, K. D.

1982-01-01

Using the unabridged Maxwell equations (including vectors D, E and H) new effects in collisionless plasmas are uncovered. In a steady state, it is found that spatially varying energy density of the electric field (E perpendicular) orthogonal to B produces electric current leading, under certain conditions, to the relationship P perpendicular+B(2)/8 pi-epsilon E perpendicular(2)/8 pi = constant, where epsilon is the dielectric constant of the plasma for fields orthogonal to B. In steady state quasi-two-dimensional flows in plasmas, a general relationship between the components of electric field parallel and perpendicular to B is found. These effects are significant in goephysical and astrophysical plasmas. The general conditions for a steady state in collisionless plasma are deduced. With time variations in a plasma, slow compared to ion-gyroperiod, there is a general current, (j*), which includes the well-known polarisation current, given by J*=d/dt (ExM)+(PxB)xB B(-2) where M and P are the magnetization and polarization vectors respectively.

Simple Model for Detonation Energy and Rate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lauderbach, Lisa M.; Souers, P. Clark

2017-06-01

A simple model is used to derive the Eyring equation for the size effect and detonation rate, which depends on a constant energy density. The rate derived from detonation velocities is then converted into a rate constant to be used in a reactive flow model. The rate might be constant if the size effect curve is straight, but the rate constant will change with the radius of the sample and cannot be a constant. This is based on many careful cylinder tests have been run recently on LX-17 with inner copper diameters ranging from 12.7 to 101.6 mm. Copper wall velocities at scaled displacements of 6, 12.5 and 19 mm equate to values at relative volumes of 2.4, 4.4 and 7.0. At each point, the velocities from 25.4 to 101.6 mm are constant within error whereas the 12.7 mm velocities are lower. Using the updated Gurney model, the energy densities at the three larger sizes are also constant. Similar behavior has been seen in LX-14, LX-04, and an 83% RDX mix. A rough saturation has also been in old ANFO data for diameters of 101.6 mm and larger. Although the energy densities saturate, the detonation velocities continue to increase with size. These observations suggest that maximum energy density is a constant for a given explosive of a given density. The correlation of energy density with detonation velocity is not good because the latter depends on the total energy of the sample. This work performed under the auspices of the U. S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Solid-state diffusion in amorphous zirconolite

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, C.; Dove, M. T.; Trachenko, K.

2014-11-14

We discuss how structural disorder and amorphization affect solid-state diffusion, and consider zirconolite as a currently important case study. By performing extensive molecular dynamics simulations, we disentangle the effects of amorphization and density, and show that a profound increase of solid-state diffusion takes place as a result of amorphization. Importantly, this can take place at the same density as in the crystal, representing an interesting general insight regarding solid-state diffusion. We find that decreasing the density in the amorphous system increases pre-factors of diffusion constants, but does not change the activation energy in the density range considered. We also findmore » that atomic species in zirconolite are affected differently by amorphization and density change. Our microscopic insights are relevant for understanding how solid-state diffusion changes due to disorder and for building predictive models of operation of materials to be used to encapsulate nuclear waste.« less

A one-dimensional model for gas-solid heat transfer in pneumatic conveying

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smajstrla, Kody Wayne

A one-dimensional ODE model reduced from a two-fluid model of a higher dimensional order is developed to study dilute, two-phase (air and solid particles) flows with heat transfer in a horizontal pneumatic conveying pipe. Instead of using constant air properties (e.g., density, viscosity, thermal conductivity) evaluated at the initial flow temperature and pressure, this model uses an iteration approach to couple the air properties with flow pressure and temperature. Multiple studies comparing the use of constant or variable air density, viscosity, and thermal conductivity are conducted to study the impact of the changing properties to system performance. The results show that the fully constant property calculation will overestimate the results of the fully variable calculation by 11.4%, while the constant density with variable viscosity and thermal conductivity calculation resulted in an 8.7% overestimation, the constant viscosity with variable density and thermal conductivity overestimated by 2.7%, and the constant thermal conductivity with variable density and viscosity calculation resulted in a 1.2% underestimation. These results demonstrate that gas properties varying with gas temperature can have a significant impact on a conveying system and that the varying density accounts for the majority of that impact. The accuracy of the model is also validated by comparing the simulation results to the experimental values found in the literature.

Relationship between plasma parameters and film microstructure in radio frequency magnetron sputter deposition of barium strontium titanate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panda, B.; Dhar, A.; Nigam, G. D.; Bhattacharya, D.; Ray, S. K.

1998-01-01

Radio frequency magnetron sputtered Ba0.8Sr0.2TiO3 thin films have been deposited on silicon and Si/SiO2/SiN/Pt substrates. The analysis of plasma discharge has been carried out using the Langmuir probe technique. Both the pressure and power have been found to influence the ion density and self-bias of the target. Introduction of oxygen into the discharge effectively decreases the ion density. The structural and electrical properties have been investigated using x-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy of deposited films and capacitance-voltage, conductance-voltage, and current density-electric field characteristics of fabricated capacitors. The growth and orientation of the films have been found to depend upon the type of substrates and deposition temperatures. The <100> texture in the film is promoted at a pressure 0.25 Torr with a moderately high value of ion density and low ion bombardment energy. Films deposited on Si/SiO2/SiN/Pt substrate have shown higher dielectric constant (191) and lower leakage current density (2.8×10-6 A/cm2 at 100 kV/cm) compared to that on silicon.

Low-frequency noise properties in Pt-indium gallium zinc oxide Schottky diodes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Jiawei; Zhang, Linqing; Ma, Xiaochen

2015-08-31

The low-frequency noise properties of Pt-indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) Schottky diodes at different forward biases are investigated. The IGZO layer and Pt contact were deposited by RF sputtering at room temperature. The diode showed an ideality factor of 1.2 and a barrier height of 0.94 eV. The current noise spectral density exhibited 1/f behavior at low frequencies. The analysis of the current dependency of the noise spectral density revealed that for the as-deposited diode, the noise followed Luo's mobility and diffusivity fluctuation model in the thermionic-emission-limited region and Hooge's empirical theory in the series-resistance-limited region. A low Hooge's constant ofmore » 1.4 × 10{sup −9} was found in the space-charge region. In the series-resistance-limited region, the Hooge's constant was 2.2 × 10{sup −5}. After annealing, the diode showed degradation in the electrical performance. The interface-trap-induced noise dominated the noise spectrum. By using the random walk model, the interface-trap density was obtained to be 3.6 × 10{sup 15 }eV{sup −1 }cm{sup −2}. This work provides a quantitative approach to analyze the properties of Pt-IGZO interfacial layers. These low noise properties are a prerequisite to the use of IGZO Schottky diodes in switch elements in memory devices, photosensors, and mixer diodes.« less

Preparation of thin-film (Ba(0.5),Sr(0.5))TiO3 by the laser ablation technique and electrical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoon, Soon-Gil; Lee, Jai-Chan; Safari, A.

1994-09-01

The chemical composition and electrical properties were investigated for epitaxially crystallized (Ba(0.5),Sr(0.5))TiO3 (BST) films deposited on Pt/MgO and YBa2Cu3O(7-x) (YBCO)/MgO substrates by the laser ablation technique. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy analysis shows that thin films on Pt/MgO have almost the same stoichiometric composition as the target material. Films deposited at 600 C exhibited an excellent epitaxial growth, a dielectric constant of 430, and a dissipation factor of 0.02 at 10 kHz frequency. They have a charge storage density of 40 fC/sq micron at an applied electric field of 0.15 MV/cm. Leakage current density of BST thin films on Pt/MgO was smaller than on YBCO/MgO. Their leakage current density is about 0.8 microA/sq cm at an applied electric field of 0.15 MV/cm.

Transitions of Turbulence in Plasma Density Limits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, X. Q.

2002-11-01

Density limits have been observed in nearly all toroidal devices. In most cases exceeding this limit is manifested by a catastrophic growth of edge MHD instabilities [1]. In tokamaks, several other density limiting processes have been identified which limit performance but do not necessarily result in disruption. One such process is degradation of the edge transport barrier and H- to L-mode transition at high density. Further density increase, however can result in a disruption. The 3D nonlocal electromagnetic turbulence code BOUT [2], which models the boundary plasma turbulence in a realistic x-point geometry using two-fluids modified Braginski equations, is used in two numerical experiments. (1) Increasing the density while holding pressure constant (therefore keeping magnetic geometry the same). The pressure remains below the ELM threshold in these numerical experiments. (2) Increasing density while holding temperature constant. Small changes of equilibrium magnetic geometry resulting from the change in the edge pressure gradient are ignored in these simulations. These simulations extend previous work [3] by including the effect of Er well on turbulence, real magnetic geometry, the separatrix and SOL physics. Our simulations show the turbulent fluctuation levels and transport increase with increasing collisionality. Ultimately perpendicular turbulent transport dominates the parallel classical transport, leading to collapse of the sheath; the Er-well is lost and the region of high transport propagates inside the last closed flux surface. As the density increases these simulations show: Drift-wave turbulence--> Resistive MHD-->Detachment from divertor -->Disruption(?) and transport switches from diffusive to bursty processes. The onset of disruption will be calculated by MHD codes Corsica and Elite. The role of radiation on the transition will also be assessed. The scaling of the density limit with plasma current will be studied by conducting an additional series of numerical experiments to examine changes in the turbulent transport due to changes in the plasma current and associated changes in the equilibrium magnetic field and parallel connection length in the plasma scrape-off layer. Changes in the characteristics of the turbulence near density limit will be explored and compared with experiments. REFERENCES [1] M.Greenwald, to be published in plasma physics and controlled fusion. [2] X.Q. Xu, R.H. Cohen, T.D. Rognlien, and J.R. Myra, Phys. Plasmas 7, 1951(2000). [3] B.N. Rogers, J.F. Drake, and A. Zeiler, PRL 81, 4396 (1998).

Description of bipolar charge transport in polyethylene using a fluid model with a constant mobility: model prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LeRoy, S.; Segur, P.; Teyssedre, G.; Laurent, C.

2004-01-01

We present a conduction model aimed at describing bipolar transport and space charge phenomena in low density polyethylene under dc stress. In the first part we recall the basic requirements for the description of charge transport and charge storage in disordered media with emphasis on the case of polyethylene. A quick review of available conduction models is presented and our approach is compared with these models. Then, the bases of the model are described and related assumptions are discussed. Finally, results on external current, trapped and free space charge distributions, field distribution and recombination rate are presented and discussed, considering a constant dc voltage, a step-increase of the voltage, and a polarization-depolarization protocol for the applied voltage. It is shown that the model is able to describe the general features reported for external current, electroluminescence and charge distribution in polyethylene.

Electric charging/discharging characteristics of super capacitor, using de-alloying and anodic oxidized Ti-Ni-Si amorphous alloy ribbons.

PubMed

Fukuhara, Mikio; Sugawara, Kazuyuki

2014-01-01

Charging/discharging behaviors of de-alloyed and anodic oxidized Ti-Ni-Si amorphous alloy ribbons were measured as a function of current between 10 pA and 100 mA, using galvanostatic charge/discharging method. In sharp contrast to conventional electric double layer capacitor (EDLC), discharging behaviors for voltage under constant currents of 1, 10 and 100 mA after 1.8 ks charging at 100 mA show parabolic decrease, demonstrating direct electric storage without solvents. The supercapacitors, devices that store electric charge on their amorphous TiO2-x surfaces that contain many 70-nm sized cavities, show the Ragone plot which locates at lower energy density region near the 2nd cells, and RC constant of 800 s (at 1 mHz), which is 157,000 times larger than that (5 ms) in EDLC.

Electric charging/discharging characteristics of super capacitor, using de-alloying and anodic oxidized Ti-Ni-Si amorphous alloy ribbons

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Charging/discharging behaviors of de-alloyed and anodic oxidized Ti-Ni-Si amorphous alloy ribbons were measured as a function of current between 10 pA and 100 mA, using galvanostatic charge/discharging method. In sharp contrast to conventional electric double layer capacitor (EDLC), discharging behaviors for voltage under constant currents of 1, 10 and 100 mA after 1.8 ks charging at 100 mA show parabolic decrease, demonstrating direct electric storage without solvents. The supercapacitors, devices that store electric charge on their amorphous TiO2-x surfaces that contain many 70-nm sized cavities, show the Ragone plot which locates at lower energy density region near the 2nd cells, and RC constant of 800 s (at 1 mHz), which is 157,000 times larger than that (5 ms) in EDLC. PMID:24959106

The kinetics, current efficiency, and power consumption of electrochemical dye decolorization by BD-NCD film electrode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nurhayati, Ervin; Juang, Yaju; Huang, Chihpin

2017-06-01

Diamond film electrode has been known as a material with very wide potential window for water electrolysis which leads to its applicability in numerous electrochemical processes. Its capability to produce hydroxyl radicals, a very strong oxidants, prompts its popular application in wastewater treatment. Batch and batch recirculation reactor were applied to perform bulk electrolysis experiments to investigate the kinetics of dye decolorization under different operation conditions, such as pH, active species, and current density. Furthermore, COD degradation data from batch recirculation reactor operation was used as the basis for the calculation of current efficiency and power consumption in the decolorization process. The kinetics of decolorization process using boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond (BD-NCD) film electrode revealed that acidic condition is favored for the dye degradation, and the presence of chloride ion in the solution was found to be more advantageous than sulfate active species, as evidenced by the higher reaction rate constants. Applying different current density of 10, 20 and 30 mA cm-2, it was found that the higher the current density the faster the decolorization rate. General current efficiency achieved after nearly total decolorization and 80% COD removal in batch recirculation reactor was around 74%, with specific power consumption of 4.4 kWh m-3 (in terms of volume of solution treated) or 145 kWh kg-1(in terms of kg COD treated).

Adjoint-based constant-mass partial derivatives

DOE PAGES

Favorite, Jeffrey A.

2017-09-01

In transport theory, adjoint-based partial derivatives with respect to mass density are constant-volume derivatives. Likewise, adjoint-based partial derivatives with respect to surface locations (i.e., internal interface locations and the outer system boundary) are constant-density derivatives. This study derives the constant-mass partial derivative of a response with respect to an internal interface location or the outer system boundary and the constant-mass partial derivative of a response with respect to the mass density of a region. Numerical results are given for a multiregion two-dimensional (r-z) cylinder for three very different responses: the uncollided gamma-ray flux at an external detector point, k effmore » of the system, and the total neutron leakage. Finally, results from the derived formulas compare extremely well with direct perturbation calculations.« less

Entrainment and mixing in lock-exchange gravity currents using simultaneous velocity-density measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balasubramanian, Sridhar; Zhong, Qiang

2018-05-01

Gravity currents modify their flow characteristics by entraining ambient fluid, which depends on a variety of governing parameters such as the initial density, Δρ, the total initial height of the fluid, H, and the slope of the terrain, α, from where it is released. It is imperative to study the entrainment dynamics of a gravity current in order to have a clear understanding of mixing transitions that govern the flow physics, the velocity mixing layer thickness, δu, and the density mixing layer thickness, δρ. Experiments were conducted in a lock-exchange facility in which the dense fluid was separated from the ambient lighter fluid using a gate. As the gate is released instantaneously, an energy conserving gravity current is formed, for which the only governing parameter is the Reynolds number defined as R e =U/h ν , where U is the front velocity of the gravity current and h is the height of the current. In our study, the bulk Richardson number (inverse of Froude number, Fr), Rib = g/'H Ub2 = 1, takes a constant value for all the experiments, with Ub being the bulk velocity of the current defined as Ub = √{g'H }. Simultaneous particle image velocimetry and planar laser induced fluorescence measurement techniques are employed to get the velocity and density statistics. Using the buoyancy conservation equation, a new flux-based method was formulated for calculating the entrainment coefficient, EF, near the front and head of the propagating gravity current for a Reynolds number range of Re ≈ 485-12 270 used in our experiments. At the head of the current, the results show a mixing transition at Re ≈ 2700 that is attributed to the flow transitioning from weak Holmboe waves to Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities, in the form of Kelvin-Helmholtz vortex rolls. Following this mixing transition, the entrainment coefficient continued to increase with increasing Reynolds number owing to the occurrence of three-dimensional Kelvin-Helmholtz billows that promote further small-scale local mixing. Such a mixing transition indicates that a fully turbulent state is not reached even at Re = 12 270 and the amount of entrainment and ensuing mixing depends on the type of flow instability and presence of small-scale secondary structures. The entrainment dynamics were further substantiated using the ratio of δu and δρ. It was observed that δ/u δρ decreases with increasing Re and reaches a constant value of δ/u δρ ≈ 1 at high values of Re. This trend is in contrast to the entrainment coefficient EF, which never reaches a constant value even at high enough Re. This disparity could be explained by the fact that EF accounts for small-scale scalar mixing, which is not captured by the ratio of mixing layer thicknesses. Experimentally, it was also observed that the EF value near the front of gravity current was 2-9 times higher than the head value depending on the value of the Reynolds numbers. At low Reynolds numbers, the entrainment near the front is an order of magnitude higher than the head and the value decreases with increasing Re. This could be attributed to different modes of entrainment near the front (dominated by vortical structures) and the head (dominated by turbulent flux exchange triggered by the nature of the flow instability). The results from this study improve our understanding of entrainment dynamics and would be useful in developing empirical parameterizations for mixing in stratified flows.

Determination of Charge-Carrier Mobility in Disordered Thin-Film Solar Cells as a Function of Current Density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mäckel, Helmut; MacKenzie, Roderick C. I.

2018-03-01

Charge-carrier mobility is a fundamental material parameter, which plays an important role in determining solar-cell efficiency. The higher the mobility, the less time a charge carrier will spend in a device and the less likely it is that it will be lost to recombination. Despite the importance of this physical property, it is notoriously difficult to measure accurately in disordered thin-film solar cells under operating conditions. We, therefore, investigate a method previously proposed in the literature for the determination of mobility as a function of current density. The method is based on a simple analytical model that relates the mobility to carrier density and transport resistance. By revising the theoretical background of the method, we clearly demonstrate what type of mobility can be extracted (constant mobility or effective mobility of electrons and holes). We generalize the method to any combination of measurements that is able to determine the mean electron and hole carrier density, and the transport resistance at a given current density. We explore the robustness of the method by simulating typical organic solar-cell structures with a variety of physical properties, including unbalanced mobilities, unbalanced carrier densities, and for high or low carrier trapping rates. The simulations reveal that near VOC and JSC , the method fails due to the limitation of determining the transport resistance. However, away from these regions (and, importantly, around the maximum power point), the method can accurately determine charge-carrier mobility. In the presence of strong carrier trapping, the method overestimates the effective mobility due to an underestimation of the carrier density.

Analysis of multi-layered films. [determining dye densities by applying a regression analysis to the spectral response of the composite transparency

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scarpace, F. L.; Voss, A. W.

1973-01-01

Dye densities of multi-layered films are determined by applying a regression analysis to the spectral response of the composite transparency. The amount of dye in each layer is determined by fitting the sum of the individual dye layer densities to the measured dye densities. From this, dye content constants are calculated. Methods of calculating equivalent exposures are discussed. Equivalent exposures are a constant amount of energy over a limited band-width that will give the same dye content constants as the real incident energy. Methods of using these equivalent exposures for analysis of photographic data are presented.

Accelerating universe with time variation of G and Λ

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darabi, F.

2012-03-01

We study a gravitational model in which scale transformations play the key role in obtaining dynamical G and Λ. We take a non-scale invariant gravitational action with a cosmological constant and a gravitational coupling constant. Then, by a scale transformation, through a dilaton field, we obtain a new action containing cosmological and gravitational coupling terms which are dynamically dependent on the dilaton field with Higgs type potential. The vacuum expectation value of this dilaton field, through spontaneous symmetry breaking on the basis of anthropic principle, determines the time variations of G and Λ. The relevance of these time variations to the current acceleration of the universe, coincidence problem, Mach's cosmological coincidence and those problems of standard cosmology addressed by inflationary models, are discussed. The current acceleration of the universe is shown to be a result of phase transition from radiation toward matter dominated eras. No real coincidence problem between matter and vacuum energy densities exists in this model and this apparent coincidence together with Mach's cosmological coincidence are shown to be simple consequences of a new kind of scale factor dependence of the energy momentum density as ρ˜ a -4. This model also provides the possibility for a super fast expansion of the scale factor at very early universe by introducing exotic type matter like cosmic strings.

Laser Ionization Studies of Hydrocarbon Flames.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernstein, Jeffrey Scott

Resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) and laser induced fluorescence (LIF) are applied as laser based flame diagnostics for studies of hydrocarbon combustion chemistry. rm CH_4/O_2, C _2H_4/O_2, and rm C_2H_6/O_2 low pressure ( ~20 Torr), stoichiometric burner stabilized flat flames are studied. Density profiles of intermediate flame species, existing at ppm concentrations, are mapped out as a function of distance from the burner head. Profiles resulting from REMPI and LIF detection are obtained for HCO, CH_3, H, O, OH, CH, and CO flame radicals. The above flame systems are computer modeled against currently accepted combustion mechanisms using the Chemkin and Premix flame codes developed at Sandia National Laboratories. The modeled profile densities show good agreement with the experimental results of the CH_4/O_2 flame system, thus confirming the current C1 kinetic flame mechanism. Discrepancies between experimental and modeled results are found with the C2 flames. These discrepancies are partially amended by modifying the rate constant of the rm C_2H_3+rm O_2 to H_2CO + HCO reaction. The modeled results computed with the modified rate constant strongly suggest that the kinetics of several or possibly many reactions in the C2 mechanism need refinement.

Flux-Feedback Magnetic-Suspension Actuator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Groom, Nelson J.

1990-01-01

Flux-feedback magnetic-suspension actuator provides magnetic suspension and control forces having linear transfer characteristics between force command and force output over large range of gaps. Hall-effect devices used as sensors for electronic feedback circuit controlling currents flowing in electromagnetic windings to maintain flux linking suspended element at substantially constant value independent of changes in length of gap. Technique provides effective method for maintenance of constant flux density in gap and simpler than previous methods. Applications include magnetic actuators for control of shapes and figures of antennas and of precise segmented reflectors, magnetic suspensions in devices for storage of angular momentum and/or kinetic energy, and systems for control, pointing, and isolation of instruments.

Polymer Composite and Nanocomposite Dielectric Materials for Pulse Power Energy Storage †

PubMed Central

Barber, Peter; Balasubramanian, Shiva; Anguchamy, Yogesh; Gong, Shushan; Wibowo, Arief; Gao, Hongsheng; Ploehn, Harry J.; zur Loye, Hans-Conrad

2009-01-01

This review summarizes the current state of polymer composites used as dielectric materials for energy storage. The particular focus is on materials: polymers serving as the matrix, inorganic fillers used to increase the effective dielectric constant, and various recent investigations of functionalization of metal oxide fillers to improve compatibility with polymers. We review the recent literature focused on the dielectric characterization of composites, specifically the measurement of dielectric permittivity and breakdown field strength. Special attention is given to the analysis of the energy density of polymer composite materials and how the functionalization of the inorganic filler affects the energy density of polymer composite dielectric materials.

A Study of Terrain Reductions, Density Anomalies and Geophysical Inversion Methods in Gravity Field Modelling

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-04-01

5.15) where a is a positive constant and 11 IIH the Hilbert space norm associated with the chosen covariance function K. The constant a is arbitrary...Density Anomalies 14 5. Unknown Densities - Geophysical Inversion 16 6. Density Modelling Using Rectangular Prisms 24 6.1 Space Domain 24 6.2 Frequency...theory: to calculate the gravity potential and its derivatives in space due to 6 • given density distributions. When the prime interest is in "external

Topological magnetoelectric pump in three dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukui, Takahiro; Fujiwara, Takanori

2017-11-01

We study the topological pump for a lattice fermion model mainly in three spatial dimensions. We first calculate the U(1) current density for the Dirac model defined in continuous space-time to review the known results as well as to introduce some technical details convenient for the calculations of the lattice model. We next investigate the U(1) current density for a lattice fermion model, a variant of the Wilson-Dirac model. The model we introduce is defined on a lattice in space but in continuous time, which is suited for the study of the topological pump. For such a model, we derive the conserved U(1) current density and calculate it directly for the (1 +1 )-dimensional system as well as (3 +1 )-dimensional system in the limit of the small lattice constant. We find that the current includes a nontrivial lattice effect characterized by the Chern number, and therefore the pumped particle number is quantized by the topological reason. Finally, we study the topological temporal pump in 3 +1 dimensions by numerical calculations. We discuss the relationship between the second Chern number and the first Chern number, the bulk-edge correspondence, and the generalized Streda formula which enables us to compute the second Chern number using the spectral asymmetry.

Thermoelectric Generation Using Counter-Flows of Ideal Fluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, Xiangning; Lu, Baiyi; Zhu, Miaoyong; Suzuki, Ryosuke O.

2017-08-01

Thermoelectric (TE) performance of a three-dimensional (3-D) TE module is examined by exposing it between a pair of counter-flows of ideal fluids. The ideal fluids are thermal sources of TE module flow in the opposite direction at the same flow rate and generate temperature differences on the hot and cold surfaces due to their different temperatures at the channel inlet. TE performance caused by different inlet temperatures of thermal fluids are numerically analyzed by using the finite-volume method on 3-D meshed physical models and then compared with those using a constant boundary temperature. The results show that voltage and current of the TE module increase gradually from a beginning moment to a steady flow and reach a stable value. The stable values increase with inlet temperature of the hot fluid when the inlet temperature of cold fluid is fixed. However, the time to get to the stable values is almost consistent for all the temperature differences. Moreover, the trend of TE performance using a fluid flow boundary is similar to that of using a constant boundary temperature. Furthermore, 3-D contours of fluid pressure, temperature, enthalpy, electromotive force, current density and heat flux are exhibited in order to clarify the influence of counter-flows of ideal fluids on TE generation. The current density and heat flux homogeneously distribute on an entire TE module, thus indicating that the counter-flows of thermal fluids have high potential to bring about fine performance for TE modules.

Gravitational lensing effects in a time-variable cosmological 'constant' cosmology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ratra, Bharat; Quillen, Alice

1992-01-01

A scalar field phi with a potential V(phi) varies as phi exp -alpha(alpha is greater than 0) has an energy density, behaving like that of a time-variable cosmological 'constant', that redshifts less rapidly than the energy densities of radiation and matter, and so might contribute significantly to the present energy density. We compute, in this spatially flat cosmology, the gravitational lensing optical depth, and the expected lens redshift distribution for fixed source redshift. We find, for the values of alpha of about 4 and baryonic density parameter Omega of about 0.2 consistent with the classical cosmological tests, that the optical depth is significantly smaller than that in a constant-Lambda model with the same Omega. We also find that the redshift of the maximum of the lens distribution falls between that in the constant-Lambda model and that in the Einstein-de Sitter model.

Healing of Fatigue Crack by High-Density Electropulsing in Austenitic Stainless Steel Treated with the Surface-Activated Pre-Coating

PubMed Central

Hosoi, Atsushi; Kishi, Tomoya; Ju, Yang

2013-01-01

A technique to heal a fatigue crack in austenitic stainless steel SUS316 by applying a controlled, high-density pulsed current was developed. A surface-activated pre-coating (SAPC), which eliminates the oxide layer and coats a Ni film on the crack surface, was used to improve the adhesion between crack surfaces. Cracks were observed by scanning electron microscopy before and after the application of high-density electropulsing. To evaluate the healing effect of the SAPC during crack propagation, fatigue tests were conducted under a constant stress intensity factor. The fatigue crack treated with the SAPC was found to be effectively healed as a result of electropulsing, and also showed a slower rate of crack propagation. PMID:28788327

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Addy, Susan Amrose

Arsenic in drinking water is a major public health problem threatening the lives of over 140 million people worldwide. In Bangladesh alone, up to 57 million people drink arsenic-laden water from shallow wells. ElectroChemical Arsenic Remediation(ECAR) overcomes many of the obstacles that plague current technologies and can be used affordably and on a small-scale, allowing for rapid dissemination into Bangladesh to address this arsenic crisis. In this work, ECAR was shown to effectively reduce 550 - 580 μg=L arsenic (including both As[III]and As[V]in a 1:1 ratio) to below the WHO recommended maximum limit of 10 μg=L in synthetic Bangladesh groundwatermore » containing relevant concentrations of competitive ions such as phosphate, silicate, and bicarbonate. Arsenic removal capacity was found to be approximately constant within certain ranges of current density, but was found to change substantially between ranges. In order of decreasing arsenic removal capacity, the pattern was: 0.02 mA=cm 2> 0.07 mA=cm 2> 0.30 - 1.1 mA=cm 2> 5.0 - 100 mA=cm 2. Current processing time was found to effect arsenic removal capacity independent of either charge density or current density. Electrode polarization studies showed no passivation of the electrode in the tested range (up to current density 10 mA=cm 2) and ruled out oxygen evolution as the cause of decreasing removal capacity with current density. Simple settling and decantation required approximately 3 days to achieve arsenic removal comparable to filtration with a 0.1 mu m membrane. X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) showed that (1) there is no significant difference in the arsenic removal mechanism of ECAR during operation at different current densities and (2) the arsenic removal mechanism in ECAR is consistent with arsenate adsorption onto a homogenous Fe(III)oxyhydroxide similar in structure to 2-line ferrihydrite. ECAR effectively reduced high arsenic concentrations (100 - 500 mu g=L) in real Bangladesh tube well water collected from three regions to below the WHO limit of 10 mu g=L. Prototype fabrication and field testing are currently underway.« less

Comparative study on extinction process of gas-blasted air and CO2 arc discharge using two-dimensional electron density imaging sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inada, Yuki; Kumada, Akiko; Ikeda, Hisatoshi; Hidaka, Kunihiko; Nakano, Tomoyuki; Murai, Kosuke; Tanaka, Yasunori; Shinkai, Takeshi

2017-05-01

Shack-Hartmann type laser wavefront sensors were applied to gas-blasted arc discharges under current-zero phases, generated in a 50 mm-long interelectrode gap confined by a gas flow nozzle, in order to conduct a systematic comparison of electron density decaying processes for two kinds of arc-quenching gas media: air and \\text{C}{{\\text{O}}2} . The experimental results for the air and \\text{C}{{\\text{O}}2} arc plasmas showed that the electron densities and arc diameters became thinner toward the nozzle-throat inlet due to a stronger convection loss in the arc radial direction. In addition, \\text{C}{{\\text{O}}2} had a shorter electron density decaying time constant than air, which could be caused by convection loss and turbulent flow of \\text{C}{{\\text{O}}2} stronger than air.

Significantly improved dielectric performances of nanocomposites via loading two-dimensional core-shell structure Bi2Te3@SiO2 nanosheets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jianwen; Wang, Xiucai; Yu, Xinmei; Fan, Yun; Duan, Zhikui; Jiang, Yewen; Yang, Faquan; Zhou, Yuexia

2018-07-01

Polymer/semiconductor-insulator nanocomposites can display high dielectric constants with a relatively low dissipation factor under low electric fields, and thus seem to promising for high energy density capacitors. Here, a novel nanocomposite films is developed by loading two-dimensional (2D) core-shell structure Bi2Te3@SiO2 nanosheets in the poly (vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoro propylene) (P(VDF-HFP)) polymer matrix. The 2D Bi2Te3 nanosheets were prepared through simple microwave-assisted method. The experimental results suggesting that the SiO2 shell layer between the fillers and polymer matrix could effectively improve the dielectric constant, dielectric loss, AC conductivity, and breakdown strength of composites films. The composite films load with 10 vol.% 2D Bi2Te3@SiO2 nanosheets exhibits a high dielectric constant of 70.3 at 1 kHz and relatively low dielectric loss of 0.058 at 1 kHz. The finite element simulation of electric field and electric current density distribution revealed that the SiO2 shell layer between the fillers and polymer matrix could effectively improve the energy loss, local electric field strength, and breakdown strength of composite films. Therefore, this work will provide a promising route to achieve high-performance capacitors.

Effects of electrode gap and electric current on chlorine generation of electrolyzed deep ocean water.

PubMed

Hsu, Guoo-Shyng Wang; Hsu, Shun-Yao

2018-04-01

Electrolyzed water is a sustainable disinfectant, which can comply with food safety regulations and is environmental friendly. A two-factor central composite design was adopted for studying the effects of electrode gap and electric current on chlorine generation efficiency of electrolyzed deep ocean water. Deep ocean water was electrolyzed in a glass electrolyzing cell equipped with platinum-plated titanium anode and cathode in a constant-current operation mode. Results showed that current density, chlorine concentration, and electrolyte temperature increased with electric current, while electric efficiency decreased with electric current and electrode gap. An electrode gap of less than 11.7 mm, and a low electric current appeared to be a more energy efficient design and operation condition for the electrolysis system. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Analyzing the dependence of oxygen incorporation current density on overpotential and oxygen partial pressure in mixed conducting oxide electrodes.

PubMed

Guan, Zixuan; Chen, Di; Chueh, William C

2017-08-30

The oxygen incorporation reaction, which involves the transformation of an oxygen gas molecule to two lattice oxygen ions in a mixed ionic and electronic conducting solid, is a ubiquitous and fundamental reaction in solid-state electrochemistry. To understand the reaction pathway and to identify the rate-determining step, near-equilibrium measurements have been employed to quantify the exchange coefficients as a function of oxygen partial pressure and temperature. However, because the exchange coefficient contains contributions from both forward and reverse reaction rate constants and depends on both oxygen partial pressure and oxygen fugacity in the solid, unique and definitive mechanistic assessment has been challenging. In this work, we derive a current density equation as a function of both oxygen partial pressure and overpotential, and consider both near and far from equilibrium limits. Rather than considering specific reaction pathways, we generalize the multi-step oxygen incorporation reaction into the rate-determining step, preceding and following quasi-equilibrium steps, and consider the number of oxygen ions and electrons involved in each. By evaluating the dependence of current density on oxygen partial pressure and overpotential separately, one obtains the reaction orders for oxygen gas molecules and for solid-state species in the electrode. We simulated the oxygen incorporation current density-overpotential curves for praseodymium-doped ceria for various candidate rate-determining steps. This work highlights a promising method for studying the exchange kinetics far away from equilibrium.

Effect of surface nano/micro-structuring on the early formation of microbial anodes with Geobacter sulfurreducens: Experimental and theoretical approaches.

PubMed

Champigneux, Pierre; Renault-Sentenac, Cyril; Bourrier, David; Rossi, Carole; Delia, Marie-Line; Bergel, Alain

2018-06-01

Smooth and nano-rough flat gold electrodes were manufactured with controlled Ra of 0.8 and 4.5nm, respectively. Further nano-rough surfaces (Ra 4.5nm) were patterned with arrays of micro-pillars 500μm high. All these electrodes were implemented in pure cultures of Geobacter sulfurreducens, under a constant potential of 0.1V/SCE and with a single addition of acetate 10mM to check the early formation of microbial anodes. The flat smooth electrodes produced an average current density of 0.9A·m -2 . The flat nano-rough electrodes reached 2.5A·m -2 on average, but with a large experimental deviation of ±2.0A·m -2 . This large deviation was due to the erratic colonization of the surface but, when settled on the surface, the cells displayed current density that was directly correlated to the biofilm coverage ratio. The micro-pillars considerably improved the experimental reproducibility by offering the cells a quieter environment, facilitating biofilm development. Current densities of up to 8.5A·m -2 (per projected surface area) were thus reached, in spite of rate limitation due to the mass transport of the buffering species, as demonstrated by numerical modelling. Nano-roughness combined with micro-structuring increased current density by a factor close to 10 with respect to the smooth flat surface. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Support for the existence of invertible maps between electronic densities and non-analytic 1-body external potentials in non-relativistic time-dependent quantum mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mosquera, Martín A.

2017-10-01

Provided the initial state, the Runge-Gross theorem establishes that the time-dependent (TD) external potential of a system of non-relativistic electrons determines uniquely their TD electronic density, and vice versa (up to a constant in the potential). This theorem requires the TD external potential and density to be Taylor-expandable around the initial time of the propagation. This paper presents an extension without this restriction. Given the initial state of the system and evolution of the density due to some TD scalar potential, we show that a perturbative (not necessarily weak) TD potential that induces a non-zero divergence of the external force-density, inside a small spatial subset and immediately after the initial propagation time, will cause a change in the density within that subset, implying that the TD potential uniquely determines the TD density. In this proof, we assume unitary evolution of wavefunctions and first-order differentiability (which does not imply analyticity) in time of the internal and external force-densities, electronic density, current density, and their spatial derivatives over the small spatial subset and short time interval.

Shallow velocity structure across the Mariana arc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tait, S.; Kaminski, E. C.; Carazzo, G.; Limare, A.

2016-12-01

Atmospheric injection of volcanic ash during explosive eruptions is controlled by the dynamics of a volcanic column and associated umbrella cloud, which are subject to a wind field, and are connected by a turbulent fountain which initiates horizontal spreading at the neutral buoyancy level. We present a new theoretical and experimental study of an axisymmetric turbulent umbrella cloud intruding horizontally at its neutral buoyancy level into a static environment linearly stratified in density. The intrusion is fed by a constant horizontal volume flux (Q0) at a finite radius (R0), where it has a constant thickness (2H0). The characteristics of the fountain (R0, H0, Q0) derive from a vertical forced plume (source momentum and buoyancy fluxes Mi , Fi) and environmental stratification N. Buoyancy drives horizontal flow but, despite high Reynolds number, impedes entrainment of ambient fluid into the umbrella cloud. Turbulent stresses are nevertheless crucial in the momentum balance. Our theory highlights the vertical profiles of density and velocity within the current of which we present experimental measurements. Initially, current buoyancy is opposed by the inertia of the ambient fluid, and current radius (RN(t)) grows linearly in time. Subsequently, turbulent drag opposes buoyancy, and the current breaks down into two parts: i) between the source and a transition radius (R0T(t)), a steady region where current thickness (2H) and mean velocity (U) are time-independent and decreasing functions of r ; ii), a contiguous unsteady « frontal » region, between the transition radius and the front (RTN), in which the current thickens. The theory predicts current shape and an asymptotic spreading behaviour (RN t^5/9) which agree well with experimental data. Our analysis of satellite observations of several sustained plinian events including the Pinatubo 1991 climactic eruption shows that both the initial and asymptotic spreading regimes predicted by the model are present.

The Dynamics of Volcanic Umbrella Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tait, S.; Kaminski, E. C.; Carazzo, G.; Limare, A.

2017-12-01

Atmospheric injection of volcanic ash during explosive eruptions is controlled by the dynamics of a volcanic column and associated umbrella cloud, which are subject to a wind field, and are connected by a turbulent fountain which initiates horizontal spreading at the neutral buoyancy level. We present a new theoretical and experimental study of an axisymmetric turbulent umbrella cloud intruding horizontally at its neutral buoyancy level into a static environment linearly stratified in density. The intrusion is fed by a constant horizontal volume flux (Q0) at a finite radius (R0), where it has a constant thickness (2H0). The characteristics of the fountain (R0, H0, Q0) derive from a vertical forced plume (source momentum and buoyancy fluxes Mi , Fi) and environmental stratification N. Buoyancy drives horizontal flow but, despite high Reynolds number, impedes entrainment of ambient fluid into the umbrella cloud. Turbulent stresses are nevertheless crucial in the momentum balance. Our theory highlights the vertical profiles of density and velocity within the current of which we present experimental measurements. Initially, current buoyancy is opposed by the inertia of the ambient fluid, and current radius (RN(t)) grows linearly in time. Subsequently, turbulent drag opposes buoyancy, and the current breaks down into two parts: i) between the source and a transition radius (R0T(t)), a steady region where current thickness (2H) and mean velocity (U) are time-independent and decreasing functions of r ; ii), a contiguous unsteady « frontal » region, between the transition radius and the front (RTN), in which the current thickens. The theory predicts current shape and an asymptotic spreading behaviour (RN t^5/9) which agree well with experimental data. Our analysis of satellite observations of several sustained plinian events including the Pinatubo 1991 climactic eruption shows that both the initial and asymptotic spreading regimes predicted by the model are present.

Electrokinetic flow in a capillary with a charge-regulating surface polymer layer.

PubMed

Keh, Huan J; Ding, Jau M

2003-07-15

An analytical study of the steady electrokinetic flow in a long uniform capillary tube or slit is presented. The inside wall of the capillary is covered by a layer of adsorbed or covalently bound charge-regulating polymer in equilibrium with the ambient electrolyte solution. In this solvent-permeable and ion-penetrable surface polyelectrolyte layer, ionogenic functional groups and frictional segments are assumed to distribute at uniform densities. The electrical potential and space charge density distributions in the cross section of the capillary are obtained by solving the linearized Poisson-Boltzmann equation. The fluid velocity profile due to the application of an electric field and a pressure gradient through the capillary is obtained from the analytical solution of a modified Navier-Stokes/Brinkman equation. Explicit formulas for the electroosmotic velocity, the average fluid velocity and electric current density on the cross section, and the streaming potential in the capillary are also derived. The results demonstrate that the direction of the electroosmotic flow and the magnitudes of the fluid velocity and electric current density are dominated by the fixed charge density inside the surface polymer layer, which is determined by the regulation characteristics such as the dissociation equilibrium constants of the ionogenic functional groups in the surface layer and the concentration of the potential-determining ions in the bulk solution.

Monte Carlo Study of Melting of a Model Bulk Ice.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Kyu-Kwang

The methods of NVT (constant number, volume and temperature) and NPT (constant number, pressure and temperature) Monte Carlo computer simulations are used to examine the melting of a periodic hexagonal ice (ice Ih) sample with a unit cell of 192 (rigid) water molecules interacting via the revised central force potentials of Stillinger and Rahman (RSL2). In NVT Monte Carlo simulation of P-T plot for a constant density (0.904g/cm^3) is used to locate onset of the liquid-solid coexistence region (where the slope of the pressure changes sign) and estimate the (constant density) melting point. The slope reversal is a natural consequence of the constant density condition for substances which expand upon freezing and it is pointed out that this analysis is extremely useful for substances such as water. In this study, a sign reversal of the pressure slope is observed near 280 K, indicating that the RSL2 potentials reproduce the freezing expansion expected for water and support a bulk ice Ih system which melts <280 K. The internal energy, specific heat, and two dimensional structure factors for the constant density H_2O system are also examined at a range of temperatures between 100 and 370 K and support the P-T analysis for location of the melting point. This P-T analysis might likewise be useful for determining a (constant density) freezing point, or, with multiple simulations at appropriate densities, the triple point. For NPT Monte Carlo simulations preliminary results are presented. In this study the density, enthalpy, specific heat, and structure factor dependences on temperature are monitored during a sequential heating of the system from 100 to 370 K at a constant pressure (1 atm.). A jump in density upon melting is observed and indicates that the RSL2 potentials reproduce the melting contraction of ice. From the dependences of monitored physical properties on temperature an upper bound on the melting temperature is estimated. In this study we made the first analysis and calculation of the P-T curve for ice Ih melting at constant volume and the first NPT study of ice and of ice melting. In the NVT simulation we found for rho = 0.904g/cm^3 T_ {rm m} ~eq 280 K which is much closer to physical T_ {rm m} than any other published NVT simulation of ice. Finally it is shown that RSL2 potentials do a credible job of describing the thermodynamic properties of ice Ih near its melting point.

Alternative definitions of the frozen energy in energy decomposition analysis of density functional theory calculations.

PubMed

Horn, Paul R; Head-Gordon, Martin

2016-02-28

In energy decomposition analysis (EDA) of intermolecular interactions calculated via density functional theory, the initial supersystem wavefunction defines the so-called "frozen energy" including contributions such as permanent electrostatics, steric repulsions, and dispersion. This work explores the consequences of the choices that must be made to define the frozen energy. The critical choice is whether the energy should be minimized subject to the constraint of fixed density. Numerical results for Ne2, (H2O)2, BH3-NH3, and ethane dissociation show that there can be a large energy lowering associated with constant density orbital relaxation. By far the most important contribution is constant density inter-fragment relaxation, corresponding to charge transfer (CT). This is unwanted in an EDA that attempts to separate CT effects, but it may be useful in other contexts such as force field development. An algorithm is presented for minimizing single determinant energies at constant density both with and without CT by employing a penalty function that approximately enforces the density constraint.

Electrochemical kinetics and dimensional considerations, at the nanoscale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamada, H.; Bandaru, P. R.

2016-06-01

It is shown that the consideration of the density of states variation in nanoscale electrochemical systems yields modulations in the rate constant and concomitant electrical currents. The proposed models extend the utility of Marcus-Hush-Chidsey (MHC) kinetics to a larger class of materials and could be used as a test of dimensional character. The implications of the study are of much significance to an understanding and modulation of charge transfer nanostructured electrodes.

Effect of defects on the electrical/optical performance of gallium nitride based junction devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferdous, Mohammad Shahriar

Commercial GaN based electronic and optoelectronic devices possess a high density (107-109 cm-2) of threading dislocations (TDs) because of the large mismatch in the lattice constant and the thermal expansion coefficient between the epitaxial layer structure and the substrate. In spite of these dislocations, high brightness light emitting diodes (LEDs) utilizing InGaN or AlGaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) and with an external quantum efficiency of more than 40%, have already been achieved. This high external quantum efficiency in the presence of a high density of dislocations has been explained by carrier localization induced by indium fluctuations in the quantum well. TDs have been found to increase the reverse leakage current in InGaN based LEDs and to shorten the operating lifetime of InGaN MQW/GaN/AlGaN laser diodes. Thus it is important that the TD density is further reduced. It remains unclear how the TDs interact with the device to cause the effects mentioned above, hence the careful and precise characterization of threading defects and their effects on the electrical and optical performances of InGaN/GaN MQW LEDs is needed. This investigation will be useful not only from the point of view of device optimization but also to develop a clear understanding of the physical processes associated with TDs and especially with their effect on leakage current. We have employed photoelectrochemical (PEC) etching to accurately measure the dislocation density initially in home-grown GaN-based epitaxial structures and recently in InGaN/GaN MQW LEDs fabricated from commercial grade epitaxial structures that were supplied by our industrial collaborators. Measuring the electrical and electroluminescence (EL) characteristics of these devices has revealed correlations between some aspects of the LED behavior and the TD density, and promises to allow a deeper understanding of the role of threading dislocations to be elucidated. We observed that the LED reverse leakage current increased exponentially, and electroluminescence intensity decreased by 22%, as the TD density in the LEDs increased from 1.7 x 107 cm-2 to 2 x 108 cm-2. Forward voltage remained almost constant with the increase of TD density. A model of carrier conduction via hopping through defect related states, was found to provide an excellent fit to the experimental I-V data and provides a useful basis for understanding carrier conduction in the presence of TDs.

Non-polarizable force field of water based on the dielectric constant: TIP4P/ε.

PubMed

Fuentes-Azcatl, Raúl; Alejandre, José

2014-02-06

The static dielectric constant at room temperature and the temperature of maximum density are used as target properties to develop, by molecular dynamics simulations, the TIP4P/ε force field of water. The TIP4P parameters are used as a starting point. The key step, to determine simultaneously both properties, is to perform simulations at 240 K where a molecular dipole moment of minimum density is found. The minimum is shifted to larger values of μ as the distance between the oxygen atom and site M, lOM, decreases. First, the parameters that define the dipole moment are adjusted to reproduce the experimental dielectric constant and then the Lennard-Jones parameters are varied to match the temperature of maximum density. The minimum on density at 240 K allows understanding why reported TIP4P models fail to reproduce the temperature of maximum density, the dielectric constant, or both properties. The new model reproduces some of the thermodynamic and transport anomalies of water. Additionally, the dielectric constant, thermodynamics, and dynamical and structural properties at different temperatures and pressures are in excellent agreement with experimental data. The computational cost of the new model is the same as that of the TIP4P.

Cathodic Protection Measurement Through Inline Inspection Technology Uses and Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferguson, Briana Ley

This research supports the evaluation of an impressed current cathodic protection (CP) system of a buried coated steel pipeline through alternative technology and methods, via an inline inspection device (ILI, CP ILI tool, or tool), in order to prevent and mitigate external corrosion. This thesis investigates the ability to measure the current density of a pipeline's CP system from inside of a pipeline rather than manually from outside, and then convert that CP ILI tool reading into a pipe-to-soil potential as required by regulations and standards. This was demonstrated through a mathematical model that utilizes applications of Ohm's Law, circuit concepts, and attenuation principles in order to match the results of the ILI sample data by varying parameters of the model (i.e., values for over potential and coating resistivity). This research has not been conducted previously in order to determine if the protected potential range can be achieved with respect to the predicted current density from the CP ILI device. Kirchhoff's method was explored, but certain principals could not be used in the model as manual measurements were required. This research was based on circuit concepts which indirectly affected electrochemical processes. Through Ohm's law, the results show that a constant current density is possible in the protected potential range; therefore, indicates polarization of the pipeline, which leads to calcareous deposit development with respect to electrochemistry. Calcareous deposit is desirable in industry since it increases the resistance of the pipeline coating and lowers current, thus slowing the oxygen diffusion process. This research conveys that an alternative method for CP evaluation from inside of the pipeline is possible where the pipe-to-soil potential can be estimated (as required by regulations) from the ILI tool's current density measurement.

An explanation for the tiny value of the cosmological constant and the low vacuum energy density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nassif, Cláudio

2015-09-01

The paper aims to provide an explanation for the tiny value of the cosmological constant and the low vacuum energy density to represent the dark energy. To accomplish this, we will search for a fundamental principle of symmetry in space-time by means of the elimination of the classical idea of rest, by including an invariant minimum limit of speed in the subatomic world. Such a minimum speed, unattainable by particles, represents a preferred reference frame associated with a background field that breaks down the Lorentz symmetry. The metric of the flat space-time shall include the presence of a uniform vacuum energy density, which leads to a negative pressure at cosmological length scales. Thus, the equation of state for the cosmological constant [ p(pressure) (energy density)] naturally emerges from such a space-time with an energy barrier of a minimum speed. The tiny values of the cosmological constant and the vacuum energy density will be successfully obtained, being in agreement with the observational results of Perlmutter, Schmidt and Riess.

Behavior of moving plasma in solenoidal magnetic field in a laser ion source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ikeda, S.; Takahashi, K.; Okamura, M.; Horioka, K.

2016-02-01

In a laser ion source, a solenoidal magnetic field is useful to guide the plasma and to control the extracted beam current. However, the behavior of the plasma drifting in the magnetic field has not been well understood. Therefore, to investigate the behavior, we measured the plasma ion current and the total charge within a single pulse in the solenoid by changing the distance from the entrance of the solenoid to a detector. We observed that the decrease of the total charge along the distance became smaller as the magnetic field became larger and then the charge became almost constant with a certain magnetic flux density. The results indicate that the transverse spreading speed of the plasma decreased with increasing the field and the plasma was confined transversely with the magnetic flux density. We found that the reason of the confinement was not magnetization of ions but an influence induced by electrons.

Behavior of moving plasma in solenoidal magnetic field in a laser ion source.

PubMed

Ikeda, S; Takahashi, K; Okamura, M; Horioka, K

2016-02-01

In a laser ion source, a solenoidal magnetic field is useful to guide the plasma and to control the extracted beam current. However, the behavior of the plasma drifting in the magnetic field has not been well understood. Therefore, to investigate the behavior, we measured the plasma ion current and the total charge within a single pulse in the solenoid by changing the distance from the entrance of the solenoid to a detector. We observed that the decrease of the total charge along the distance became smaller as the magnetic field became larger and then the charge became almost constant with a certain magnetic flux density. The results indicate that the transverse spreading speed of the plasma decreased with increasing the field and the plasma was confined transversely with the magnetic flux density. We found that the reason of the confinement was not magnetization of ions but an influence induced by electrons.

Optimization of physicochemical characteristics of a lithium anode interface for high-efficiency cycling: an effect of electrolyte temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishikawa, Masashi; Tasaka, Yuko; Yoshimoto, Nobuko; Morita, Masayuki

Precycling of lithium (Li) metal on a nickel substrate at a low-temperature (-20°C) in propylene carbonate (PC) mixed with dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and Li hexafluorophosphate (LiPF 6) (LiPF 6-PC/DMC) enhanced Li cycleability in the subsequent cycles at a room temperature (25°C). In LiPF 6-PC/DMC, not only the low-temperature precycling in the initial 10 cycles was effective in the improvement of Li cycle life but also the first low-temperature Li deposition followed by room temperature cycling enhanced the Li cycle life. Such a precycling effect was observed with various current densities at the initial Li deposition and the subsequent cycling. When the current density of the cycling was high, improved cycling efficiency was observed and the efficiency of the Li electrode undergoing the precycling was close to that at a constant temperature of -20°C.

Enhancing Piezoelectric Performance of CaBi2Nb2O9 Ceramics Through Microstructure Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Huanbei; Zhai, Jiwei

2012-08-01

Calcium bismuth niobate (CaBi2Nb2O9, CBN) is a high-Curie-temperature ( T C) piezoelectric material with relatively poor piezoelectric performance. Attempts were made to enhance the piezoelectric and direct-current (DC) resistive properties of CBN ceramics by increasing their density and controlling their microstructural texture, which were achieved by combining the templated grain growth and hot pressing methods. The modified CBN ceramics with 97.5% relative density and 90.5% Lotgering factor had much higher piezoelectric constant ( d 33 = 20 pC/N) than those prepared by the normal sintering process ( d 33 = 6 pC/N). High-temperature alternating-current (AC) impedance spectroscopy of the CBN ceramics was measured by using an impedance/gain-phase analyzer. Their electrical resistivity was approximately 6.5 × 104 Ω cm at 600°C. Therefore, CBN ceramics can be used for high-temperature piezoelectric applications.

Zirconium doped TiO{sub 2} thin films: A promising dielectric layer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kumar, Arvind; Mondal, Sandip, E-mail: sandipmondal@physics.iisc.ernet.in; Rao, K. S. R. Koteswara

2016-05-06

In the present work, we have fabricated the zirconium doped TiO{sub 2} thin (ZTO) films from a facile spin – coating method. The addition of Zirconium in TiO{sub 2} offers conduction band offset to Si and consequently decreased the leakage current density by approximately two orders as compared to pure TiO{sub 2} thin (TO) films. The ZTO thin film shows a high dielectric constant 27 with a very low leakage current density ∼10{sup −8} A/cm{sup 2}. The oxide capacitate, flat band voltage and change in flat band voltage are 172 pF, -1.19 V and 54 mV. The AFM analysis confirmed the compactmore » and pore free flat surface. The RMS surface roughness is found to be 1.5 Å. The ellipsometry analysis also verified the fact with a high refractive index 2.21.« less

High power density supercapacitors based on the carbon dioxide activated D-glucose derived carbon electrodes and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ionic liquid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tooming, T.; Thomberg, T.; Kurig, H.; Jänes, A.; Lust, E.

2015-04-01

The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, constant current charge/discharge and the constant power discharge methods have been applied to establish the electrochemical characteristics of the electrical double-layer capacitor (EDLC) consisting of the 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (EMImBF4) ionic liquid and microporous carbon electrodes. Microporous carbon material used for preparation of electrodes (GDAC - glucose derived activated carbon), has been synthesised from D-(+)-glucose by the hydrothermal carbonization method, including subsequent pyrolysis, carbon dioxide activation and surface cleaning step with hydrogen. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller specific surface area (SBET = 1540 m2 g-1), specific surface area calculated using the non-local density functional theory in conjunction with stable adsorption integral equation using splines (SAIEUS) model SSAIEUS = 1820 m2 g-1, micropore surface area (Smicro = 1535 m2 g-1), total pore volume (Vtot = 0.695 cm3 g-1) and the pore size distribution were obtained from the N2 sorption data. The SBET, Smicro and Vtot values have been correlated with the electrochemical characteristics strongly dependent on the carbon activation conditions applied for EDLCs. Wide region of ideal polarizability (ΔV ≤ 3.2 V), very short charging/discharging time constant (2.7 s), and high specific series capacitance (158 F g-1) have been calculated for the optimized carbon material GDAC-10h (activation of GDAC with CO2 during 10 h) in EMImBF4 demonstrating that this system can be used for completing the EDLC with high energy- and power densities.

Variation of power generation at different buffer types and conductivities in single chamber microbial fuel cells.

PubMed

Nam, Joo-Youn; Kim, Hyun-Woo; Lim, Kyeong-Ho; Shin, Hang-Sik; Logan, Bruce E

2010-01-15

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are operated with solutions containing various chemical species required for the growth of electrochemically active microorganisms including nutrients and vitamins, substrates, and chemical buffers. Many different buffers are used in laboratory media, but the effects of these buffers and their inherent electrolyte conductivities have not been examined relative to current generation in MFCs. We investigated the effect of several common buffers (phosphate, MES, HEPES, and PIPES) on power production in single chambered MFCs compared to a non-buffered control. At the same concentrations the buffers produced different solution conductivities which resulted in different ohmic resistances and power densities. Increasing the solution conductivities to the same values using NaCl produced comparable power densities for all buffers. Very large increases in conductivity resulted in a rapid voltage drop at high current densities. Our results suggest that solution conductivity at a specific pH for each buffer is more important in MFC studies than the buffer itself given relatively constant pH conditions. Based on our analysis of internal resistance and a set neutral pH, phosphate and PIPES are the most useful buffers of those examined here because pH was maintained close to the pK(a) of the buffer, maximizing the ability of the buffer to contribute to increase current generation at high power densities. Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Constraining Bulk Densities of Near-Earth Asteroid Surfaces from Radar Observations Using Laboratory Measurements of Permittivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hickson, D. C.; Boivin, A.; Daly, M. G.; Ghent, R. R.; Nolan, M. C.; Tait, K.; Cunje, A.; Tsai, C. A.

2017-12-01

Planetary radar is widely used to survey the Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) population and can provide insight into target shapes, sizes, and spin states. The dual-polarization reflectivity is sensitive to surface roughness as well as material properties, specifically the real part of the complex permittivity, or dielectric constant. Knowledge of the behavior of the dielectric constant of asteroid regolith analogue material with environmental parameters can be used to inversely solve for such parameters, such as bulk density, from radar observations. In this study laboratory measurements of the complex permittivity of powdered aluminum oxide and dunite samples are performed in a low-pressure environment chamber using a coaxial transmission line from roughly 1 GHz to 8.5 GHz. The bulk densities of the samples are varied across the measurements by incrementally adding silica aerogel, a low-density material with a very low dielectric constant. This allows the alteration of the proportions of void space to solid particle grains to achieve microgravity-relevant porosities without significantly altering the dielectric properties of the powder sample. The data are then modeled using various electromagnetic mixing equations to characterize the change in dielectric constant with increasing volume fractions of void space (decreasing bulk density). Using spectral analogues as constraints on the composition of NEAs allows us to calculate the range in bulk densities in the near surface of NEAs that have been observed by planetary radar. Utilizing existing radar data from Arecibo Observatory we calculate the bulk density in the near-surface on (101955) Bennu, the target of NASA's OSIRIS-Rex mission, to be ρ = 1.27 ± 0.33 g cm-3 based on an average of the likely range in particle density and dielectric constant of the regolith material.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Favorite, Jeffrey A.

In transport theory, adjoint-based partial derivatives with respect to mass density are constant-volume derivatives. Likewise, adjoint-based partial derivatives with respect to surface locations (i.e., internal interface locations and the outer system boundary) are constant-density derivatives. This study derives the constant-mass partial derivative of a response with respect to an internal interface location or the outer system boundary and the constant-mass partial derivative of a response with respect to the mass density of a region. Numerical results are given for a multiregion two-dimensional (r-z) cylinder for three very different responses: the uncollided gamma-ray flux at an external detector point, k effmore » of the system, and the total neutron leakage. Finally, results from the derived formulas compare extremely well with direct perturbation calculations.« less

Potentiostatic pulse-deposition of calcium phosphate on magnesium alloy for temporary implant applications--an in vitro corrosion study.

PubMed

Kannan, M Bobby; Wallipa, O

2013-03-01

In this study, a magnesium alloy (AZ91) was coated with calcium phosphate using potentiostatic pulse-potential and constant-potential methods and the in vitro corrosion behaviour of the coated samples was compared with the bare metal. In vitro corrosion studies were carried out using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization in simulated body fluid (SBF) at 37 °C. Calcium phosphate coatings enhanced the corrosion resistance of the alloy, however, the pulse-potential coating performed better than the constant-potential coating. The pulse-potential coating exhibited ~3 times higher polarization resistance than that of the constant-potential coating. The corrosion current density obtained from the potentiodynamic polarization curves was significantly less (~60%) for the pulse-deposition coating as compared to the constant-potential coating. Post-corrosion analysis revealed only slight corrosion on the pulse-potential coating, whereas the constant-potential coating exhibited a large number of corrosion particles attached to the coating. The better in vitro corrosion performance of the pulse-potential coating can be attributed to the closely packed calcium phosphate particles. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Room-temperature continuous-wave electrically injected InGaN-based laser directly grown on Si

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Yi; Zhou, Kun; Sun, Qian; Liu, Jianping; Feng, Meixin; Li, Zengcheng; Zhou, Yu; Zhang, Liqun; Li, Deyao; Zhang, Shuming; Ikeda, Masao; Liu, Sheng; Yang, Hui

2016-09-01

Silicon photonics would greatly benefit from efficient, visible on-chip light sources that are electrically driven at room temperature. To fully utilize the benefits of large-scale, low-cost manufacturing foundries, it is highly desirable to grow direct bandgap III-V semiconductor lasers directly on Si. Here, we report the demonstration of a blue-violet (413 nm) InGaN-based laser diode grown directly on Si that operates under continuous-wave current injection at room temperature, with a threshold current density of 4.7 kA cm-2. The heteroepitaxial growth of GaN on Si is confronted with a large mismatch in both the lattice constant and the coefficient of thermal expansion, often resulting in a high density of defects and even microcrack networks. By inserting an Al-composition step-graded AlN/AlGaN multilayer buffer between the Si and GaN, we have not only successfully eliminated crack formation, but also effectively reduced the dislocation density. The result is the realization of a blue-violet InGaN-based laser on Si.

Phenomenological Model of Current Sheet Canting in Pulsed Electromagnetic Accelerators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Markusic, Thomas; Choueiri, E. Y.

2003-01-01

The phenomenon of current sheet canting in pulsed electromagnetic accelerators is the departure of the plasma sheet (that carries the current) from a plane that is perpendicular to the electrodes to one that is skewed, or tipped. Review of pulsed electromagnetic accelerator literature reveals that current sheet canting is a ubiquitous phenomenon - occurring in all of the standard accelerator geometries. Developing an understanding of current sheet canting is important because it can detract from the propellant sweeping capabilities of current sheets and, hence, negatively impact the overall efficiency of pulsed electromagnetic accelerators. In the present study, it is postulated that depletion of plasma near the anode, which results from axial density gradient induced diamagnetic drift, occurs during the early stages of the discharge, creating a density gradient normal to the anode, with a characteristic length on the order of the ion skin depth. Rapid penetration of the magnetic field through this region ensues, due to the Hall effect, leading to a canted current front ahead of the initial current conduction channel. In this model, once the current sheet reaches appreciable speeds, entrainment of stationary propellant replenishes plasma in the anode region, inhibiting further Hall-convective transport of the magnetic field; however, the previously established tilted current sheet remains at a fairly constant canting angle for the remainder of the discharge cycle, exerting a transverse J x B force which drives plasma toward the cathode and accumulates it there. This proposed sequence of events has been incorporated into a phenomenological model. The model predicts that canting can be reduced by using low atomic mass propellants with high propellant loading number density; the model results are shown to give qualitative agreement with experimentally measured canting angle mass dependence trends.

Nanoscale Electronic Structure of Cuprate Superconductors Investigated with Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Tess Lawanna

Despite 25 years of intense research activity, high-temperature superconductors remain poorly understood, with the underlying pairing mechanism still unidentified. Efforts are complicated by the remarkably complex phase diagram, rich in energy-dependent charge and spin orders. In this thesis I describe the use of a Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) to study energy-dependent charge orders in Bi2-- yPbySr2CuO6+delta , a cuprate high-temperature superconductor. STM, a surface-sensitive probe used to map electronic structure with sub-meV energy resolution and sub-A spatial resolution, has contributed greatly to our current understanding of the cuprate high-temperature superconductors. However, STM data is acquired with a constant-current normalization condition. The measured differential conductance, g(x, y, V), is often taken to be proportional to the density of states at energy eV (where V is the voltage applied between tip and sample). In fact, due to the normalization condition, the measured g(x, y, V) is actually the quotient of the density of states at energy eV and the integrated density of states from the Fermi energy to eV. This unavoidable quotient may fold electronic structure from its true energy range into other energies. I discuss a new method to correct STM differential conductance spectra to remove the constant-current normalization condition. Using local work function measurements and the constant-current topograph, I create a map which does not suffer from the setpoint effect and contains a mixture of topographic information and properly normalized spectroscopic information. I apply this method to the extraction of the incommensurate charge modulation at q⃗˜34 2pa0 . I also extend the study of electronic nematic order, an atomic-lattice-periodic C4 → C2 symmetry breaking, from highly underdoped Bi2 Sr2CaCu2O 8+delta [28] to overdoped Bi2--yPb ySr2CuO6+/-delta. I find that the electronic nematic order parameter is robust to change of scan angle. I define and contrast three different electronic nematic orders with different phases with respect to the crystal. I discuss the effect of the choice of normalization and possible alternate explanations for the source of the calculated nematic order. Finally, I discuss a drift-correction technique, which removes picometer scale drift that is introduced into a spectral map by experimental imperfections, and characterize the optimal algorithm and potential artifacts that drift-correction may introduce.

Electronic polarizability of light crude oil from optical and dielectric studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

George, A. K.; Singh, R. N.

2017-07-01

In the present paper we report the temperature dependence of density, refractive indices and dielectric constant of three samples of crude oils. The API gravity number estimated from the temperature dependent density studies revealed that the three samples fall in the category of light oil. The measured data of refractive index and the density are used to evaluate the polarizability of these fluids. Molar refractive index and the molar volume are evaluated through Lorentz-Lorenz equation. The function of the refractive index, FRI , divided by the mass density ρ, is a constant approximately equal to one-third and is invariant with temperature for all the samples. The measured values of the dielectric constant decrease linearly with increasing temperature for all the samples. The dielectric constant estimated from the refractive index measurements using Lorentz-Lorentz equation agrees well with the measured values. The results are promising since all the three measured properties complement each other and offer a simple and reliable method for estimating crude oil properties, in the absence of sufficient data.

Experimental level densities of atomic nuclei

DOE PAGES

Guttormsen, M.; Aiche, M.; Bello Garrote, F. L.; ...

2015-12-23

It is almost 80 years since Hans Bethe described the level density as a non-interacting gas of protons and neutrons. In all these years, experimental data were interpreted within this picture of a fermionic gas. However, the renewed interest of measuring level density using various techniques calls for a revision of this description. In particular, the wealth of nuclear level densities measured with the Oslo method favors the constant-temperature level density over the Fermi-gas picture. Furthermore, trom the basis of experimental data, we demonstrate that nuclei exhibit a constant-temperature level density behavior for all mass regions and at least upmore » to the neutron threshold.« less

Exacerbating the Cosmological Constant Problem with Interacting Dark Energy Models.

PubMed

Marsh, M C David

2017-01-06

Future cosmological surveys will probe the expansion history of the Universe and constrain phenomenological models of dark energy. Such models do not address the fine-tuning problem of the vacuum energy, i.e., the cosmological constant problem (CCP), but can make it spectacularly worse. We show that this is the case for "interacting dark energy" models in which the masses of the dark matter states depend on the dark energy sector. If realized in nature, these models have far-reaching implications for proposed solutions to the CCP that require the number of vacua to exceed the fine-tuning of the vacuum energy density. We show that current estimates of the number of flux vacua in string theory, N_{vac}∼O(10^{272 000}), are far too small to realize certain simple models of interacting dark energy and solve the cosmological constant problem anthropically. These models admit distinctive observational signatures that can be targeted by future gamma-ray observatories, hence making it possible to observationally rule out the anthropic solution to the cosmological constant problem in theories with a finite number of vacua.

Rayleigh Scattering Diagnostic for Measurement of Temperature, Velocity, and Density Fluctuation Spectra

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mielke, Amy F.; Elam, Kristie A.; Sung, Chih-Jen; Panda, Jayanta

2006-01-01

A molecular Rayleigh scattering technique is developed to measure dynamic gas temperature, velocity, and density in unseeded turbulent flows at sampling rates up to 10 kHz. A high power CW laser beam is focused at a point in a heated air jet plume and Rayleigh scattered light is collected and spectrally resolved. The spectrum of the light, which contains information about the temperature, velocity, and density of the flow, is analyzed using a Fabry-Perot interferometer. The circular interference fringe pattern is divided into four concentric regions and sampled at 1 and 10 kHz using photon counting electronics. Monitoring the relative change in intensity within each region allows for measurement of gas temperature and velocity. Independently monitoring the total scattered light intensity provides a measure of gas density. Power spectral density calculations of temperature, velocity, and density fluctuations, as well as mean and fluctuating quantities are demonstrated for various radial locations in the jet flow at a fixed axial distance from the jet exit plane. Results are compared with constant current anemometry and pitot probe measurements at the same locations.

Dynamics and density estimation of hydroxyl radicals in a pulsed corona discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ono, Ryo; Oda, Tetsuji

2002-09-01

Hydroxyl radicals generated by a pulsed corona discharge are measured by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) with a tunable KrF excimer laser. The discharge with 35 kV voltage and 100 ns pulse current occurs between needle and plate electrodes in H2O/O2/N2 mixture at atmospheric pressure. The density and decay profile of OH radicals are studied. OH radicals decay with time after the discharge with a time constant of about 30-60 µs. The OH density is estimated to be about 7×1014 cm-3 in H2O(2.4%)/N2 mixture 10 µs after the discharge. The OH density is approximately proportional to the energy dissipated in the discharge. The O2 content influences the OH production. When the O2 content is varied in H2O(2.4%)/O2/N2 mixture, the OH density is maximum at an O2 content of 2%. The spatial distribution of OH density shows that OH radicals are produced in the streamers under positive discharge.

Electron counting and a large family of two-dimensional semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miao, Maosheng; Botana, Jorge; Zurek, Eva; Liu, Jingyao; Yang, Wen

Two-dimensional semiconductors (2DSC) are currently the focus of many studies, thanks to their novel and superior transport properties that may greatly influence future electronic devices. The potential applications of 2DSCs range from low-dimensional electronics, topological insulators and vallytronics all the way to novel photolysis. However, compared with the conventional semiconductors that are comprised of main group elements and cover a large range of band gaps and lattice constants, the choice of 2D materials is very limited. In this work, we propose and demonstrate a large family of 2DSCs, all adopting the same structure and consisting of only main group elements. Using advanced density functional calculations, we demonstrate the attainability of these materials, and show that they cover a large range of lattice constants, band gaps and band edge states, making them good candidate materials for heterojunctions. This family of two dimensional materials may be instrumental in the fabrication of 2DSC devices that may rival the currently employed 3D semiconductors.

Maximum Mass of Hybrid Stars in the Quark Bag Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alaverdyan, G. B.; Vartanyan, Yu. L.

2017-12-01

The effect of model parameters in the equation of state for quark matter on the magnitude of the maximum mass of hybrid stars is examined. Quark matter is described in terms of the extended MIT bag model including corrections for one-gluon exchange. For nucleon matter in the range of densities corresponding to the phase transition, a relativistic equation of state is used that is calculated with two-particle correlations taken into account based on using the Bonn meson-exchange potential. The Maxwell construction is used to calculate the characteristics of the first order phase transition and it is shown that for a fixed value of the strong interaction constant αs, the baryon concentrations of the coexisting phases grow monotonically as the bag constant B increases. It is shown that for a fixed value of the strong interaction constant αs, the maximum mass of a hybrid star increases as the bag constant B decreases. For a given value of the bag parameter B, the maximum mass rises as the strong interaction constant αs increases. It is shown that the configurations of hybrid stars with maximum masses equal to or exceeding the mass of the currently known most massive pulsar are possible for values of the strong interaction constant αs > 0.6 and sufficiently low values of the bag constant.

Uncovering the nonadiabatic response of geosynchronous electrons to geomagnetic disturbance

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gannon, Jennifer; Elkington, Scot R.; Onsager, Terrance G.

2012-01-01

We describe an energy spectrum method for scaling electron integral flux, which is measured at a constant energy, to phase space density at a constant value of the first adiabatic invariant which removes much of the variation due to reversible adiabatic effects. Applying this method to nearly a solar cycle (1995 - 2006) of geosynchronous electron integral flux (E>2.0MeV) from the GOES satellites, we see that much of the diurnal variation in electron phase space density at constant energy can be removed by the transformation to phase space density at constant μ (4000 MeV/G). This allows us a clearer picture of underlying non-adiabatic electron population changes due to geomagnetic activity. Using scaled phase space density, we calculate the percentage of geomagnetic storms resulting in an increase, decrease or no change in geosynchronous electrons as 38%, 7%, and 55%, respectively. We also show examples of changes in the electron population that may be different than the unscaled fluxes alone suggest. These examples include sudden electron enhancements during storms which appear during the peak of negative Dst for μ-scaled phase space density, contrary to the slow increase seen during the recovery phase for unscaled phase space density for the same event.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mallow, Anne M; Abdelaziz, Omar; Graham, Samuel

The thermal charging performance of phase change materials, specifically paraffin wax, combined with compressed expanded natural graphite foam is studied under constant heat flux and constant temperature conditions. By varying the heat flux between 0.39 W/cm2 and 1.55 W/cm2 or maintaining a boundary temperature of 60 C for four graphite foam bulk densities, the impact on the rate of thermal energy storage is discussed. Thermal charging experiments indicate that thermal conductivity of the composite is an insufficient metric to compare the influence of graphite foam on the rate of thermal energy storage of the PCM composite. By dividing the latentmore » heat of the composite by the time to melt for various boundary conditions and graphite foam bulk densities, it is determined that bulk density selection is dependent on the applied boundary condition. A greater bulk density is advantageous for samples exposed to a constant temperature near the melting temperature as compared to constant heat flux conditions where a lower bulk density is adequate. Furthermore, the anisotropic nature of graphite foam bulk densities greater than 50 kg/m3 is shown to have an insignificant impact on the rate of thermal charging. These experimental results are used to validate a computational model for future use in the design of thermal batteries for waste heat recovery.« less

Durability of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells Operated at Subfreezing Temperatures

DOE PAGES

Macauley, Natalia; Lujan, Roger W.; Spernjak, Dusan; ...

2016-09-15

The structure, composition, and interfaces of membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) and gas-diffusion layers (GDLs) have a significant effect on the performance of single-proton-exchange-membrane (PEM) fuel cells operated isothermally at subfreezing temperatures. During isothermal constant-current operation at subfreezing temperatures, water forming at the cathode initially hydrates the membrane, then forms ice in the catalyst layer and/or GDL. This ice formation results in a gradual decay in voltage. High-frequency resistance initially decreases due to an increase in membrane water content and then increases over time as the contact resistance increases. The water/ice holding capacity of a fuel cell decreases with decreasing subfreezingmore » temperature (-10°C vs. -20°C vs. -30°C) and increasing current density (0.02 A cm -2 vs. 0.04 A cm -2). Ice formation monitored using in-situ high-resolution neutron radiography indicated that the ice was concentrated near the cathode catalyst layer at low operating temperatures (≈-20°C) and high current densities (0.04 A cm -2). Significant ice formation was also observed in the GDLs at higher subfreezing temperatures (≈-10°C) and lower current densities (0.02 A cm -2). These results are in good agreement with the long-term durability observations that show more severe degradation at lower temperatures (-20°C and -30°C).« less

Comparison of bioactive chemical space networks generated using substructure- and fingerprint-based measures of molecular similarity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Bijun; Vogt, Martin; Maggiora, Gerald M.; Bajorath, Jürgen

2015-07-01

Chemical space networks (CSNs) have recently been introduced as a conceptual alternative to coordinate-based representations of chemical space. CSNs were initially designed as threshold networks using the Tanimoto coefficient as a continuous similarity measure. The analysis of CSNs generated from sets of bioactive compounds revealed that many statistical properties were strongly dependent on their edge density. While it was difficult to compare CSNs at pre-defined similarity threshold values, CSNs with constant edge density were directly comparable. In the current study, alternative CSN representations were constructed by applying the matched molecular pair (MMP) formalism as a substructure-based similarity criterion. For more than 150 compound activity classes, MMP-based CSNs (MMP-CSNs) were compared to corresponding threshold CSNs (THR-CSNs) at a constant edge density by applying different parameters from network science, measures of community structure distributions, and indicators of structure-activity relationship (SAR) information content. MMP-CSNs were found to be an attractive alternative to THR-CSNs, yielding low edge densities and well-resolved topologies. MMP-CSNs and corresponding THR-CSNs often had similar topology and closely corresponding community structures, although there was only limited overlap in similarity relationships. The homophily principle from network science was shown to affect MMP-CSNs and THR-CSNs in different ways, despite the presence of conserved topological features. Moreover, activity cliff distributions in alternative CSN designs markedly differed, which has important implications for SAR analysis.

Is there another coincidence problem at the reionization epoch?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lombriser, Lucas; Smer-Barreto, Vanessa

2017-12-01

The cosmological coincidences between the matter and radiation energy densities at recombination as well as between the densities of matter and the cosmological constant at the present time are well known. We point out that, moreover, the third intersection between the energy densities of radiation and the cosmological constant coincides with the reionization epoch. To quantify the statistical relevance of this concurrence, we compute the Bayes factor between the concordance cosmology with free Thomson scattering optical depth and a model for which this parameter is inferred from imposing a match between the time of density equality and the epoch of reionization. This is to characterize the potential explanatory gain if one were to find a parameter-free physical connection. We find a very strong preference for such a concurrence on the Jeffreys scale from current cosmological observations. We furthermore discuss the effect of the choice of priors, changes in reionization history, and free sum of neutrino masses. We also estimate the impact of adding intermediate polarization data from the Planck High Frequency Instrument and prospects for future 21 cm surveys. In the first case, the preference for the correlation remains substantial, whereas future data may give results more decisive in pro or substantial in contra of it. Finally, we provide a discussion on different interpretations of these findings. In particular, we show how a connection between the star-formation history and the cosmological background dynamics can give rise to this concurrence.

Development of advanced polymer nanocomposite capacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mendoza, Miguel

The current development of modern electronics has driven the need for new series of energy storage devices with higher energy density and faster charge/discharge rate. Batteries and capacitors are two of the most widely used energy storage devices. Compared with batteries, capacitors have higher power density and significant higher charge/discharge rate. Therefore, high energy density capacitors play a significant role in modern electronic devices, power applications, space flight technologies, hybrid electric vehicles, portable defibrillators, and pulse power applications. Dielectric film capacitors represent an exceptional alternative for developing high energy density capacitors due to their high dielectric constants, outstanding breakdown voltages, and flexibility. The implementation of high aspect ratio dielectric inclusions such as nanowires into polymer capacitors could lead to further enhancement of its energy density. Therefore, this research effort is focused on the development of a new series of dielectric capacitors composed of nanowire reinforced polymer matrix composites. This concept of nanocomposite capacitors combines the extraordinary physical and chemical properties of the one-dimension (1D) nanoceramics and high dielectric strength of polymer matrices, leading to a capacitor with improved dielectric properties and energy density. Lead-free sodium niobate (NaNbO3) and lead-containing lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate (0.65PMN-0.35PT) nanowires were synthesized following hydrothermal and sol-gel approaches, respectively. The as-prepared nanowires were mixed with a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) matrix using solution-casting method for nanocomposites fabrication. The dielectric constants and breakdown voltages of the NaNbO3/PVDF and 0.65PMN-0.35PT/PVDF nanocomposites were measured under different frequency ranges and temperatures in order to determine their maximum energy (J/cm3) and specific (J/g) densities. The electrical properties of the synthesized nanoceramics were compared with commercially available barium titanate (BaTiO3) and lead zirconate titanate Pb(ZrxTi1-x)O3 powders embedded into a PVDF matrix. The resulting dielectric film capacitors represent an excellent alternative energy storage device for future high energy density applications.

Dendritic Zinc Growth in Acid Electrolyte: Effect of the pH

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bengoa, Leandro N.; Pary, Paola; Seré, Pablo R.; Conconi, M. Susana; Egli, Walter A.

2018-03-01

In this paper, dendritic growth at the edges of electrogalvanized steel strip has been studied using a specially designed rotating washer electrode which simulates the fluid dynamic conditions and the current density distribution at the steel strip edge found in a production line. The effect of electrolyte pH and current density on dendritic growth in an acidic zinc plating bath (ZnSO4 and H2SO4) was addressed. The temperature was kept constant at 60 °C. Solution pH was adjusted to 1, 2 or 3 using different amounts of H2SO4. In addition, the influence of temperature on the pH of the solution was determined. The current density was set at 40 or 60 A/dm2, similar to that used in the industry. Deposits were characterized using SEM and XRD. The results showed that pH strongly affects dendrites shape, length and texture. Furthermore, the morphology of dendrites at the washer edge and of deposits on the flat portion of the washer changed considerably as solution pH was increased from 1 to 3. It was found that the morphology of dendrites at the washer edge stems from the morphology of the deposit on its flat portion, which in turn determines their shape.

Organic memory using [6,6]-phenyl-C(61) butyric acid methyl ester: morphology, thickness and concentration dependence studies.

PubMed

Baral, Jayanta K; Majumdar, Himadri S; Laiho, Ari; Jiang, Hua; Kauppinen, Esko I; Ras, Robin H A; Ruokolainen, Janne; Ikkala, Olli; Osterbacka, Ronald

2008-01-23

We report a simple memory device in which the fullerene-derivative [6,6]-phenyl-C(61) butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) mixed with inert polystyrene (PS) matrix is sandwiched between two aluminum (Al) electrodes. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of PCBM:PS films showed well controlled morphology without forming any aggregates at low weight percentages (<10 wt%) of PCBM in PS. Energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis of the device cross-sections indicated that the thermal evaporation of the Al electrodes did not lead to the inclusion of Al metal nanoparticles into the active PCBM:PS film. Above a threshold voltage of <3 V, independent of thickness, a consistent negative differential resistance (NDR) is observed in devices in the thickness range from 200 to 350 nm made from solutions with 4-10 wt% of PCBM in PS. We found that the threshold voltage (V(th)) for switching from the high-impedance state to the low-impedance state, the voltage at maximum current density (V(max)) and the voltage at minimum current density (V(min)) in the NDR regime are constant within this thickness range. The current density ratio at V(max) and V(min) is more than or equal to 10, increasing with thickness. Furthermore, the current density is exponentially dependent on the longest tunneling jump between two PCBM molecules, suggesting a tunneling mechanism between individual PCBM molecules. This is further supported with temperature independent NDR down to 240 K.

In vitro and in vivo comparisons of constant resistance AC iontophoresis and DC iontophoresis.

PubMed

Li, S Kevin; Higuchi, William I; Zhu, Honggang; Kern, Steven E; Miller, David J; Hastings, Matthew S

2003-09-04

A previous in vitro constant electrical resistance alternating current (AC) iontophoresis study with human epidermal membrane (HEM) and a model neutral permeant has shown less inter- and intra-sample variability in iontophoretic transport relative to conventional constant direct current (DC) iontophoresis. The objectives of the present study were to address the following questions. (1) Can the skin electrical resistance be maintained at a constant level by AC in humans in vivo? (2) Are the in vitro data with HEM representative of those in vivo? (3) Does constant skin resistance AC iontophoresis have less inter- and intra-sample variability than conventional constant current DC iontophoresis in vivo? (4) What are the electrical and the barrier properties of skin during iontophoresis in vivo? In the present study, in vitro HEM experiments were carried out with the constant resistance AC and the conventional constant current DC methods using mannitol and glucose as the neutral model permeants. In vivo human experiments were performed using glucose as the permeant with a constant skin resistance AC only protocol and two conventional constant current DC methods (continuous constant current DC and constant current DC with its polarity alternated every 10 min with a 3:7 on:off duty cycle). Constant current DC iontophoresis was conducted with commercial constant current DC devices, and constant resistance AC iontophoresis was carried out by reducing and maintaining the skin resistance at a constant target value with AC supplied from a function generator. This study shows that (1) skin electrical resistance can be maintained at a constant level during AC iontophoresis in vivo; (2) HEM in vitro and human skin in vivo demonstrate similar electrical and barrier properties, and these properties are consistent with our previous findings; (3) there is general qualitative and semi-quantitative agreement between the HEM data in vitro and human skin data in vivo; and (4) constant skin resistance AC iontophoresis generally provides less inter- and intra-subject variability than conventional constant current DC.

Assessing agreement between malaria slide density readings.

PubMed

Alexander, Neal; Schellenberg, David; Ngasala, Billy; Petzold, Max; Drakeley, Chris; Sutherland, Colin

2010-01-04

Several criteria have been used to assess agreement between replicate slide readings of malaria parasite density. Such criteria may be based on percent difference, or absolute difference, or a combination. Neither the rationale for choosing between these types of criteria, nor that for choosing the magnitude of difference which defines acceptable agreement, are clear. The current paper seeks a procedure which avoids the disadvantages of these current options and whose parameter values are more clearly justified. Variation of parasite density within a slide is expected, even when it has been prepared from a homogeneous sample. This places lower limits on sensitivity and observer agreement, quantified by the Poisson distribution. This means that, if a criterion of fixed percent difference criterion is used for satisfactory agreement, the number of discrepant readings is over-estimated at low parasite densities. With a criterion of fixed absolute difference, the same happens at high parasite densities. For an ideal slide, following the Poisson distribution, a criterion based on a constant difference in square root counts would apply for all densities. This can be back-transformed to a difference in absolute counts, which, as expected, gives a wider range of acceptable agreement at higher average densities. In an example dataset from Tanzania, observed differences in square root counts correspond to a 95% limits of agreement of -2,800 and +2,500 parasites/microl at average density of 2,000 parasites/microl, and -6,200 and +5,700 parasites/microl at 10,000 parasites/microl. However, there were more outliers beyond those ranges at higher densities, meaning that actual coverage of these ranges was not a constant 95%, but decreased with density. In a second study, a trial of microscopist training, the corresponding ranges of agreement are wider and asymmetrical: -8,600 to +5,200/microl, and -19,200 to +11,700/microl, respectively. By comparison, the optimal limits of agreement, corresponding to Poisson variation, are +/- 780 and +/- 1,800 parasites/microl, respectively. The focus of this approach on the volume of blood read leads to other conclusions. For example, no matter how large a volume of blood is read, some densities are too low to be reliably detected, which in turn means that disagreements on slide positivity may simply result from within-slide variation, rather than reading errors. The proposed method defines limits of acceptable agreement in a way which allows for the natural increase in variability with parasite density. This includes defining the levels of between-reader variability, which are consistent with random variation: disagreements within these limits should not trigger additional readings. This approach merits investigation in other settings, in order to determine both the extent of its applicability, and appropriate numerical values for limits of agreement.

Atomic layer deposition TiO 2-Al 2O 3 stack: An improved gate dielectric on Ga-polar GaN metal oxide semiconductor capacitors

DOE PAGES

Wei, Daming; Edgar, James H.; Briggs, Dayrl P.; ...

2014-10-15

This research focuses on the benefits and properties of TiO 2-Al 2O 3 nano-stack thin films deposited on Ga 2O 3/GaN by plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition (PA-ALD) for gate dielectric development. This combination of materials achieved a high dielectric constant, a low leakage current, and a low interface trap density. Correlations were sought between the films’ structure, composition, and electrical properties. The gate dielectrics were approximately 15 nm thick and contained 5.1 nm TiO 2, 7.1 nm Al 2O 3 and 2 nm Ga 2O 3 as determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry. The interface carbon concentration, as measured by x-ray photoelectronmore » spectroscopy (XPS) depth profile, was negligible for GaN pretreated by thermal oxidation in O 2 for 30 minutes at 850°C. The RMS roughness slightly increased after thermal oxidation and remained the same after ALD of the nano-stack, as determined by atomic force microscopy. The dielectric constant of TiO 2-Al 2O 3 on Ga2O3/GaN was increased to 12.5 compared to that of pure Al 2O 3 (8~9) on GaN. In addition, the nano-stack's capacitance-voltage (C-V) hysteresis was small, with a total trap density of 8.74 × 10 11 cm -2. The gate leakage current density (J=2.81× 10 -8 A/cm 2) was low at +1 V gate bias. These results demonstrate the promising potential of plasma ALD deposited TiO 2/Al 2O 3 for serving as the gate oxide on Ga 2O 3/GaN based MOS devices.« less

Atomic layer deposition TiO 2-Al 2O 3 stack: An improved gate dielectric on Ga-polar GaN metal oxide semiconductor capacitors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wei, Daming; Edgar, James H.; Briggs, Dayrl P.

This research focuses on the benefits and properties of TiO 2-Al 2O 3 nano-stack thin films deposited on Ga 2O 3/GaN by plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition (PA-ALD) for gate dielectric development. This combination of materials achieved a high dielectric constant, a low leakage current, and a low interface trap density. Correlations were sought between the films’ structure, composition, and electrical properties. The gate dielectrics were approximately 15 nm thick and contained 5.1 nm TiO 2, 7.1 nm Al 2O 3 and 2 nm Ga 2O 3 as determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry. The interface carbon concentration, as measured by x-ray photoelectronmore » spectroscopy (XPS) depth profile, was negligible for GaN pretreated by thermal oxidation in O 2 for 30 minutes at 850°C. The RMS roughness slightly increased after thermal oxidation and remained the same after ALD of the nano-stack, as determined by atomic force microscopy. The dielectric constant of TiO 2-Al 2O 3 on Ga2O3/GaN was increased to 12.5 compared to that of pure Al 2O 3 (8~9) on GaN. In addition, the nano-stack's capacitance-voltage (C-V) hysteresis was small, with a total trap density of 8.74 × 10 11 cm -2. The gate leakage current density (J=2.81× 10 -8 A/cm 2) was low at +1 V gate bias. These results demonstrate the promising potential of plasma ALD deposited TiO 2/Al 2O 3 for serving as the gate oxide on Ga 2O 3/GaN based MOS devices.« less

Molecular series-tunneling junctions.

PubMed

Liao, Kung-Ching; Hsu, Liang-Yan; Bowers, Carleen M; Rabitz, Herschel; Whitesides, George M

2015-05-13

Charge transport through junctions consisting of insulating molecular units is a quantum phenomenon that cannot be described adequately by classical circuit laws. This paper explores tunneling current densities in self-assembled monolayer (SAM)-based junctions with the structure Ag(TS)/O2C-R1-R2-H//Ga2O3/EGaIn, where Ag(TS) is template-stripped silver and EGaIn is the eutectic alloy of gallium and indium; R1 and R2 refer to two classes of insulating molecular units-(CH2)n and (C6H4)m-that are connected in series and have different tunneling decay constants in the Simmons equation. These junctions can be analyzed as a form of series-tunneling junctions based on the observation that permuting the order of R1 and R2 in the junction does not alter the overall rate of charge transport. By using the Ag/O2C interface, this system decouples the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO, which is localized on the carboxylate group) from strong interactions with the R1 and R2 units. The differences in rates of tunneling are thus determined by the electronic structure of the groups R1 and R2; these differences are not influenced by the order of R1 and R2 in the SAM. In an electrical potential model that rationalizes this observation, R1 and R2 contribute independently to the height of the barrier. This model explicitly assumes that contributions to rates of tunneling from the Ag(TS)/O2C and H//Ga2O3 interfaces are constant across the series examined. The current density of these series-tunneling junctions can be described by J(V) = J0(V) exp(-β1d1 - β2d2), where J(V) is the current density (A/cm(2)) at applied voltage V and βi and di are the parameters describing the attenuation of the tunneling current through a rectangular tunneling barrier, with width d and a height related to the attenuation factor β.

Fabrication and characterization of carbon nanotube turfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiu, Anqi

Carbon nanotube turfs are vertically aligned, slightly tortuous and entangled functional nanomaterials that exhibit high thermal and electrical properties. CNT turfs exhibit unique combinations of thermal and electrical conductivity, energy absorbing capability, low density and adhesive behavior. The objective of this study is to fabricate, measure, manipulate and characterize CNT turfs and thus determine the relationship between a turf's properties and its morphology, and provide guidance for developing links between turf growth conditions and of the subsequent turf properties. Nanoindentation was utilized to determine the mechanical and in situ electrical properties of CNT turfs. Elastic properties do not vary significantly laterally within a single turf, quantifying for the first time the ability to treat the turf as a mechanical continuum throughout. The use of the average mechanical properties for any given turf should be suitable for design purpose without the necessity of accounting for lateral spatial variation in structure. Properties variation based on time dependency, rate dependency, adhesive behavior and energy absorption and dissipation behavior have been investigated for these CNT turfs. Electrical properties measurements of CNT turfs have been carried out and show that a constant electrical current at a constant penetration depth indicates that a constant number of CNTs in contact with the tip; combining with the results that adhesive load increased with an increasing penetration hold time, thus we conclude that during a hold period of nanoindentation, individual tubes increase their individual attachment to the tip. CNT turfs show decreased adhesion and modulus after exposure to an electron beam due to carbon deposition and subsequent oxidation. To increase the modulus of the turf, axial compression and solvent capillary were used to increase the density of the turf by up to 15 times. Structure-property relationships were determined from the density and tortuosity measurements carried out through in situ electrical measurements and directionality measurements. Increasing density increases the mechanical properties as well as electrical conductivity. The modulus increased with a lower tortuosity, which may be related to the compressive buckling positioning.

Impact of density information on Rayleigh surface wave inversion results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivanov, Julian; Tsoflias, Georgios; Miller, Richard D.; Peterie, Shelby; Morton, Sarah; Xia, Jianghai

2016-12-01

We assessed the impact of density on the estimation of inverted shear-wave velocity (Vs) using the multi-channel analysis of surface waves (MASW) method. We considered the forward modeling theory, evaluated model sensitivity, and tested the effect of density information on the inversion of seismic data acquired in the Arctic. Theoretical review, numerical modeling and inversion of modeled and real data indicated that the density ratios between layers, not the actual density values, impact the determination of surface-wave phase velocities. Application on real data compared surface-wave inversion results using: a) constant density, the most common approach in practice, b) indirect density estimates derived from refraction compressional-wave velocity observations, and c) from direct density measurements in a borehole. The use of indirect density estimates reduced the final shear-wave velocity (Vs) results typically by 6-7% and the use of densities from a borehole reduced the final Vs estimates by 10-11% compared to those from assumed constant density. In addition to the improved absolute Vs accuracy, the resulting overall Vs changes were unevenly distributed laterally when viewed on a 2-D section leading to an overall Vs model structure that was more representative of the subsurface environment. It was observed that the use of constant density instead of increasing density with depth not only can lead to Vs overestimation but it can also create inaccurate model structures, such as a low-velocity layer. Thus, optimal Vs estimations can be best achieved using field estimates of subsurface density ratios.

Modeling AC ripple currents in HTS coated conductors by integral equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grilli, Francesco; Xu, Zhihan

2016-12-01

In several HTS applications, the superconducting tapes experience the simultaneous presence of DC and AC excitations. For example in high-current DC cables, where the transport current is not perfectly constant, but it exhibits some ripples at different frequencies introduced by the rectification process (AC-DC conversion). These ripples give rise to dissipation, whose magnitude and possible influence on the device's cooling requirements need to be evaluated. Here we report a study of the AC losses in a HTS coated conductor subjected to DC currents and AC ripples simultaneously. The modeling approach is based on an integral equation method for thin superconductors: the superconducting tape is modeled as a 1-D object with a non-linear resistivity, which includes the dependence of the critical current density Jc on the magnetic field. The model, implemented in a commercial finite-element program, runs very fast (the simulation of one AC cycle typically takes a few seconds on standard desktop workstation): this allows simulating a large number of cycles and estimating when the AC ripple losses stabilize to a constant value. The model is used to study the influence of the flux creep power index n on the stabilization speed and on the AC loss values, as well as the effect of using a field-dependent Jc instead of a constant one. The simulations confirm that the dissipation level should not be a practical concern in HTS DC cables. At the same time, however, they reveal a strong dependence of the results upon the power index n and the form of Jc , which spurs the question whether the power-law is the most suitable description of the superconductor's electrical behavior for this kind of analysis.

Quantitative Measurement of Cationic Polymer Vector and Polymer-pDNA Polyplex Intercalation into the Cell Plasma Membrane.

PubMed

Vaidyanathan, Sriram; Anderson, Kevin B; Merzel, Rachel L; Jacobovitz, Binyamin; Kaushik, Milan P; Kelly, Christina N; van Dongen, Mallory A; Dougherty, Casey A; Orr, Bradford G; Banaszak Holl, Mark M

2015-06-23

Cationic gene delivery agents (vectors) are important for delivering nucleotides, but are also responsible for cytotoxicity. Cationic polymers (L-PEI, jetPEI, and G5 PAMAM) at 1× to 100× the concentrations required for translational activity (protein expression) induced the same increase in plasma membrane current of HEK 293A cells (30-50 nA) as measured by whole cell patch-clamp. This indicates saturation of the cell membrane by the cationic polymers. The increased currents induced by the polymers are not reversible for over 15 min. Irreversibility on this time scale is consistent with a polymer-supported pore or carpet model and indicates that the cell is unable to clear the polymer from the membrane. For polyplexes, although the charge concentration was the same (at N/P ratio of 10:1), G5 PAMAM and jetPEI polyplexes induced a much larger current increase (40-50 nA) than L-PEI polyplexes (<20 nA). Both free cationic lipid and lipid polyplexes induced a lower increase in current than cationic polymers (<20 nA). To quantify the membrane bound material, partition constants were measured for both free vectors and polyplexes into the HEK 293A cell membrane using a dye influx assay. The partition constants of free vectors increased with charge density of the vectors. Polyplex partition constants did not show such a trend. The long lasting cell plasma permeability induced by exposure to the polymer vectors or the polyplexes provides a plausible mechanism for the toxicity and inflammatory response induced by exposure to these materials.

Characterization of Flow and Ohm's Law in the Rotating Wall Machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hannum, David; Brookhart, M.; Forest, C. B.; Kendrick, R.; Mengin, G.; Paz-Soldan, C.

2010-11-01

The rotating wall machine is a linear screw-pinch built to study the role of different electromagnetic boundary conditions on the Resistive Wall Mode (RWM). Its plasma is created by an array of electrostatic washer guns which can be biased to discharge up to 1 kA of current each. Individual flux ropes from the guns shear, merge, and expand into a 20 cm diameter, ˜1 m long plasma column. Langmuir (singletip) and tri-axial B-dot probes move throughout the column to measure radial and axial profiles of key plasma parameters. As the plasma current increases, more H2 fuel is ionized, raising ne to 5 x10^20 m-3 while Te stays at a constant 3 eV. The electron density expands to the wall while the current density (Jz) stays pinched to the central axis. E xB and diamagnetic drifts create radially and axially sheared plasma rotation. Plasma resistivity follows the Spitzer model in the core while exceeding it at the edge. These measurements improve the model used to predict the RWM growth rate.

Nickel-cadmium battery system for electric vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klein, M.; Charkey, A.

A nickel-cadmium battery system has been developed and is being evaluated for electric vehicle propulsion applications. The battery system design features include: (1) air circulation through gaps between cells for thermal management, (2) a metal-gas coulometric fuel gauge for state-of-charge and charge control, and (3) a modified constant current ac/dc power supply for the charger. The battery delivers one and a half to two times the energy density of comparable lead-acid batteries depending on operating conditions.

Plausible carrier transport model in organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite resistive memory devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Nayoung; Kwon, Yongwoo; Choi, Jaeho; Jang, Ho Won; Cha, Pil-Ryung

2018-04-01

We demonstrate thermally assisted hopping (TAH) as an appropriate carrier transport model for CH3NH3PbI3 resistive memories. Organic semiconductors, including organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites, have been previously speculated to follow the space-charge-limited conduction (SCLC) model. However, the SCLC model cannot reproduce the temperature dependence of experimental current-voltage curves. Instead, the TAH model with temperature-dependent trap densities and a constant trap level are demonstrated to well reproduce the experimental results.

Analysis of Blockade in Charge Transport Across Polymeric Heterojunctions as a Function of Thermal Annealing: A Different Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rathi, Sonika; Chauhan, Gayatri; Gupta, Saral K.; Srivastava, Ritu; Singh, Amarjeet

2017-02-01

A blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5diyl) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) is popularly used as an active medium in polymeric solar devices. According to the most recent understanding, the blend is a three-phase system contrary to its earlier understanding of two-phase bicontinuous network. We have synthesized a P3HT-PCBM based layered heterostructure system by spin coating and thermal vacuum evaporations. Current density ( J) was measured as a function of applied electric field ( E) across the system bound between two metal electrodes. J- E relations were analyzed into the backdrop of space charge limited current model and Schottky model. The later was used to predict dc-dielectric constants from the linear slopes of ln ( J) versus E 1/2. The curves were not monotonously linear, but observe a knee-bend separating into two linear segments for each curve. Thermal annealing from 40°C to 80°C was used as an activation tool for driving changes in the internal morphology via inter-diffusion of polymers and current measurements were performed at room temperature after each annealing. At the last stage of annealing the two linear slopes were highly distinct. The presence of sharp knee-bend results in approximately 20 times jump in dielectric constant as a function of electric field. Such high jumps in dielectric constant illustrate the potential for switching applications and charge storage. The high dielectric constants can be understood in terms of space charge polarization due to isolated domains which hindrance to charge transport. The high dielectric constants were confirmed by another experiment of capacitance measurements of a different set of similar samples. A study of thermal evolution of internal morphology was also carried out using x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy techniques to correlate the morphological changes with the transport properties.

Measuring cosmological parameters

PubMed Central

Freedman, Wendy L.

1998-01-01

In this review, the status of measurements of the matter density (Ωm), the vacuum energy density or cosmological constant (ΩΛ), the Hubble constant (H0), and the ages of the oldest measured objects (t0) are summarized. Three independent types of methods for measuring the Hubble constant are considered: the measurement of time delays in multiply imaged quasars, the Sunyaev–Zel’dovich effect in clusters, and Cepheid-based extragalactic distances. Many recent independent dynamical measurements are yielding a low value for the matter density (Ωm ≈ 0.2–0.3). A wide range of Hubble constant measurements appear to be converging in the range of 60–80 km/sec per megaparsec. Areas where future improvements are likely to be made soon are highlighted—in particular, measurements of anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background. Particular attention is paid to sources of systematic error and the assumptions that underlie many of the measurement methods. PMID:9419315

The Mass and Absorption Columns of Galactic Gaseous Halos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qu, Zhijie; Bregman, Joel N.

2018-01-01

The gaseous halo surrounding the galaxy is a reservoir for the gas on the galaxy disk, supplying materials for the star formation. We developed a gaseous halo model connecting the galactic disk and the gaseous halo by assuming the star formation rate is equal to the radiative cooling rate. Besides the single-phase collisional gaseous halo, we also consider the photoionization effect and a time-independent cooling model that assumes the mass cooling rate is constant over all temperatures. The photoionization dominates the low mass galaxy and the outskirts of the massive galaxy due to the low-temperature or low-density nature. The multi-phase cooling model dominates the denser region within the cooling radius, where the efficient radiative cooling must be included. Applying these two improvements, our model can reproduce the most of observed high ionization state ions (i.e., O VI, O VII, Ne VIII and Mg X). Our models show that the O VI column density is almost a constant of around 10^14 cm^-2 over a wide stellar mass from M_\\star ~10^8 M_Sun to 10^11 M_Sun, which is constant with current observations. This model also implies the O VI is photoionized for the galaxy with a halo mass <~ 3 * 10^11 M_Sun, while for more massive galaxies, the O VI is from the cooling-down medium from higher temperature materials (collisional ionized). As higher ionization states, Mg X and Ne VIII are also consistent with observations with the column density of 10^13.5 - 10^14.0 cm^-2, however, the absorber-galaxy pair sample is few to constrain the connection with the galaxy. Based on our calculation, such a gaseous halo cannot close the census of baryonic materials in the galaxy, which shows the same tendency as the baryonic fraction function of the EAGLE simulation. Finally, our model predicts plateaus of the Ne VIII and the Mg X column densities above the sub-L^* galaxy, and the possibly detectable O VII and O VIII column densities for low-mass galaxies, which help to determine the required detection limit for the future observations and missions.

The effect of grid transparency and finite collector size on determining ion temperature and density by the retarding potential analyzer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Troy, B. E., Jr.; Maier, E. J.

1973-01-01

The analysis of ion data from retarding potential analyzers (RPA's) is generally done under the planar approximation, which assumes that the grid transparency is constant with angle of incidence and that all ions reaching the plane of the collectors are collected. These approximations are not valid for situations in which the ion thermal velocity is comparable to the vehicle velocity, causing ions to enter the RPA with high average transverse velocity. To investigate these effects, the current-voltage curves for H+ at 4000 K were calculated, taking into account the finite collector size and the variation of grid transparency with angle. These curves are then analyzed under the planar approximation. The results show that only small errors in temperature and density are introduced for an RPA with typical dimensions; and that even when the density error is substantial for non-typical dimensions, the temperature error remains minimal.

Time-resolved study of the electron temperature and number density of argon metastable atoms in argon-based dielectric barrier discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desjardins, E.; Laurent, M.; Durocher-Jean, A.; Laroche, G.; Gherardi, N.; Naudé, N.; Stafford, L.

2018-01-01

A combination of optical emission spectroscopy and collisional-radiative modelling is used to determine the time-resolved electron temperature (assuming Maxwellian electron energy distribution function) and number density of Ar 1s states in atmospheric pressure Ar-based dielectric barrier discharges in presence of either NH3 or ethyl lactate. In both cases, T e values were higher early in the discharge cycle (around 0.8 eV), decreased down to about 0.35 eV with the rise of the discharge current, and then remained fairly constant during discharge extinction. The opposite behaviour was observed for Ar 1s states, with cycle-averaged values in the 1017 m-3 range. Based on these findings, a link was established between the discharge ionization kinetics (and thus the electron temperature) and the number density of Ar 1s state.

Defect structure in electrodeposited nanocrystalline Ni layers with different Mo concentrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kapoor, Garima; Péter, László; Fekete, Éva; Gubicza, Jenő

2018-05-01

The effect of molybdenum (Mo) alloying on the lattice defect structure in electrodeposited nanocrystalline nickel (Ni) films was studied. The electrodeposited layers were prepared on copper substrate at room temperature, with a constant current density and pH value. The chemical composition of these layers was determined by EDS. In addition, X-ray diffraction line profile analysis was carried out to study the microstructural parameters such as the crystallite size, the dislocation density and the stacking fault probability. It was found that the higher Mo content yielded more than one order of magnitude larger dislocation density while the crystallite size was only slightly smaller. In addition, the twin boundary formation activity during deposition increased with increasing Mo concentration. The results obtained on electrodeposited layers were compared with previous research carried out on bulk nanocrystalline Ni-Mo materials with similar compositions but processed by severe plastic deformation.

Investigation of structural, electronic, elastic and optical properties of Cd1-x-yZnxHgyTe alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamer, M.

2016-06-01

Structural, optical and electronic properties and elastic constants of Cd1-x-yZnx HgyTe alloys have been studied by employing the commercial code Castep based on density functional theory. The generalized gradient approximation and local density approximation were utilized as exchange correlation. Using elastic constants for compounds, bulk modulus, band gap, Fermi energy and Kramers-Kronig relations, dielectric constants and the refractive index have been found through calculations. Apart from these, X-ray measurements revealed elastic constants and Vegard's law. It is seen that results obtained from theory and experiments are all in agreement.

The Casimir effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lang, Andrew Stuart

1998-12-01

This thesis contains several quantum field theoretic calculations using both the massless scalar field and the electromagnetic field. The main result being the calculation of the expectation of the energy density in the vacuum region for the geometry in which half of space is filled by a non- dispersive dielectric of constant susceptibility and the other half of space is vacuum. As we approach the surface of the dielectric the expectation of the energy density is found to diverge. In the final Chapter of this dissertation we prove that, under physically reasonable conditions, the quantum field theory representations for certain current models of dispersive dielectrics remain the same as that for the free electromagnetic field in vacuum. This is good news for the theories discussed.

Implementation and Initial Validation of a 100-Kilowatt Class Nested-Channel Hall Thruster

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Scott J.; Florenz, Roland E.; Gallimore, Alec D.; Kamhawi, Hani; Brown, Daniel L.; Polk, James E.; Goebel, Dan; Hofer, Richard R.

2014-01-01

The X3 is a 100-kilowatt class nested-channel Hall thruster developed by the Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Laboratory at the University of Michigan in collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory and NASA. The cathode, magnetic circuit, boron nitride channel rings, and anodes all required specific design considerations during thruster development, and thermal modeling was used to properly account for thermal growth in material selection and component design. A number of facility upgrades were required at the University of Michigan to facilitate operation of the X3. These upgrades included a re-worked propellant feed system, a completely redesigned power and telemetry break-out box, and numerous updates to thruster handling equipment. The X3 was tested on xenon propellant at two current densities, 37% and 73% of the nominal design value. It was operated to a maximum steady-state discharge power of 60.8 kilowatts. The tests presented here served as an initial validation of thruster operation. Thruster behavior was monitored with telemetry, photography and high-speed current probes. The photography showed a uniform plume throughout testing. At constant current density, reductions in mass flow rate of 18% and 26% were observed in the three-channel operating configuration as compared to the superposition of each channel running individually. The high-speed current probes showed that the thruster was stable at all operating points and that the channels influence each other when more than one is operating simultaneously. Additionally, the ratio of peak-to-peak AC-coupled discharge current oscillations to mean discharge current did not exceed 51% for any operating points reported here, and did not exceed 17% at the higher current density.

Four-Component Relativistic Density-Functional Theory Calculations of Nuclear Spin-Rotation Constants: Relativistic Effects in p-Block Hydrides.

PubMed

Komorovsky, Stanislav; Repisky, Michal; Malkin, Elena; Demissie, Taye B; Ruud, Kenneth

2015-08-11

We present an implementation of the nuclear spin-rotation (SR) constants based on the relativistic four-component Dirac-Coulomb Hamiltonian. This formalism has been implemented in the framework of the Hartree-Fock and Kohn-Sham theory, allowing assessment of both pure and hybrid exchange-correlation functionals. In the density-functional theory (DFT) implementation of the response equations, a noncollinear generalized gradient approximation (GGA) has been used. The present approach enforces a restricted kinetic balance condition for the small-component basis at the integral level, leading to very efficient calculations of the property. We apply the methodology to study relativistic effects on the spin-rotation constants by performing calculations on XHn (n = 1-4) for all elements X in the p-block of the periodic table and comparing the effects of relativity on the nuclear SR tensors to that observed for the nuclear magnetic shielding tensors. Correlation effects as described by the density-functional theory are shown to be significant for the spin-rotation constants, whereas the differences between the use of GGA and hybrid density functionals are much smaller. Our calculated relativistic spin-rotation constants at the DFT level of theory are only in fair agreement with available experimental data. It is shown that the scaling of the relativistic effects for the spin-rotation constants (varying between Z(3.8) and Z(4.5)) is as strong as for the chemical shieldings but with a much smaller prefactor.

Computation of Nonretarded London Dispersion Coefficients and Hamaker Constants of Copper Phthalocyanine.

PubMed

Zhao, Yan; Ng, Hou T; Hanson, Eric; Dong, Jiannan; Corti, David S; Franses, Elias I

2010-02-09

A time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) scheme has been validated for predictions of the dispersion coefficients of five molecules (H2O, NH3, CO2, C6H6, and pentane) and for predictions of the static dipole polarizabilities of three organometallic compounds (TiCl4, OsO4, and Ge(CH3)4). The convergence of grid spacing has been examined, and two types of pseudopotentials and 13 density functionals have been tested. The nonretarded Hamaker constants A11 are calculated by employing a semiempirical parameter a along with the standard Hamaker constant equation. The parameter a is optimized against six accurate Hamaker constants obtained from the full Lifshitz theory. The dispersion coefficients of copper phthalocyanine CuPc and CuPc-SO3H are then computed. Using the theoretical densities of ρ1 = 1.63 and 1.62 g/cm(3), the Hamaker constants A11 of crystalline α-CuPc and β-CuPc are found to be 14.73 × 10(-20) and 14.66 × 10(-20) J, respectively. Using the experimentally derived density of ρ1 = 1.56 g/cm(3) for a commercially available β-CuPc (nanoparticles of ∼90 nm hydrodynamic diameter), A11 = 13.52 × 10(-20) J is found. Its corresponding effective Hamaker constant in water (A121) is calculated to be 3.07 × 10(-20) J. All computed A11 values for CuPc are noted to be higher than those reported previously.

Stabilizing the baseline current of a microbial fuel cell-based biosensor through overpotential control under non-toxic conditions.

PubMed

Stein, Nienke E; Hamelers, Hubertus V M; Buisman, Cees N J

2010-04-01

A MFC-based biosensor can act as online toxicity sensor. Electrical current is a direct linear measure for metabolic activity of electrochemically active microorganisms. Microorganisms gain energy from anodic overpotential and current strongly depends on anodic overpotential. Therefore control of anodic overpotential is necessary to detect toxic events and prevent false positive alarms. Anodic overpotential and thus current is influenced by anode potential, pH, substrate and bicarbonate concentrations. In terms of overpotential all factor showed a comparable effect, anode potential 1.2% change in current density per mV, pH 0.43%/mV, bicarbonate 0.75%/mV and acetate 0.8%/mV. At acetate saturation the maximum acetate conversion rate is reached and with that a constant bicarbonate concentration. Control of acetate and bicarbonate concentration can be less strict than control of anode potential and pH. Current density changes due to changing anode potential and pH are in the same order of magnitude as changes due to toxicity. Strict control of pH and anode potential in a small range is required. The importance of anodic overpotential control for detection of toxic compounds is shown. To reach a stable baseline current under nontoxic conditions a MFC-based biosensor should be operated at controlled anode potential, controlled pH and saturated substrate concentrations. 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hydrogen slush density reference system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weitzel, D. H.; Lowe, L. T.; Ellerbruch, D. A.; Cruz, J. E.; Sindt, C. F.

1971-01-01

A hydrogen slush density reference system was designed for calibration of field-type instruments and/or transfer standards. The device is based on the buoyancy principle of Archimedes. The solids are weighed in a low-mass container so arranged that solids and container are buoyed by triple-point liquid hydrogen during the weighing process. Several types of hydrogen slush density transducers were developed and tested for possible use as transfer standards. The most successful transducers found were those which depend on change in dielectric constant, after which the Clausius-Mossotti function is used to relate dielectric constant and density.

Three-dimensional scanning force/tunneling spectroscopy at room temperature.

PubMed

Sugimoto, Yoshiaki; Ueda, Keiichi; Abe, Masayuki; Morita, Seizo

2012-02-29

We simultaneously measured the force and tunneling current in three-dimensional (3D) space on the Si(111)-(7 × 7) surface using scanning force/tunneling microscopy at room temperature. The observables, the frequency shift and the time-averaged tunneling current were converted to the physical quantities of interest, i.e. the interaction force and the instantaneous tunneling current. Using the same tip, the local density of states (LDOS) was mapped on the same surface area at constant height by measuring the time-averaged tunneling current as a function of the bias voltage at every lateral position. LDOS images at negative sample voltages indicate that the tip apex is covered with Si atoms, which is consistent with the Si-Si covalent bonding mechanism for AFM imaging. A measurement technique for 3D force/current mapping and LDOS imaging on the equivalent surface area using the same tip was thus demonstrated.

Intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution and intermolecular energy transfer of benzene in supercritical CO 2: measurements from the gas phase up to liquid densities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Benten, R.; Charvat, A.; Link, O.; Abel, B.; Schwarzer, D.

2004-03-01

Femtosecond pump probe spectroscopy was employed to measure intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution (IVR) and intermolecular vibrational energy transfer (VET) of benzene in the gas phase and in supercritical (sc) CO 2. We observe two IVR time scales the faster of which proceeds within τ IVR(1)<0.5 ps. The slower IVR component has a time constant of τ IVR(2)=(48±5) ps in the gas phase and in scCO 2 is accelerated by interactions with the solvent. At the highest CO 2 density it is reduced to τ IVR(2)=(6±1) ps. The corresponding IVR rate constants show a similar density dependence as the VET rate constants. Model calculations suggest that both quantities correlate with the local CO 2 density in the immediate surrounding of the benzene molecule.

Surface alteration and physical properties of glass from the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barkatt, A.; Sang, J.C.; Thorpe, A.N.; Senftle, F.E.; Talmy, I.G.; Norr, M.K.; Mazer, J.J.; Izett, G.; Sigurdsson, Haraldur

1994-01-01

The scalloped surface feature on Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary glass is often explained as being due to terrestrial aqueous leaching. Leaching of man-made glass results in a reduction in density of the glass. Also, Fe, because of its relative insolubility, is concentrated by the leaching process. Thus, the Haitian glass specimens which have been heavily altered should have a thin rim of less dense glass in which the Fe is concentrated compared to the core glass. The higher Fe concentration in the rim glass should cause it to have an enhanced Curie constant and a lower density compared to the unaltered glass. The magnetic Curie constant, density, and scanning electron microscopic studies were made on altered specimens of Haitian glass and also on specimens showing a minimum of alteration. The results show that the less altered samples have the highest density and the lowest Curie constant. The data substantiate the terrestrial hypothesis. ?? 1994.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

San Fabián, J.; Omar, S.; García de la Vega, J. M., E-mail: garcia.delavega@uam.es

The effect of a fraction of Hartree-Fock exchange on the calculated spin-spin coupling constants involving fluorine through a hydrogen bond is analyzed in detail. Coupling constants calculated using wavefunction methods are revisited in order to get high-level calculations using the same basis set. Accurate MCSCF results are obtained using an additive approach. These constants and their contributions are used as a reference for density functional calculations. Within the density functional theory, the Hartree-Fock exchange functional is split in short- and long-range using a modified version of the Coulomb-attenuating method with the SLYP functional as well as with the original B3LYP.more » Results support the difficulties for calculating hydrogen bond coupling constants using density functional methods when fluorine nuclei are involved. Coupling constants are very sensitive to the Hartree-Fock exchange and it seems that, contrary to other properties, it is important to include this exchange for short-range interactions. Best functionals are tested in two different groups of complexes: those related with anionic clusters of type [F(HF){sub n}]{sup −} and those formed by difluoroacetylene and either one or two hydrogen fluoride molecules.« less

The measurement system of birefringence and Verdet constant of optical fiber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Yi; Chen, Li; Guo, Qiang; Pang, Fufei; Wen, Jianxiang; Shang, Yana; Wang, Tingyun

2013-12-01

The Faraday magneto-optical effect of optical fiber has many applications in monitoring magnetic field and electric current. When a linearly polarized light propagates in the direction of a magnetic field, the plane of polarization will rotate linearly proportional to the strength of the applied magnetic field, which following the relationship of θF =VBl. θF is the Faraday rotation angle, which is proportional to the magnetic flux density B and the Verdet constant V . However, when the optical fiber contains the effect of linear birefringence, the detection of Faraday rotation angle will depend on the line birefringence. In order to determine the Verdet constant of an optical fiber under a linear birefringence, the fiber birefringence needs to be accurately measured. In this work, a model is applied to analyze the polarization properties of an optical fiber by using the Jones matrix method. A measurement system based on the lock-in amplifier technology is designed to test the Verdet constant and the birefringence of optical fiber. The magnetic field is produced by a solenoid with a DC current. A tunable laser is intensity modulated with a motorized rotating chopper. The actuator supplies a signal as the phase-locked synchronization reference to the signal of the lock-in amplifier. The measurement accuracy is analyzed and the sensitivity of the system is optimized. In this measurement system, the Verdet constant of the SMF-28 fiber was measured to be 0.56±0.02 rad/T·m at 1550nm. This setup is well suitable for measuring the high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) sensitivity for lock-in amplifier at a low magnetic field strength.

Fabrication of highly ordered polyaniline nanocone on pristine graphene for high-performance supercapacitor electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Ningning; Wang, Wucong; Wu, Yue; Xiao, Ding; Zhao, Yaping

2018-04-01

The hybrids of pristine graphene with polyaniline were synthesized by in situ polymerizations for making a high-performance supercapacitor. The formed high-ordered PANI nanocones were vertically aligned on the graphene sheets. The length of the PANI nanocones increased with the concentration of aniline monomer. The specific capacitance of the hybrids electrode in the three-electrode system was measured as high as 481 F/g at a current density of 0.1 A/g, and its stability remained 87% after constant charge-discharge 10000 cycles at a current density of 1 A/g. This outstanding performance is attributed to the coupling effects of the pristine graphene and the hierarchical structure of the PANI possessing high specific surface area. The unique structure of the PANI provided more charge transmission pathways and fast charge-transfer speed of electrons to the pristine graphene because of its large specific area exposed to the electrolyte. The hybrid is expected to have potential applications in supercapacitor electrodes.

Advanced Catalysts for Fuel Cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Narayanan, Sekharipuram R.; Whitacre, Jay; Valdez, T. I.

2006-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the development of catalyst for Fuel Cells. The objectives of the project are to reduce the cost of stack components and reduce the amount of precious metal used in fuel cell construction. A rapid combinatorial screening technique based on multi-electrode thin film array has been developed and validated for identifying catalysts for oxygen reduction; focus shifted from methanol oxidation in FY05 to oxygen reduction in FY06. Multi-electrode arrays of thin film catalysts of Pt-Ni and Pt-Ni-Zr have been deposited. Pt-Ni and have been characterized electrochemically and structurally. Pt-Ni-Zr and Pt-Ni films show higher current density and onset potential compared to Pt. Electrocatalytic activity and onset potential are found to be strong function of the lattice constant. Thin film Pt(59)Ni(39)Zr(2) can provide 10 times the current density of thin film Pt. Thin film Pt(59)Ni(39)Zr(2) also shows 65mV higher onset potential than Pt.

Nano ZnO-activated carbon composite electrodes for supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Selvakumar, M.; Krishna Bhat, D.; Manish Aggarwal, A.; Prahladh Iyer, S.; Sravani, G.

2010-05-01

A symmetrical (p/p) supercapacitor has been fabricated by making use of nanostructured zinc oxide (ZnO)-activated carbon (AC) composite electrodes for the first time. The composites have been characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). Electrochemical properties of the prepared nanocomposite electrodes and the supercapacitor have been studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and AC impedance spectroscopy in 0.1 M Na 2SO 4 as electrolyte. The ZnO-AC nanocomposite electrode showed a specific capacitance of 160 F/g for 1:1 composition. The specific capacitance of the electrodes decreased with increase in zinc oxide content. Galvanostatic charge-discharge measurements have been done at various current densities, namely 2, 4, 6 and 7 mA/cm 2. It has been found that the cells have excellent electrochemical reversibility and capacitive characteristics in 0.1 M Na 2SO 4 electrolyte. It has also been observed that the specific capacitance is constant up to 500 cycles at all current densities.

Current density characteristics in the studies of electromagnetically induced transparency in a GaAs/GaAlAs quantum well

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jayarubi, J.; Peter, A. John

2017-05-01

Confinement potential profiles due to conduction and valence bands are obtained in a Ga0.7Al0.3As/ GaAs/ Ga0.7Al0.3As using variation formulism. The free electron distribution is carried out. The confined energy eigenvalue and its corresponding wavefunctions of charge carriers are found using self-consistent method. The confined energies with the geometrical confinement are computed. The potentials due to charges are done by Poisson equation. The effects of dielectric mismatch between the GaAs and GaAlAs semiconductors are introduced in the effective potential expressions. Transfer matrix method is employed to obtain the respective energies. The transmission probability is obtained for a constant well size. The high current density characteristics as a function of applied voltage is investigated. This investigation on the electromagnetically induced transparency in the photonic material will exploit in fabricating novel nonlinear optical devices in future.

Nuclear shielding constants by density functional theory with gauge including atomic orbitals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helgaker, Trygve; Wilson, Philip J.; Amos, Roger D.; Handy, Nicholas C.

2000-08-01

Recently, we introduced a new density-functional theory (DFT) approach for the calculation of NMR shielding constants. First, a hybrid DFT calculation (using 5% exact exchange) is performed on the molecule to determine Kohn-Sham orbitals and their energies; second, the constants are determined as in nonhybrid DFT theory, that is, the paramagnetic contribution to the constants is calculated from a noniterative, uncoupled sum-over-states expression. The initial results suggested that this semiempirical DFT approach gives shielding constants in good agreement with the best ab initio and experimental data; in this paper, we further validate this procedure, using London orbitals in the theory, having implemented DFT into the ab initio code DALTON. Calculations on a number of small and medium-sized molecules confirm that our approach produces shieldings in excellent agreement with experiment and the best ab initio results available, demonstrating its potential for the study of shielding constants of large systems.

High discharge rate characteristics of nickel-cadmium batteries for pulse load filtering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gearing, G. M.; Cimino, M. B.; Fritts, D. H.; Leonard, J. F.; Terzuoli, A. J., Jr.

1985-01-01

Several tests of specially fabricated nickel-cadmium batteries having circular disk type electrodes were considered. These batteries were evaluated as filter elements between a constant current power supply and a five hertz pulsed load demanding approximately twice the power supply current during the load on portion of the cycle. Short tests lasting 10,000 cycles were conducted at up to a 21 C rate and an equivalent energy density of over 40 Joules per pound. In addition, two batteries were subjected to 10 to the 7 charge/discharge cycles, one at a 6.5 C rate and the other at a 13 C rate. Assuming an electrode to battery weight ratio of 0.5, these tests represent an energy density of about 7 and 14 Joules per pound respectively. Energy density, efficiency, capacitance, average voltage, and available capacity were tracked during these tests. After 10 to the 7 cycles, capacity degradation was negligible for one battery and about 20% for the other. Cadmium electrode failure may be the factor limiting lifetime at extremely low depth of discharge cycling. The output was examined and a simple equivalent circuit was proposed.

Energy-storage properties and electrocaloric effect of Pb(1-3x/2)LaxZr0.85Ti0.15O3 antiferroelectric thick films.

PubMed

Zhao, Ye; Hao, Xihong; Zhang, Qi

2014-07-23

Antiferroelectric (AFE) thick (1 μm) films of Pb(1-3x/2)LaxZr0.85Ti0.15O3 (PLZT) with x = 0.08, 0.10, 0.12, and 0.14 were deposited on LaNiO3/Si (100) substrates by a sol-gel method. The dielectric properties, energy-storage performance, electrocaloric effect, and leakage current behavior were investigated in detail. With increasing La content, dielectric constant and saturated polarizations of the thick films were gradually decreased. A maximum recoverable energy-storage density of 38 J/cm(3) and efficiency of 71% were achieved in the thick films with x = 0.12 at room temperature. A large reversible adiabatic temperature change of ΔT = 25.0 °C was presented in the thick films with x = 0.08 at 127 °C at 990 kV/cm. Moreover, all the samples had a lower leakage current density below 10(-6) A/cm(2) at room temperature. These results indicated that the PLZT AFE thick films could be a potential candidate for applications in high energy-storage density capacitors and cooling devices.

Effects of substrate temperature on properties of pulsed dc reactively sputtered tantalum oxide films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, Pushkar; Juneja, Jasbir S.; Bhagwat, Vinay; Rymaszewski, Eugene J.; Lu, Toh-Ming; Cale, Timothy S.

2005-05-01

The effects of substrate heating on the stoichiometry and the electrical properties of pulsed dc reactively sputtered tantalum oxide films over a range of film thickness (0.14 to 5.4 μm) are discussed. The film stoichiometry, and hence the electrical properties, of tantalum oxide films; e.g., breakdown field, leakage current density, dielectric constant, and dielectric loss are compared for two different cases: (a) when no intentional substrate/film cooling is provided, and (b) when the substrate is water cooled during deposition. All other operating conditions are the same, and the film thickness is directly related to deposition time. The tantalum oxide films deposited on the water-cooled substrates are stoichiometric, and exhibit excellent electrical properties over the entire range of film thickness. ``Noncooled'' tantalum oxide films are stoichiometric up to ~1 μm film thickness, beyond that the deposited oxide is increasingly nonstoichiometric. The presence of partially oxidized Ta in thicker (>~1 μm) noncooled tantalum oxide films causes a lower breakdown field, higher leakage current density, higher apparent dielectric constant, and dielectric loss. The growth of nonstoichiometric tantalum oxide in thicker noncooled films is attributed to decreased surface oxygen concentration due to oxygen recombination and desorption at higher film temperatures (>~100 °C). The quantitative results presented reflect experience with a specific piece of equipment; however, the procedures presented can be used to characterize deposition processes in which film stoichiometry can change.

Structural and critical current properties in Al-doped MgB 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, D. N.; Xiang, J. Y.; Lang, P. L.; Li, J. Q.; Che, G. C.; Zhao, Z. W.; Wen, H. H.; Tian, H. Y.; Ni, Y. M.; Zhao, Z. X.

2004-08-01

A series of Al-doped Mg 1- xAl xB 2 samples have been fabricated and systematic study on structure and superconducting properties have been carried out for the samples. In addition to a structural transition observed by XRD, TEM micrographs showed the existence of a superstructure of double c-axis lattice constant along the direction perpendicular to the boron honeycomb sheet. In order to investigate the effect of Al doping on flux pinning and critical current properties in MgB 2, measurements on the superconducting transition temperature Tc, irreversible field Birr and critical current density Jc were performed too, for the samples with the doping levels lower than 0.15 in particular. These experimental observations were discussed in terms of Al doping induced changes in carrier concentration.

Investigation of structural, electronic, elastic and optical properties of Cd{sub 1-x-y}Zn{sub x}Hg{sub y}Te alloys

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tamer, M., E-mail: mehmet.tamer@zirve.edu.tr

2016-06-15

Structural, optical and electronic properties and elastic constants of Cd1{sub -x-y}Zn{sub x} Hg{sub y}Te alloys have been studied by employing the commercial code Castep based on density functional theory. The generalized gradient approximation and local density approximation were utilized as exchange correlation. Using elastic constants for compounds, bulk modulus, band gap, Fermi energy and Kramers–Kronig relations, dielectric constants and the refractive index have been found through calculations. Apart from these, X-ray measurements revealed elastic constants and Vegard’s law. It is seen that results obtained from theory and experiments are all in agreement.

Analysis of the compressive behaviour of the three-dimensional printed porous titanium for dental implants using a modified cellular solid model.

PubMed

Gagg, Graham; Ghassemieh, Elaheh; Wiria, Florencia E

2013-09-01

A set of cylindrical porous titanium test samples were produced using the three-dimensional printing and sintering method with samples sintered at 900 °C, 1000 °C, 1100 °C, 1200 °C or 1300 °C. Following compression testing, it was apparent that the stress-strain curves were similar in shape to the curves that represent cellular solids. This is despite a relative density twice as high as what is considered the threshold for defining a cellular solid. As final sintering temperature increased, the compressive behaviour developed from being elastic-brittle to elastic-plastic and while Young's modulus remained fairly constant in the region of 1.5 GPa, there was a corresponding increase in 0.2% proof stress of approximately 40-80 MPa. The cellular solid model consists of two equations that predict Young's modulus and yield or proof stress. By fitting to experimental data and consideration of porous morphology, appropriate changes to the geometry constants allow modification of the current models to predict with better accuracy the behaviour of porous materials with higher relative densities (lower porosity).

The effects of temperature on optical properties of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well light-emitting diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yi; Zhu, Youhua; Huang, Jing; Deng, Honghai; Wang, Meiyu; Yin, HaiHong

2017-02-01

The effects of temperature on the optical properties of InGaN/GaN quantum well (QW) light-emitting diodes have been investigated by using the six-by-six K-P method taking into account the temperature dependence of band gaps, lattice constants, and elastic constants. The numerical results indicate that the increase of temperature leads to the decrease of the spontaneous emission rate at the same injection current density due to the redistribution of carrier density and the increase of the non-radiative recombination rate. The product of Fermi-Dirac distribution functions of electron fc n and hole ( 1 - fv U m ) for the transitions between the three lowest conduction subbands (c1-c3) and the top six valence subbands (v1-v6) is larger at the lower temperature, which indicates that there are more electron-hole pairs distributed on the energy levels. It should be noted that the optical matrix elements of the inter-band transitions slightly increase at the higher temperature. In addition, the internal quantum efficiency of the InGaN/GaN QW structure is evidently decreased with increasing temperature.

On the Foundation of Equipartition in Supernova Remnants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urošević, Dejan; Pavlović, Marko Z.; Arbutina, Bojan

2018-03-01

A widely accepted paradigm is that equipartition (eqp) between the energy density of cosmic rays (CRs) and the energy density of the magnetic field cannot be sustained in supernova remnants (SNRs). However, our 3D hydrodynamic supercomputer simulations, coupled with a nonlinear diffusive shock acceleration model, provide evidence that eqp may be established at the end of the Sedov phase of evolution in which most SNRs spend the longest portions of their lives. We introduce the term “constant partition” for any constant ratio between the CR energy density and the energy density of the magnetic field in an SNR, while the term “equipartition” should be reserved for the case of approximately the same values of the energy density (also, it is constant partition in the order of magnitude) of ultra-relativistic electrons only (or CRs in total) and the energy density of the magnetic field. Our simulations suggest that this approximate constant partition exists in all but the youngest SNRs. We speculate that since evolved SNRs at the end of the Sedov phase of evolution can reach eqp between CRs and magnetic fields, they may be responsible for initializing this type of eqp in the interstellar medium. Additionally, we show that eqp between the electron component of CRs and the magnetic field may be used for calculating the magnetic field strength directly from observations of synchrotron emission from SNRs. The values of magnetic field strengths in SNRs given here are approximately 2.5 times lower than values calculated by Arbutina et al.

Evaluation of the Ca/P concentration ratio in hydroxyapatite by STEM-EDXS: influence of the electron irradiation dose and temperature processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benhayoune, H.; Charlier, D.; Jallot, E.; Laquerriere, P.; Balossier, G.; Bonhomme, P.

2001-01-01

Biomaterials used in dental and orthopaedic surgery to fill bony loss and to coat prostheses are either of natural or synthetic origin. Amongst these biomaterials, hydroxyapatites (HA) offer good properties of biocompatibility and bioactivity when they interact with bone. This interaction depends mainly on the physico-chemical properties of HA particles. In this work, using a scanning transmission electronic microscope equipped with an Si(Li) detector for x-ray analysis, we analysed three kinds of hydroxyapatite: non-sintered particles, 600 °C sintered particles and 1180 °C sintered particles. Then, we determined the Ca/P concentration ratio in order to observe the influence of the temperature processing on this ratio. Concurrently, we carried out measurements on the HA powders by varying the electron irradiation dose either with the current density or with irradiation time. When the electron irradiation dose varied with the current density (at constant and short irradiation time), the Ca/P concentration ratio did not vary. But, at fixed current density and increasing irradiation time, the calcium and phosphorus intensities decreased, leading to an increase of the Ca/P concentration ratio at high electron irradiation dose. This phenomenon represents a mass loss of the specimen during electronic bombardment. We propose an experimental procedure to avoid all these problems.

Relationship between the specific surface area of rust and the electrochemical behavior of rusted steel in a wet-dry acid corrosion environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Wei; Zhao, Qing-he; Li, Shuan-zhu

2017-01-01

The relationship between the specific surface area (SSA) of rust and the electrochemical behavior of rusted steel under wet-dry acid corrosion conditions was investigated. The results showed that the corrosion current density first increased and then decreased with increasing SSA of the rust during the corrosion process. The structure of the rust changed from single-layer to double-layer, and the γ-FeOOH content decreased in the inner layer of the rust with increasing corrosion time; by contrast, the γ-FeOOH content in the outer layer was constant. When the SSA of the rust was lower than the critical SSA corresponding to the relative humidity during the drying period, condensed water in the micropores of the rust could evaporate, which prompted the diffusion of O2 into the rust and the following formation process of γ-FeOOH, leading to an increase of corrosion current density with increasing corrosion time. However, when the SSA of the rust reached or exceeded the critical SSA, condensate water in the micro-pores of the inner layer of the rust could not evaporate which inhibited the diffusion of O2 and decreased the γ-FeOOH content in the inner rust, leading to a decrease of corrosion current density with increasing corrosion time.

Energy conservation and maximal entropy production in enzyme reactions.

PubMed

Dobovišek, Andrej; Vitas, Marko; Brumen, Milan; Fajmut, Aleš

2017-08-01

A procedure for maximization of the density of entropy production in a single stationary two-step enzyme reaction is developed. Under the constraints of mass conservation, fixed equilibrium constant of a reaction and fixed products of forward and backward enzyme rate constants the existence of maximum in the density of entropy production is demonstrated. In the state with maximal density of entropy production the optimal enzyme rate constants, the stationary concentrations of the substrate and the product, the stationary product yield as well as the stationary reaction flux are calculated. The test, whether these calculated values of the reaction parameters are consistent with their corresponding measured values, is performed for the enzyme Glucose Isomerase. It is found that calculated and measured rate constants agree within an order of magnitude, whereas the calculated reaction flux and the product yield differ from their corresponding measured values for less than 20 % and 5 %, respectively. This indicates that the enzyme Glucose Isomerase, considered in a non-equilibrium stationary state, as found in experiments using the continuous stirred tank reactors, possibly operates close to the state with the maximum in the density of entropy production. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Self-consistent quantum kinetic theory of diatomic molecule formation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Forrey, Robert C.

2015-07-14

A quantum kinetic theory of molecule formation is presented which includes three-body recombination and radiative association for a thermodynamically closed system which may or may not exchange energy with its surrounding at a constant temperature. The theory uses a Sturmian representation of a two-body continuum to achieve a steady-state solution of a governing master equation which is self-consistent in the sense that detailed balance between all bound and unbound states is rigorously enforced. The role of quasibound states in catalyzing the molecule formation is analyzed in complete detail. The theory is used to make three predictions which differ from conventionalmore » kinetic models. These predictions suggest significant modifications may be needed to phenomenological rate constants which are currently in wide use. Implications for models of low and high density systems are discussed.« less

High Packing Density Unidirectional Arrays of Vertically Aligned Graphene with Enhanced Areal Capacitance for High-Power Micro-Supercapacitors.

PubMed

Zheng, Shuanghao; Li, Zhilin; Wu, Zhong-Shuai; Dong, Yanfeng; Zhou, Feng; Wang, Sen; Fu, Qiang; Sun, Chenglin; Guo, Liwei; Bao, Xinhe

2017-04-25

Interfacial integration of a shape-engineered electrode with a strongly bonded current collector is the key for minimizing both ionic and electronic resistance and then developing high-power supercapacitors. Herein, we demonstrated the construction of high-power micro-supercapacitors (VG-MSCs) based on high-density unidirectional arrays of vertically aligned graphene (VG) nanosheets, derived from a thermally decomposed SiC substrate. The as-grown VG arrays showed a standing basal plane orientation grown on a (0001̅) SiC substrate, tailored thickness (3.5-28 μm), high-density structurally ordering alignment of graphene consisting of 1-5 layers, vertically oriented edges, open intersheet channels, high electrical conductivity (192 S cm -1 ), and strong bonding of the VG edges to the SiC substrate. As a result, the demonstrated VG-MSCs displayed a high areal capacitance of ∼7.3 mF cm -2 and a fast frequency response with a short time constant of 9 ms. Furthermore, VG-MSCs in both an aqueous polymer gel electrolyte and nonaqueous ionic liquid of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate operated well at high scan rates of up to 200 V s -1 . More importantly, VG-MSCs offered a high power density of ∼15 W cm -3 in gel electrolyte and ∼61 W cm -3 in ionic liquid. Therefore, this strategy of producing high-density unidirectional VG nanosheets directly bonded on a SiC current collector demonstrated the feasibility of manufacturing high-power compact supercapacitors.

Density and beta limits in the Madison Symmetric Torus Reversed-Field Pinch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caspary, Kyle Jonathan

Operational limits and the underlying physics are explored on the Madison Symmetric Torus (MST) Reversed-Field Pinch (RFP) using deuterium pellet fueling. The injection of a fast pellet provides a large source of fuel in the plasma edge upon impact with the vessel wall, capable of triggering density limit terminations for the full range of plasma current, up to 600 kA. As the pellet size and plasma density increase, approaching the empirical Greenwald limit, plasma degradation is observed in the form of current decay, increased magnetic activity in the edge and core, increased radiation and plasma cooling. The complete termination of the plasma is consistent with the Greenwald limit; however, a slightly smaller maximum density is observed in discharges without toroidal field reversal. The plasma beta is the ratio of the plasma pressure to the confining magnetic pressure. Beta limits are known to constrain other magnetic confinement devices, but no beta limit has yet been established on the RFP. On MST, the highest beta values are obtained in improved confinement discharges with pellet fueling. By using pellet injection to scan the plasma density during PPCD, we also achieve a scan of Ohmic input power due to the increase in plasma resistivity. We observe a factor of 3 or more increase in Ohmic power as we increase the density from 1*1019 to 3*10 19 m-3. Despite this increased Ohmic power, the electron contribution to beta is constant, suggesting a confinement limited beta for the RFP. The electrons and ions are classically well coupled in these cold, dense pellet fueled plasmas, so the increase in total beta at higher density is primarily due to the increased ion contribution. The interaction of pellet fueling and NBI heating is explored. Modeling of MST's neutral heating beam suggests an optimal density for beam power deposition of 2-3*1019 m-3. Low current, NBI heated discharges show evidence of an increased electron beta in this density range. Additionally, the fast ion population can enhance ablation as well as cause pellet deflection. Other exploratory experiments with the pellet injection system explore additional injection scenarios and expand the injector capabilities.

Higher success rate with transcranial electrical stimulation of motor-evoked potentials using constant-voltage stimulation compared with constant-current stimulation in patients undergoing spinal surgery.

PubMed

Shigematsu, Hideki; Kawaguchi, Masahiko; Hayashi, Hironobu; Takatani, Tsunenori; Iwata, Eiichiro; Tanaka, Masato; Okuda, Akinori; Morimoto, Yasuhiko; Masuda, Keisuke; Tanaka, Yuu; Tanaka, Yasuhito

2017-10-01

During spine surgery, the spinal cord is electrophysiologically monitored via transcranial electrical stimulation of motor-evoked potentials (TES-MEPs) to prevent injury. Transcranial electrical stimulation of motor-evoked potential involves the use of either constant-current or constant-voltage stimulation; however, there are few comparative data available regarding their ability to adequately elicit compound motor action potentials. We hypothesized that the success rates of TES-MEP recordings would be similar between constant-current and constant-voltage stimulations in patients undergoing spine surgery. The objective of this study was to compare the success rates of TES-MEP recordings between constant-current and constant-voltage stimulation. This is a prospective, within-subject study. Data from 100 patients undergoing spinal surgery at the cervical, thoracic, or lumbar level were analyzed. The success rates of the TES-MEP recordings from each muscle were examined. Transcranial electrical stimulation with constant-current and constant-voltage stimulations at the C3 and C4 electrode positions (international "10-20" system) was applied to each patient. Compound muscle action potentials were bilaterally recorded from the abductor pollicis brevis (APB), deltoid (Del), abductor hallucis (AH), tibialis anterior (TA), gastrocnemius (GC), and quadriceps (Quad) muscles. The success rates of the TES-MEP recordings from the right Del, right APB, bilateral Quad, right TA, right GC, and bilateral AH muscles were significantly higher using constant-voltage stimulation than those using constant-current stimulation. The overall success rates with constant-voltage and constant-current stimulations were 86.3% and 68.8%, respectively (risk ratio 1.25 [95% confidence interval: 1.20-1.31]). The success rates of TES-MEP recordings were higher using constant-voltage stimulation compared with constant-current stimulation in patients undergoing spinal surgery. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effect of an imposed current on the creep of tin silver copper interconnects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kinney, Christopher Charles

There has been substantial work done on the properties of solder interconnects due to the global transition to lead free electronics. These interconnects create an electrical connection, which current will pass through for much of the interconnects' lifespan. As such, it is imperative in the testing of any solder alloy to examine the mechanical, thermal, and microstructural behavior of the interconnect while it is under an imposed current. The imposed current drives several internal effects that may impact the behavior of the interconnect; creating a complicated state within the interconnect. This thesis is the first study of the couple between current and mechanical properties of these interconnects. Idealized SnAgCu interconnects were made consisting of double-shear specimens that contained paired solder joints, 400x400mum in cross-section, 200mum in thickness on a Cu substrate. Different representative microstructures were prepared by pre-treating the interconnects via electromigration and isothermal aging. Samples were tested with and without an imposed current, and at a variety of temperatures. These tests consistently yielded two unexpected results. First, the relative increase in creep rate, for a given imposed current, is nearly the same over a range of temperatures and starting microstructures. Second, when tests are done at equivalent temperatures (to compensate for Joule heating) the creep rate is lower when under an imposed current than under isothermal conditions. To explain this phenomena, internal gradients within the interconnects were investigated. The temperature profile was shown to be constant at a given current density. Given constant temperature, and a microstructure that includes interfacial voids, the effect of the imposed current on the vacancy concentration was examined. It was found that the current depletes the joint of vacancies, lowering the average creep rate, and introducing observable heterogeneities in the creep pattern. This result was also found to be dependant on the specific locations of the voids, which act as vacancy sources or sinks. The usual Dom equation then provides a very useful basis for evaluating the change of creep rate with current. Actual microelectronic devices were also examined under an imposed current. Due to the complex geometry and composition of the samples, lower current densities were necessitated. As such, current induced effects were lessened, yet comparisons show similar behavior to the idealized interconnects. Our idealized model was applied to these devices, and yielded activation energies consistent with previous data. Finally, lifetime reliability projections were made for use in the future design of lead free microelectronic devices.

Transparent and flexible capacitors based on nanolaminate Al2O3/TiO2/Al2O3.

PubMed

Zhang, Guozhen; Wu, Hao; Chen, Chao; Wang, Ti; Yue, Jin; Liu, Chang

2015-01-01

Transparent and flexible capacitors based on nanolaminate Al2O3/TiO2/Al2O3 dielectrics have been fabricated on indium tin oxide-coated polyethylene naphthalate substrates by atomic layer deposition. A capacitance density of 7.8 fF/μm(2) at 10 KHz was obtained, corresponding to a dielectric constant of 26.3. Moreover, a low leakage current density of 3.9 × 10(-8) A/cm(2) at 1 V has been realized. Bending test shows that the capacitors have better performances in concave conditions than in convex conditions. The capacitors exhibit an average optical transmittance of about 70% in visible range and thus open the door for applications in transparent and flexible integrated circuits.

On the response of superpressure balloons to displacements from equilibrium density level

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levanon, N.; Kushnir, Y.

1976-01-01

The response of a superpressure balloon to an initial displacement from its constant-density floating level is examined. An approximate solution is obtained to the governing vertical equation of motion for constant-density superpressure balloons. This solution is used to filter out neutrally buoyant oscillations in balloon records despite the nonlinear behavior of the balloon. The graph depicting the pressure data after deconvolution between the raw pressure data and the normalized balloon wavelet shows clearly the strong filtering-out of the neutral buoyancy oscillations.

Connection formulas for thermal density functional theory

DOE PAGES

Pribram-Jones, A.; Burke, K.

2016-05-23

We show that the adiabatic connection formula of ground-state density functional theory relates the correlation energy to a coupling-constant integral over a purely potential contribution, and is widely used to understand and improve approximations. The corresponding formula for thermal density functional theory is cast as an integral over temperatures instead, ranging upward from the system's physical temperature. We also show how to relate different correlation components to each other, either in terms of temperature or coupling-constant integrations. Lastly, we illustrate our results on the uniform electron gas.

Measurement of Two-Plasmon-Decay Dependence on Plasma Density Scale Length

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haberberger, D.

2013-10-01

An accurate understanding of the plasma scale-length (Lq) conditions near quarter-critical density is important in quantifying the hot electrons generated by the two-plasmon-decay (TPD) instability in long-scale-length plasmas. A novel target platform was developed to vary the density scale length and an innovative diagnostic was implemented to measure the density profiles above 1021 cm-3 where TPD is expected to have the largest growth. A series of experiments was performed using the four UV (351-nm) beams on OMEGA EP that varied the Lq by changing the radius of curvature of the target while maintaining a constant Iq/Tq. The fraction of laser energy converted to hot electrons (fhot) was observed to increase rapidly from 0.005% to 1% by increasing the plasma scale length from 130 μm to 300 μm, corresponding to target diameters of 0.4 mm to 8 mm. A new diagnostic was developed based on refractometry using angular spectral filters to overcome the large phase accumulation in standard interferometric techniques. The angular filter refractometer measures the refraction angles of a 10-ps, 263-nm probe laser after propagating through the plasma. An angular spectral filter is used in the Fourier plane of the probe beam, where the refractive angles of the rays are mapped to space. The edges of the filter are present in the image plane and represent contours of constant refraction angle. These contours are used to infer the phase of the probe beam, which are used to calculate the plasma density profile. In long-scale-length plasmas, the diagnostic currently measures plasma densities from ~1019 cm-3 to ~2 × 1021 cm-3. This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration under Award Number DE-NA0001944. In collaboration with D. H. Edgell, S. X. Hu, S. Ivancic, R. Boni, C. Dorrer, and D. H. Froula (Laboratory for Laser Energetics, U. of Rochester).

All-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitors based on Fe-doped mesoporous Co3O4 and three-dimensional reduced graphene oxide electrodes with high energy and power densities.

PubMed

Zhang, Cheng; Wei, Jun; Chen, Leiyi; Tang, Shaolong; Deng, Mingsen; Du, Youwei

2017-10-19

An asymmetric supercapacitor offers opportunities to effectively utilize the full potential of the different potential windows of the two electrodes for a higher operating voltage, resulting in an enhanced specific capacitance and significantly improved energy without sacrificing the power delivery and cycle life. To achieve high energy and power densities, we have synthesized an all-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor with a wider voltage range using Fe-doped Co 3 O 4 and three-dimensional reduced graphene oxide (3DrGO) as the positive and negative electrodes, respectively. In contrast to undoped Co 3 O 4 , the increased density of states and modified charge spatial separation endow the Fe-doped Co 3 O 4 electrode with greatly improved electrochemical capacitive performance, including high specific capacitance (1997 F g -1 and 1757 F g -1 at current densities of 1 and 20 A g -1 , respectively), excellent rate capability, and superior cycling stability. Remarkably, the optimized all-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor can be cycled reversibly in a wide range of 0-1.8 V, thus delivering a high energy density (270.3 W h kg -1 ), high power density (9.0 kW kg -1 at 224.2 W h kg -1 ), and excellent cycling stability (91.8% capacitance retention after 10 000 charge-discharge cycles at a constant current density of 10 A g -1 ). The superior capacitive performance suggests that such an all-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor shows great potential for developing energy storage systems with high levels of energy and power delivery.

Symmetric supercapacitor: Sulphurized graphene and ionic liquid.

PubMed

Shaikh, Jasmin S; Shaikh, Navajsharif S; Kharade, Rohini; Beknalkar, Sonali A; Patil, Jyoti V; Suryawanshi, Mahesh P; Kanjanaboos, Pongsakorn; Hong, Chang Kook; Kim, Jin Hyeok; Patil, Pramod S

2018-10-01

Symmetric supercapacitor is advanced over simple supercapacitor device due to their stability over a large potential window and high energy density. Graphene is a desired candidate for supercapacitor application since it has a high surface area, good electronic conductivity and high electro chemical stability. There is a pragmatic use of ionic liquid electrolyte for supercapacitor due to its stability over a large potential window, good ionic conductivity and eco-friendly nature. For high performance supercapacitor, the interaction between ionic liquid electrolyte and graphene are crucial for better charge transportation. In respect of this, a three-dimensional (3D) nanoporous honeycomb shaped sulfur embedded graphene (S-graphene) has been synthesized by simple chemical method. Here, the fabrication of high performance symmetric supercapacitor is done by using S-graphene as an electrode and [BMIM-PF 6 ] as an electrolyte. The particular architecture of S-graphene benefited to reduce the ion diffusion resistance, providing the large surface area for charge transportation and efficient charge storage. The S-graphene and ionic liquid-based symmetric supercapacitor device showed the large potential window of 3.2 V with high energy density 124 Wh kg -1 at 0.2 A g -1 constant applied current density. Furthermore, this device shows good cycling performance (stability) with a capacitive retention of 95% over 20,000 cycles at a higher current density of 2 A g -1 . Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Trap densities and transport properties of pentacene metal-oxide-semiconductor transistors: II—Numerical modeling of dc characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basile, A. F.; Kyndiah, A.; Biscarini, F.; Fraboni, B.

2014-06-01

A numerical procedure to calculate the drain-current (ID) vs. gate-voltage (VG) characteristics from numerical solutions of the Poisson equation for organic Thin-Film Transistors (TFTs) is presented. Polaron transport is modeled as two-dimensional charge transport in a semiconductor having free-carrier density of states proportional to the density of molecules and traps with energy equal to the polaron-hopping barrier. The simulated ID-VG curves are proportional to the product of the density of free carriers, calculated as a function of VG, and the intrinsic mobility, assumed to be a constant independent of temperature. The presence of traps in the oxide was also taken into account in the model, which was applied to a TFT made with six monolayers of pentacene grown on an oxide substrate. The polaron-hopping barrier determines the temperature dependence of the simulated ID-VG curves, trapping in the oxide is responsible for current reduction at high bias and the slope of the characteristics near threshold is related to the metal-semiconductor work-function difference. The values of the model parameters yielding the best match between calculations and experiments are consistent with previous experimental results and theoretical predictions. Therefore, this model enables to extract both physical and technological properties of thin-film devices from the temperature-dependent dc characteristics.

Skyrmion-based high-frequency signal generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Shijiang; Zhang, Yue; Shen, Maokang; Ou-Yang, Jun; Yan, Baiqian; Yang, Xiaofei; Chen, Shi; Zhu, Benpeng; You, Long

2017-03-01

Many concepts for skyrmion-based devices have been proposed, and most of their possible applications are based on the motion of skyrmions driven by a dc current in an area with a constricted geometry. However, skyrmion motion driven by a pulsed current has not been investigated so far. In this work, we propose a skyrmion-based high-frequency signal generator based on the pulsed-current-driven circular motion of skyrmions in a square-shaped film by micromagnetic simulation. The results indicate that skyrmions can move in a closed curve with central symmetry. The trajectory and cycle period can be adjusted by tuning the size of the film, the current density, the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction constant, and the local in-plane magnetic anisotropy. The period can be tuned from several nanoseconds to tens of nanoseconds, which offers the possibility to prepare high-frequency signal generator based on skyrmions.

Soft-type trap-induced degradation of MoS2 field effect transistors.

PubMed

Cho, Young-Hoon; Ryu, Min-Yeul; Lee, Kook Jin; Park, So Jeong; Choi, Jun Hee; Lee, Byung-Chul; Kim, Wungyeon; Kim, Gyu-Tae

2018-06-01

The practical applicability of electronic devices is largely determined by the reliability of field effect transistors (FETs), necessitating constant searches for new and better-performing semiconductors. We investigated the stress-induced degradation of MoS 2 multilayer FETs, revealing a steady decrease of drain current by 56% from the initial value after 30 min. The drain current recovers to the initial state when the transistor is completely turned off, indicating the roles of soft-traps in the apparent degradation. The noise current power spectrum follows the model of carrier number fluctuation-correlated mobility fluctuation (CNF-CMF) regardless of stress time. However, the reduction of the drain current was well fitted to the increase of the trap density based on the CNF-CMF model, attributing the presence of the soft-type traps of dielectric oxides to the degradation of the MoS 2 FETs.

Soft-type trap-induced degradation of MoS2 field effect transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Young-Hoon; Ryu, Min-Yeul; Lee, Kook Jin; Park, So Jeong; Choi, Jun Hee; Lee, Byung-Chul; Kim, Wungyeon; Kim, Gyu-Tae

2018-06-01

The practical applicability of electronic devices is largely determined by the reliability of field effect transistors (FETs), necessitating constant searches for new and better-performing semiconductors. We investigated the stress-induced degradation of MoS2 multilayer FETs, revealing a steady decrease of drain current by 56% from the initial value after 30 min. The drain current recovers to the initial state when the transistor is completely turned off, indicating the roles of soft-traps in the apparent degradation. The noise current power spectrum follows the model of carrier number fluctuation–correlated mobility fluctuation (CNF–CMF) regardless of stress time. However, the reduction of the drain current was well fitted to the increase of the trap density based on the CNF–CMF model, attributing the presence of the soft-type traps of dielectric oxides to the degradation of the MoS2 FETs.

Investigation of Airborne Chemical Concentrations in Certain Work Areas of Naval Air Rework Facility at North Island, California

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-12-01

temperature , degree of agitation purity, pH, etc. This is currently the responsibility of Mr. Raeburn Solberg, who has been of great help in providing the...liters. All work was done at room temperature (297°K) and atmospheric pressure of (1 atm). Based on this the following equation was used: VLIQ. PP m A...atmospheres (1 atm) LIQ. = Liquid density R = Gas constant (0.08205) T = Absolute temperature (297°K) Tables were made of V(yl ) versus C . These could

Improving the efficiency of smaller transport aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, R. T.

1984-01-01

Considered apart from its propulsive system the high altitude airplane itself adapted to higher flight altitudes than those in current use. Scaling on the assumption of constant aircraft density indicates that this conclusion applies most importantly to smaller transport aircraft. Climb to 60,000 ft could save time and energy for trips as short as 500 miles. A discussion of the effect of winglets on aircraft efficiency is presented. A 10% reduction of induced drag below that of a comparable elliptic wing can be achieved either by horizontal or vertical wing tip extensions.

Improved Dielectric Films For Capacitors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yen, Shiao-Ping S.; Lewis, Carol R.; Cygan, Peter J.; Jow, T. Richard

1994-01-01

Dielectric films made from blends of some commercially available high-dielectric-constant cyanoresins with each other and with cellulose triacetate (CTA) have both high dielectric constants and high breakdown strengths. Dielectric constants as high as 16.2. Films used to produce high-energy-density capacitors.

On the Boundary Condition Between Two Multiplying Media

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Friedman, F. L.; Wigner, E. P.

1944-04-19

The transition region between two parts of a pile which have different compositions is investigated. In the case where the moderator is the same in both parts of the pile, it is found that the diffusion constant times thermal neutron density plus diffusion constant times fast neutron density satisfies the usual pile equations everywhere, right to the boundary. More complicated formulae apply in a more general case.

Gallium Electromagnetic (GEM) Thruster Performance Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, Robert E.; Burton, Rodney L.; Polzin, K. A.

2009-01-01

Discharge current, terminal voltage, and mass bit measurements are performed on a coaxial gallium electromagnetic thruster at discharge currents in the range of 7-23 kA. It is found that the mass bit varies quadratically with the discharge current which yields a constant exhaust velocity of 20 km/s. Increasing the electrode radius ratio of the thruster from to 2.6 to 3.4 increases the thruster efficiency from 21% to 30%. When operating with a central gallium anode, macroparticles are ejected at all energy levels tested. A central gallium cathode ejects macroparticles when the current density exceeds 3.7 10(exp 8) A/square m . A spatially and temporally broad spectroscopic survey in the 220-520 nm range is used to determine which species are present in the plasma. The spectra show that neutral, singly, and doubly ionized gallium species are present in the discharge, as well as annular electrode species at higher energy levels. Axial Langmuir triple probe measurements yield electron temperatures in the range of 0.8-3.8 eV and electron densities in the range of 8 x 10(exp )20 to 1.6 x 10(exp 21) m(exp -3) . Triple probe measurements suggest an exhaust plume with a divergence angle of 9 , and a completely doubly ionized plasma at the ablating thruster cathode.

Enhancement-mode GaAs metal-oxide-semiconductor high-electron-mobility transistors with atomic layer deposited Al2O3 as gate dielectric

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, H. C.; Yang, T.; Sharifi, H.; Kim, S. K.; Xuan, Y.; Shen, T.; Mohammadi, S.; Ye, P. D.

2007-11-01

Enhancement-mode GaAs metal-oxide-semiconductor high-electron-mobility transistors (MOS-HEMTs) with ex situ atomic-layer-deposited Al2O3 as gate dielectrics are studied. Maximum drain currents of 211 and 263mA/mm are obtained for 1μm gate-length Al2O3 MOS-HEMTs with 3 and 6nm thick gate oxide, respectively. C-V characteristic shows negligible hysteresis and frequency dispersion. The gate leakage current density of the MOS-HEMTs is 3-5 orders of magnitude lower than the conventional HEMTs under similar bias conditions. The drain current on-off ratio of MOS-HEMTs is ˜3×103 with a subthreshold swing of 90mV/decade. A maximum cutoff frequency (fT) of 27.3GHz and maximum oscillation frequency (fmax) of 39.9GHz and an effective channel mobility of 4250cm2/Vs are measured for the 1μm gate-length Al2O3 MOS-HEMT with 6nm gate oxide. Hooge's constant measured by low frequency noise spectral density characterization is 3.7×10-5 for the same device.

Impact of the storm-time plasma sheet ion composition on the ring current energy density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mouikis, C.; Kistler, L. M.; Petrinec, S. M.; Fuselier, S. A.; Cohen, I.

2017-12-01

The adiabatic inward transport of the night-side near-earth ( 6 Re) hot plasma sheet is the dominant contributor to the ring current pressure during storm times. During storm times, the plasma sheet composition in the 6 - 12 Re tail region changes due to O+ entry from the lobes (from the cusp) and the direct feeding from the night side auroral region. In addition, at substorm onset the plasma sheet O+ ions can be preferentially accelerated. We use MMS and observations during two magnetic storms, 5/8/2016 and 7/16/2017, to monitor the composition changes and energization in the 6 - 12 Re plasma sheet region. For both storms the MMS apogee was in the tail. In addition, we use subsequent Van Allen Probe observations (with apogee in the dawn and dusk respectively) to test if the 6-12 Re plasma sheet, observed by MMS, is a sufficient source of the O+ in the ring current. For this we will compare the phase space density (PSD) of the plasma sheet source population and the PSD of the inner magnetosphere at constant magnetic moment values as used in Kistler et al., [2016].

Wide-temperature integrated operational amplifier

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mojarradi, Mohammad (Inventor); Levanas, Greg (Inventor); Chen, Yuan (Inventor); Cozy, Raymond S. (Inventor); Greenwell, Robert (Inventor); Terry, Stephen (Inventor); Blalock, Benjamin J. (Inventor)

2009-01-01

The present invention relates to a reference current circuit. The reference circuit comprises a low-level current bias circuit, a voltage proportional-to-absolute temperature generator for creating a proportional-to-absolute temperature voltage (VPTAT), and a MOSFET-based constant-IC regulator circuit. The MOSFET-based constant-IC regulator circuit includes a constant-IC input and constant-IC output. The constant-IC input is electrically connected with the VPTAT generator such that the voltage proportional-to-absolute temperature is the input into the constant-IC regulator circuit. Thus the constant-IC output maintains the constant-IC ratio across any temperature range.

Optical impedance spectroscopy with single-mode electro-active-integrated optical waveguides.

PubMed

Han, Xue; Mendes, Sergio B

2014-02-04

An optical impedance spectroscopy (OIS) technique based on a single-mode electro-active-integrated optical waveguide (EA-IOW) was developed to investigate electron-transfer processes of redox adsorbates. A highly sensitive single-mode EA-IOW device was used to optically follow the time-dependent faradaic current originated from a submonolayer of cytochrome c undergoing redox exchanges driven by a harmonic modulation of the electric potential at several dc bias potentials and at several frequencies. To properly retrieve the faradaic current density from the ac-modulated optical signal, we introduce here a mathematical formalism that (i) accounts for intrinsic changes that invariably occur in the optical baseline of the EA-IOW device during potential modulation and (ii) provides accurate results for the electro-chemical parameters. We are able to optically reconstruct the faradaic current density profile against the dc bias potential in the working electrode, identify the formal potential, and determine the energy-width of the electron-transfer process. In addition, by combining the optically reconstructed faradaic signal with simple electrical measurements of impedance across the whole electrochemical cell and the capacitance of the electric double-layer, we are able to determine the time-constant connected to the redox reaction of the adsorbed protein assembly. For cytochrome c directly immobilized onto the indium tin oxide (ITO) surface, we measured a reaction rate constant of 26.5 s(-1). Finally, we calculate the charge-transfer resistance and pseudocapacitance associated with the electron-transfer process and show that the frequency dependence of the redox reaction of the protein submonolayer follows as expected the electrical equivalent of an RC-series admittance diagram. Above all, we show here that OIS with single-mode EA-IOW's provide strong analytical signals that can be readily monitored even for small surface-densities of species involved in the redox process (e.g., fmol/cm(2), 0.1% of a full protein monolayer). This experimental approach, when combined with the analytical formalism described here, brings additional sensitivity, accuracy, and simplicity to electro-chemical analysis and is expected to become a useful tool in investigations of redox processes.

All-solid-state Al-air batteries with polymer alkaline gel electrolyte

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhao; Zuo, Chuncheng; Liu, Zihui; Yu, Ying; Zuo, Yuxin; Song, Yu

2014-04-01

Aluminum-air (Al-air) battery is one of the most promising candidates for next-generation energy storage systems because of its high capacity and energy density, and abundance. The polyacrylic acid (PAA)-based alkaline gel electrolyte is used in all-solid-state Al-air batteries instead of aqueous electrolytes to prevent leakage. The optimal gel electrolyte exhibits an ionic conductivity of 460 mS cm-1, which is close to that of aqueous electrolytes. The Al-air battery peak capacity and energy density considering only Al can reach 1166 mAh g-1-Al and 1230 mWh g-1-Al, respectively, during constant current discharge. The battery prototype also exhibits a high power density of 91.13 mW cm-2. For the battery is a laminated structure, area densities of 29.2 mAh cm-2 and 30.8 mWh cm-2 are presented to appraise the performance of the whole cell. A novel design to inhibit anodic corrosion is proposed by separating the Al anode from the gel electrolyte when not in use, thereby effectively maintaining the available capacity of the battery.

All-optical 1st- and 2nd-order differential equation solvers with large tuning ranges using Fabry-Pérot semiconductor optical amplifiers.

PubMed

Chen, Kaisheng; Hou, Jie; Huang, Zhuyang; Cao, Tong; Zhang, Jihua; Yu, Yuan; Zhang, Xinliang

2015-02-09

We experimentally demonstrate an all-optical temporal computation scheme for solving 1st- and 2nd-order linear ordinary differential equations (ODEs) with tunable constant coefficients by using Fabry-Pérot semiconductor optical amplifiers (FP-SOAs). By changing the injection currents of FP-SOAs, the constant coefficients of the differential equations are practically tuned. A quite large constant coefficient tunable range from 0.0026/ps to 0.085/ps is achieved for the 1st-order differential equation. Moreover, the constant coefficient p of the 2nd-order ODE solver can be continuously tuned from 0.0216/ps to 0.158/ps, correspondingly with the constant coefficient q varying from 0.0000494/ps(2) to 0.006205/ps(2). Additionally, a theoretical model that combining the carrier density rate equation of the semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) with the transfer function of the Fabry-Pérot (FP) cavity is exploited to analyze the solving processes. For both 1st- and 2nd-order solvers, excellent agreements between the numerical simulations and the experimental results are obtained. The FP-SOAs based all-optical differential-equation solvers can be easily integrated with other optical components based on InP/InGaAsP materials, such as laser, modulator, photodetector and waveguide, which can motivate the realization of the complicated optical computing on a single integrated chip.

Electron attachment to CF3 and CF3Br at temperatures up to 890 K: experimental test of the kinetic modeling approach.

PubMed

Shuman, Nicholas S; Miller, Thomas M; Viggiano, Albert A; Troe, Jürgen

2013-05-28

Thermal rate constants and product branching fractions for electron attachment to CF3Br and the CF3 radical have been measured over the temperature range 300-890 K, the upper limit being restricted by thermal decomposition of CF3Br. Both measurements were made in Flowing Afterglow Langmuir Probe apparatuses; the CF3Br measurement was made using standard techniques, and the CF3 measurement using the Variable Electron and Neutral Density Attachment Mass Spectrometry technique. Attachment to CF3Br proceeds exclusively by the dissociative channel yielding Br(-), with a rate constant increasing from 1.1 × 10(-8) cm(3) s(-1) at 300 K to 5.3 × 10(-8) cm(3) s(-1) at 890 K, somewhat lower than previous data at temperatures up to 777 K. CF3 attachment proceeds through competition between associative attachment yielding CF3 (-) and dissociative attachment yielding F(-). Prior data up to 600 K showed the rate constant monotonically increasing, with the partial rate constant of the dissociative channel following Arrhenius behavior; however, extrapolation of the data using a recently proposed kinetic modeling approach predicted the rate constant to turn over at higher temperatures, despite being only ~5% of the collision rate. The current data agree well with the previous kinetic modeling extrapolation, providing a demonstration of the predictive capabilities of the approach.

Calculation of spin-densities within the context of density functional theory. The crucial role of the correlation functional

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filatov, Michael; Cremer, Dieter

2005-09-01

It is demonstrated that the LYP correlation functional is not suited to be used for the calculation of electron spin resonance hyperfine structure (HFS) constants, nuclear magnetic resonance spin-spin coupling constants, magnetic, shieldings and other properties that require a balanced account of opposite- and equal-spin correlation, especially in the core region. In the case of the HFS constants of alkali atoms, LYP exaggerates opposite-spin correlation effects thus invoking too strong in-out correlation effects, an exaggerated spin-polarization pattern in the core shells of the atoms, and, consequently, too large HFS constants. Any correlation functional that provides a balanced account of opposite- and equal-spin correlation leads to improved HFS constants, which is proven by comparing results obtained with the LYP and the PW91 correlation functional. It is suggested that specific response properties are calculated with the PW91 rather than the LYP correlation functional.

Impact of time-dependent annealing on TiO2 films for CMOS application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gyanan, Mondal, Sandip; Kumar, Arvind

2017-05-01

Post-deposition annealing (PDA) is the inherent part of sol-gel fabrication process to achieve the optimum device performance, especially in CMOS applications. The annealing removes the oxygen vacancies and improves the structural order of dielectric films. The process also reduces the interface related defects and improves the interfacial properties. In this work, we have integrated the sol-gel spin-coating deposited high-κ TiO2 films in MOS. The films are fired at 400°C for the duration of 20, 40, 60 and 80 min. The thicknesses of the films were found to be of ˜ 30 nm using ellipsometry. The (Al/TiO2/p-Si) devices were examined with current-voltage (I-V) and capacitance-voltage (C-V) at room temperature to understand the influence of firing time. The C-V and I-V characteristic showed a significant dependence on annealing time such as variation in dielectric constant and leakage current. The accumulation capacitance (Cox), dielectric constant (κ) and the equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) of the film fired for 60 min were found to be 458 pF, 33, and 4.25nm, respectively with a low leakage current density (1.09 × 10-6 A/cm2) fired for 80 min at +1 V.

Investigations on the Influence of Parameters During Electron Beam Surface Hardening Using the Flash Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grafe, S.; Hengst, P.; Buchwalder, A.; Zenker, R.

2018-06-01

The electron beam hardening (EBH) process is one of today’s most innovative industrial technologies. Due to the almost inertia-free deflection of the EB (up to 100 kHz), the energy transfer function can be adapted locally to the component geometry and/or loading conditions. The current state-of-the-art technology is that of EBH with continuous workpiece feed. Due to the large range of parameters, the potentials and limitations of EBH using the flash technique (without workpiece feed) have not been investigated sufficiently to date. The aim of this research was to generate surface isothermal energy transfer within the flash field. This paper examines the effects of selected process parameters on the EBH surface layer microstructure and the properties achieved when treating hardened and tempered C45E steel. When using constant point distribution within the flash field and a constant beam current, surface isothermal energy input was not generated. However, by increasing the deflection frequency, point density and beam current, a more homogeneous EBH surface layer microstructure could be achieved, along with higher surface hardness and greater surface hardening depths. Furthermore, using temperature-controlled power regulation, surface isothermal energy transfer could be realised over a larger area in the centre of the sample.

On the energy deposition into the plasma for an inverted fireball geometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levko, Dmitry; Gruenwald, Johannes

2017-10-01

Energy deposition into a plasma for an inverted fireball geometry is studied using a self-consistent two-dimensional Particle-in-Cell Monte Carlo collision model. In this model, the cathode is a pin which injects the fixed electron current and the anode is a hollow metal tube covered with the metal grid. We obtain an almost constant ratio between the densities of plasmas generated in the cathode-grid gap and inside the hollow anode. The results of the simulations show that there is no energy exchange between the beam and plasma electrons at low emission currents. For increasing current, however, we observe the increasing coupling between the electron beam and the thermal plasma electrons. This leads to the heating of plasma electrons and the generation of the so-called supra-thermal electrons.

Prediction of electronic and optical properties of ZnAl2Te4 defect chalcopyrite semiconductor: an ab-initio study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayengbam, Rishikanta; Tripathy, S. K.; Pandey, B. P.

2018-03-01

In this paper, we have investigated the structural, electronic and optical properties of ZnAl2Te4 defect chalcopyrite semiconductor using generalized gradient approximation (GGA) within density functional theory (DFT). We have calculated the optimized lattice constants (a and c) and compared with the available experimental values. The optimized lattice constants have been used to calculate the energy band gap and found to be 1.57 eV. The partial density of states and total density of states have been discussed in detail. The frequency dependent dielectric constant and refractive index have been calculated and plotted in the energy range 0-13 eV. All the above parameters have been compared with the available experimental and theoretical values and found good agreement between them.

Constant-current control method of multi-function electromagnetic transmitter.

PubMed

Xue, Kaichang; Zhou, Fengdao; Wang, Shuang; Lin, Jun

2015-02-01

Based on the requirements of controlled source audio-frequency magnetotelluric, DC resistivity, and induced polarization, a constant-current control method is proposed. Using the required current waveforms in prospecting as a standard, the causes of current waveform distortion and current waveform distortion's effects on prospecting are analyzed. A cascaded topology is adopted to achieve 40 kW constant-current transmitter. The responsive speed and precision are analyzed. According to the power circuit of the transmitting system, the circuit structure of the pulse width modulation (PWM) constant-current controller is designed. After establishing the power circuit model of the transmitting system and the PWM constant-current controller model, analyzing the influence of ripple current, and designing an open-loop transfer function according to the amplitude-frequency characteristic curves, the parameters of the PWM constant-current controller are determined. The open-loop transfer function indicates that the loop gain is no less than 28 dB below 160 Hz, which assures the responsive speed of the transmitting system; the phase margin is 45°, which assures the stabilization of the transmitting system. Experimental results verify that the proposed constant-current control method can keep the control error below 4% and can effectively suppress load change caused by the capacitance of earth load.

Constant-current control method of multi-function electromagnetic transmitter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Kaichang; Zhou, Fengdao; Wang, Shuang; Lin, Jun

2015-02-01

Based on the requirements of controlled source audio-frequency magnetotelluric, DC resistivity, and induced polarization, a constant-current control method is proposed. Using the required current waveforms in prospecting as a standard, the causes of current waveform distortion and current waveform distortion's effects on prospecting are analyzed. A cascaded topology is adopted to achieve 40 kW constant-current transmitter. The responsive speed and precision are analyzed. According to the power circuit of the transmitting system, the circuit structure of the pulse width modulation (PWM) constant-current controller is designed. After establishing the power circuit model of the transmitting system and the PWM constant-current controller model, analyzing the influence of ripple current, and designing an open-loop transfer function according to the amplitude-frequency characteristic curves, the parameters of the PWM constant-current controller are determined. The open-loop transfer function indicates that the loop gain is no less than 28 dB below 160 Hz, which assures the responsive speed of the transmitting system; the phase margin is 45°, which assures the stabilization of the transmitting system. Experimental results verify that the proposed constant-current control method can keep the control error below 4% and can effectively suppress load change caused by the capacitance of earth load.

Susceptibility of superconductor disks and rings with and without flux creep

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandt, Ernst Helmut

1997-06-01

First some consequences of the Bean assumption of constant critical current Jc in type-II superconductors are listed and the Bean ac susceptibility of narrow rings is derived. Then flux creep is described by a nonlinear current-voltage law E~Jn, from which the saturated magnetic moment at constant ramp rate H-|Apa(t) is derived for rings with general hole radius a1 and general creep exponent n. Next the exact formulation for rings in a perpendicular applied field Ha(t) is presented in the form of an equation of motion for the current density in thick rings and disks or the sheet current in thin rings and disks. This method is used to compute general magnetization curves m(Ha) and ac susceptibilities χ of rings with and without creep, accounting also for nonconstant Jc(B). Typical current and field (B) profiles are depicted. The initial slope of m(Ha) (the ideal diamagnetic moment) and the field of full penetration are expressed as functions of the inner and outer ring radii a1 and a. A scaling law is derived which states that for arbitrary creep exponent n the complex nonlinear ac susceptibility χ(H0,ω) depends only on the combination Hn-10/ω of the ac amplitude H0 and the ac frequency ω/2π. This scaling law thus connects the known dependencies χ=χ(ω) in the ohmic limit (n=1) and χ=χ(H0) in the Bean limit (n-->∞).

Liquid Jet Cavitation via Molecular Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ashurst, W. T.

1997-11-01

A two-dimensional molecular dynamics simulation of a liquid jet is used to investigate cavitation in a diesel-like fuel injector. A channel with a length four times its width has been examined at various system sizes (widths of 20 to 160 σ, where σ is the zero energy location in the Lennard-Jones potential). The wall boundary condition is Maxwell's diffuse reflection, similar to the work by Sun & Ebner (Phys. Rev A 46, 4813, 1992). Currently, the jet exhausts into a vacuum, but a second, low density gas will be incorporated to represent the compressed air in a diesel chamber. Four different flow rates are examined. With ρ U equal to √mɛ/σ^2 (the largest flow rate) the static pressure decreases by a factor of twenty between the channel entrance and exit. The largest flow rate has a parabolic velocity profile with almost constant density across the channel. The smallest flow rate has the same velocity profile but the density exhibits a large variation, with the minimum value in the channel center. Thus, the product ρ U is nearly constant across the channel at this flow rate. The discharge coefficient CD has a small variation with flow rate, but the velocity coefficient CV varies with the amount of two-phase fluid within the channel. The ratio of CV to CD varies from 1.3 (largest flow rate) to 2.0 (the smallest flow rate, which is one-eighth of the largest).

Evaluation of advanced high rate Li-SOCl2 cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deligiannis, F.; Ang, V.; Dawson, S.; Frank, H.; Subbarao, S.

1986-01-01

Under NASA sponsorship, JPL is developing advanced, high rate Li-SOCl2 cells for future space missions. As part of this effort, Li-SOCl2 cells of various designs were examined for performance and safety. The cells differed from one another in several aspects, such as: nature of carbon cathode, catalysts, cell configuration, case polarity, and safety devices. Performance evaluation included constant-current discharge over a range of currents and temperatures. Abuse-testing consisted of shortcircuiting, charging, and over-discharge. Energy densities greater than 300 Wh/Kg at the C/2 rate were found for some designs. A cell design featuring a high-surface-area carbon cathode was found to deliver nearly 500 Wh/Kg at moderate discharge rates. Temperature influenced the performance significantly.

Transport simulation of EAST long-pulse H-mode discharge with integrated modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, M. Q.; Li, G. Q.; Chen, J. L.; Du, H. F.; Gao, X.; Ren, Q. L.; Li, K.; Chan, Vincent; Pan, C. K.; Ding, S. Y.; Jian, X.; Zhu, X.; Lian, H.; Qian, J. P.; Gong, X. Z.; Zang, Q.; Duan, Y. M.; Liu, H. Q.; Lyu, B.

2018-04-01

In the 2017 EAST experimental campaign, a steady-state long-pulse H-mode discharge lasting longer than 100 s has been obtained using only radio frequency heating and current drive, and the confinement quality is slightly better than standard H-mode, H98y2 ~ 1.1, with stationary peaked electron temperature profiles. Integrated modeling of one long-pulse H-mode discharge in the 2016 EAST experimental campaign has been performed with equilibrium code EFIT, and transport codes TGYRO and ONETWO under integrated modeling framework OMFIT. The plasma current is fully-noninductively driven with a combination of ~2.2 MW LHW, ~0.3 MW ECH and ~1.1 MW ICRF. Time evolution of the predicted electron and ion temperature profiles through integrated modeling agree closely with that from measurements. The plasma current (I p ~ 0.45 MA) and electron density are kept constantly. A steady-state is achieved using integrated modeling, and the bootstrap current fraction is ~28%, the RF drive current fraction is ~72%. The predicted current density profile matches the experimental one well. Analysis shows that electron cyclotron heating (ECH) makes large contribution to the plasma confinement when heating in the core region while heating in large radius does smaller improvement, also a more peaked LHW driven current profile is got when heating in the core. Linear analysis shows that the high-k modes instability (electron temperature gradient driven modes) is suppressed in the core region where exists weak electron internal transport barriers. The trapped electron modes dominates in the low-k region, which is mainly responsible for driving the electron energy flux. It is found that the ECH heating effect is very local and not the main cause to sustained the good confinement, the peaked current density profile has the most important effect on plasma confinement improvement. Transport analysis of the long-pulse H-mode experiments on EAST will be helpful to build future experiments.

Nonstoichiometric Solution-Processed BaTiO₃ Film for Gate Insulator Applications.

PubMed

Lau, Joyce; Kim, Sangsub; Kim, Hyunki; Koo, Kwangjun; Lee, Jaeseob; Kim, Sangsoo; Choi, Byoungdeog

2018-09-01

Solution processed barium titanate (BTO) was used to fabricate an Al/BaTiO3/p-Si metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structure, which was used as a gate insulator. Changes in the electrical characteristics of the film were investigated as a function of the film thickness and post deposition annealing conditions. Our results showed that a thickness of 5 layers and an annealing temperature of 650 °C produced the highest electrical performance. BaxTi1-xO3 was altered at x = 0.10, 0.30, 0.50, 0.70, 0.90, and 1.0 to investigate changes in the electrical properties as a function of composition. The highest dielectric constant of 87 was obtained for x = 0.10, while the leakage current density was suppressed as Ba content increased. The lowest leakage current density was 1.34×10-10 A/cm2, which was observed at x = 0.90. The leakage current was related to the resistivity of the film, the interface states, and grain densification. Space charge limited current (SCLC) was the dominant leakage mechanism in BTO films based on leakage current analysis. Although a Ba content of x = 0.90 had the highest trap density, the traps were mainly composed of Ti-vacancies, which acted as strong electron traps and affected the film resistivity. A secondary phase, Ba2TiO4, which was observed in cases of excess Ba, acted as a grain refiner and provided faster densification of the film during the thermal process. The absence of a secondary phase in BaO (x = 1.0) led to the formation of many interface states and degradation in the electrical properties. Overall, the insulator properties of BTO were improved when the composition ratio was x = 0.90.

An empirical/theoretical model with dimensionless numbers to predict the performance of electrodialysis systems on the basis of operating conditions.

PubMed

Karimi, Leila; Ghassemi, Abbas

2016-07-01

Among the different technologies developed for desalination, the electrodialysis/electrodialysis reversal (ED/EDR) process is one of the most promising for treating brackish water with low salinity when there is high risk of scaling. Multiple researchers have investigated ED/EDR to optimize the process, determine the effects of operating parameters, and develop theoretical/empirical models. Previously published empirical/theoretical models have evaluated the effect of the hydraulic conditions of the ED/EDR on the limiting current density using dimensionless numbers. The reason for previous studies' emphasis on limiting current density is twofold: 1) to maximize ion removal, most ED/EDR systems are operated close to limiting current conditions if there is not a scaling potential in the concentrate chamber due to a high concentration of less-soluble salts; and 2) for modeling the ED/EDR system with dimensionless numbers, it is more accurate and convenient to use limiting current density, where the boundary layer's characteristics are known at constant electrical conditions. To improve knowledge of ED/EDR systems, ED/EDR models should be also developed for the Ohmic region, where operation reduces energy consumption, facilitates targeted ion removal, and prolongs membrane life compared to limiting current conditions. In this paper, theoretical/empirical models were developed for ED/EDR performance in a wide range of operating conditions. The presented ion removal and selectivity models were developed for the removal of monovalent ions and divalent ions utilizing the dominant dimensionless numbers obtained from laboratory scale electrodialysis experiments. At any system scale, these models can predict ED/EDR performance in terms of monovalent and divalent ion removal. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Iodinated contrast media electro-degradation: process performance and degradation pathways.

PubMed

Del Moro, Guido; Pastore, Carlo; Di Iaconi, Claudio; Mascolo, Giuseppe

2015-02-15

The electrochemical degradation of six of the most widely used iodinated contrast media was investigated. Batch experiments were performed under constant current conditions using two DSA® electrodes (titanium coated with a proprietary and patented mixed metal oxide solution of precious metals such as iridium, ruthenium, platinum, rhodium and tantalum). The degradation removal never fell below 85% (at a current density of 64 mA/cm(2) with a reaction time of 150 min) when perchlorate was used as the supporting electrolyte; however, when sulphate was used, the degradation performance was above 80% (at a current density of 64 mA/cm(2) with a reaction time of 150 min) for all of the compounds studied. Three main degradation pathways were identified, namely, the reductive de-iodination of the aromatic ring, the reduction of alkyl aromatic amides to simple amides and the de-acylation of N-aromatic amides to produce aromatic amines. However, as amidotrizoate is an aromatic carboxylate, this is added via the decarboxylation reaction. The investigation did not reveal toxicity except for the lower current density used, which has shown a modest toxicity, most likely for some reaction intermediates that are not further degraded. In order to obtain total removal of the contrast media, it was necessary to employ a current intensity between 118 and 182 mA/cm(2) with energy consumption higher than 370 kWh/m(3). Overall, the electrochemical degradation was revealed to be a reliable process for the treatment of iodinated contrast media that can be found in contaminated waters such as hospital wastewater or pharmaceutical waste-contaminated streams. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of ion collection area in Faraday probes.

PubMed

Brown, Daniel L; Gallimore, Alec D

2010-06-01

A Faraday probe with three concentric rings was designed and fabricated to assess the effect of gap width and collector diameter in a systematic study of the diagnostic ion collection area. The nested Faraday probe consisted of two concentric collector rings and an outer guard ring, which enabled simultaneous current density measurements on the inner and outer collectors. Two versions of the outer collector were fabricated to create gaps of 0.5 and 1.5 mm between the rings. Distribution of current density in the plume of a low-power Hall thruster ion source was measured in azimuthal sweeps at constant radius from 8 to 20 thruster diameters downstream of the exit plane with variation in facility background pressure. A new analytical technique is proposed to account for ions collected in the gap between the Faraday probe collector and guard ring. This method is shown to exhibit excellent agreement between all nested Faraday probe configurations, and to reduce the magnitude of integrated ion beam current to levels consistent with Hall thruster performance analyses. The technique is further studied by varying the guard ring bias potential with a fixed collector bias potential, thereby controlling ion collection in the gap. Results are in agreement with predictions based on the proposed analytical technique. The method is applied to a past study comparing the measured ion current density profiles of two Faraday probe designs. These findings provide new insight into the nature of ion collection in Faraday probe diagnostics, and lead to improved accuracy with a significant reduction in measurement uncertainty.

Efficient star formation in the spiral arms of M51

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lord, Steven D.; Young, Judith S.

1990-01-01

The molecular, neutral, and ionized hydrogen distributions in the Sbc galaxy M51 (NGC 5194) are compared. To estimate H2 surface densities observations of the CO (J = 1 - 0) transition were made in 60 positions out to a radius of 155 arcsec. Extinction-corrected H-alpha intensities were used to compute the detailed massive star formation rates (MSFRs) in the disk. Estimates of the gas surface density, the MSFR, and the ratio of these quantities, MSFR/sigma(p), were then examined. The spiral arms were found to exhibit an excess gas density, measuring between 1.4 and 1.6 times the interarm values at 45 arcsec resolution. The total (arm and interarm) gas content and massive star formation rates in concentric annuli in the disk of M51 were computed. The two quantities fall off together with radius, yielding a relatively constant MSFR/sigma(p) with radius. This behavior is not explained by current models of star formation in galactic disks.

Space charge effect in spectrometers of ion mobility increment with planar drift chamber.

PubMed

Elistratov, A A; Sherbakov, L A

2007-01-01

The effect of space charge on the ion beam in a spectrometer of ion mobility increment with the planar drift chamber has been investigated. A model for the drift of ions under a non-uniform high-frequency electric field(1-3) has been developed recently. We have amplified this model by taking space charge effect into account. The ion peak shape taking into consideration the space charge effect is obtained. The output current saturation effect limiting the rise of the ion peak with increasing ion density at the input of the drift chamber of a spectrometer is observed. We show that the saturation effect is caused by the following phenomenon. The maximum possible output ion density exists, depending on the ion type (constant ion mobility, k(0)) and the time of the motion of ions through the drift chamber. At the same time, the ion density does not depend on the parameters of the drift chamber.

Capacitive density measurement for supercritical hydrogen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Funke, Th; Haberstroh, Ch; Szoucsek, K.; Schott, S.; Kunze, K.

2017-12-01

A new approach for automotive hydrogen storage systems is the so-called cryo-compressed hydrogen storage (CcH2). It has a potential for increased energy densities and thus bigger hydrogen amounts onboard, which is the main attractiveness for car manufacturers such as BMW. This system has further advantages in terms of safety, refueling and cooling potential. The current filling level measurement by means of pressure and temperature measurement and subsequent density calculation faces challenges especially in terms of precision. A promising alternative is the capacitive gauge. This measuring principle can determine the filling level of the CcH2 tank with significantly smaller tolerances. The measuring principle is based on different dielectric constants of gaseous and liquid hydrogen. These differences are successfully leveraged in liquid hydrogen storage systems (LH2). The present theoretical analysis shows that the dielectric values of CcH2 in the relevant operating range are comparable to LH2, thus achieving similarly good accuracy. The present work discusses embodiments and implementations for such a sensor in the CcH2 tank.

Snake states and their symmetries in graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tiwari, Rakesh; Liu, Yang; Brada, Matej; Bruder, C.; Kusmartsev, F. V.; Mele, E. J.

Snake states are open trajectories for charged particles moving in two dimensions under the influence of a spatially varying perpendicular magnetic field. They can also occur in a constant perpendicular magnetic field when the particle density is made nonuniform as realized at a pn junction in a semiconductor, or in graphene. We examine the correspondence of such trajectories in monolayer graphene in the quantum limit for two families of domain walls: (a) a uniform doped carrier density in an antisymmetric perpendicular magnetic field and (b) antisymmetric carrier density distribution in a uniform perpendicular magnetic field. Although, these families support different internal symmetries, the pattern of the boundary and interface currents is the same in both cases. We demonstrate that these two physically different situations are gauge equivalent when rewritten in a Nambu doubled formulation of the two limiting problems. Using gauge transformations in particle-hole space to connect these two problems, we map the protected interfacial modes to the Bogoliubov quasiparticles of an interfacial one-dimensional p-wave paired state.

Influence of processing parameters on the structure and properties of barium strontium titanate ceramics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yun Sining; Department of Materials Physics, School of Science, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049; Wang Xiaoli

2008-08-04

Barium strontium titanate (BST) with the molar formula (Ba{sub 0.8}Sr{sub 0.2}TiO{sub 3}) has been prepared by two different processing methods: mixed-oxide (BST-MO) and reaction-sintering (BST-RS). X-ray powder diffraction study shows differences in grain size and crystal symmetry for both these ceramics. The former shows a tetragonal symmetry while the latter presents a cubic symmetry. The occurrence of polar micro-regions associated with the higher chemical non-homogeneous distribution of ion defects from the influence of the processing parameters is the main reason for the higher peak dielectric constant (K{sub m}), the higher remanent polarization (P{sub r}), the higher coercive field (E{sub c}),more » the higher peak current density (J{sub m}), and the lower temperature of peak dielectric constant (T{sub m}) in BST-MO ceramics.« less

Graphene as a Promising Electrode for Low-Current Attenuation in Nonsymmetric Molecular Junctions.

PubMed

Zhang, Qian; Liu, Longlong; Tao, Shuhui; Wang, Congyi; Zhao, Cezhou; González, César; Dappe, Yannick J; Nichols, Richard J; Yang, Li

2016-10-12

We have measured the single-molecule conductance of 1,n-alkanedithiol molecular bridges (n = 4, 6, 8, 10, 12) on a graphene substrate using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM)-formed electrical junctions. The conductance values of this homologous series ranged from 2.3 nS (n = 12) to 53 nS (n = 4), with a decay constant β n of 0.40 per methylene (-CH 2 ) group. This result is explained by a combination of density functional theory (DFT) and Keldysh-Green function calculations. The obtained decay, which is much lower than the one obtained for symmetric gold junctions, is related to the weak coupling at the molecule-graphene interface and the electronic structure of graphene. As a consequence, we show that using graphene nonsymmetric junctions and appropriate anchoring groups may lead to a much-lower decay constant and more-conductive molecular junctions at longer lengths.

Compressive Strength of Cometary Surfaces Derived from Radar Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

ElShafie, A.; Heggy, E.

2014-12-01

Landing on a comet nucleus and probing it, mechanically using harpoons, penetrometers and drills, and electromagnetically using low frequency radar waves is a complex task that will be tackled by the Rosetta mission for Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The mechanical properties (i.e. density, porosity and compressive strength) and the electrical properties (i.e. the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric constant) of the comet nucleus, constrain both the mechanical and electromagnetic probing capabilities of Rosetta, as well as the choice of landing site, the safety of the landing, and subsurface data interpretation. During landing, the sounding radar data that will be collected by Rosetta's CONSERT experiment can be used to probe the comet's upper regolith layer by assessing its dielectric properties, which are then inverted to retrieve the surface mechanical properties. These observations can help characterize the mechanical properties of the landing site, which will optimize the operation of the anchor system. In this effort, we correlate the mechanical and electrical properties of cometary analogs to each other, and derive an empirical model that can be used to retrieve density, porosity and compressive strength from the dielectric properties of the upper regolith inverted from CONSERT observations during the landing phase. In our approach we consider snow as a viable cometary material analog due to its low density and its porous nature. Therefore, we used the compressive strength and dielectric constant measurements conducted on snow at a temperature of 250 K and a density range of 0.4-0.9 g/cm3 in order to investigate the relation between compressive strength and dielectric constant under cometary-relevant density range. Our results suggest that compressive strength increases linearly as function of the dielectric constant over the observed density range mentioned above. The minimum and maximum compressive strength of 0.5 and 4.5 MPa corresponded to a dielectric constant of 2.2 and 3.4 over the density range of 0.4-0.9 g/cm3. This preliminary correlation will be applied to the case of porous and dust contaminated snow under different temperatures to assess the surface mechanical properties for Comet 67P.

Characterization of the Hole Transport and Electrical Properties in the Small-Molecule Organic Semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, L. G.; Zhu, J. J.; Liu, X. L.; Cheng, L. F.

2017-10-01

In this paper, we investigate the hole transport and electrical properties in a small-molecule organic material N, N'-bis(1-naphthyl)- N, N'-diphenyl-1,1'-biphenyl-4,4'-diamine (NPB), which is frequently used in organic light-emitting diodes. It is shown that the thickness-dependent current density versus voltage ( J- V) characteristics of sandwich-type NPB-based hole-only devices cannot be described well using the conventional mobility model without carrier density or electric field dependence. However, a consistent and excellent description of the thickness-dependent and temperature-dependent J- V characteristics of NPB hole-only devices can be obtained with a single set of parameters by using our recently introduced improved model that take into account the temperature, carrier density, and electric field dependence of the mobility. For the small-molecule organic semiconductor studied, we find that the width of the Gaussian distribution of density of states σ and the lattice constant a are similar to the values reported for conjugated polymers. Furthermore, we show that the boundary carrier density has an important effect on the J- V characteristics. Both the maximum of carrier density and the minimum of electric field appear near the interface of NPB hole-only devices.

A molecular Rayleigh scattering setup to measure density fluctuations in thermal boundary layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panda, J.

2016-12-01

A Rayleigh scattering-based density fluctuation measurement system was set up inside a low-speed wind tunnel of NASA Ames Research Center. The immediate goal was to study the thermal boundary layer on a heated flat plate. A large number of obstacles had to be overcome to set up the system, such as the removal of dust particles using air filters, the use of photoelectron counting electronics to measure low intensity light, an optical layout to minimize stray light contamination, the reduction in tunnel vibration, and an expanded calibration process to relate photoelectron arrival rate to air density close to the plate surface. To measure spectra of turbulent density fluctuations, a two-PMT cross-correlation system was used to minimize the shot noise floor. To validate the Rayleigh measurements, temperature fluctuations spectra were calculated from density spectra and then compared with temperature spectra measured with a cold-wire probe operated in constant current mode. The spectra from the downstream half of the plate were found to be in good agreement with cold-wire probe, whereas spectra from the leading edge differed. Various lessons learnt are discussed. It is believed that the present effort is the first measurement of density fluctuations spectra in a boundary layer flow.

Postnatal development of A-type and Kv1- and Kv2-mediated potassium channel currents in neocortical pyramidal neurons

PubMed Central

Guan, Dongxu; Horton, Leslie R.; Armstrong, William E.

2011-01-01

Potassium channels regulate numerous aspects of neuronal excitability, and several voltage-gated K+ channel subunits have been identified in pyramidal neurons of rat neocortex. Previous studies have either considered the development of outward current as a whole or divided currents into transient, A-type and persistent, delayed rectifier components but did not differentiate between current components defined by α-subunit type. To facilitate comparisons of studies reporting K+ currents from animals of different ages and to understand the functional roles of specific current components, we characterized the postnatal development of identified Kv channel-mediated currents in pyramidal neurons from layers II/III from rat somatosensory cortex. Both the persistent/slowly inactivating and transient components of the total K+ current increased in density with postnatal age. We used specific pharmacological agents to test the relative contributions of putative Kv1- and Kv2-mediated currents (100 nM α-dendrotoxin and 600 nM stromatoxin, respectively). A combination of voltage protocol, pharmacology, and curve fitting was used to isolate the rapidly inactivating A-type current. We found that the density of all identified current components increased with postnatal age, approaching a plateau at 3–5 wk. We found no significant changes in the relative proportions or kinetics of any component between postnatal weeks 1 and 5, except that the activation time constant for A-type current was longer at 1 wk. The putative Kv2-mediated component was the largest at all ages. Immunocytochemistry indicated that protein expression for Kv4.2, Kv4.3, Kv1.4, and Kv2.1 increased between 1 wk and 4–5 wk of age. PMID:21451062

Postnatal development of A-type and Kv1- and Kv2-mediated potassium channel currents in neocortical pyramidal neurons.

PubMed

Guan, Dongxu; Horton, Leslie R; Armstrong, William E; Foehring, Robert C

2011-06-01

Potassium channels regulate numerous aspects of neuronal excitability, and several voltage-gated K(+) channel subunits have been identified in pyramidal neurons of rat neocortex. Previous studies have either considered the development of outward current as a whole or divided currents into transient, A-type and persistent, delayed rectifier components but did not differentiate between current components defined by α-subunit type. To facilitate comparisons of studies reporting K(+) currents from animals of different ages and to understand the functional roles of specific current components, we characterized the postnatal development of identified Kv channel-mediated currents in pyramidal neurons from layers II/III from rat somatosensory cortex. Both the persistent/slowly inactivating and transient components of the total K(+) current increased in density with postnatal age. We used specific pharmacological agents to test the relative contributions of putative Kv1- and Kv2-mediated currents (100 nM α-dendrotoxin and 600 nM stromatoxin, respectively). A combination of voltage protocol, pharmacology, and curve fitting was used to isolate the rapidly inactivating A-type current. We found that the density of all identified current components increased with postnatal age, approaching a plateau at 3-5 wk. We found no significant changes in the relative proportions or kinetics of any component between postnatal weeks 1 and 5, except that the activation time constant for A-type current was longer at 1 wk. The putative Kv2-mediated component was the largest at all ages. Immunocytochemistry indicated that protein expression for Kv4.2, Kv4.3, Kv1.4, and Kv2.1 increased between 1 wk and 4-5 wk of age.

Cathodic and anodic biofilms in Single Chamber Microbial Fuel Cells.

PubMed

Cristiani, P; Carvalho, M L; Guerrini, E; Daghio, M; Santoro, C; Li, B

2013-08-01

The oxygen reduction due to microaerophilic biofilms grown on graphite cathodes (biocathodes) in Single Chamber Microbial Fuel Cells (SCMFCs) is proved and analysed in this paper. Pt-free cathode performances are compared with those of different platinum-loaded cathodes, before and after the biofilm growth. Membraneless SCMFCs were operating in batch-mode, filled with wastewater. A substrate (fuel) of sodium acetate (0.03 M) was periodically added and the experiment lasted more than six months. A maximum of power densities, up to 0.5 W m(-2), were reached when biofilms developed on the electrodes and the cathodic potential decreased (open circuit potential of 50-200 mV vs. SHE). The power output was almost constant with an acetate concentration of 0.01-0.05 M and it fell down when the pH of the media exceeded 9.5, independently of the Pt-free/Pt-loading at the cathodes. Current densities varied in the range of 1-5 Am(-2) (cathode area of 5 cm(2)). Quasi-stationary polarization curves performed with a three-electrode configuration on cathodic and anodic electrodes showed that the anodic overpotential, more than the cathodic one, may limit the current density in the SCMFCs for a long-term operation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of membrane electrode assembly for high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell by catalyst coating membrane method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Huagen; Su, Huaneng; Pollet, Bruno G.; Pasupathi, Sivakumar

2015-08-01

Membrane electrode assembly (MEA), which contains cathode and anode catalytic layer, gas diffusion layers (GDL) and electrolyte membrane, is the key unit of a PEMFC. An attempt to develop MEA for ABPBI membrane based high temperature (HT) PEMFC is conducted in this work by catalyst coating membrane (CCM) method. The structure and performance of the MEA are examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and I-V curve. Effects of the CCM preparation method, Pt loading and binder type are investigated for the optimization of the single cell performance. Under 160 °C and atmospheric pressure, the peak power density of the MEA, with Pt loading of 0.5 mg cm-2 and 0.3 mg cm-2 for the cathode and the anode, can reach 277 mW cm-2, while a current density of 620 A cm-2 is delivered at the working voltage of 0.4 V. The MEA prepared by CCM method shows good stability operating in a short term durability test: the cell voltage maintained at ∼0.45 V without obvious drop when operated at a constant current density of 300 mA cm-2 and 160 °C under ambient pressure for 140 h.

Negative differential electrolyte resistance in a solid-state nanopore resulting from electroosmotic flow bistability.

PubMed

Luo, Long; Holden, Deric A; White, Henry S

2014-03-25

A solid-state nanopore separating two aqueous solutions containing different concentrations of KCl is demonstrated to exhibit negative differential resistance (NDR) when a constant pressure is applied across the nanopore. NDR refers to a decrease in electrical current when the voltage applied across the nanopore is increased. NDR results from the interdependence of solution flow (electroosmotic and pressure-engendered) with the distributions of K+ and Cl- within the nanopore. A switch from a high-conductivity state to a low-conductivity state occurs over a very narrow voltage window (<2 mV) that depends on the nanopore geometry, electrolyte concentration, and nanopore surface charge density. Finite element simulations based on a simultaneous solution of the Navier-Stokes, Poisson, and Nernst-Planck equations demonstrate that NDR results from a positive feedback mechanism between the ion distributions and electroosmotic flow, yielding a true bistability in fluid flow and electrical current at a critical applied voltage, i.e., the NDR "switching potential". Solution pH and Ca2+ were separately employed as chemical stimuli to investigate the dependence of the NDR on the surface charge density. The NDR switching potential is remarkably sensitive to the surface charge density, and thus to pH and the presence of Ca2+, suggesting possible applications in chemical sensing.

Adsorption of surfactant ions and binding of their counterions at an air/water interface.

PubMed

Tagashira, Hiroaki; Takata, Youichi; Hyono, Atsushi; Ohshima, Hiroyuki

2009-01-01

An expression for the surface tension of an aqueous mixed solution of surfactants and electrolyte ions in the presence of the common ions was derived from the Helmholtz free energy of an air/water surface. By applying the equation to experimental data for the surface tension, the adsorption constant of surfactant ions onto the air/water interface, the binding constant of counterions on the surfactants, and the surface potential and surface charge density of the interface were estimated. The adsorption constant and binding constant were dependent on the species of surfactant ion and counterion, respectively. Taking account of the dependence of surface potential and surface charge density on the concentration of electrolyte, it was suggested that the addition of electrolyte to the aqueous surfactant solution brings about the decrease in the surface potential, the increase in the surface density of surfactant ions, and consequently, the decrease in the surface tension. Furthermore, it was found that the configurational entropy plays a predominant role for the surface tension, compared to the electrical work.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bockris, J.O.; Devanathan, M.A.V.

The galvanostatic double charging method was applied to determine the coverage of Ni cathodes with adsorbed atomic H in 2 N NaOH solutions. Anodic current densities were varied from 0.05 to 1.8 amp/sq cm. The plateau indicating absence of readsorption was between 0.6 and 1.8 amp/sq cm, for a constant cathodic c.d. of 1/10,000 amp/sq cm. The variation of the adsorbed H over cathodic c.d.'s ranging from 10 to the -6th power to 1/10 at a constant anodic c.d. of 1 amp/sq cm were calculated and the coverage calculated. The mechanism of the H evolution reaction was elucidated. The ratemore » determining step is discharge from a water molecules followed by rapid Tafel recombination. The rate constants for these processes and the rate constant for the ionisation, calculated with the extrapolated value of coverage for the reversible H electrode, were determined. A modification of the Tafel equation which takes into account both coverage and ionisation is in harmony with the results. A new method for the determination of coverage suitable for corrodible metals is described which involves the measurement of the rate of permeation of H by electrochemical techniques which enhances the sensitivity of the method. (Author)« less

Battery charging and discharging research based on the interactive technology of smart grid and electric vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Mingyang

2018-06-01

To further study the bidirectional flow problem of V2G (Vehicle to Grid) charge and discharge motor, the mathematical model of AC/DC converter and bi-directional DC/DC converter was established. Then, lithium battery was chosen as the battery of electric vehicle and its mathematical model was established. In order to improve the service life of lithium battery, bidirectional DC/DC converter adopted constant current and constant voltage control strategy. In the initial stage of charging, constant current charging was adopted with current single closed loop control. After reaching a certain value, voltage was switched to constant voltage charging controlled by voltage and current. Subsequently, the V2G system simulation model was built in MATLAB/Simulink. The simulation results verified the correctness of the control strategy and showed that when charging, constant current and constant voltage charging was achieved, the grid side voltage and current were in the same phase, and the power factor was about 1. When discharging, the constant current discharge was applied, and the grid voltage and current phase difference was r. To sum up, the simulation results are correct and helpful.

Gladstone-Dale constant for CF4. [experimental design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burner, A. W., Jr.; Goad, W. K.

1980-01-01

The Gladstone-Dale constant, which relates the refractive index to density, was measured for CF4 by counting fringes of a two-beam interferometer, one beam of which passes through a cell containing the test gas. The experimental approach and sources of systematic and imprecision errors are discussed. The constant for CF4 was measured at several wavelengths in the visible region of the spectrum. A value of 0.122 cu cm/g with an uncertainty of plus or minus 0.001 cu cm/g was determined for use in the visible region. A procedure for noting the departure of the gas density from the ideal-gas law is discussed.

3D Graphene Frameworks/Co3 O4 Composites Electrode for High-Performance Supercapacitor and Enzymeless Glucose Detection.

PubMed

Bao, Lin; Li, Tao; Chen, Shu; Peng, Chang; Li, Ling; Xu, Qian; Chen, Yashao; Ou, Encai; Xu, Weijian

2017-02-01

3D graphene frameworks/Co 3 O 4 composites are produced by the thermal explosion method, in which the generation of Co 3 O 4 nanoparticles, reduction of graphene oxide, and creation of 3D frameworks are simultaneously completed. The process prevents the agglomeration of Co 3 O 4 particles effectively, resulting in monodispersed Co 3 O 4 nanoparticles scattered on the 3D graphene frameworks evenly. The prepared 3D graphene frameworks/Co 3 O 4 composites used as electrodes for supercapacitor display a definite improvement on electrochemical performance with high specific capacitance (≈1765 F g -1 at a current density of 1 A g -1 ), good rate performance (≈1266 F g -1 at a current density of 20 A g -1 ), and excellent stability (≈93% maintenance of specific capacitance at a constant current density of 10 A g -1 after 5000 cycles). In addition, the composites are also employed as nonenzymatic sensors for the electrochemical detection of glucose, which exhibit high sensitivity (122.16 µA mM -1  cm -2 ) and noteworthy lower detection limit (157 × 10 -9 M, S/N = 3). Therefore, the authors expect that the 3D graphene frameworks/Co 3 O 4 composites described here would possess potential applications as the electrode materials in supercapacitors and nonenzymatic detection of glucose. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Binder-free nitrogen-doped carbon paper electrodes derived from polypyrrole/cellulose composite for Li-O2 batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jia; Wang, Zhaohui; Zhu, Jiefang

2016-02-01

This work presents a novel binder-free nitrogen-doped carbon paper electrode (NCPE), which was derived from a N-rich polypyrrole (PPy)/cellulose-chopped carbon filaments (CCFs) composite, for Li-O2 batteries. The fabrication of NCPE involved cheap raw materials (e.g., Cladophora sp. green algae) and easy operation (e.g., doping N by a carbonization of N-rich polymer), which is especially suitable for large-scale production. The NCPE exhibited a bird's nest microstructure, which could provide the self-standing electrode with considerable mechanic durability, fast Li+ and O2 diffusion, and enough space for the discharge product deposition. In addition, the NCPE contained N-containing function groups, which may promote the electrochemical reactions. Furthermore, binder-free architecture designs can prevent binder-involved parasitic reactions. A Li-O2 cell with the NCPE displayed a cyclability of more than 30 cycles at a constant current density of 0.1 mA/cm2. The 1st discharge capacity for a cell with the NCPE reached 8040 mAh/g at a current density of 0.1 mA/cm2, with a cell voltage around 2.81 V. A cell with the NCPE displayed a coulombic efficiency of 81% on the 1st cycle at a current density of 0.2 mA/cm2. These results represent a promising progress in the development of a low-cost and versatile paper-based O2 electrode for Li-O2 batteries.

Electrochemical oxidation of COD from real textile wastewaters: Kinetic study and energy consumption.

PubMed

Zou, Jiaxiu; Peng, Xiaolan; Li, Miao; Xiong, Ying; Wang, Bing; Dong, Faqin; Wang, Bin

2017-03-01

In the present study, the electrochemical oxidation of real wastewaters discharged by textile industry was carried out using a boron-doped diamond (BDD) anode. The effect of operational variables, such as applied current density (20-100 mA·cm -2 ), NaCl concentration added to the real wastewaters (0-3 g·L -1 ), and pH value (2.0-10.0), on the kinetics of COD oxidation and on the energy consumption was carefully investigated. The obtained experimental results could be well matched with a proposed kinetic model, in which the indirect oxidation mediated by electrogenerated strong oxidants would be described through a pseudo-first-order kinetic constant k. Values of k exhibited a linear increase with increasing applied current density and decreasing pH value, and an exponential increase with NaCl concentration. Furthermore, high oxidation kinetics resulted in low specific energy consumption, but this conclusion was not suitable to the results obtained under different applied current density. Under the optimum operational conditions, it only took 3 h to complete remove the COD in the real textile wastewaters and the specific energy consumption could be as low as 11.12 kWh·kg -1  COD. The obtained results, low energy consumption and short electrolysis time, allowed to conclude that the electrochemical oxidation based on BDD anodes would have practical industrial application for the treatment of real textile wastewater. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cathodic Deposition of Mg(OH)2 Coatings on Pure mg in Three mg Salts Aqueous Solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yongjun, Zhang; Xiaomeng, Pei; Shugong, Jia

Film-forming effects of cathodic deposition on pure Mg substrate at constant DC in aqueous solutions of magnesium nitrate (Mg(NO3)2ṡ6H2O), magnesium chloride (MgCl2ṡ6H2O) and magnesium sulfate (MgSO4ṡ7H2O) respectively were investigated systematically. Typical processes were studied by potentiodynamic cathodic polarization and galvanostatic polarization and typical samples were analyzed by SEM and XRD. The results indicate that the depositing efficiency is not only the highest but stablest, and deposited coatings show the best uniformity with Mg(NO3)2ṡ6H2O solution employed as depositing medium and applied current density ≥1.0mA cm-2. Cathodic deposition leads to regular mass loss of Mg substrate. The cathodic polarization curve of pure Mg in magnesium nitrate solution shows more obvious pseudo-passivation, several Tafel regions with different slopes appearing before diffusion-limited current density region, and oxygen consumption is the major cathodic reduction reaction under specified current density. However, hydrogen evolution reaction is dominant in both Mg chloride and Mg sulfate solutions. The deposition coatings are all composed of continuous and uniform mesh-like “basic layer” adjacent to substrate and discrete distributed snowball-like particles on the microscopic scale. The phase compositions are all crystal Mg(OH)2, and the coatings deposited in Mg chloride solution have (011) preferred orientation.

Polydisperse particle-driven gravity currents in non-rectangular cross section channels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zemach, T.

2018-01-01

We consider a high-Reynolds-number gravity current generated by polydisperse suspension of n types of particles distributed in a fluid of density ρi. Each class of particles in suspension has a different settling velocity. The current propagates along a channel of non-rectangular cross section into an ambient fluid of constant density ρa. The bottom and top of the channel are at z = 0, H, and the cross section is given by the quite general form -f1(z) ≤ y ≤ f2(z) for 0 ≤ z ≤ H. The flow is modeled by the one-layer shallow-water equations obtained for the time-dependent motion. We solve the problem by a finite-difference numerical code to present typical height h, velocity u, and mass fractions of particle (concentrations) (ϕ( j), j = 1, …, n) profiles. The runout length of suspensions in channels of power-law cross sections is analytically predicted using a simplified depth-averaged "box" model. We demonstrate that any degree of polydispersivity adds to the runout length of the currents, relative to that of equivalent monodisperse currents with an average settling velocity. The theoretical predictions are supported by the available experimental data. The present approach is a significant generalization of the particle-driven gravity current problem: on the one hand, now the monodisperse current in non-rectangular channels is a particular case of n = 1. On the other hand, the classical formulation of polydisperse currents for a rectangular channel is now just a particular case, f(z) = const., in the wide domain of cross sections covered by this new model.

An updated Lagrangian discontinuous Galerkin hydrodynamic method for gas dynamics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wu, Tong; Shashkov, Mikhail Jurievich; Morgan, Nathaniel Ray

Here, we present a new Lagrangian discontinuous Galerkin (DG) hydrodynamic method for gas dynamics. The new method evolves conserved unknowns in the current configuration, which obviates the Jacobi matrix that maps the element in a reference coordinate system or the initial coordinate system to the current configuration. The density, momentum, and total energy (ρ, ρu, E) are approximated with conservative higher-order Taylor expansions over the element and are limited toward a piecewise constant field near discontinuities using a limiter. Two new limiting methods are presented for enforcing the bounds on the primitive variables of density, velocity, and specific internal energymore » (ρ, u, e). The nodal velocity, and the corresponding forces, are calculated by solving an approximate Riemann problem at the element nodes. An explicit second-order method is used to temporally advance the solution. This new Lagrangian DG hydrodynamic method conserves mass, momentum, and total energy. 1D Cartesian coordinates test problem results are presented to demonstrate the accuracy and convergence order of the new DG method with the new limiters.« less

Free-standing 3D graphene/polyaniline composite film electrodes for high-performance supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Shiyong; Ma, Li; Gan, Mengyu; Fu, Shenna; Dai, Wenqin; Zhou, Tao; Sun, Xiaowu; Wang, Huihui; Wang, Huining

2015-12-01

The research paper describes polyaniline (PANI) nanowires array on flexible polystyrene microsphere/reduced graphene (PS/rGN) film is synthesized by dilute polymerization, and then the PS microspheres are removed to form free-standing three-dimensional (3D) rGN/PANI composite film. The chemical and structural properties of the 3D rGN/PANI film are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), and the results confirm the 3D rGN/PANI film is synthesized successfully. When the film is used as a supercapacitor electrode, the maximum specific capacitance is as high as 740 F g-1 (or 581 F cm-3 for volumetric capacitance) at a current density of 0.5 A g-1 and the specific capacitance retains 87% of the initial after constant charge-discharge 1000 cycles at current density of 10 A g-1. It is believed that the free-standing 3D rGN/PANI film will have a great potential for application in supercapacitors.

Effect of povidone-iodine addition on the corrosion behavior of cp-Ti in normal saline.

PubMed

Bhola, Rahul; Bhola, Shaily M; Mishra, Brajendra; Olson, David L

2010-05-01

The effect of various concentrations of povidone-iodine (PI) on the corrosion behavior of a commercially pure titanium alloy (Ti-1) has been investigated in normal saline solution to simulate the povidone-iodine addition in an oral environment. The open circuit potential, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization measurements have been used to characterize the electrochemical phenomena occurring on the alloy surface. The open circuit potential values for Ti-1 in various concentrations of PI shift considerably towards noble direction as compared to pure normal saline. In the potentiodynamic polarization curve for Ti-1 in various solutions, the cathodic current density has increased for all concentrations of PI and the anodic current density has decreased. Only the 0.1% PI concentration is able to inhibit corrosion of Ti-1 in normal saline and the other higher concentrations studied, accelerate corrosion. The EIS data for Ti-1 in normal saline and in various concentrations of PI follows a one time constant circuit, suggesting the formation of a single passive film on Ti-1 which is not altered by the addition of PI to normal saline.

Characteristics of OMVPE grown GaAsBi QW lasers and impact of post-growth thermal annealing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Honghyuk; Guan, Yingxin; Babcock, Susan E.; Kuech, Thomas F.; Mawst, Luke J.

2018-03-01

Laser diodes employing a strain-compensated GaAs1-xBix/GaAs1-yPy single quantum well (SQW) active region were grown by organometallic vapor phase epitaxy (OMVPE). High resolution x-ray diffraction, room temperature photoluminescence, and real-time optical reflectance measurements during the OMVPE growth were used to find the optimum process window for the growth of the active region material. Systematic post-growth in situ thermal anneals of various lengths were carried out in order to investigate the impacts of thermal annealing on the laser device performance characteristics. While the lowest threshold current density was achieved after the thermal annealing for 30 min at 630 °C, a gradual decrease in the external differential quantum efficiency was observed as the annealing time increases. It was observed that the temperature sensitivities of the threshold current density increase while those of lasing wavelength and slope efficiency remain nearly constant with increasing annealing time. Z-contrast scanning transmission electron microscopic) analysis revealed inhomogeneous Bi distribution within the QW active region.

Non-aqueous electrochemical deposition of lead zirconate titanate films for flexible sensor applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joseph, Sherin; Kumar, A. V. Ramesh; John, Reji

2017-11-01

Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) is one of the most important piezoelectric materials widely used for underwater sensors. However, PZTs are hard and non-compliant and hence there is an overwhelming attention devoted toward making it flexible by preparing films on flexible substrates by different routes. In this work, the electrochemical deposition of composition controlled PZT films over flexible stainless steel (SS) foil substrates using non-aqueous electrolyte dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) was carried out. Effects of various key parameters involved in electrochemical deposition process such as current density and time of deposition were studied. It was found that a current density of 25 mA/cm2 for 5 min gave a good film. The morphology and topography evaluation of the films was carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively, which showed a uniform morphology with a surface roughness of 2 nm. The PZT phase formation was studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and corroborated with Raman spectroscopic studies. The dielectric constant, dielectric loss, hysteresis and I-V characteristics of the film was evaluated.

Advantageous grain boundaries in iron pnictide superconductors

PubMed Central

Katase, Takayoshi; Ishimaru, Yoshihiro; Tsukamoto, Akira; Hiramatsu, Hidenori; Kamiya, Toshio; Tanabe, Keiichi; Hosono, Hideo

2011-01-01

High critical temperature superconductors have zero power consumption and could be used to produce ideal electric power lines. The principal obstacle in fabricating superconducting wires and tapes is grain boundaries—the misalignment of crystalline orientations at grain boundaries, which is unavoidable for polycrystals, largely deteriorates critical current density. Here we report that high critical temperature iron pnictide superconductors have advantages over cuprates with respect to these grain boundary issues. The transport properties through well-defined bicrystal grain boundary junctions with various misorientation angles (θGB) were systematically investigated for cobalt-doped BaFe2As2 (BaFe2As2:Co) epitaxial films fabricated on bicrystal substrates. The critical current density through bicrystal grain boundary (JcBGB) remained high (>1 MA cm−2) and nearly constant up to a critical angle θc of ∼9°, which is substantially larger than the θc of ∼5° for YBa2Cu3O7–δ. Even at θGB>θc, the decay of JcBGB was much slower than that of YBa2Cu3O7–δ. PMID:21811238

AC Conductivity and Dielectric Properties of Borotellurite Glass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taha, T. A.; Azab, A. A.

2016-10-01

Borotellurite glasses with formula 60B2O3-10ZnO-(30 - x)NaF- xTeO2 ( x = 0 mol.%, 5 mol.%, 10 mol.%, and 15 mol.%) have been synthesized by thermal melting. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed that the glasses were amorphous. The glass density ( ρ) was determined by the Archimedes method at room temperature. The density ( ρ) and molar volume ( V m) were found to increase with increasing TeO2 content. The direct-current (DC) conductivity was measured in the temperature range from 473 K to 623 K, in which the electrical activation energy of ionic conduction increased from 0.27 eV to 0.48 eV with increasing TeO2 content from 0 mol.% to 15 mol.%. The dielectric parameters and alternating-current (AC) conductivity ( σ ac) were investigated in the frequency range from 1 kHz to 1 MHz and temperature range from 300 K to 633 K. The AC conductivity and dielectric constant decreased with increasing TeO2 content from 0 mol.% to 15 mol.%.

An updated Lagrangian discontinuous Galerkin hydrodynamic method for gas dynamics

DOE PAGES

Wu, Tong; Shashkov, Mikhail Jurievich; Morgan, Nathaniel Ray; ...

2018-04-09

Here, we present a new Lagrangian discontinuous Galerkin (DG) hydrodynamic method for gas dynamics. The new method evolves conserved unknowns in the current configuration, which obviates the Jacobi matrix that maps the element in a reference coordinate system or the initial coordinate system to the current configuration. The density, momentum, and total energy (ρ, ρu, E) are approximated with conservative higher-order Taylor expansions over the element and are limited toward a piecewise constant field near discontinuities using a limiter. Two new limiting methods are presented for enforcing the bounds on the primitive variables of density, velocity, and specific internal energymore » (ρ, u, e). The nodal velocity, and the corresponding forces, are calculated by solving an approximate Riemann problem at the element nodes. An explicit second-order method is used to temporally advance the solution. This new Lagrangian DG hydrodynamic method conserves mass, momentum, and total energy. 1D Cartesian coordinates test problem results are presented to demonstrate the accuracy and convergence order of the new DG method with the new limiters.« less

Development of a Rayleigh Scattering Diagnostic for Time-Resolved Gas Flow Velocity, Temperature, and Density Measurements in Aerodynamic Test Facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mielke, Amy F.; Elam, Kristie A.; Sung, Chih-Jen

2007-01-01

A molecular Rayleigh scattering technique is developed to measure time-resolved gas velocity, temperature, and density in unseeded turbulent flows at sampling rates up to 32 kHz. A high power continuous-wave laser beam is focused at a point in an air flow field and Rayleigh scattered light is collected and fiber-optically transmitted to the spectral analysis and detection equipment. The spectrum of the light, which contains information about the temperature and velocity of the flow, is analyzed using a Fabry-Perot interferometer. Photomultiplier tubes operated in the photon counting mode allow high frequency sampling of the circular interference pattern to provide time-resolved flow property measurements. An acoustically driven nozzle flow is studied to validate velocity fluctuation measurements, and an asymmetric oscillating counterflow with unequal enthalpies is studied to validate the measurement of temperature fluctuations. Velocity fluctuations are compared with constant temperature anemometry measurements and temperature fluctuations are compared with constant current anemometry measurements at the same locations. Time-series and power spectra of the temperature and velocity measurements are presented. A numerical simulation of the light scattering and detection process was developed and compared with experimental data for future use as an experiment design tool.

Oxygen consumption rate of cells in 3D culture: the use of experiment and simulation to measure kinetic parameters and optimise culture conditions.

PubMed

Streeter, Ian; Cheema, Umber

2011-10-07

Understanding the basal O(2) and nutrient requirements of cells is paramount when culturing cells in 3D tissue models. Any scaffold design will need to take such parameters into consideration, especially as the addition of cells introduces gradients of consumption of such molecules from the surface to the core of scaffolds. We have cultured two cell types in 3D native collagen type I scaffolds, and measured the O(2) tension at specific locations within the scaffold. By changing the density of cells, we have established O(2) consumption gradients within these scaffolds and using mathematical modeling have derived rates of consumption for O(2). For human dermal fibroblasts the average rate constant was 1.19 × 10(-17) mol cell(-1) s(-1), and for human bone marrow derived stromal cells the average rate constant was 7.91 × 10(-18) mol cell(-1) s(-1). These values are lower than previously published rates for similar cells cultured in 2D, but the values established in this current study are more representative of rates of consumption measured in vivo. These values will dictate 3D culture parameters, including maximum cell-seeding density and maximum size of the constructs, for long-term viability of tissue models.

A survey of the geophysical properties of chlorinated DNAPLs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ajo-Franklin, Jonathan B.; Geller, Jil T.; Harris, Jerry M.

2006-07-01

Dense Non Aqueous Phase Liquids (DNAPLs) are a family of fluids often encountered as industrial contaminants. Some of the most problematic DNAPLs are chlorinated solvents such as trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE). While many DNAPLs have been extensively studied from a hydrology perspective, documentation of DNAPL properties relevant to geophysical detection is far from complete. We present a short survey of acoustic velocity, density, and dielectric constant measurements for an important subset of commonly encountered dense chlorinated contaminants. Viscosity and surface tension data are included to allow exploration of contaminant signatures within the context of poroelastic or contact theory models. Where available, the temperature dependence of solvent properties are also provided. Densities for the listed DNAPLs range from 1253 to 1622 kg/m 3 at 20 °C. All are effectively non-polar with dielectric constants between 2.2 and 10.9 and have relatively low compressional wave velocities ranging from 938 to 1217 m/s. We conclude with documentation of a small collection of recent experiments investigating the properties of soils partially saturated with similar fluids. Current laboratory evidence demonstrates that DNAPLs can produce changes in geophysically measurable properties. We hope that this survey will facilitate further studies of the feasibility and effectiveness of geophysical techniques for detection of DNAPLs in the subsurface.

Influence of ambient moisture on the compaction behavior of microcrystalline cellulose powder undergoing uni-axial compression and roller-compaction: a comparative study using near-infrared spectroscopy.

PubMed

Gupta, Abhay; Peck, Garnet E; Miller, Ronald W; Morris, Kenneth R

2005-10-01

This study evaluates the effect of variation in the ambient moisture on the compaction behavior of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) powder. The study was conducted by comparing the physico-mechanical properties of, and the near infrared (NIR) spectra collected on, compacts prepared by roller compaction with those collected on simulated ribbons, that is, compacts prepared under uni-axial compression. Relative density, moisture content, tensile strength (TS), and Young modulus were used as key sample attributes for comparison. Samples prepared at constant roller compactor settings and feed mass showed constant density and a decrease in TS with increasing moisture content. Compacts prepared under uni-axial compression at constant pressure and compact mass showed the opposite effect, that is, density increased while TS remained almost constant with increasing moisture content. This suggests difference in the influence of moisture on the material under roller compaction, in which the roll gap (i.e., thickness and therefore density) remains almost constant, vs. under uni-axial compression, in which the thickness is free to change in response to the applied pressure. Key sample attributes were also related to the NIR spectra using multivariate data analysis by the partial least squares projection to latent structures (PLS). Good agreement was observed between the measured and the NIR-PLS predicted values for all key attributes for both, the roller compacted samples as well as the simulated ribbons. Copyright (c) 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association

Flexible, Low-Power Thin-Film Transistors Made of Vapor-Phase Synthesized High-k, Ultrathin Polymer Gate Dielectrics.

PubMed

Choi, Junhwan; Joo, Munkyu; Seong, Hyejeong; Pak, Kwanyong; Park, Hongkeun; Park, Chan Woo; Im, Sung Gap

2017-06-21

A series of high-k, ultrathin copolymer gate dielectrics were synthesized from 2-cyanoethyl acrylate (CEA) and di(ethylene glycol) divinyl ether (DEGDVE) monomers by a free radical polymerization via a one-step, vapor-phase, initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) method. The chemical composition of the copolymers was systematically optimized by tuning the input ratio of the vaporized CEA and DEGDVE monomers to achieve a high dielectric constant (k) as well as excellent dielectric strength. Interestingly, DEGDVE was nonhomopolymerizable but it was able to form a copolymer with other kinds of monomers. Utilizing this interesting property of the DEGDVE cross-linker, the dielectric constant of the copolymer film could be maximized with minimum incorporation of the cross-linker moiety. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the synthesis of a cyanide-containing polymer in the vapor phase, where a high-purity polymer film with a maximized dielectric constant was achieved. The dielectric film with the optimized composition showed a dielectric constant greater than 6 and extremely low leakage current densities (<3 × 10 -8 A/cm 2 in the range of ±2 MV/cm), with a thickness of only 20 nm, which is an outstanding thickness for down-scalable cyanide polymer dielectrics. With this high-k dielectric layer, organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) and oxide TFTs were fabricated, which showed hysteresis-free transfer characteristics with an operating voltage of less than 3 V. Furthermore, the flexible OTFTs retained their low gate leakage current and ideal TFT characteristics even under 2% applied tensile strain, which makes them some of the most flexible OTFTs reported to date. We believe that these ultrathin, high-k organic dielectric films with excellent mechanical flexibility will play a crucial role in future soft electronics.

Friedberg-Lee model at finite temperature and density

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mao Hong; CCAST; Yao Minjie

2008-06-15

The Friedberg-Lee model is studied at finite temperature and density. By using the finite temperature field theory, the effective potential of the Friedberg-Lee model and the bag constant B(T) and B(T,{mu}) have been calculated at different temperatures and densities. It is shown that there is a critical temperature T{sub C}{approx_equal}106.6 MeV when {mu}=0 MeV and a critical chemical potential {mu}{approx_equal}223.1 MeV for fixing the temperature at T=50 MeV. We also calculate the soliton solutions of the Friedberg-Lee model at finite temperature and density. It turns out that when T{<=}T{sub C} (or {mu}{<=}{mu}{sub C}), there is a bag constant B(T) [ormore » B(T,{mu})] and the soliton solutions are stable. However, when T>T{sub C} (or {mu}>{mu}{sub C}) the bag constant B(T)=0 MeV [or B(T,{mu})=0 MeV] and there is no soliton solution anymore, therefore, the confinement of quarks disappears quickly.« less

A transport equation for the scalar dissipation in reacting flows with variable density: First results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mantel, T.

1993-01-01

Although the different regimes of premixed combustion are not well defined, most of the recent developments in turbulent combustion modeling are led in the so-called flamelet regime. The goal of these models is to give a realistic expression to the mean reaction rate (w). Several methods can be used to estimate (w). Bray and coworkers (Libby & Bray 1980, Bray 1985, Bray & Libby 1986) express the instantaneous reaction rate by means of a flamelet library and a frequency which describes the local interaction between the laminar flamelets and the turbulent flowfield. In another way, the mean reaction rate can be directly connected to the flame surface density (Sigma). This quantity can be given by the transport equation of the coherent flame model initially proposed by Marble & Broadwell 1977 and developed elsewhere. The mean reaction rate, (w), can also be estimated thanks to the evolution of an arbitrary scalar field G(x, t) = G(sub O) which represents the flame sheet. G(x, t) is obtained from the G-equation proposed by Williams 1985, Kerstein et al. 1988 and Peters 1993. Another possibility proposed in a recent study by Mantel & Borghi 1991, where a transport equation for the mean dissipation rate (epsilon(sub c)) of the progress variable c is used to determine (w). In their model, Mantel & Borghi 1991 considered a medium with constant density and constant diffusivity in the determination of the transport equation for (epsilon(sub c)). A comparison of different flamelet models made by Duclos et al. 1993 shows the realistic behavior of this model even in the case of constant density. Our objective in this present report is to present preliminary results on the study of this equation in the case of variable density and variable diffusivity. Assumptions of constant pressure and a Lewis number equal to unity allow us to significantly simplify the equation. A systematic order of magnitude analysis based on adequate scale relations is performed on each term of the equation. As in the case of constant density and constant diffusivity, the effects of stretching of the scalar field by the turbulent strain field, of local curvature, and of chemical reactions are predominant. In this preliminary work, we suggest closure models for certain terms, which will be validated after comparisons with DNS data.

Combined experimental and theoretical description of direct current magnetron sputtering of Al by Ar and Ar/N2 plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trieschmann, Jan; Ries, Stefan; Bibinov, Nikita; Awakowicz, Peter; Mráz, Stanislav; Schneider, Jochen M.; Mussenbrock, Thomas

2018-05-01

Direct current magnetron sputtering of Al by Ar and Ar/N2 low pressure plasmas was characterized by experimental and theoretical means in a unified consideration. Experimentally, the plasmas were analyzed by optical emission spectroscopy, while the film deposition rate was determined by weight measurements and laser optical microscopy, and the film composition by energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. Theoretically, a global particle and power balance model was used to estimate the electron temperature T e and the electron density n e of the plasma at constant discharge power. In addition, the sputtering process and the transport of the sputtered atoms were described using Monte Carlo models—TRIDYN and dsmcFoam, respectively. Initially, the non-reactive situation is characterized based on deposition experiment results, which are in agreement with predictions from simulations. Subsequently, a similar study is presented for the reactive case. The influence of the N2 addition is found to be twofold, in terms of (i) the target and substrate surface conditions (e.g., sputtering, secondary electron emission, particle sticking) and (ii) the volumetric changes of the plasma density n e governing the ion flux to the surfaces (e.g., due to additional energy conversion channels). It is shown that a combined experimental/simulation approach reveals a physically coherent and, in particular, quantitative understanding of the properties (e.g., electron density and temperature, target surface nitrogen content, sputtered Al density, deposited mass) involved in the deposition process.

Experimental investigation of large-scale vortices in a freely spreading gravity current

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Yeping; Horner-Devine, Alexander R.

2017-10-01

A series of laboratory experiments are presented to compare the dynamics of constant-source buoyant gravity currents propagating into laterally confined (channelized) and unconfined (spreading) environments. The plan-form structure of the spreading current and the vertical density and velocity structures on the interface are quantified using the optical thickness method and a combined particle image velocimetry and planar laser-induced fluorescence method, respectively. With lateral boundaries, the buoyant current thickness is approximately constant and Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities are generated within the shear layer. The buoyant current structure is significantly different in the spreading case. As the current spreads laterally, nonlinear large-scale vortex structures are observed at the interface, which maintain a coherent shape as they propagate away from the source. These structures are continuously generated near the river mouth, have amplitudes close to the buoyant layer thickness, and propagate offshore at speeds approximately equal to the internal wave speed. The observed depth and propagation speed of the instabilities match well with the fastest growing mode predicted by linear stability analysis, but with a shorter wavelength. The spreading flows have much higher vorticity, which is aggregated within the large-scale structures. Secondary instabilities are generated on the leading edge of the braids between the large-scale vortex structures and ultimately break and mix on the lee side of the structures. Analysis of the vortex dynamics shows that lateral stretching intensifies the vorticity in the spreading currents, contributing to higher vorticity within the large-scale structures in the buoyant plume. The large-scale instabilities and vortex structures observed in the present study provide new insights into the origin of internal frontal structures frequently observed in coastal river plumes.

Excitation of THz hybrid modes in an elliptical dielectric rod waveguide with a cold collisionless unmagnetized plasma column by an annular electron beam

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rahmani, Z., E-mail: z.rahmani@kashanu.ac.ir; Safari, S.; Heidari-Semiromi, E.

2016-06-15

The dispersion relation of electromagnetic waves propagating in an elliptical plasma waveguide with a cold collisionless unmagnetized plasma column and a dielectric rod is studied analytically. The frequency spectrum of the hybrid waves and the growth rate for excitation of the waves by a thin annular relativistic elliptical electron beam (TAREEB) is obtained. The effects of relative permittivity constant of dielectric rod, geometrical dimensions, plasma frequency, accelerating voltage, and current density of TAREEB on the growth rate and frequency spectra of the waveguide will be investigated.

Uniqueness and reconstruction in magnetic resonance-electrical impedance tomography (MR-EIT).

PubMed

Ider, Y Ziya; Onart, Serkan; Lionheart, William R B

2003-05-01

Magnetic resonance-electrical impedance tomography (MR-EIT) was first proposed in 1992. Since then various reconstruction algorithms have been suggested and applied. These algorithms use peripheral voltage measurements and internal current density measurements in different combinations. In this study the problem of MR-EIT is treated as a hyperbolic system of first-order partial differential equations, and three numerical methods are proposed for its solution. This approach is not utilized in any of the algorithms proposed earlier. The numerical solution methods are integration along equipotential surfaces (method of characteristics), integration on a Cartesian grid, and inversion of a system matrix derived by a finite difference formulation. It is shown that if some uniqueness conditions are satisfied, then using at least two injected current patterns, resistivity can be reconstructed apart from a multiplicative constant. This constant can then be identified using a single voltage measurement. The methods proposed are direct, non-iterative, and valid and feasible for 3D reconstructions. They can also be used to easily obtain slice and field-of-view images from a 3D object. 2D simulations are made to illustrate the performance of the algorithms.

Electrical Characteristics and Preparation of (Ba0.5Sr0.5)TiO3 Films by Spray Pyrolysis and Rapid Thermal Annealing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koo, Horng-Show; Chen, Mi; Ku, Hong-Kou; Kawai, Tomoji

2007-04-01

Functional films of (Ba0.5Sr0.5)TiO3 on Pt (1000 Å)/Ti (100 Å)/SiO2 (2000 Å)/Si substrates are prepared by spray pyrolysis and subsequently rapid thermal annealing. Barium nitrate, strontium nitrate and titanium isopropoxide are used as starting materials with ethylene glycol as solvent. For (Ba0.5Sr0.5)TiO3 functional thin film, thermal characteristics of the precursor powder scratched from as-sprayed films show a remarkable peak around 300-400 °C and 57.7% weight loss up to 1000 °C. The as-sprayed precursor film with coffee-like color and amorphous-like phase is transformed into the resultant film with white, crystalline perovskite phase and characteristic peaks (110) and (100). The resultant films show correspondent increases of dielectric constant, leakage current and dissipation factor with increasing annealing temperatures. The dielectric constant is 264 and tangent loss is 0.21 in the resultant films annealed at 750 °C for 5 min while leakage current density is 1.5× 10-6 A/cm2 in the film annealed at 550 °C for 5 min.

Development of a model to simulate infection dynamics of Mycobacterium bovis in cattle herds in the United States

PubMed Central

Smith, Rebecca L.; Schukken, Ynte H.; Lu, Zhao; Mitchell, Rebecca M.; Grohn, Yrjo T.

2013-01-01

Objective To develop a mathematical model to simulate infection dynamics of Mycobacterium bovis in cattle herds in the United States and predict efficacy of the current national control strategy for tuberculosis in cattle. Design Stochastic simulation model. Sample Theoretical cattle herds in the United States. Procedures A model of within-herd M bovis transmission dynamics following introduction of 1 latently infected cow was developed. Frequency- and density-dependent transmission modes and 3 tuberculin-test based culling strategies (no test-based culling, constant (annual) testing with test-based culling, and the current strategy of slaughterhouse detection-based testing and culling) were investigated. Results were evaluated for 3 herd sizes over a 10-year period and validated via simulation of known outbreaks of M bovis infection. Results On the basis of 1,000 simulations (1000 herds each) at replacement rates typical for dairy cattle (0.33/y), median time to detection of M bovis infection in medium-sized herds (276 adult cattle) via slaughterhouse surveillance was 27 months after introduction, and 58% of these herds would spontaneously clear the infection prior to that time. Sixty-two percent of medium-sized herds without intervention and 99% of those managed with constant test-based culling were predicted to clear infection < 10 years after introduction. The model predicted observed outbreaks best for frequency-dependent transmission, and probability of clearance was most sensitive to replacement rate. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance Although modeling indicated the current national control strategy was sufficient for elimination of M bovis infection from dairy herds after detection, slaughterhouse surveillance was not sufficient to detect M bovis infection in all herds and resulted in subjectively delayed detection, compared with the constant testing method. Further research is required to economically optimize this strategy. PMID:23865885

Simple constant-current-regulated power supply

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Priebe, D. H. E.; Sturman, J. C.

1977-01-01

Supply incorporates soft-start circuit that slowly ramps current up to set point at turn-on. Supply consists of full-wave rectifier, regulating pass transistor, current feedback circuit, and quad single-supply operational-amplifier circuit providing control. Technique is applicable to any system requiring constant dc current, such as vacuum tube equipment, heaters, or battery charges; it has been used to supply constant current for instrument calibration.

Open-circuit voltage improvements in low-resistivity solar cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Godlewski, M. P.; Klucher, T. M.; Mazaris, G. A.; Weizer, V. G.

1979-01-01

Mechanisms limiting the open-circuit voltage in 0.1 ohm-cm solar cells were investigated. It was found that a rather complicated multistep diffusion process could produce cells with significantly improved voltages. The voltage capabilities of various laboratory cells were compared independent of their absorption and collection efficiencies. This was accomplished by comparing the cells on the basis of their saturation currents or, equivalently, comparing their voltage outputs at a constant current-density level. The results show that for both the Lewis diffused emitter cell and the Spire ion-implanted emitter cell the base component of the saturation current is voltage controlling. The evidence for the University of Florida cells, although not very conclusive, suggests emitter control of the voltage in this device. The data suggest further that the critical voltage-limiting parameter for the Lewis cell is the electron mobility in the cell base.

Production of atmospheric-pressure glow discharge in nitrogen using needle-array electrode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takaki, K.; Hosokawa, M.; Sasaki, T.; Mukaigawa, S.; Fujiwara, T.

2005-04-01

An atmospheric pressure glow discharge was generated using a needle-array electrode in nitrogen, and the voltage-current characteristics of the glow discharge were obtained in a range from 1 mA to 60 A. A pulsed high voltage with short rise time under 10 ns was employed to generate streamer discharges simultaneously at all needle tips. The large number of streamer discharges prevented the glow-to-arc transition caused by inhomogeneous thermalization. Semiconductor opening switch diodes were employed as an opening switch to shorten the rise time. The glow voltage was almost constant until the discharge current became 0.3 A, whereas the voltage increased with the current higher than 0.3 A. Electron density and temperature in a positive column of the glow discharge at 60 A were obtained to 1.4×1012cm-3 and 1.3 eV from calculation based on nitrogen swarm data.

Periodic density modulation for quasi-phase-matching of optical frequency conversion is inefficient under shallow focusing and constant ambient pressure.

PubMed

Hadas, Itai; Bahabad, Alon

2016-09-01

The two main mechanisms of a periodic density modulation relevant to nonlinear optical conversion in a gas medium are spatial modulations of the index of refraction and of the number of emitters. For a one-dimensional model neglecting focusing and using a constant ambient pressure, it is shown theoretically and demonstrated numerically that the effects of these two mechanisms during frequency conversion cancel each other exactly. Under the considered conditions, this makes density modulation inefficient for quasi-phase-matching an optical frequency conversion process. This result is particularly relevant for high-order harmonic generation.

Thermodynamical transcription of density functional theory with minimum Fisher information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagy, Á.

2018-03-01

Ghosh, Berkowitz and Parr designed a thermodynamical transcription of the ground-state density functional theory and introduced a local temperature that varies from point to point. The theory, however, is not unique because the kinetic energy density is not uniquely defined. Here we derive the expression of the phase-space Fisher information in the GBP theory taking the inverse temperature as the Fisher parameter. It is proved that this Fisher information takes its minimum for the case of constant temperature. This result is consistent with the recently proven theorem that the phase-space Shannon information entropy attains its maximum at constant temperature.

Generalization of Solovev’s approach to finding equilibrium solutions for axisymmetric plasmas with flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

M, S. CHU; Yemin, HU; Wenfeng, GUO

2018-03-01

Solovev’s approach of finding equilibrium solutions was found to be extremely useful for generating a library of linear-superposable equilibria for the purpose of shaping studies. This set of solutions was subsequently expanded to include the vacuum solutions of Zheng, Wootton and Solano, resulting in a set of functions {SOLOVEV_ZWS} that were usually used for all toroidally symmetric plasmas, commonly recognized as being able to accommodate any desired plasma shapes (complete-shaping capability). The possibility of extending the Solovev approach to toroidal equilibria with a general plasma flow is examined theoretically. We found that the only meaningful extension is to plasmas with a pure toroidal rotation and with a constant Mach number. We also show that the simplification ansatz made to the current profiles, which was the basis of the Solovev approach, should be applied more systematically to include an internal boundary condition at the magnetic axis; resulting in a modified and more useful set {SOLOVEV_ZWSm}. Explicit expressions of functions in this set are given for equilibria with a quasi-constant current density profile, with a toroidal flow at a constant Mach number and with specific heat capacity 1. The properties of {SOLOVEV_ZWSm} are studied analytically. Numerical examples of achievable equilibria are demonstrated. Although the shaping capability of the set {SOLOVE_ZWSm} is quite extensive, it nevertheless still does not have complete shaping capability, particularly for plasmas with negative curvature points on the plasma boundary such as the doublets or indented bean shaped tokamaks.

Resistivity and self-potential tomography applied to groundwater remediation and contaminant plumes: Sandbox and field experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, D.; Revil, A.; Hort, R. D.; Munakata-Marr, J.; Atekwana, E. A.; Kulessa, B.

2015-11-01

Geophysical methods can be used to remotely characterize contaminated sites and monitor in situ enhanced remediation processes. We have conducted one sandbox experiment and one contaminated field investigation to show the robustness of electrical resistivity tomography and self-potential (SP) tomography for these applications. In the sandbox experiment, we injected permanganate in a trichloroethylene (TCE)-contaminated environment under a constant hydraulic gradient. Inverted resistivity tomograms are able to track the evolution of the permanganate plume in agreement with visual observations made on the side of the tank. Self-potential measurements were also performed at the surface of the sandbox using non-polarizing Ag-AgCl electrodes. These data were inverted to obtain the source density distribution with and without the resistivity information. A compact horizontal dipole source located at the front of the plume was obtained from the inversion of these self-potential data. This current dipole may be related to the redox reaction occurring between TCE and permanganate and the strong concentration gradient at the front of the plume. We demonstrate that time-lapse self-potential signals can be used to track the kinetics of an advecting oxidizer plume with acceptable accuracy and, if needed, in real time, but are unable to completely resolve the shape of the plume. In the field investigation, a 3D resistivity tomography is used to characterize an organic contaminant plume (resistive domain) and an overlying zone of solid waste materials (conductive domain). After removing the influence of the streaming potential, the identified source current density had a magnitude of 0.5 A m-2. The strong source current density may be attributed to charge movement between the neighboring zones that encourage abiotic and microbially enhanced reduction and oxidation reactions. In both cases, the self-potential source current density is located in the area of strong resistivity gradient.

[Effects of allitridum on rapidly delayed rectifier potassium current in HEK293 cell line].

PubMed

Zhang, Jiancheng; Lin, Kun; Wei, Zhixiong; Chen, Qian; Liu, Li; Zhao, Xiaojing; Zhao, Ying; Xu, Bin; Chen, Xi; Li, Yang

2015-08-01

To study the effect of allitridum on rapidly delayed rectifier potassium current (IKr) in HEK293 cell line. HEK293 cells were transiently transfected with HERG channel cDNA plasmid pcDNA3.1 via Lipofectamine. Allitridum was added to the extracellular solution by partial perfusion after giga seal at the final concentration of 30 µmol/L. Whole-cell patch clamp technique was used to record the HERG currents and gating kinetics before and after allitridum exposure at room temperature. The amplitude and density of IHERG were both suppressed by allitridum in a voltage-dependent manner. In the presence of allitridum, the peak current of IHERG was reduced from 73.5∓4.3 pA/pF to 42.1∓3.6 pA/pF at the test potential of +50 mV (P<0.01). Allitridum also concentration-dependently decreased the density of the IHERG. The IC50 of allitridum was 34.74 µmol/L with a Hill coefficient of 1.01. Allitridum at 30 µmol/L caused a significant positive shift of the steady-state activation curve of IHERG and a markedly negative shift of the steady-state inactivation of IHERG, and significantly shortened the slow time constants of IHERG deactivation. Allitridum can potently block IHERG in HEK293 cells, which might be the electrophysiological basis for its anti-arrhythmic action.

Increasing the Extracted Beam Current Density in Ion Thrusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arthur, Neil Anderson

Ion thrusters have seen application on space science missions and numerous satellite missions. Ion engines offer higher electrical efficiency and specific impulse capability coupled with longer demonstrated lifetime as compared to other space propulsion technologies. However, ion engines are considered to have low thrust. This work aims to address the low thrust conception; whereby improving ion thruster performance and thrust density will lead to expanded mission capabilities for ion thruster technology. This goal poses a challenge because the mechanism for accelerating ions, the ion optics, is space charge limited according to the Child-Langmuir law-there is a finite number of ions that can be extracted through the grids for a given voltage. Currently, ion thrusters operate at only 40% of this limit, suggesting there is another limit artificially constraining beam current. Experimental evidence suggests the beam current can become source limited-the ion density within the plasma is not large enough to sustain high beam currents. Increasing the discharge current will increase ion density, but ring cusp ion engines become anode area limited at high discharge currents. The ring cusp magnetic field increases ionization efficiency but limits the anode area available for electron collection. Above a threshold current, the plasma becomes unstable. Increasing the engine size is one approach to increasing the operational discharge current, ion density, and thus the beam current, but this presents engineering challenges. The ion optics are a pair of closely spaced grids. As the engine diameter increases, it becomes difficult to maintain a constant grid gap. Span-to-gap considerations for high perveance optics limit ion engines to 50 cm in diameter. NASA designed the annular ion engine to address the anode area limit and scale-up problems by changing the discharge chamber geometry. The annular engine provides a central mounting structure for the optics, allowing the beam area to increase while maintaining a fixed span-to-gap. The central stalk also provides additional surface area for electron collection. Circumventing the anode area limitation, the annular ion engine can operate closer to the Child-Langmuir limit as compared to a conventional cylindrical ion thruster. Preliminary discharge characterization of a 65 cm annular ion engine shows >90% uniformity and validates the scalability of the technology. Operating beyond the Child-Langmuir limit would allow for even larger performance gains. This classic law does not consider the ion injection velocity into the grid sheath. The Child-Langmuir limit shifts towards higher current as the ion velocity increases. Ion drift velocity can be created by enhancing the axially-directed electric field. One method for creating this field is to modify the plasma potential distribution. This can be accomplished by biasing individual magnetic cusps, through isolated, conformal electrodes placed on each magnet ring. Experiments on a 15 cm ion thruster have shown that plasma potential in the bulk can be modified by as much as 5 V and establish ion drift towards the grid plane. Increases in ion current density at the grid by up to 20% are demonstrated. Performance implications are also considered, and increases in simulated beam current of 15% and decreases in discharge losses of 5% are observed. Electron density measurements within the magnetic cusps revealed, surprisingly, as cusp current draw increases, the leak width does not change. This suggests that instead of increasing the electron collection area, cusp bias enhances electron mobility along field lines.

Macroscopic neural mass model constructed from a current-based network model of spiking neurons.

PubMed

Umehara, Hiroaki; Okada, Masato; Teramae, Jun-Nosuke; Naruse, Yasushi

2017-02-01

Neural mass models (NMMs) are efficient frameworks for describing macroscopic cortical dynamics including electroencephalogram and magnetoencephalogram signals. Originally, these models were formulated on an empirical basis of synaptic dynamics with relatively long time constants. By clarifying the relations between NMMs and the dynamics of microscopic structures such as neurons and synapses, we can better understand cortical and neural mechanisms from a multi-scale perspective. In a previous study, the NMMs were analytically derived by averaging the equations of synaptic dynamics over the neurons in the population and further averaging the equations of the membrane-potential dynamics. However, the averaging of synaptic current assumes that the neuron membrane potentials are nearly time invariant and that they remain at sub-threshold levels to retain the conductance-based model. This approximation limits the NMM to the non-firing state. In the present study, we newly propose a derivation of a NMM by alternatively approximating the synaptic current which is assumed to be independent of the membrane potential, thus adopting a current-based model. Our proposed model releases the constraint of the nearly constant membrane potential. We confirm that the obtained model is reducible to the previous model in the non-firing situation and that it reproduces the temporal mean values and relative power spectrum densities of the average membrane potentials for the spiking neurons. It is further ensured that the existing NMM properly models the averaged dynamics over individual neurons even if they are spiking in the populations.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Santhanagopalan, Shriram; White, Ralph E.

Rotating ring disc electrode (RRDE) experiments are a classic tool for investigating kinetics of electrochemical reactions. Several standardized methods exist for extracting transport parameters and reaction rate constants using RRDE measurements. Here in this work, we compare some approximate solutions to the convective diffusion used popularly in the literature to a rigorous numerical solution of the Nernst-Planck equations coupled to the three dimensional flow problem. In light of these computational advancements, we explore design aspects of the RRDE that will help improve sensitivity of our parameter estimation procedure to experimental data. We use the oxygen reduction in acidic media involvingmore » three charge transfer reactions and a chemical reaction as an example, and identify ways to isolate reaction currents for the individual processes in order to accurately estimate the exchange current densities.« less

Hall effect on magnetohydrodynamic instabilities at an elliptic magnetic stagnation line

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spies, Günther O.; Faghihi, Mustafa

1987-06-01

To answer the question whether the Hall effect removes the unphysical feature of ideal magnetohydrodynamics of predicting small wavelength kink instabilities at any elliptic magnetic stagnation line, a normal mode analysis is performed of the motion of an incompressible Hall fluid about cylindrical Z-pinch equilibria with circular cross sections. The eigenvalue loci in the complex frequency plane are derived for the equilibrium with constant current density. Every particular mode becomes stable as the Hall parameter exceeds a critical value. This value, however, depends on the mode such that it increases to infinity as the ideal growth rate decreases to zero, implying that there always remains an infinite number of slowly growing instabilities. Correspondingly, the stability criterion for equilibria with arbitrary current distributions is independent of the Hall parameter.

Degravitation, inflation and the cosmological constant as an afterglow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patil, Subodh P.

2009-01-01

In this report, we adopt the phenomenological approach of taking the degravitation paradigm seriously as a consistent modification of gravity in the IR, and investigate its consequences for various cosmological situations. We motivate degravitation — where Netwon's constant is promoted to a scale dependent filter function — as arising from either a small (resonant) mass for the graviton, or as an effect in semi-classical gravity. After addressing how the Bianchi identities are to be satisfied in such a set up, we turn our attention towards the cosmological consequences of degravitation. By considering the example filter function corresponding to a resonantly massive graviton (with a filter scale larger than the present horizon scale), we show that slow roll inflation, hybrid inflation and old inflation remain quantitatively unchanged. We also find that the degravitation mechanism inherits a memory of past energy densities in the present epoch in such a way that is likely significant for present cosmological evolution. For example, if the universe underwent inflation in the past due to it having tunneled out of some false vacuum, we find that degravitation implies a remnant `afterglow' cosmological constant, whose scale immediately afterwards is parametrically suppressed by the filter scale (L) in Planck units Λ ~ l2pl/L2. We discuss circumstances through which this scenario reasonably yields the presently observed value for Λ ~ O(10-120). We also find that in a universe still currently trapped in some false vacuum state, resonance graviton models of degravitation only degravitate initially Planck or GUT scale energy densities down to the presently observed value over timescales comparable to the filter scale. We argue that different functional forms for the filter function will yield similar conclusions. In this way, we argue that although the degravitation models we study have the potential to explain why the cosmological constant is not large in addition to why it is not zero, it does not satisfactorily address the co-incidence problem without additional tuning.

Chloride Transport in Porous Lipid Bilayer Membranes

PubMed Central

Andreoli, Thomas E.; Watkins, Mary L.

1973-01-01

This paper describes dissipative Cl- transport in "porous" lipid bilayer membranes, i.e., cholesterol-containing membranes exposed to 1–3 x 10-7 M amphotericin B. P DCl (cm·s-1), the diffusional permeability coefficient for Cl-, estimated from unidirectional 36Cl- fluxes at zero volume flow, varied linearly with the membrane conductance (Gm, Ω-1·cm-2) when the contributions of unstirred layers to the resistance to tracer diffusion were relatively small with respect to the membranes; in 0.05 M NaCl, P DCl was 1.36 x 10-4 cm·s-1 when Gm was 0.02 Ω-1·cm-2. Net chloride fluxes were measured either in the presence of imposed concentration gradients or electrical potential differences. Under both sets of conditions: the values of P DCl computed from zero volume flow experiments described net chloride fluxes; the net chloride fluxes accounted for ∼90–95% of the membrane current density; and, the chloride flux ratio conformed to the Ussing independence relationship. Thus, it is likely that Cl- traversed aqueous pores in these anion-permselective membranes via a simple diffusion process. The zero current membrane potentials measured when the aqueous phases contained asymmetrical NaCl solutions could be expressed in terms of the Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz constant field equation, assuming that the P DNa/P DCl ratio was 0.05. In symmetrical salt solutions, the current-voltage properties of these membranes were linear; in asymmetrical NaCl solutions, the membranes exhibited electrical rectification consistent with constant-field theory. It seems likely that the space charge density in these porous membranes is sufficiently low that the potential gradient within the membranes is approximately linear; and, that the pores are not electrically neutral, presumably because the Debye length within the membrane phase approximates the membrane thickness. PMID:4708408

Electrochemical sulfide removal and caustic recovery from spent caustic streams.

PubMed

Vaiopoulou, Eleni; Provijn, Thomas; Prévoteau, Antonin; Pikaar, Ilje; Rabaey, Korneel

2016-04-01

Spent caustic streams (SCS) are produced during alkaline scrubbing of sulfide containing sour gases. Conventional methods mainly involve considerable chemical dosing or energy expenditures entailing high cost but limited benefits. Here we propose an electrochemical treatment approach involving anodic sulfide oxidation preferentially to sulfur coupled to cathodic caustic recovery using a two-compartment electrochemical system. Batch experiments showed sulfide removal efficiencies of 84 ± 4% with concomitant 57 ± 4% efficient caustic production in the catholyte at a final concentration of 6.4 ± 0.1 wt% NaOH (1.6 M) at an applied current density of 100 A m(-2). Subsequent long-term continuous experiments showed that stable cell voltages (i.e. 2.7 ± 0.1 V) as well as constant sulfide removal efficiencies of 67 ± 5% at a loading rate of 47 g(S) L(-1) h(-1) were achieved over a period of 77 days. Caustic was produced at industrially relevant strengths for scrubbing (i.e. 5.1 ± 0.9 wt% NaOH) at current efficiencies of 96 ± 2%. Current density between 0 and 200 A m(-2) and sulfide loading rates of 50-200 g(S) L(-1) d(-1) were tested. The higher the current density the more oxidized the sulfur species produced and the higher the sulfide oxidation. On the contrary, high loading rate resulted in a reduction of sulfide oxidation efficiency. The results obtained in this study together with engineering calculations show that the proposed process could represent a cost-effective approach for sodium and sulfur recovery from SCS. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Basolateral K channels in an insect epithelium. Channel density, conductance, and block by barium

PubMed Central

Hanrahan, JW; Wills, NK; Phillips, JE; Lewis, SA

1986-01-01

K channels in the basolateral membrane of insect hindgut were studied using current fluctuation analysis and microelectrodes. Locust recta were mounted in Ussing-type chambers containing Cl-free saline and cyclic AMP (cAMP). A transepithelial K current was induced by raising serosal [K] under short-circuit conditions. Adding Ba to the mucosal (luminal) side under these conditions had no effect; however, serosal Ba reversibly inhibited the short-circuit current (Isc), increased transepithelial resistance (Rt), and added a Lorentzian component to power density spectra of the Isc. A nonlinear relationship between corner frequency and serosal [Ba] was observed, which suggests that the rate constant for Ba association with basolateral channels increased as [Ba] was elevated. Microelectrode experiments revealed that the basolateral membrane hyperpolarized when Ba was added: this change in membrane potential could explain the nonlinearity of the 2 pi fc vs. [Ba] relationship if external Ba sensed about three-quarters of the basolateral membrane field. Conventional microelectrodes were used to determine the correspondence between transepithelially measured current noise and basolateral membrane conductance fluctuations, and ion-sensitive microelectrodes were used to measure intracellular K activity (acK). From the relationship between the net electrochemical potential for K across the basolateral membrane and the single channel current calculated from noise analysis, we estimate that the conductance of basolateral K channels is approximately 60 pS, and that there are approximately 180 million channels per square centimeter of tissue area. PMID:2420918

Influence of electric current on bacterial viability in wastewater treatment.

PubMed

Wei, V; Elektorowicz, M; Oleszkiewicz, J A

2011-10-15

Minimizing the influence of electric current on bacterial viability in the electro-technologies such as electrophoresis and electrocoagulation is crucial in designing and operating the electric hybrid wastewater treatment system. In this study the biomass from a membrane bioreactor (MBR) was subjected to constant direct current and the bacterial viability was monitored against electrical intensity, duration as well as the spatial vicinity related to the electrodes. It was found that the bacterial viability was not significantly affected (less than 10% of death percentage) when the applied electric current density (CD) was less than 6.2 A/m2 after 4 h. The percentage of live cell dropped by 15% and 29% at CD of 12.3 A/m2 and 24.7 A/m2, respectively. The pH of electrolytic biomass fluid has shifted to alkaline (from nearly neutral to around pH 10) at CD above 12.3 A/m2, which could have been the contributing factor for the bacterial inactivation. The temperature change in the electrolytic media at all current densities during 4 h of experiment was less than 2 °C, thus temperature effects were negligible. Bacteria experienced different micro-environments in the electrochemical reactor. Bacterial cells on the cathode surface exhibited highest death rate, whereas bacteria outside the space between electrodes were the least affected. It was concluded that in an electro-technology integrated wastewater treatment process, sufficient mixing should be used to avoid localized inactivation of bacterial cells. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Magnitude of finite-nucleus-size effects in relativistic density functional computations of indirect NMR nuclear spin-spin coupling constants.

PubMed

Autschbach, Jochen

2009-09-14

A spherical Gaussian nuclear charge distribution model has been implemented for spin-free (scalar) and two-component (spin-orbit) relativistic density functional calculations of indirect NMR nuclear spin-spin coupling (J-coupling) constants. The finite nuclear volume effects on the hyperfine integrals are quite pronounced and as a consequence they noticeably alter coupling constants involving heavy NMR nuclei such as W, Pt, Hg, Tl, and Pb. Typically, the isotropic J-couplings are reduced in magnitude by about 10 to 15 % for couplings between one of the heaviest NMR nuclei and a light atomic ligand, and even more so for couplings between two heavy atoms. For a subset of the systems studied, viz. the Hg atom, Hg(2) (2+), and Tl--X where X=Br, I, the basis set convergence of the hyperfine integrals and the coupling constants was monitored. For the Hg atom, numerical and basis set calculations of the electron density and the 1s and 6s orbital hyperfine integrals are directly compared. The coupling anisotropies of TlBr and TlI increase by about 2 % due to finite-nucleus effects.

Truncation planes from a dilute pyroclastic density current: field data and analogue experiments.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Douillet, Guilhem Amin; Gegg, Lukas; Mato, Celia; Kueppers, Ulrich; Dingwell, Donald B.

2016-04-01

Pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) are a catastrophic transport mode of ground hugging gas-particle mixtures associated with explosive volcanic eruptions. The extremely high sedimentation rates and turbulence levels of these particulate density currents can freeze and preserve dynamic phenomena that happen but are not recorded in other sedimentary environments. Several intriguing and unanticipated features have been identified in outcrops and reproduced via analogue experiments, with the potential to change our views on morphodynamics and particle motion. Three types of small-scale (ca. 10 cm) erosion structures were observed on the stoss side of dune bedforms in the field: 1) vertical erosion planes covered with stoss-aggrading, vertical lamination, 2) overturned laminations at the preserved limit of erosion planes and 3) loss of stratification at erosion planes. These features are interpreted to indicate rapidly evolving velocities, undeveloped boundary layers, and a diffuse zone rather than a sharp border defining the flow-bed interface. Most experimental work on particle motion and erosion from the literature has been accomplished under constant conditions and with planar particle beds. Here, in order to reproduce the field observations, short-lived air-jets generated with a compressor-gun were shot into stratified beds of coarse particles (300 μm) of low density (1000 kg/m3). These "eroding jets" were filmed with a high speed camera and the deposits were sectioned after the experiments. The three natural types of erosion characteristics were experimentally generated. Vertical erosion planes are produced by small-scale, relatively sustained jets. Overturned laminations are due to a fluidization-like behavior at the erosion front of short-lived, strong jets, demonstrating that the fluid's velocity profile penetrates into the deposit. Loss of lamination seems related to the nature of erosion onset in packages. Rather than providing simple answers, the dataset raises questions and the need for further work on the sedimentation of pyroclastic density currents and turbulence in general. Our threshold-based concepts to explain the formation and initiation of bedforms may be inadequate in many highly depositional settings. This presentation will hopefully trigger discussions and exchange of ideas between sedimentologists, geomorphologists and physicists from all backgrounds.

Inactivation kinetics and steady-state current noise in the anomalous rectifier of tunicate egg cell membranes.

PubMed Central

Ohmori, H

1978-01-01

1. Inward K current through the anomalous rectifier in the tunicate egg (Halocynthis roretzi, Drashe) was studied under voltage clamp. The transient inward current in response to a step change of membrane potential was measured. The steady-state current fluctuations were analysed using the power density spectrum (p.d.s.). 2. The inward current showed time-dependent changes, which were described by a pair of the first order kinetic parameters, n and s for activation and inactivation, respectively. The steady-state channel open probability due to the activation process (n infinity) was assumed to be 1.0 for V more negative than about--100 mV, but that of the inactivation process (s infinity) and the time constant of inactivation (taus) were membrane potential dependent in the same potential range; both decreased with increasing hyperpolarization. 3. The inward currents in Na-free choline medium did not inactivate, but were decreased in size. In Na-free Li medium, inactivation was very small; the steady-state conductance was not affected significantly. 4. After exposure to high Ca media, an increase of the conductance was observed. This effect is probably caused by an increase of intracellular Ca due to Ca ions entering through the Na channels. Mg ions slightly decreased the conductance. 5. In the hyperpolarized membrane (-160 less than or equal to V less than or equal to -80mV), steady-state current noise was recorded and analysed using p.d.s. A p.d.s. of the 1/[1 + (f/fc)2] type as well a p.d.s. of the 1/f type was observed; f, frequency, fc, cut-off frequency. 6. fc was translated into time constant tauN (= 1/2pIfC) and compared with the time constant of inactivation, taus. There was a significant correlation betwen these values with a regression coefficient of 0.82. 7. Changing from 400 mM-Li abloshied inactivation and changed the p.d.s. from the 1/[1 + (f/fc)2] into the 1/f type. These results (paragraphs 5--7)suggest that the fluctuations in the steady-state currents originatte in the inactivation gatin kinetics of the an ofthe anomalous rectifier. 8. The number of anomalous rectifier channels and the unit channel conductance were estimated from the 1/[1 + (f/fc)2] type current noise according to the formula : (see text), where I infinity = gamma Nninfinity s infinity (V--VK), gamma the unit channel conductance, N the maximum number of channels that can be opened by a hyperpolarizing pulse per egg. The unit conductance was 6 pmho in standard artificial sea water and the channel density was 0.028/micrometer2. 9. The unit channel conductance (gamma) was dependent upon external K concentration, but the number ofchannels (N) was not. 10. The increase in chord conductance evoked by higher Ca concentrations was due to the increase of the channel number. By contrast, Mg ions seem to decrease the unit channel conductance slightly. PMID:568176

Charge Characteristics of Rechargeable Batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maheswaranathan, Ponn; Kelly, Cormac

2014-03-01

Rechargeable batteries play important role in technologies today and they are critical for the future. They are used in many electronic devices and their capabilities need to keep up with the accelerated pace of technology. Efficient energy capture and storage is necessary for the future rechargeable batteries. Charging and discharging characteristics of three popular commercially available re-chargeable batteries (NiCd, NiMH, and Li Ion) are investigated and compared with regular alkaline batteries. Pasco's 850 interface and their voltage & current sensors are used to monitor the current through and the potential difference across the battery. The discharge current and voltage stayed fairly constant until the end, with a slightly larger drop in voltage than current, which is more pronounced in the alkaline batteries. After 25 charge/discharge cycling there is no appreciable loss of charge capacities in the Li Ion battery. Energy densities, cycle characteristics, and memory effects will also be presented. Sponsored by the South Carolina Governor's school for Science and Mathematics under the Summer Program for Research Interns program.

Characterization of SnO2/Ni/SiO2-MCP anode in three-dimensional lithium-ion battery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lou, Xuefeng; Xu, Shaohui; Zhu, Yiping; Wang, Lianwei; Chu, Paul K.

2013-12-01

By combining a SnO2 thin film with silicon dioxide microchannel plate (SiO2-MCP), a three-dimensional (3D) structure with enough space to accommodate the volume change of SnO2 during charging-discharging is produced by MEMS and electroless deposition. Owing to the special structure of the MCP, the battery is able to deliver a reversible Li storage capacity of 408 mAhg-1 after 100 cycles. If the current density is reduced to 200 mAg-1 at a constant current during charging and discharging, the battery exhibits reversible capacities of 1575 and 996 mAhg-1 in the first discharging and charging cycle, respectively. However, a reversible Li-storage capacity of only 298 mAhg-1 is obtained after 50 cycles of deep charging at a current of 200 mAg-1. It is found that silicon is involved in the charging-discharging process at a low current.

Photon-induced tunability of the thermospin current in a Rashba ring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdullah, Nzar Rauf; Arnold, Thorsten; Tang, Chi-Shung; Manolescu, Andrei; Gudmundsson, Vidar

2018-04-01

The goal of this work is to show how the thermospin polarization current in a quantum ring changes in the presence of Rashba spin-orbit coupling and a quantized single photon mode of a cavity the ring is placed in. Employing the reduced density operator and a general master equation formalism, we find that both the Rashba interaction and the photon field can significantly modulate the spin polarization and the thermospin polarization current. Tuning the Rashba coupling constant, degenerate energy levels are formed corresponding to the Aharonov-Casher destructive phase interference in the quantum ring system. Our analysis indicates that the maximum spin polarization can be observed at the points of degenerate energy levels due to spin accumulation in the system without the photon field. The thermospin current is thus suppressed. In the presence of the cavity, the photon field leads to an additional kinetic momentum of the electron. As a result the spin polarization can be enhanced by the photon field.

I-Love-Q to the extreme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, Hector O.; Yunes, Nicolás

2018-01-01

Certain bulk properties of neutron stars, in particular their moment of inertia, rotational quadrupole moment and tidal Love number, when properly normalized, are related to one another in a nearly equation of state independent way. The goal of this paper is to test these relations with extreme equations of state at supranuclear densities constrained to satisfy only a handful of generic, physically sensible conditions. By requiring that the equation of state be (i) barotropic and (ii) its associated speed of sound be real, we construct a piecewise function that matches a tabulated equation of state at low densities, while matching a stiff equation of state parametrized by its sound speed in the high-density region. We show that the I-Love-Q relations hold to 1 percent with this class of equations of state, even in the extreme case where the speed of sound becomes superluminal and independently of the transition density. We also find further support for the interpretation of the I-Love-Q relations as an emergent symmetry due to the nearly constant eccentricity of isodensity contours inside the star. These results reinforce the robustness of the I-Love-Q relations against our current incomplete picture of physics at supranuclear densities, while strengthening our confidence in the applicability of these relations in neutron star astrophysics.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Popovich, P.; Carter, T. A.; Friedman, B.

Numerical simulation of plasma turbulence in the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) [W. Gekelman, H. Pfister, Z. Lucky et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 62, 2875 (1991)] is presented. The model, implemented in the BOUndary Turbulence code [M. Umansky, X. Xu, B. Dudson et al., Contrib. Plasma Phys. 180, 887 (2009)], includes three-dimensional (3D) collisional fluid equations for plasma density, electron parallel momentum, and current continuity, and also includes the effects of ion-neutral collisions. In nonlinear simulations using measured LAPD density profiles but assuming constant temperature profile for simplicity, self-consistent evolution of instabilities and nonlinearly generated zonal flows results in a saturatedmore » turbulent state. Comparisons of these simulations with measurements in LAPD plasmas reveal good qualitative and reasonable quantitative agreement, in particular in frequency spectrum, spatial correlation, and amplitude probability distribution function of density fluctuations. For comparison with LAPD measurements, the plasma density profile in simulations is maintained either by direct azimuthal averaging on each time step, or by adding particle source/sink function. The inferred source/sink values are consistent with the estimated ionization source and parallel losses in LAPD. These simulations lay the groundwork for more a comprehensive effort to test fluid turbulence simulation against LAPD data.« less

ELEMENT MASSES IN THE CRAB NEBULA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sibley, Adam R.; Katz, Andrea M.; Satterfield, Timothy J.

Using our previously published element abundance or mass-fraction distributions in the Crab Nebula, we derived actual mass distributions and estimates for overall nebular masses of hydrogen, helium, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur. As with the previous work, computations were carried out for photoionization models involving constant hydrogen density and also constant nuclear density. In addition, employing new flux measurements for [Ni ii]  λ 7378, along with combined photoionization models and analytic computations, a nickel abundance distribution was mapped and a nebular stable nickel mass estimate was derived.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pribram-Jones, A.; Burke, K.

We show that the adiabatic connection formula of ground-state density functional theory relates the correlation energy to a coupling-constant integral over a purely potential contribution, and is widely used to understand and improve approximations. The corresponding formula for thermal density functional theory is cast as an integral over temperatures instead, ranging upward from the system's physical temperature. We also show how to relate different correlation components to each other, either in terms of temperature or coupling-constant integrations. Lastly, we illustrate our results on the uniform electron gas.

Physical condition for elimination of ambiguity in conditionally convergent lattice sums

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, K.

1987-02-01

The conditional convergence of the lattice sum defining the Madelung constant gives rise to an ambiguity in its value. It is shown that this ambiguity is related, through a simple and universal integral, to the average charge density on the crystal surface. The physically correct value is obtained by setting the charge density to zero. A simple and universally applicable formula for the Madelung constant is derived as a consequence. It consists of adding up dipole-dipole energies together with a nontrivial correction term.

Ab initio predictions of structural and elastic properties of struvite: contribution to urinary stone research.

PubMed

Piechota, Jacek; Prywer, Jolanta; Torzewska, Agnieszka

2012-01-01

In the present work, we carried out density functional calculations of struvite--the main component of the so-called infectious urinary stones--to study its structural and elastic properties. Using a local density approximation and a generalised gradient approximation, we calculated the equilibrium structural parameters and elastic constants C(ijkl). At present, there is no experimental data for these elastic constants C (ijkl) for comparison. Besides the elastic constants, we also present the calculated macroscopic mechanical parameters, namely the bulk modulus (K), the shear modulus (G) and Young's modulus (E). The values of these moduli are found to be in good agreement with available experimental data. Our results imply that the mechanical stability of struvite is limited by the shear modulus, G. The study also explores the energy-band structure to understand the obtained values of the elastic constants.

The anisotropic Hooke's law for cancellous bone and wood.

PubMed

Yang, G; Kabel, J; van Rietbergen, B; Odgaard, A; Huiskes, R; Cowin, S C

A method of data analysis for a set of elastic constant measurements is applied to data bases for wood and cancellous bone. For these materials the identification of the type of elastic symmetry is complicated by the variable composition of the material. The data analysis method permits the identification of the type of elastic symmetry to be accomplished independent of the examination of the variable composition. This method of analysis may be applied to any set of elastic constant measurements, but is illustrated here by application to hardwoods and softwoods, and to an extraordinary data base of cancellous bone elastic constants. The solid volume fraction or bulk density is the compositional variable for the elastic constants of these natural materials. The final results are the solid volume fraction dependent orthotropic Hooke's law for cancellous bone and a bulk density dependent one for hardwoods and softwoods.

Deuterium Abundance in Consciousness and Current Cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rauscher, Elizabeth A.

We utilize the deuterium-hydrogen abundances and their role in setting limits on the mass and other conditions of cosmogenesis and cosmological evolution. We calculate the dependence of a set of physical variables such as density, temperature, energy mass, entropy and other physical variable parameters through the evolution of the universe under the Schwarzschild conditions as a function from early to present time. Reconciliation with the 3°K and missing mass is made. We first examine the Schwarzschild condition; second, the geometrical constraints of a multidimensional Cartesian space on closed cosmologies, and third we will consider the cosmogenesis and evolution of the universe in a multidimensional Cartesian space, obeying the Schwarzschild condition. Implications of this model for matter creation are made. We also examine experimental evidence for closed versus open cosmologies; x-ray detection of the "missing mass" density. Also the interstellar deuterium abundance, along with the value of the Hubble constant set a general criterion on the value of the curvature constant, k. Once the value of the Hubble constant, H is determined, the deuterium abundance sets stringent restrictions on the value of the curvature constant k by an detailed discussion is presented. The experimental evidences for the determination of H and the primary set of coupled equations to determine D abundance is given. 'The value of k for an open, closed, or flat universe will be discussed in terms of the D abundance which will affect the interpretation of the Schwarzschild, black hole universe. We determine cosmology solutions to Einstein's field obeying the Schwarzschild solutions condition. With this model, we can form a reconciliation of the black hole, from galactic to cosmological scale. Continuous creation occurs at the dynamic blackhole plasma field. We term this new model the multiple big bang or "little whimper model". We utilize the deuteriumhydrogen abundances and their role in setting limits on the mass and other conditions of cosmogenesis and cosmological evolution. We calculate the dependence of a set of physical variables such as density, temperature, energy mass, entropy and other physical variable parameters through the evolution of the universe under the Schwarzschild conditions as a function from early to present time. Reconciliation with the 3°K background and missing mass is made.

Constant-load delayed fracture test of atmospherically corroded high strength steels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akiyama, Eiji; Matsukado, Katsuhiro; Li, Songjie; Tsuzaki, Kaneaki

2011-07-01

Constant load tests of circumferentially notched round bar specimens of high strength steels after cyclic corrosion test and outdoor exposure have been performed to demonstrate that delayed fracture occurs when the hydrogen content from the environment, H E, exceeds the critical hydrogen content for delayed fracture, H C. During the constant load tests the humidity around the specimen was increased in stepwise manner to increase hydrogen entry. After fracture the specimen was kept at the humidity long enough to homogenize hydrogen in the specimen and to obtain more quantitative hydrogen content by thermal desorption analysis. H E of the fractured specimens was higher than H C, and H E of the specimens not fractured was lower than H C. This result confirms that the balance between H C and H E determines the occurrence of delayed fracture and that hydrogen-content-based evaluation of susceptibility to delayed fracture is reasonable. To certify the increase of H E with increase in humidity, electrochemical hydrogen permeation test was carried out. The hydrogen permeation current density was increased especially at 98%RH. Enhancement of hydrogen entry with increase in CCT number was also shown by the test.

Determination of the Avogadro constant by the XRCD method using a 28Si-enriched sphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuramoto, Naoki; Mizushima, Shigeki; Zhang, Lulu; Fujita, Kazuaki; Azuma, Yasushi; Kurokawa, Akira; Okubo, Sho; Inaba, Hajime; Fujii, Kenichi

2017-10-01

To determine the Avogadro constant N A by the x-ray crystal density method, the density of a 28Si-enriched crystal was determined by absolute measurements of the mass and volume of a 1 kg sphere manufactured from the crystal. The mass and volume were determined by an optical interferometer and a vacuum mass comparator, respectively. The sphere surface was characterized by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry to derive the mass and volume of the Si core of the sphere excluding the surface layers. From the mass and volume, the density of the Si core was determined with a relative standard uncertainty of 2.3  ×  10-8. By combining the Si core density with the lattice constant and the molar mass of the sphere reported by the International Avogadro Coordination (IAC) project in 2015, a new value of 6.022 140 84(15)  ×  1023 mol-1 was obtained for N A with a relative standard uncertainty of 2.4  ×  10-8. To make the N A value determined in this work usable for a future adjustment of the fundamental constants by the CODATA Task Group on Fundamental Constants, the correlation of the new N A value with the N A values determined in our previous works was examined. The correlation coefficients with the values of N A determined by IAC in 2011 and 2015 were estimated to be 0.07 and 0.28, respectively. The correlation of the new N A value with the N A value determined by IAC in 2017 using a different 28Si-enriched crystal was also examined, and the correlation coefficient was estimated to be 0.21.

Stochastic transport models for mixing in variable-density turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bakosi, J.; Ristorcelli, J. R.

2011-11-01

In variable-density (VD) turbulent mixing, where very-different- density materials coexist, the density fluctuations can be an order of magnitude larger than their mean. Density fluctuations are non-negligible in the inertia terms of the Navier-Stokes equation which has both quadratic and cubic nonlinearities. Very different mixing rates of different materials give rise to large differential accelerations and some fundamentally new physics that is not seen in constant-density turbulence. In VD flows material mixing is active in a sense far stronger than that applied in the Boussinesq approximation of buoyantly-driven flows: the mass fraction fluctuations are coupled to each other and to the fluid momentum. Statistical modeling of VD mixing requires accounting for basic constraints that are not important in the small-density-fluctuation passive-scalar-mixing approximation: the unit-sum of mass fractions, bounded sample space, and the highly skewed nature of the probability densities become essential. We derive a transport equation for the joint probability of mass fractions, equivalent to a system of stochastic differential equations, that is consistent with VD mixing in multi-component turbulence and consistently reduces to passive scalar mixing in constant-density flows.

Plasma parameters in a multidipole plasma system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruscanu, D.; Anita, V.; Popa, G.

Plasma potential and electron number densities and electron temperatures under bi-Maxwellian approximation for electron distribution function of the multidipole argon plasma source system were measured for a gas pressure ranging between 10-4 and 10-3 mbar and an anode-cathode voltage ranging between 40 and 120 V but a constant discharge current intensity. The first group, as ultimate or cold electrons and main electron plasma population, results by trapping of the slow electrons produced by ionisation process due to primary-neutral collisions. The trapping process is produced by potential well due to positive plasma potential with respect to the anode so that electron temperature of the ultimate electrons does not depend on both the gas pressure and discharge voltage. The second group, as secondary or hot electrons, results as degrading process of the primaries and their number density increases while their temperature decreases with the increase of both the gas pressure and discharge voltage.

Spacecraft Charging in Low Temperature Environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, Linda N.

2007-01-01

Spacecraft charging in plasma and radiation environments is a temperature dependent phenomenon due to the reduction of electrical conductivity in dielectric materials at low temperatures. Charging time constants are proportional to l/conductivity may become very large (on the order of days to years) at low temperatures and accumulation of charge densities in insulators in charging environments traditionally considered benign at ambient temperatures may be sufficient to produce charge densities and electric fields of concern in insulators at low temperatures. Low temperature charging is of interest because a number of spacecraft-primarily infrared astronomy and microwave cosmology observatories-are currently being design, built, and or operated at very cold temperatures on the order of 40K to 100K. This paper reviews the temperature dependence of spacecraft charging processes and material parameters important to charging as a function of temperature with an emphasis on low temperatures regimes.

Two dimensional analytical model for a reconfigurable field effect transistor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ranjith, R.; Jayachandran, Remya; Suja, K. J.; Komaragiri, Rama S.

2018-02-01

This paper presents two-dimensional potential and current models for a reconfigurable field effect transistor (RFET). Two potential models which describe subthreshold and above-threshold channel potentials are developed by solving two-dimensional (2D) Poisson's equation. In the first potential model, 2D Poisson's equation is solved by considering constant/zero charge density in the channel region of the device to get the subthreshold potential characteristics. In the second model, accumulation charge density is considered to get above-threshold potential characteristics of the device. The proposed models are applicable for the device having lightly doped or intrinsic channel. While obtaining the mathematical model, whole body area is divided into two regions: gated region and un-gated region. The analytical models are compared with technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulation results and are in complete agreement for different lengths of the gated regions as well as at various supply voltage levels.

Computer simulation of fat and muscle burn in long-distance bird migration

PubMed

Pennycuick

1998-03-07

The mechanical power required from a bird's flight muscles was recalculated at regular intervals (default 6 min), and the energy consumed in the interval was accounted for by reducing fuel reserves, which also reduced the all-up mass and the body cross-sectional area. Part of the energy requirement was met by consuming flight muscle tissue, according to one of three alternative "muscle burn criteria". These were (1) specific work held constant, (2) power density held constant and (3) muscle mass held constant, i.e. no muscle consumed. Holding the specific work constant produced results in the best agreement with the results of other studies. This criterion was therefore selected to compare simulated flights of three very different species whose flight and migrations have been extensively studied, (1) Thrush Nightingale (Luscinia luscinia), (2) Knot (Calidris canutus) and (3) Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus). The ratio of protein to fat consumed ranged from 0.19 to 0.36, depending mainly on the starting value assumed for the muscle fraction. Specific work and starting power density were much higher for the Whooper Swan than for the two smaller species, suggesting that the latter have power to spare for climbing to high cruising altitudes, whereas the swan has not. If all three species were able to reach high cruising altitudes, the result would be a large reduction in journey time, which in turn would result in a small increase in range, due to a saving of energy required for basal metabolism. On current assumptions, the proportion of the fuel energy spent on basal metabolism would be eight times higher in the Thrush Nightingale than in the Whooper Swan, consequently the gain in range due to flying high would be greater in the smaller bird. In order to run the simulation, assumptions have been made at the primary physical level, to calculate the mechanical power required, and also at the secondary physiological level, to convert this into fuel consumption. The physical assumptions mostly take the form of variables whose existence is not in doubt, but whose values are poorly known, whereas in the case of some of the most important physiological variables, even the principles are unknown. Attention is drawn to a number of problems in need of attention, including (1) the mass and energy requirements of respiratory and circulatory organs required to sustain aerobically a given level of mechanical power; (2) the capabilities of bird lungs at high altitudes; (3) the possibility that heart muscle and lung tissue may be consumed in flight; (4) the two "biological constants", isometric force per myosin fibril and inverse power density of mitochondria; (5) the energy density of different fuels, and the conversion efficiency of the flight muscles; and (6) the manner in which basal metabolism combines with other demands for power in an exercising animal. Copyright 1998 Academic Press Limited

The use of modified scaling factors in the design of high-power, non-linear, transmitting rod-core antennas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jordan, Jared Williams; Dvorak, Steven L.; Sternberg, Ben K.

2010-10-01

In this paper, we develop a technique for designing high-power, non-linear, transmitting rod-core antennas by using simple modified scale factors rather than running labor-intensive numerical models. By using modified scale factors, a designer can predict changes in magnetic moment, inductance, core series loss resistance, etc. We define modified scale factors as the case when all physical dimensions of the rod antenna are scaled by p, except for the cross-sectional area of the individual wires or strips that are used to construct the core. This allows one to make measurements on a scaled-down version of the rod antenna using the same core material that will be used in the final antenna design. The modified scale factors were derived from prolate spheroidal analytical expressions for a finite-length rod antenna and were verified with experimental results. The modified scaling factors can only be used if the magnetic flux densities within the two scaled cores are the same. With the magnetic flux density constant, the two scaled cores will operate with the same complex permeability, thus changing the non-linear problem to a quasi-linear problem. We also demonstrate that by holding the number of turns times the drive current constant, while changing the number of turns, the inductance and core series loss resistance change by the number of turns squared. Experimental measurements were made on rod cores made from varying diameters of black oxide, low carbon steel wires and different widths of Metglas foil. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the modified scale factors work even in the presence of eddy currents within the core material.

Tunable dielectric properties of TiO2 thin film based MOS systems for application in microelectronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gyanan; Mondal, Sandip; Kumar, Arvind

2016-12-01

Post-deposition annealing (PDA) is an inherent part of a sol-gel fabrication process to achieve the optimum device performance, especially in CMOS applications. Annealing removes the oxygen vacancies and improves the structural order of the dielectric films. The process also reduces the interface related defects and improves the interfacial properties. Here, we applied a sol-gel spin-coating technique to prepare high-k TiO2 films on the p-Si substrate. These films were fired at 400 °C for the duration of 20, 40, 60 and 80 min to know the effects of annealing time on the device characteristics. The current-voltage (I-V) and capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics of annealed TiO2 films were examined in Al/TiO2/p-Si device configuration at room temperature. The 60 min annealed film gives the optimum performance and contained 69.5% anatase and 39.5% rutile phase with refractive index 2.40 at 550 nm. The C-V and I-V characteristic showed a significant dependence on annealing time such as variation in dielectric constant and leakage current. This allows us to tune the various electrical properties of MOS systems. The accumulation capacitance (Cox), dielectric constant (κ) and the equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) of the film fired for 60 min were found to be 458 pF, 33, and 4.25 nm, respectively with a low leakage current density (3.13 × 10-7 A/cm2) fired for 80 min at -1 V. The current conduction mechanisms at high bias voltage were dominated by trap-charge limited current (TCLC), while at small voltages, space charge limited current (SCLC) was more prominent.

Measurements of Plasma Density in a Fast and Compact Plasma Focus Operating at Hundreds of Joules

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pavez, Cristian; Universidad de Concepcion, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Fisica, Concepcion; Silva, Patricio

2006-12-04

It is known that there are plasma parameters that remain relatively constant for plasma focus facilities operating in a wide range of de energy, from 1kJ to 1MJ, such as: electron density, temperature and plasma energy density. Particularly the electron density is of the order of 1025m-3. Recently the experimental studies in plasma focus has been extended to devices operating under 1kJ, in the range of hundreds and tens of joules. In this work an optical refractive system was implemented in order to measure the electron density in a plasma focus devices of hundred of joules, PF-400J (880 nF, 30more » kV, 120 kA, 400 J, 300 ns time to peak current, dI/dt{approx}4x1011 A/s. The plasma discharge was synchronized with a pulsed Nd-YAG laser ({approx}6ns FWHM at 532nm) in order to obtain optical diagnostics as interferometry and Schlieren. An electron density of (0.9{+-}0.25)x1025m-3 was obtained at the axis of the plasma column close to the pinch time. This value is of the same order that the obtained in devices oparating in the energy range of 1kJ to 1MJ.« less

Elastic constants of stressed and unstressed materials in the phase-field crystal model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zi-Le; Huang, Zhi-Feng; Liu, Zhirong

2018-04-01

A general procedure is developed to investigate the elastic response and calculate the elastic constants of stressed and unstressed materials through continuum field modeling, particularly the phase-field crystal (PFC) models. It is found that for a complete description of system response to elastic deformation, the variations of all the quantities of lattice wave vectors, their density amplitudes (including the corresponding anisotropic variation and degeneracy breaking), the average atomic density, and system volume should be incorporated. The quantitative and qualitative results of elastic constant calculations highly depend on the physical interpretation of the density field used in the model, and also importantly, on the intrinsic pressure that usually pre-exists in the model system. A formulation based on thermodynamics is constructed to account for the effects caused by constant pre-existing stress during the homogeneous elastic deformation, through the introducing of a generalized Gibbs free energy and an effective finite strain tensor used for determining the elastic constants. The elastic properties of both solid and liquid states can be well produced by this unified approach, as demonstrated by an analysis for the liquid state and numerical evaluations for the bcc solid phase. The numerical calculations of bcc elastic constants and Poisson's ratio through this method generate results that are consistent with experimental conditions, and better match the data of bcc Fe given by molecular dynamics simulations as compared to previous work. The general theory developed here is applicable to the study of different types of stressed or unstressed material systems under elastic deformation.

Auger-generated hot carrier current in photo-excited forward biased single quantum well blue light emitting diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Espenlaub, Andrew C.; Alhassan, Abdullah I.; Nakamura, Shuji; Weisbuch, Claude; Speck, James S.

2018-04-01

We report on measurements of the photo-modulated current-voltage and electroluminescence characteristics of forward biased single quantum well, blue InGaN/GaN light emitting diodes with and without electron blocking layers. Low intensity resonant optical excitation of the quantum well was observed to induce an additional forward current at constant forward diode bias, in contrast to the usual sense of the photocurrent in photodiodes and solar cells, as well as an increased electroluminescence intensity. The presence of an electron blocking layer only slightly decreased the magnitude of the photo-induced current at constant forward bias. Photo-modulation at constant forward diode current resulted in a reduced diode bias under optical excitation. We argue that this decrease in diode bias at constant current and the increase in forward diode current at constant applied bias can only be due to additional hot carriers being ejected from the quantum well as a result of an increased Auger recombination rate within the quantum well.

An ab-initio investigation on SrLa intermetallic compound

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, S. Ramesh; Jaiganesh, G.; Jayalakshmi, V.

2018-05-01

The electronic, elastic and thermodynamic property of CsCl-type SrLa are investigated through density functional theory. The energy-volume relation for this compound has been obtained. The band structure, density of states and charge density in (110) plane are also examined. The elastic constants (C11, C12 and C44) of SrLa is computed, then, using these elastic constants, the bulk moduli, shear moduli, Young's moduli and Poisson's ratio are also derived. The calculated results showed that CsCl-type SrLa is ductile at ambient conditions. The thermodynamic quantities such as free energy, entropy and heat capacity as a function of temperature are estimated and the results obtained are discussed.

Unimodular Einstein-Cartan gravity: Dynamics and conservation laws

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonder, Yuri; Corral, Cristóbal

2018-04-01

Unimodular gravity is an interesting approach to address the cosmological constant problem, since the vacuum energy density of quantum fields does not gravitate in this framework, and the cosmological constant appears as an integration constant. These features arise as a consequence of considering a constrained volume element 4-form that breaks the diffeomorphisms invariance down to volume preserving diffeomorphisms. In this work, the first-order formulation of unimodular gravity is presented by considering the spin density of matter fields as a source of spacetime torsion. Even though the most general matter Lagrangian allowed by the symmetries is considered, dynamical restrictions arise on their functional dependence. The field equations are obtained and the conservation laws associated with the symmetries are derived. It is found that, analogous to torsion-free unimodular gravity, the field equation for the vierbein is traceless; nevertheless, torsion is algebraically related to the spin density as in standard Einstein-Cartan theory. The particular example of massless Dirac spinors is studied, and comparisons with standard Einstein-Cartan theory are shown.

1 Tbit/inch2 Recording in Angular-Multiplexing Holographic Memory with Constant Signal-to-Scatter Ratio Schedule

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hosaka, Makoto; Ishii, Toshiki; Tanaka, Asato; Koga, Shogo; Hoshizawa, Taku

2013-09-01

We developed an iterative method for optimizing the exposure schedule to obtain a constant signal-to-scatter ratio (SSR) to accommodate various recording conditions and achieve high-density recording. 192 binary images were recorded in the same location of a medium in approximately 300×300 µm2 using an experimental system embedded with a blue laser diode with a 405 nm wavelength and an objective lens with a 0.85 numerical aperture. The recording density of this multiplexing corresponds to 1 Tbit/in.2. The recording exposure time was optimized through the iteration of a three-step sequence consisting of total reproduced intensity measurement, target signal calculation, and recording energy density calculation. The SSR of pages recorded with this method was almost constant throughout the entire range of the reference beam angle. The signal-to-noise ratio of the sampled pages was over 2.9 dB, which is higher than the reproducible limit of 1.5 dB in our experimental system.

Detonation in TATB Hemispheres

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Druce, B; Souers, P C; Chow, C

2004-03-17

Streak camera breakout and Fabry-Perot interferometer data have been taken on the outer surface of 1.80 g/cm{sup 3} TATB hemispherical boosters initiated by slapper detonators at three temperatures. The slapper causes breakout to occur at 54{sup o} at ambient temperatures and 42{sup o} at -54 C, where the axis of rotation is 0{sup o}. The Fabry velocities may be associated with pressures, and these decrease for large timing delays in breakout seen at the colder temperatures. At room temperature, the Fabry pressures appear constant at all angles. Both fresh and decade-old explosive are tested and no difference is seen. Themore » problem has been modeled with reactive flow. Adjustment of the JWL for temperature makes little difference, but cooling to -54 C decreases the rate constant by 1/6th. The problem was run both at constant density and with density differences using two different codes. The ambient code results show that a density difference is probably there but it cannot be quantified.« less

High-dielectric-constant polymers as high-energy-density (HED) field effect actuator and capacitor materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Cheng; Zhang, Qiming

2004-07-01

The development of high dielectric constant polymers as active materials in high-performance devices is one of the challenges in polymeric electronics and opto-electronics such as flexible thin-film capacitors, memory devices and microactuators for deformable micromirror technology. A group of poly(vinylidene fluoridetrifluoroethylene) P(VDF-TrFE) based high-dielectric-constant fluoroterpolymers have been developed, which have high room-temperature dielectric constant (K>60) and very high strain level and high energy density. The longitudinal and transverse strain of these materials can reach about -7% and 4.5%, respectively, and the elastic energy density is around 1.1 J/cm^3 under a high electric field of 150 MV/m. The influence on the electromechanical properties of copolymerizing poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (PVDF-TrFE) with a third monomer, chlorofluoroethylene (CFE), was investigated. It was found that increasing the CFE content from 0 to 8.5% slowly converts the ferroelectric structure of the copolymer to a relaxor ferroelectric system. This allows for a greatly decreased polarization and dielectric hysteresis and a much higher strain. Above 8.5%, increased CFE content substantially degrades the bulk crystallinity and the Young's modulus. These terpolymers have the potential to achieve above 10 J/cm^3 whole capacity energy density, which makes them good candidates for applications in pulse power capacitors. An all-polymer percolative composite by the combination of conductive polyaniline particles (K>10^5) within a fluoroterpolymer matrix, is introduced which exhibits very high dielectric constant (>7,000). The experimental results show that the dielectric behavior of this new class of percolative composites follows the prediction of the percolation theory and the analysis of the conductive percolation phenomena. The very high dielectric constant of the all-polymer composites which are also very flexible and possess elastic modulus not very much different from that of the insulation polymer matrix makes it possible to induce a high electromechanical response under a much reduced electric field (a strain of 2.65% with an elastic energy density of 0.18 J/cm^3 can be achieved under a low field of 16 MV/m). Data analysis also suggests that in these composites, the non-uniform local field distribution as well as interface effects can significantly enhance the strain responses. Furthermore, the experimental data as well as the data analysis indicate that the conduction loss in these composites will not affect the strain hysteresis. Flexible high dielectric constant electroactive polymers provide potential applications in high-energy-density (HED) energy storage and conversion systems such as lightweight field effect actuators and capacitors.

Systems and methods for providing power to a load based upon a control strategy

DOEpatents

Perisic, Milun; Kajouke, Lateef A; Ransom, Ray M

2013-12-24

Systems and methods are provided for an electrical system. The electrical system includes a load, an interface configured to receive a voltage from a voltage source, and a controller configured to receive the voltage from the voltage source through the interface and to provide a voltage and current to the load. Wherein, when the controller is in a constant voltage mode, the controller provides a constant voltage to the load, when the controller is in a constant current mode, the controller provides a constant current to the load, and when the controller is in a constant power mode, the controller provides a constant power to the load.

Characterization of electro-oxidation catalysts using scanning electrochemical and mass spectral methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jambunathan, Krishnakumar

Low temperature fuel cells have many potential benefits, including high efficiency, high energy density and environmental friendliness. However, logistically appealing fuels for this system, such as reformed hydrocarbons or alcohols, exhibit poor performance because of catalyst poisoning that occurs during oxidation at the anode. This research focuses on the analysis of several model fuels and catalyst materials to understand the impact of catalyst poisoning on reactivity. Two novel experimental tools were developed based upon the local measurement of catalyst performance using scanning, reactivity mapping probes. The Scanning Electrochemical Microscope (SECM) was used to directly measure the rate constant for hydrogen oxidation in the presence and absence of dissolved CO. The Scanning Differential Electrochemical Mass Spectrometer (SDEMS) was exploited to measure the partial and complete oxidation products of methanol and ethanol oxidation. The reactivity of Pt and Pt/Ru catalysts towards the hydrogen oxidation reaction in the absence and presence of adsorbed CO was elucidated using the SECM. Steady state rate constant measurements in the absence of CO showed that the rate of hydrogen oxidation reaction exceeded 1 cms-1 . Steady state rate constant measurements in the presence of CO indicated that the platinum surface is completely inactive due to adsorbed CO. Addition of as little as 6% Ru to the Pt electrode was found to significantly improve the activity of the electrode towards CO removal. SDEMS was used to study the electro-oxidation of methanol on Pt xRuy electrodes at different electrode potentials and temperatures. Screening measurements performed with the SDEMS showed that PtxRu y electrodes containing 6--40% Ru had the highest activity for methanol oxidation. Current efficiencies for CO2 were also calculated under different conditions. SDEMS was also used to study the electro-oxidation of ethanol on Pt xRuy electrodes. The reaction was found to occur more slowly than the methanol oxidation reaction. Addition of 22%--40% Ru to the Pt electrode was found to increase the current densities and lower the onset potentials. The reaction was found to occur though a parallel path mechanism, which was confirmed by the detection of ethanol and acetic acid apart from CO2.

Low noise constant current source for bias dependent noise measurements

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Talukdar, D.; Bose, Suvendu; Bardhan, K. K.

2011-01-15

A low noise constant current source used for measuring the 1/f noise in disordered systems in ohmic as well as nonohmic regime is described. The source can supply low noise constant current starting from as low as 1 {mu}A to a few tens of milliampere with a high voltage compliance limit of around 20 V. The constant current source has several stages, which can work in a standalone manner or together to supply the desired value of load current. The noise contributed by the current source is very low in the entire current range. The fabrication of a low noisemore » voltage preamplifier modified for bias dependent noise measurements and based on the existing design available in the MAT04 data sheet is also described.« less

High power density dc-to-dc converters for aerospace applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Divan, Deepakraj M.

1990-01-01

Three dc-to-dc converter topologies aimed at high-power high-frequency applications are introduced. Major system parasitics, namely, the leakage inductance of the transformer and the device output capacitance are efficiently utilized. Of the three circuits, the single-phase and three-phase versions of the dual active bridge topology demonstrate minimal stresses, better utilization of the transformer, bidirectional, and buck-boost modes of operation. All circuits operate at a constant switching frequency, thus simplifying design of the reactive elements. The power transfer characteristics and soft-switching regions on the Vout-Iout plane are identified. Two coaxial transformers with different cross-sections were built for a rating of 50 kVA. Based on the single-phase dual active bridge topology, a 50 kW, 50 kHz converter operating at an input voltage of 200 Vdc and an output voltage of 1600 Vdc was fabricated. Characteristics of current-fed output make the dual active bridge topologies amenable to paralleling and hence extension to megawatt power levels. Projections to a 1 MW system operating from a 500 Vdc input, at an output voltage of 10 kVdc and a switching frequency of 50 kHz, using MOS-controlled thyristors, coaxially wound transformers operating at three times the present current density with cooling, and multilayer ceramic capacitors, suggests an overall power density of 0.075 to 0.08 kg/kW and an overall efficiency of 96 percent.

Carbon Nanotube Oscillator Surface Profiling Device and Method of Use

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-11-15

distance p. The constants A and B are the Hamaker constants, which depend on the materials of the two interacting bodies. The total vdW inter...wall CNT 45 with 2L1 =2L2 =150 A and a sample of specific material char- acterized with atomic density a, Hamaker constants A and B, and a friction

Rationally designed polyimides for high-energy density capacitor applications.

PubMed

Ma, Rui; Baldwin, Aaron F; Wang, Chenchen; Offenbach, Ido; Cakmak, Mukerrem; Ramprasad, Rampi; Sotzing, Gregory A

2014-07-09

Development of new dielectric materials is of great importance for a wide range of applications for modern electronics and electrical power systems. The state-of-the-art polymer dielectric is a biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film having a maximal energy density of 5 J/cm(3) and a high breakdown field of 700 MV/m, but with a limited dielectric constant (∼2.2) and a reduced breakdown strength above 85 °C. Great effort has been put into exploring other materials to fulfill the demand of continuous miniaturization and improved functionality. In this work, a series of polyimides were investigated as potential polymer materials for this application. Polyimide with high dielectric constants of up to 7.8 that exhibits low dissipation factors (<1%) and high energy density around 15 J/cm(3), which is 3 times that of BOPP, was prepared. Our syntheses were guided by high-throughput density functional theory calculations for rational design in terms of a high dielectric constant and band gap. Correlations of experimental and theoretical results through judicious variations of polyimide structures allowed for a clear demonstration of the relationship between chemical functionalities and dielectric properties.

Cosmic vacuum energy decay and creation of cosmic matter.

PubMed

Fahr, Hans-Jörg; Heyl, Michael

2007-09-01

In the more recent literature on cosmological evolutions of the universe, the cosmic vacuum energy has become a nonrenouncable ingredient. The cosmological constant Lambda, first invented by Einstein, but later also rejected by him, presently experiences an astonishing revival. Interestingly enough, it acts like a constant vacuum energy density would also do. Namely, it has an accelerating action on cosmic dynamics, without which, as it appears, presently obtained cosmological data cannot be conciliated with theory. As we are going to show in this review, however, the concept of a constant vacuum energy density is unsatisfactory for very basic reasons because it would claim for a physical reality that acts upon spacetime and matter dynamics without itself being acted upon by spacetime or matter.

Calculation of exchange coupling constants in triply-bridged dinuclear Cu(II) compounds based on spin-flip constricted variational density functional theory.

PubMed

Seidu, Issaka; Zhekova, Hristina R; Seth, Michael; Ziegler, Tom

2012-03-08

The performance of the second-order spin-flip constricted variational density functional theory (SF-CV(2)-DFT) for the calculation of the exchange coupling constant (J) is assessed by application to a series of triply bridged Cu(II) dinuclear complexes. A comparison of the J values based on SF-CV(2)-DFT with those obtained by the broken symmetry (BS) DFT method and experiment is provided. It is demonstrated that our methodology constitutes a viable alternative to the BS-DFT method. The strong dependence of the calculated exchange coupling constants on the applied functionals is demonstrated. Both SF-CV(2)-DFT and BS-DFT affords the best agreement with experiment for hybrid functionals.

Development and validation of a low-frequency modeling code for high-moment transmitter rod antennas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jordan, Jared Williams; Sternberg, Ben K.; Dvorak, Steven L.

2009-12-01

The goal of this research is to develop and validate a low-frequency modeling code for high-moment transmitter rod antennas to aid in the design of future low-frequency TX antennas with high magnetic moments. To accomplish this goal, a quasi-static modeling algorithm was developed to simulate finite-length, permeable-core, rod antennas. This quasi-static analysis is applicable for low frequencies where eddy currents are negligible, and it can handle solid or hollow cores with winding insulation thickness between the antenna's windings and its core. The theory was programmed in Matlab, and the modeling code has the ability to predict the TX antenna's gain, maximum magnetic moment, saturation current, series inductance, and core series loss resistance, provided the user enters the corresponding complex permeability for the desired core magnetic flux density. In order to utilize the linear modeling code to model the effects of nonlinear core materials, it is necessary to use the correct complex permeability for a specific core magnetic flux density. In order to test the modeling code, we demonstrated that it can accurately predict changes in the electrical parameters associated with variations in the rod length and the core thickness for antennas made out of low carbon steel wire. These tests demonstrate that the modeling code was successful in predicting the changes in the rod antenna characteristics under high-current nonlinear conditions due to changes in the physical dimensions of the rod provided that the flux density in the core was held constant in order to keep the complex permeability from changing.

Computerized Scheimpflug densitometry as a measure of corneal optical density after excimer laser refractive surgery in myopic eyes.

PubMed

Cennamo, Gilda; Forte, Raimondo; Aufiero, Bernardino; La Rana, Agostino

2011-08-01

To evaluate changes in anterior corneal optical density and the refractive index after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) using a rotating Scheimpflug system. Department of Ophthalmology, University Federico II, Naples, Italy. Comparative case series. Anterior corneal optical density was evaluated with a rotating Scheimpflug system at baseline and 3 months and 12 months after PRK in eyes with a refractive error between -6.00 diopters (D) and -12.00 D (study group). A control group of unoperated eyes with the same refraction range was used to calculate corneal optical density and the Gladstone-Dale constant in unoperated eyes using the Gladstone-Dale formula. In the study group, changes in the anterior corneal optical density were evaluated over time and variations in the anterior corneal refractive index were obtained using the Gladstone-Dale constant. The study group comprised 37 eyes and the control group, 200 eyes. In the study group, the mean anterior corneal optical density and refractive index, respectively, were 27.71 ± 4.39 and 1.360 ± 0.05 at baseline, 37.812 ± 12.31 and 1.491 ± 0.16 after 3 months (P<.001 compared with baseline), and 26.29 ± 4.93 and 1.341 ± 0.06 after 12 months (P=.03 compared with baseline). The mean corneal optical density in the control group was 27.71 ± 4.31 (SD), and the resultant Gladstone-Dale constant was 0.013. An early increase and a subsequent reduction in anterior corneal optical density and the refractive index were present in myopic eyes during 1 year after PRK. Copyright © 2011 ASCRS and ESCRS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Copper recovery from artificial bioleaching lixivium of waste printed circuit boards].

PubMed

Cheng, Dan; Zhu, Neng-Wu; Wu, Ping-Xiao; Zou, Ding-Hui; Xing, Yi-Jia

2014-04-01

The key step to realize metal recovery from bioleaching solutions is the recovery of copper from bioleaching lixivium of waste printed circuit boards in high-grade form. The influences of cathode material, current density, initial pH and initial copper ion concentration on the efficiency and energy consumption of copper recovery from artificial bioleaching lixivium under condition of constant current were investigated using an electro-deposition approach. The results showed that the larger specific surface area of the cathode material (carbon felt) led to the higher copper recovery efficiency (the recovery efficiencies of the anode and the cathode chambers were 96.56% and 99.25%, respectively) and the smaller the total and unit mass product energy consumption (the total and unit mass product energy consumptions were 0.022 kW x h and 15.71 kW x h x kg(-1), respectively). The copper recovery efficiency and energy consumption increased with the increase of current density. When the current density was 155.56 mA x cm(-2), the highest copper recovery efficiencies in the anode and cathode chambers reached 98.51% and 99.37%, respectively. Accordingly, the highest total and unit mass product energy consumptions were 0.037 kW x h and 24.34 kW x h x kg(-1), respectively. The copper recovery efficiency was also significantly affected by the initial copper ion concentration. The increase of the initial copper ion concentration would lead to faster decrease of copper ion concentration, higher total energy consumption, and lower unit mass product consumption. However, the initial pH had no significant effect on the copper recovery efficiency. Under the optimal conditions (carbon felt for cathode materials, current density of 111.11 mA x cm(-2), initial pH of 2.0, and initial copper ion concentration of 10 g x L(-1)), the copper recovery efficiencies of the anode and cathode chambers were 96.75% and 99.35%, and the total and unit mass product energy consumptions were 0.021 kW x h and 14.61 kW x h x kg(-1), respectively. The deposited copper on the cathode material was fascicularly distributed and no oxygen was detected.

Effects of temperature and gas-liquid mass transfer on the operation of small electrochemical cells for the quantitative evaluation of CO2 reduction electrocatalysts.

PubMed

Lobaccaro, Peter; Singh, Meenesh R; Clark, Ezra Lee; Kwon, Youngkook; Bell, Alexis T; Ager, Joel W

2016-09-29

In the last few years, there has been increased interest in electrochemical CO 2 reduction (CO2R). Many experimental studies employ a membrane separated, electrochemical cell with a mini H-cell geometry to characterize CO2R catalysts in aqueous solution. This type of electrochemical cell is a mini-chemical reactor and it is important to monitor the reaction conditions within the reactor to ensure that they are constant throughout the study. We show that operating cells with high catalyst surface area to electrolyte volume ratios (S/V) at high current densities can have subtle consequences due to the complexity of the physical phenomena taking place on electrode surfaces during CO2R, particularly as they relate to the cell temperature and bulk electrolyte CO 2 concentration. Both effects were evaluated quantitatively in high S/V cells using Cu electrodes and a bicarbonate buffer electrolyte. Electrolyte temperature is a function of the current/total voltage passed through the cell and the cell geometry. Even at a very high current density, 20 mA cm -2 , the temperature increase was less than 4 °C and a decrease of <10% in the dissolved CO 2 concentration is predicted. In contrast, limits on the CO 2 gas-liquid mass transfer into the cells produce much larger effects. By using the pH in the cell to measure the CO 2 concentration, significant undersaturation of CO 2 is observed in the bulk electrolyte, even at more modest current densities of 10 mA cm -2 . Undersaturation of CO 2 produces large changes in the faradaic efficiency observed on Cu electrodes, with H 2 production becoming increasingly favored. We show that the size of the CO 2 bubbles being introduced into the cell is critical for maintaining the equilibrium CO 2 concentration in the electrolyte, and we have designed a high S/V cell that is able to maintain the near-equilibrium CO 2 concentration at current densities up to 15 mA cm -2 .

Effects of temperature and gas–liquid mass transfer on the operation of small electrochemical cells for the quantitative evaluation of CO 2 reduction electrocatalysts

DOE PAGES

Lobaccaro, Peter; Singh, Meenesh R.; Clark, Ezra Lee; ...

2016-09-06

In the last few years, there has been increased interest in electrochemical CO 2 reduction (CO2R). Many experimental studies employ a membrane separated, electrochemical cell with a mini H-cell geometry to characterize CO2R catalysts in aqueous solution. This type of electrochemical cell is a mini-chemical reactor and it is important to monitor the reaction conditions within the reactor to ensure that they are constant throughout the study. Here we show that operating cells with high catalyst surface area to electrolyte volume ratios (S/V) at high current densities can have subtle consequences due to the complexity of the physical phenomena takingmore » place on electrode surfaces during CO2R, particularly as they relate to the cell temperature and bulk electrolyte CO 2 concentration. Both effects were evaluated quantitatively in high S/V cells using Cu electrodes and a bicarbonate buffer electrolyte. Electrolyte temperature is a function of the current/total voltage passed through the cell and the cell geometry. Even at a very high current density, 20 mA cm -2 , the temperature increase was less than 4 °C and a decrease of < 10% in the dissolved CO 2 concentration is predicted. In contrast, limits on the CO 2 gas-liquid mass transfer into the cells produce much larger effects. By using the pH in the cell to measure the CO 2 concentration, significant undersaturation of CO 2 is observed in the bulk electrolyte, even at more modest current densities of 10 mA cm -2 . Undersaturation of CO 2 produces large changes in the faradaic efficiency observed on Cu electrodes, with H 2 production becoming increasingly favored. Finally, we show that the size of the CO 2 bubbles being introduced into the cell is critical for maintaining the equilibrium CO 2 concentration in the electrolyte, and we have designed a high S/V cell that is able to maintain the near-equilibrium CO 2 concentration at current densities up to 15 mA cm -2.« less

Effects of temperature and gas–liquid mass transfer on the operation of small electrochemical cells for the quantitative evaluation of CO 2 reduction electrocatalysts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lobaccaro, Peter; Singh, Meenesh R.; Clark, Ezra Lee

In the last few years, there has been increased interest in electrochemical CO 2 reduction (CO2R). Many experimental studies employ a membrane separated, electrochemical cell with a mini H-cell geometry to characterize CO2R catalysts in aqueous solution. This type of electrochemical cell is a mini-chemical reactor and it is important to monitor the reaction conditions within the reactor to ensure that they are constant throughout the study. Here we show that operating cells with high catalyst surface area to electrolyte volume ratios (S/V) at high current densities can have subtle consequences due to the complexity of the physical phenomena takingmore » place on electrode surfaces during CO2R, particularly as they relate to the cell temperature and bulk electrolyte CO 2 concentration. Both effects were evaluated quantitatively in high S/V cells using Cu electrodes and a bicarbonate buffer electrolyte. Electrolyte temperature is a function of the current/total voltage passed through the cell and the cell geometry. Even at a very high current density, 20 mA cm -2 , the temperature increase was less than 4 °C and a decrease of < 10% in the dissolved CO 2 concentration is predicted. In contrast, limits on the CO 2 gas-liquid mass transfer into the cells produce much larger effects. By using the pH in the cell to measure the CO 2 concentration, significant undersaturation of CO 2 is observed in the bulk electrolyte, even at more modest current densities of 10 mA cm -2 . Undersaturation of CO 2 produces large changes in the faradaic efficiency observed on Cu electrodes, with H 2 production becoming increasingly favored. Finally, we show that the size of the CO 2 bubbles being introduced into the cell is critical for maintaining the equilibrium CO 2 concentration in the electrolyte, and we have designed a high S/V cell that is able to maintain the near-equilibrium CO 2 concentration at current densities up to 15 mA cm -2.« less

How does pressure gravitate? Cosmological constant problem confronts observational cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narimani, Ali; Afshordi, Niayesh; Scott, Douglas

2014-08-01

An important and long-standing puzzle in the history of modern physics is the gross inconsistency between theoretical expectations and cosmological observations of the vacuum energy density, by at least 60 orders of magnitude, otherwise known as the cosmological constant problem. A characteristic feature of vacuum energy is that it has a pressure with the same amplitude, but opposite sign to its energy density, while all the precision tests of General Relativity are either in vacuum, or for media with negligible pressure. Therefore, one may wonder whether an anomalous coupling to pressure might be responsible for decoupling vacuum from gravity. We test this possibility in the context of the Gravitational Aether proposal, using current cosmological observations, which probe the gravity of relativistic pressure in the radiation era. Interestingly, we find that the best fit for anomalous pressure coupling is about half-way between General Relativity (GR), and Gravitational Aether (GA), if we include Planck together with WMAP and BICEP2 polarization cosmic microwave background (CMB) observations. Taken at face value, this data combination excludes both GR and GA at around the 3 σ level. However, including higher resolution CMB observations (``highL'') or baryonic acoustic oscillations (BAO) pushes the best fit closer to GR, excluding the Gravitational Aether solution to the cosmological constant problem at the 4- 5 σ level. This constraint effectively places a limit on the anomalous coupling to pressure in the parametrized post-Newtonian (PPN) expansion, ζ4 = 0.105 ± 0.049 (+highL CMB), or ζ4 = 0.066 ± 0.039 (+BAO). These represent the most precise measurement of this parameter to date, indicating a mild tension with GR (for ΛCDM including tensors, with 0ζ4=), and also among different data sets.

The Hubble diagram for a system within dark energy: influence of some relevant quantities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saarinen, J.; Teerikorpi, P.

2014-08-01

Aims: We study the influence of relevant quantities, including the density of dark energy (DE), to the predicted Hubble outflow around a system of galaxies. In particular, we are interested in the difference between two models: 1) the standard ΛCDM model, with the everywhere constant DE density, and 2) the "Swiss cheese model", where the Universe is as old as the standard model and the DE density is zero on short scales, including the environment of the system. Methods: We calculated the current predicted outflow patterns of dwarf galaxies around the Local Group-like system, using different values for the mass of the group, the local DE density, and the time of ejection of the dwarf galaxies, which are treated as test particles. These results are compared with the observed Hubble flow around the Local Group. Results: The predicted distance-velocity relations around galaxy groups are not very sensitive indicators of the DE density, owing to the observational scatter and the uncertainties caused by the mass used for the group and a range in the ejection times. In general, the Local Group outflow data agree with the local DE density being equal to the global one, if the Local Group mass is about 4 × 1012 M⊙; a lower mass ≲ 2 × 1012 M⊙ could suggest a zero local DE density. The dependence of the inferred DE density on the mass is a handicap in this and other common dynamical methods. This emphasizes the need to use different approaches together, for constraining the local DE density.

Effects of collision cascade density on radiation defect dynamics in 3C-SiC

PubMed Central

Bayu Aji, L. B.; Wallace, J. B.; Kucheyev, S. O.

2017-01-01

Effects of the collision cascade density on radiation damage in SiC remain poorly understood. Here, we study damage buildup and defect interaction dynamics in 3C-SiC bombarded at 100 °C with either continuous or pulsed beams of 500 keV Ne, Ar, Kr, or Xe ions. We find that bombardment with heavier ions, which create denser collision cascades, results in a decrease in the dynamic annealing efficiency and an increase in both the amorphization cross-section constant and the time constant of dynamic annealing. The cascade density behavior of these parameters is non-linear and appears to be uncorrelated. These results demonstrate clearly (and quantitatively) an important role of the collision cascade density in dynamic radiation defect processes in 3C-SiC. PMID:28304397

Total-energy Assisted Tight-binding Method Based on Local Density Approximation of Density Functional Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujiwara, Takeo; Nishino, Shinya; Yamamoto, Susumu; Suzuki, Takashi; Ikeda, Minoru; Ohtani, Yasuaki

2018-06-01

A novel tight-binding method is developed, based on the extended Hückel approximation and charge self-consistency, with referring the band structure and the total energy of the local density approximation of the density functional theory. The parameters are so adjusted by computer that the result reproduces the band structure and the total energy, and the algorithm for determining parameters is established. The set of determined parameters is applicable to a variety of crystalline compounds and change of lattice constants, and, in other words, it is transferable. Examples are demonstrated for Si crystals of several crystalline structures varying lattice constants. Since the set of parameters is transferable, the present tight-binding method may be applicable also to molecular dynamics simulations of large-scale systems and long-time dynamical processes.

Effects of collision cascade density on radiation defect dynamics in 3C-SiC

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bayu Aji, L. B.; Wallace, J. B.; Kucheyev, S. O.

Effects of the collision cascade density on radiation damage in SiC remain poorly understood. We study damage buildup and defect interaction dynamics in 3C-SiC bombarded at 100 °C with either continuous or pulsed beams of 500 keV Ne, Ar, Kr, or Xe ions. Here, we find that bombardment with heavier ions, which create denser collision cascades, results in a decrease in the dynamic annealing efficiency and an increase in both the amorphization cross-section constant and the time constant of dynamic annealing. The cascade density behavior of these parameters is non-linear and appears to be uncorrelated. Our results demonstrate clearly (andmore » quantitatively) an important role of the collision cascade density in dynamic radiation defect processes in 3C-SiC.« less

Ab Initio study on structural, electronic, magnetic and dielectric properties of LSNO within Density Functional Perturbation Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petersen, John; Bechstedt, Friedhelm; Furthmüller, Jürgen; Scolfaro, Luisa

LSNO (La2-xSrxNiO4) is of great interest due to its colossal dielectric constant (CDC) and rich underlying physics. While being an antiferromagnetic insulator, localized holes are present in the form of stripes in the Ni-O planes which are commensurate with the inverse of the Sr concentration. The stripes are a manifestation of charge density waves with period approximately 1/x and spin density waves with period approximately 2/x. Here, the spin ground state is calculated via LSDA + U with the PAW method implemented in VASP. Crystal structure and the effective Hubbard U parameter are optimized before calculating ɛ∞ within the independent particle approximation. ɛ∞ and the full static dielectric constant (including the lattice polarizability) ɛ0 are calculated within Density Functional Perturbation Theory.

Effects of collision cascade density on radiation defect dynamics in 3C-SiC

DOE PAGES

Bayu Aji, L. B.; Wallace, J. B.; Kucheyev, S. O.

2017-03-17

Effects of the collision cascade density on radiation damage in SiC remain poorly understood. We study damage buildup and defect interaction dynamics in 3C-SiC bombarded at 100 °C with either continuous or pulsed beams of 500 keV Ne, Ar, Kr, or Xe ions. Here, we find that bombardment with heavier ions, which create denser collision cascades, results in a decrease in the dynamic annealing efficiency and an increase in both the amorphization cross-section constant and the time constant of dynamic annealing. The cascade density behavior of these parameters is non-linear and appears to be uncorrelated. Our results demonstrate clearly (andmore » quantitatively) an important role of the collision cascade density in dynamic radiation defect processes in 3C-SiC.« less

Interfacially Optimized, High Energy Density Nanoparticle-Polymer Composites for Capacitive Energy Storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shipman, Joshua; Riggs, Brian; Luo, Sijun; Adireddy, Shiva; Chrisey, Douglas

Energy storage is a green energy technology, however it must be cost effective and scalable to meet future energy demands. Polymer-nanoparticle composites are low cost and potentially offer high energy storage. This is based on the high breakdown strength of polymers and the high dielectric constant of ceramic nanoparticles, but the incoherent nature of the interface between the two components prevents the realization of their combined full potential. We have created inkjet printable nanoparticle-polymer composites that have mitigated many of these interface effects, guided by first principle modelling of the interface. We detail density functional theory modelling of the interface and how it has guided our use in in specific surface functionalizations and other inorganic layers. We have validated our approach by using finite element analysis of the interface. By choosing the correct surface functionalization we are able to create dipole traps which further increase the breakdown strength of our composites. Our nano-scale understanding has allowed us to create the highest energy density composites currently available (>40 J/cm3).

A Membrane-Free Ferrocene-Based High-Rate Semiliquid Battery.

PubMed

Ding, Yu; Zhao, Yu; Yu, Guihua

2015-06-10

We report here a ferrocene-based membrane-free, high-rate semiliquid battery that takes advantage of a highly soluble ferrocene/ferrocenium redox couple in nonaqueous phase. The designed battery exhibits stable capacity retention up to 94% of theoretical capacity of ferrocene (145 mAh g(-1)) at a broad current rate up to 60 C owing to rapid mass transport in a liquid phase and fast redox kinetics. The diffusion coefficient and the standard reaction constant are determined to be in the order of 10(-6) cm(2) s(-1) and 10(-1) cm s(-1), respectively, orders of magnitude greater than those in a solid-phase electrode and those in conventional redox flow batteries. Additionally, the battery demonstrates power density and energy density exceeding 1400 W L(-1) and 40 Wh L(-1), respectively, and stable cyclability with capacity retention of ∼80% for 500 cycles. Compared with state-of-the-art energy storage technologies such as Li-ion batteries or conventional redox flow batteries, the proposed liquid battery shows the potential to be an efficient energy storage system with exceptionally high power and reasonable energy density.

Viscosity and density of methanol/water mixtures at low temperatures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Austin, J. G.; Kurata, F.; Swift, G. W.

1968-01-01

Viscosity and density are measured at low temperatures for three methanol/water mixtures. Viscosity is determined by a modified falling cylinder method or a calibrated viscometer. Density is determined by the volume of each mixture contained in a calibrated glass cell placed in a constant-temperature bath.

Effect of traps on the charge transport in semiconducting polymer PCDTBT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, Mohd Taukeer; Agrawal, Vikash; Almohammedi, Abdullah; Gupta, Vinay

2018-07-01

Organic semiconductors (OSCs) are nowadays called upon as promising candidates for next generation electronics devices. Due to disorder structure of these materials, a high density of traps are present in their energy band gap which affect the performance of these devices. In the present manuscript, we have investigated the role of traps on charge transport in PCDTBT thin film by measuring the temperature dependent J(V) characteristics in hole only device configuration. The obtained results were analyzed by space charge limited (SCL) conduction model. It has been found that the room temperature J(V) characteristics follow Mott-Gurney square law for trap-free SCL conduction. But below 278 K, the current increases according to trap-filling SCL law with traps distributed exponentially in the band gap of semiconductor. Furthermore, after reaching a crossover voltage of VC ∽ 12 V, all the traps filled by injected carriers and the trap-filling SCL current switch to trap-free SCL current. The hole mobility of trap-free SCL current is about one order higher as compared trap-filling SCL current and remains constant with temperature.

Forward-biased current annealing of radiation degraded indium phosphide and gallium arsenide solar cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Michael, Sherif; Cypranowski, Corinne; Anspaugh, Bruce

1990-01-01

The preliminary results of a novel approach to low-temperature annealing of previously irradiated indium phosphide and gallium arsenide solar cells are reported. The technique is based on forward-biased current annealing. The two types of III-V solar cells were irradiated with 1-MeV electrons to a fluence level of (1-10) x 10 to the 14th electrons/sq cm. Several annealing attempts were made, varying all conditions. Optimum annealing was achieved when cells were injected with minority currents at a constant 90 C. The current density for each type of cell was also determined. Significant recovery of degraded parameters was achieved in both cases. However, the InP cell recovery notably exceeded the recovery in GaAs cells. The recovery is thought to be caused by current-stimulated reordering of the radiator-induced displacement damage. Both types of cell were then subjected to several cycles of irradiation and annealing. The results were also very promising. The significant recovery of degraded cell parameters at low temperature might play a major role in considerably extending the end of life of future spacecraft.

Monitoring diesel particulate matter and calculating diesel particulate densities using Grimm model 1.109 real-time aerosol monitors in underground mines.

PubMed

Kimbal, Kyle C; Pahler, Leon; Larson, Rodney; VanDerslice, Jim

2012-01-01

Currently, there is no Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)-approved sampling method that provides real-time results for ambient concentrations of diesel particulates. This study investigated whether a commercially available aerosol spectrometer, the Grimm Portable Aerosol Spectrometer Model 1.109, could be used during underground mine operations to provide accurate real-time diesel particulate data relative to MSHA-approved cassette-based sampling methods. A subset was to estimate size-specific diesel particle densities to potentially improve the diesel particulate concentration estimates using the aerosol monitor. Concurrent sampling was conducted during underground metal mine operations using six duplicate diesel particulate cassettes, according to the MSHA-approved method, and two identical Grimm Model 1.109 instruments. Linear regression was used to develop adjustment factors relating the Grimm results to the average of the cassette results. Statistical models using the Grimm data produced predicted diesel particulate concentrations that highly correlated with the time-weighted average cassette results (R(2) = 0.86, 0.88). Size-specific diesel particulate densities were not constant over the range of particle diameters observed. The variance of the calculated diesel particulate densities by particle diameter size supports the current understanding that diesel emissions are a mixture of particulate aerosols and a complex host of gases and vapors not limited to elemental and organic carbon. Finally, diesel particulate concentrations measured by the Grimm Model 1.109 can be adjusted to provide sufficiently accurate real-time air monitoring data for an underground mining environment.

Influence of the Ambient Electric Field on Measurements of the Actively Controlled Spacecraft Potential by MMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torkar, K.; Nakamura, R.; Andriopoulou, M.; Giles, B. L.; Jeszenszky, H.; Khotyaintsev, Y. V.; Lindqvist, P.-A.; Torbert, R. B.

2017-12-01

Space missions with sophisticated plasma instrumentation such as Magnetospheric Multiscale, which employs four satellites to explore near-Earth space benefit from a low electric potential of the spacecraft, to improve the plasma measurements and therefore carry instruments to actively control the potential by means of ion beams. Without control, the potential varies in anticorrelation with plasma density and temperature to maintain an equilibrium between the plasma current and the one of photoelectrons produced at the surface and overcoming the potential barrier. A drawback of the controlled, almost constant potential is the difficulty to use it as convenient estimator for plasma density. This paper identifies a correlation between the spacecraft potential and the ambient electric field, both measured by double probes mounted at the end of wire booms, as the main responsible for artifacts in the potential data besides the known effect of the variable photoelectron production due to changing illumination of the surface. It is shown that the effect of density variations is too weak to explain the observed correlation with the electric field and that a correction of the artifacts can be achieved to enable the reconstruction of the uncontrolled potential and plasma density in turn. Two possible mechanisms are discussed: the asymmetry of the current-voltage characteristic determining the probe to plasma potential and the fact that a large equipotential structure embedded in an electric field results in asymmetries of both the emission and spatial distribution of photoelectrons, which results in an increase of the spacecraft potential.

Surface-dependent chemical equilibrium constants and capacitances for bare and 3-cyanopropyldimethylchlorosilane coated silica nanochannels.

PubMed

Andersen, Mathias Bækbo; Frey, Jared; Pennathur, Sumita; Bruus, Henrik

2011-01-01

We present a combined theoretical and experimental analysis of the solid-liquid interface of fused-silica nanofabricated channels with and without a hydrophilic 3-cyanopropyldimethylchlorosilane (cyanosilane) coating. We develop a model that relaxes the assumption that the surface parameters C(1), C(2), and pK(+) are constant and independent of surface composition. Our theoretical model consists of three parts: (i) a chemical equilibrium model of the bare or coated wall, (ii) a chemical equilibrium model of the buffered bulk electrolyte, and (iii) a self-consistent Gouy-Chapman-Stern triple-layer model of the electrochemical double layer coupling these two equilibrium models. To validate our model, we used both pH-sensitive dye-based capillary filling experiments as well as electro-osmotic current-monitoring measurements. Using our model we predict the dependence of ζ potential, surface charge density, and capillary filling length ratio on ionic strength for different surface compositions, which can be difficult to achieve otherwise. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Investigation of terbium scandate as an alternative gate dielectric in fully depleted transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roeckerath, M.; Lopes, J. M. J.; Özben, E. Durǧun; Urban, C.; Schubert, J.; Mantl, S.; Jia, Y.; Schlom, D. G.

2010-01-01

Terbium scandate thin films were deposited by e-gun evaporation on (100) silicon substrates. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and x-ray diffraction studies revealed homogeneous chemical compositions of the films. A dielectric constant of 26 and CV-curves with small hystereses were measured as well as low leakage current densities of <1 nA/cm2. Fully depleted n-type field-effect transistors on thin silicon-on-insulator substrates with terbium scandate gate dielectrics were fabricated with a gate-last process. The devices show inverse subthreshold slopes of 80 mV/dec and a carrier mobility for electrons of 225 cm2/V•s was extracted.

Nonequilibrium Tuning of the Thermal Casimir Effect.

PubMed

Dean, David S; Lu, Bing-Sui; Maggs, A C; Podgornik, Rudolf

2016-06-17

In net-neutral systems correlations between charge fluctuations generate strong attractive thermal Casimir forces and engineering these forces to optimize nanodevice performance is an important challenge. We show how the normal and lateral thermal Casimir forces between two plates containing Brownian charges can be modulated by decorrelating the system through the application of an electric field, which generates a nonequilibrium steady state with a constant current in one or both plates, reducing the ensuing fluctuation-generated normal force while at the same time generating a lateral drag force. This hypothesis is confirmed by detailed numerical simulations as well as an analytical approach based on stochastic density functional theory.

Flux Pinning Enhancement in YBa2Cu3O7-x Films for Coated Conductor Applications (Postprint)

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-02-01

the nanocolumns with a certain constant diameter. Since BSO and YBCO are both perovskites, they tend to grow along the c - axis perpendicular to LAO ...20 0 20 40 60 80 100 YBCO+BaSnO 3 / LAO YBCO/MS-6 YBCO+BaSnO 3 /MS-6 J c /J c( h // a b ) Angle (Degs) H//C H//ab Figure 5.18 Transport current...density data of YBCO+BSO fi lm on a LaAlO 3 and a buffered metallic substrate as compared to YBCO fi lm on a metallic substrate. ( LAO = LaAlO 3 , MS

Differential Sputtering Behavior of Pyrolytic Graphite and Carbon-Carbon Composite Under Xenon Bombardment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, John D.; Johnson, Mark L.; Williams, Desiree D.

2003-01-01

A differential sputter yield measurement technique is described, which consists of a quartz crystal monitor that is swept at constant radial distance from a small target region where a high current density xenon ion beam is aimed. This apparatus has been used to characterize the sputtering behavior of various forms of carbon including polycrystalline graphite, pyrolytic graphite, and PVD-infiltrated and pyrolized carbon-carbon composites. Sputter yield data are presented for pyrolytic graphite and carbon-carbon composite over a range of xenon ion energies from 200 eV to 1 keV and angles of incidence from 0 deg (normal incidence) to 60 deg .

Enumerative and binomial sampling plans for citrus mealybug (Homoptera: pseudococcidae) in citrus groves.

PubMed

Martínez-Ferrer, María Teresa; Ripollés, José Luís; Garcia-Marí, Ferran

2006-06-01

The spatial distribution of the citrus mealybug, Planococcus citri (Risso) (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae), was studied in citrus groves in northeastern Spain. Constant precision sampling plans were designed for all developmental stages of citrus mealybug under the fruit calyx, for late stages on fruit, and for females on trunks and main branches; more than 66, 286, and 101 data sets, respectively, were collected from nine commercial fields during 1992-1998. Dispersion parameters were determined using Taylor's power law, giving aggregated spatial patterns for citrus mealybug populations in three locations of the tree sampled. A significant relationship between the number of insects per organ and the percentage of occupied organs was established using either Wilson and Room's binomial model or Kono and Sugino's empirical formula. Constant precision (E = 0.25) sampling plans (i.e., enumerative plans) for estimating mean densities were developed using Green's equation and the two binomial models. For making management decisions, enumerative counts may be less labor-intensive than binomial sampling. Therefore, we recommend enumerative sampling plans for the use in an integrated pest management program in citrus. Required sample sizes for the range of population densities near current management thresholds, in the three plant locations calyx, fruit, and trunk were 50, 110-330, and 30, respectively. Binomial sampling, especially the empirical model, required a higher sample size to achieve equivalent levels of precision.

Static current-sheet models of quiescent prominences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, F.; Low, B. C.

1986-01-01

A particular class of theoretical models idealize the prominence to be a discrete flat electric-current sheet suspended vertically in a potential magnetic field. The weight of the prominence is supported by the Lorentz force in the current sheet. These models can be extended to have curved electric-current sheets and to vary three-dimensionally. The equation for force balance is 1 over 4 pi (del times B) times Bdel p- p9 z=zero. Using Cartesian coordinates we take, for simplicity, a uniform gravity with constant acceleration g in the direction -z. If we are interested not in the detailed internal structure of the prominence, but in the global magnetic configuration around the prominence, we may take prominence plasma to be cold. Consideration is given to how such equilibrium states can be constructed. To simplify the mathematical problem, suppose there is no electric current in the atmosphere except for the discrete currents in the cold prominence sheet. Let us take the plane z =0 to be the base of the atmosphere and restrict our attention to the domain z greater than 0. The task we have is to solve for a magnetic field which is everywhere potential except on some free surface S, subject to suit able to boundary conditions. The surface S is determined by requiring that it possesses a discrete electric current density such that the Lorentz force on it is everywhere vertically upward to balance the weight of the material m(S). Since the magnetic field is potential in the external atmosphere, the latter is decoupled from the magnetic field and its plane parallel hydrostatic pressure and density can be prescribed.

Static current-sheet models of quiescent prominences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, F.; Low, B. C.

1986-12-01

A particular class of theoretical models idealize the prominence to be a discrete flat electric-current sheet suspended vertically in a potential magnetic field. The weight of the prominence is supported by the Lorentz force in the current sheet. These models can be extended to have curved electric-current sheets and to vary three-dimensionally. The equation for force balance is 1 over 4 pi (del times B) times Bdel p- p9 z=zero. Using Cartesian coordinates we take, for simplicity, a uniform gravity with constant acceleration g in the direction -z. If we are interested not in the detailed internal structure of the prominence, but in the global magnetic configuration around the prominence, we may take prominence plasma to be cold. Consideration is given to how such equilibrium states can be constructed. To simplify the mathematical problem, suppose there is no electric current in the atmosphere except for the discrete currents in the cold prominence sheet. Let us take the plane z =0 to be the base of the atmosphere and restrict our attention to the domain z greater than 0. The task we have is to solve for a magnetic field which is everywhere potential except on some free surface S, subject to suit able to boundary conditions. The surface S is determined by requiring that it possesses a discrete electric current density such that the Lorentz force on it is everywhere vertically upward to balance the weight of the material m(S). Since the magnetic field is potential in the external atmosphere, the latter is decoupled from the magnetic field and its plane parallel hydrostatic pressure and density can be prescribed.

Microscopic Modeling of Tribological Phenomena

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-02-28

37,4132 (1988). cohesive energy and lattice constant of nickel (t, -3.54 X 10- 󈧑 erg, ’This interface orientation was chosen in view ofour previous...such as lattice constants, heats of sublimation, elastic constants, vacancy-formation energies and heats of solution (47]. Following equilibration of...of the tip and 10 substrate materials to optimize their embedding energies (which are density dependent, deriving froam the tails of the atomic

Supercurrent and multiple Andreev reflections in micrometer-long ballistic graphene Josephson junctions.

PubMed

Zhu, Mengjian; Ben Shalom, Moshe; Mishchsenko, Artem; Fal'ko, Vladimir; Novoselov, Kostya; Geim, Andre

2018-02-08

Ballistic Josephson junctions are predicted to support a number of exotic physics processess, providing an ideal system to inject the supercurrent in the quantum Hall regime. Herein, we demonstrate electrical transport measurements on ballistic superconductor-graphene-superconductor junctions by contacting graphene to niobium with a junction length up to 1.5 μm. Hexagonal boron nitride encapsulation and one-dimensional edge contacts guarantee high-quality graphene Josephson junctions with a mean free path of several micrometers and record-low contact resistance. Transports in normal states including the observation of Fabry-Pérot oscillations and Sharvin resistance conclusively witness the ballistic propagation in the junctions. The critical current density J C is over one order of magnitude larger than that of the previously reported junctions. Away from the charge neutrality point, the I C R N product (I C is the critical current and R N the normal state resistance of junction) is nearly a constant, independent of carrier density n, which agrees well with the theory for ballistic Josephson junctions. Multiple Andreev reflections up to the third order are observed for the first time by measuring the differential resistance in the micrometer-long ballistic graphene Josephson junctions.

Simulations of thermal Rayleigh-Marangoni convection in a three-layer liquid-metal-battery model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Köllner, Thomas; Boeck, Thomas; Schumacher, Jörg

2017-11-01

Operating a liquid-metal battery produces Ohmic losses in the electrolyte layer that separates both metal electrodes. As a consequence, temperature gradients establish which potentially cause thermal convection since density and interfacial tension depend on the local temperature. In our numerical investigations, we considered three plane, immiscible layers governed by the Navier-Stokes-Boussinesq equations held at a constant temperature of 500°C at the bottom and top. A homogeneous current is applied that leads to a preferential heating of the mid electrolyte layer. We chose a typical material combination of Li separated by LiCl-KCl (a molten salt) from Pb-Bi for which we analyzed the linear stability of pure thermal conduction and performed three-dimensional direct-numerical simulations by a pseudospectral method probing different: electrolyte layer heights, overall heights, and current densities. Four instability mechanisms are identified, which are partly coupled to each other: buoyant convection in the upper electrode, buoyant convection in the molten salt layer, and Marangoni convection at both interfaces between molten salt and electrode. The global turbulent heat transfer follows scaling predictions for internally heated buoyant convection. Financial support by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft under Grant No. KO 5515/1-1 is gratefully acknowledged.

Electrochemical Degradation of Rhodamine B over Ti/SnO2-Sb Electrode.

PubMed

Maharana, Dusmant; Niu, Junfeng; Gao, Ding; Xu, Zesheng; Shi, Jianghong

2015-04-01

Electrochemical degradation of rhodamine B (C28H31ClN2O3) over Ti/SnO2-Sb anode was investigated in a rectangular cell. The degradation reaction follows pseudo-first-order kinetics. The degradation efficiency of rhodamine B attained >90.0% after 20 minutes of electrolysis at initial concentrations of 5 to 200 mg/L at a constant current density of 20 mA/cm2 with a 10 mmol/L Na2SO4 supporting electrolyte solution. Rhodamine B (50 mg/L) degradation and total organic carbon (TOC) removal ratio achieved 99.9 and 86.7%, respectively, at the optimal conditions after 30 minutes of electrolysis. The results showed that the energy efficiency of rhodamine B (50 mg/L) degradation at the optimal current densities from 2 to 30 mA/cm2 were 23.2 to 84.6 Wh/L, whereas the electrolysis time for 90% degradation of rhodamine B with Ti/SnO2-Sb anode was 36.6 and 7.3 minutes, respectively. The electrochemical method can be an advisable option for the treatment of dyes such as rhodamine B in wastewater.

Estimating parameters from rotating ring disc electrode measurements

DOE PAGES

Santhanagopalan, Shriram; White, Ralph E.

2017-10-21

Rotating ring disc electrode (RRDE) experiments are a classic tool for investigating kinetics of electrochemical reactions. Several standardized methods exist for extracting transport parameters and reaction rate constants using RRDE measurements. Here in this work, we compare some approximate solutions to the convective diffusion used popularly in the literature to a rigorous numerical solution of the Nernst-Planck equations coupled to the three dimensional flow problem. In light of these computational advancements, we explore design aspects of the RRDE that will help improve sensitivity of our parameter estimation procedure to experimental data. We use the oxygen reduction in acidic media involvingmore » three charge transfer reactions and a chemical reaction as an example, and identify ways to isolate reaction currents for the individual processes in order to accurately estimate the exchange current densities.« less

Arc Jet Flow Properties Determined from Laser-Induced Fluorescence of Atomic Nitrogen

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fletcher, Douglas; Wercinski, Paul F. (Technical Monitor)

1998-01-01

An laser-spectroscopic investigation of the thermocheMical state of arcjet flows is currently being conducted in the Aerodynamic Heating Facility (AHF) Circlet at NASA Ames Research Center. Downstream of the nozzle exit, but upstream of the test article, Laser-Induced Fluorescence (LIF) of atomic nitrogen is used to assess the nonequilibriuM distribution of flow enthalpy in the free stream. The two-photon LIF technique provides simultaneous measurements of free stream velocity, translational temperature, and nitrogen number density on the flow centerline. Along with information from facility instrumentation, these measurements allow a determination of the free stream total enthalpy, and its apportionment in to thermal, kinetic, and chemical mode contributions. Experimental results are presented and discussed for two different niti-ogen/argon test gas flow runs during which the current is varied while the pressure remains constant .

Controlled growth of well-aligned GaS nanohornlike structures and their field emission properties.

PubMed

Sinha, Godhuli; Panda, Subhendu K; Datta, Anuja; Chavan, Padmakar G; Shinde, Deodatta R; More, Mahendra A; Joag, D S; Patra, Amitava

2011-06-01

Here, we report the synthesis of vertically aligned gallium sulfide (GaS) nanohorn arrays using simple vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) method. The morphologies of GaS nano and microstructures are tuned by controlling the temperature and position of the substrate with respect to the source material. A plausible mechanism for the controlled growth has been proposed. It is important to note that the turn-on field value of GaS nanohorns array is found to be the low turn-on field 4.2 V/μm having current density of 0.1 μA/cm(2). The striking feature of the field emission behavior of the GaS nanohorn arrays is that the average emission current remains nearly constant over long time without any degradation. © 2011 American Chemical Society

Fabrication and electrical properties of (111) textured (Ba0.6Sr0.4)TiO3 film on platinized Si substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yi; Liu, Baoting; Wei, Feng; Yang, Zhimin; Du, Jun

2007-01-01

The authors report the fabrication of (Ba0.6Sr0.4)TiO3 (BST) film on Pt /Si(001) substrate without Ti adhesion layer by magnetron sputtering. X-ray diffraction technique is used to characterize the orientation and phase purity of BST/Pt heterostructure. It is found that both BST and Pt films are (111) textured. The (111) BST films are observed to have high tunability of 49.4%; the dielectric constant and dielectric loss of the BST film are about 682 and 0.015, respectively. The leakage current density of BST film agrees well with the space-charge-limited current theory at room temperature and is only 3.90×10-8A/cm2 at 455kV/cm.

Fast Faraday fading of long range satellite signals.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heron, M. L.

1972-01-01

20 MHz radio signals have been received during the day from satellite Beacon-B when it was below the optical horizon by using a bank of narrow filters to improve the signal to noise ratio. The Faraday fading rate becomes constant, under these conditions, at a level determined by the plasma frequency just below the F-layer peak. Variations in the Faraday fading rate reveal fluctuations in the electron density near the peak, while the rate of attaining the constant level depends on the shape of the electron density profile.

Particle-in-cell simulations of electron beam control using an inductive current divider

DOE PAGES

Swanekamp, S. B.; Angus, J. R.; Cooperstein, G.; ...

2015-11-18

Kinetic, time-dependent, electromagnetic, particle-in-cell simulations of the inductive current divider are presented. The inductive current divider is a passive method for controlling the trajectory of an intense, hollow electron beam using a vacuum structure that inductively splits the beam’s return current. The current divider concept was proposed and studied theoretically in a previous publication [Phys. Plasmas 22, 023107 (2015)] A central post carries a portion of the return current (I 1) while the outer conductor carries the remainder (I 2) with the injected beam current given by I b=I 1+I 2. The simulations are in agreement with the theory whichmore » predicts that the total force on the beam trajectory is proportional to (I 2-I 1) and the force on the beam envelope is proportional to I b. For a fixed central post, the beam trajectory is controlled by varying the outer conductor radius which changes the inductance in the return-current path. The simulations show that the beam emittance is approximately constant as the beam propagates through the current divider to the target. As a result, independent control over both the current density and the beam angle at the target is possible by choosing the appropriate return-current geometry.« less

Electron attachment to CF{sub 3} and CF{sub 3}Br at temperatures up to 890 K: Experimental test of the kinetic modeling approach

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shuman, Nicholas S.; Miller, Thomas M.; Viggiano, Albert A.

Thermal rate constants and product branching fractions for electron attachment to CF{sub 3}Br and the CF{sub 3} radical have been measured over the temperature range 300-890 K, the upper limit being restricted by thermal decomposition of CF{sub 3}Br. Both measurements were made in Flowing Afterglow Langmuir Probe apparatuses; the CF{sub 3}Br measurement was made using standard techniques, and the CF{sub 3} measurement using the Variable Electron and Neutral Density Attachment Mass Spectrometry technique. Attachment to CF{sub 3}Br proceeds exclusively by the dissociative channel yielding Br{sup -}, with a rate constant increasing from 1.1 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -8} cm{sup 3} s{sup -1}more » at 300 K to 5.3 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -8} cm{sup 3} s{sup -1} at 890 K, somewhat lower than previous data at temperatures up to 777 K. CF{sub 3} attachment proceeds through competition between associative attachment yielding CF{sub 3}{sup -} and dissociative attachment yielding F{sup -}. Prior data up to 600 K showed the rate constant monotonically increasing, with the partial rate constant of the dissociative channel following Arrhenius behavior; however, extrapolation of the data using a recently proposed kinetic modeling approach predicted the rate constant to turn over at higher temperatures, despite being only {approx}5% of the collision rate. The current data agree well with the previous kinetic modeling extrapolation, providing a demonstration of the predictive capabilities of the approach.« less

A Limited In-Flight Evaluation of the Constant Current Loop Strain Measurement Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Olney, Candida D.; Collura, Joseph V.

1997-01-01

For many years, the Wheatstone bridge has been used successfully to measure electrical resistance and changes in that resistance. However, the inherent problem of varying lead wire resistance can cause errors when the Wheatstone bridge is used to measure strain in a flight environment. The constant current loop signal-conditioning card was developed to overcome that difficulty. This paper describes a limited evaluation of the constant current loop strain measurement method as used in the F-16XL ship 2 Supersonic Laminar Flow Control flight project. Several identical strain gages were installed in close proximity on a shock fence which was mounted under the left wing of the F- 1 6XL ship 2. Two strain gage bridges were configured using the constant current loop, and two were configured using the Wheatstone bridge circuitry. Flight data comparing the output from the constant current loop configured gages to that of the Wheatstone bridges with respect to signal output, error, and noise are given. Results indicate that the constant current loop strain measurement method enables an increased output, unaffected by lead wire resistance variations, to be obtained from strain gages.

Intensive current transfer in membrane systems: modelling, mechanisms and application in electrodialysis.

PubMed

Nikonenko, Victor V; Pismenskaya, Natalia D; Belova, Elena I; Sistat, Philippe; Huguet, Patrice; Pourcelly, Gérald; Larchet, Christian

2010-10-15

Usually in electrochemical systems, the direct current densities not exceeding the limiting current density are applied. However, the recent practice of electrodialysis evidences the interest of other current modes where either the imposed direct current is over the limiting one or a non-constant asymmetrical (such as pulsed) current is used. The paper is devoted to make the mechanisms of mass transfer under these current regimes more clear. The theoretical background for mathematical modelling of mass transfer at overlimiting currents is described. Four effects providing overlimiting current conductance are examined. Two of them are related to water splitting: the appearance of additional charge carriers (H(+) and OH(-) ions) and exaltation effect. Two others are due to coupled convection partially destroying the diffusion boundary layer: gravitational convection and electroconvection. These effects result from formation of concentration gradients (known as concentration polarization) caused by the current flowing under conditions where ionic transport numbers are different in the membrane and solution. Similar effects take place not only in electrodialysis membrane systems, but in electrode ones, in electrophoresis and electrokinetic micro- and nanofluidic devices such as micropumps. The relation of these effects to the properties of the membrane surface (the chemical nature of the fixed groups, the degree of heterogeneity and hydrophobicity, and the geometrical shape of the surface) is analyzed. The interaction between the coupled effects is studied, and the conditions under which one or another effect becomes dominant are discussed. The application of intensive current modes in electrodialysis, the state-of-the-art and perspectives, are considered. It is shown that the intensive current modes are compatible with new trends in water treatment oriented towards Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) technologies. The main idea of these hybrid schemes including pressure- and electro-driven processes as well as conventional methods is to provide the precipitation of hardness salts before the membrane modules and that of well dissolved salts after. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Poloidal asymmetries in edge transport barriersa)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Churchill, R. M.; Theiler, C.; Lipschultz, B.; Hutchinson, I. H.; Reinke, M. L.; Whyte, D.; Hughes, J. W.; Catto, P.; Landreman, M.; Ernst, D.; Chang, C. S.; Hager, R.; Hubbard, A.; Ennever, P.; Walk, J. R.

2015-05-01

Measurements of impurities in Alcator C-Mod indicate that in the pedestal region, significant poloidal asymmetries can exist in the impurity density, ion temperature, and main ion density. In light of the observation that ion temperature and electrostatic potential are not constant on a flux surface [Theiler et al., Nucl. Fusion 54, 083017 (2014)], a technique based on total pressure conservation to align profiles measured at separate poloidal locations is presented and applied. Gyrokinetic neoclassical simulations with XGCa support the observed large poloidal variations in ion temperature and density, and that the total pressure is approximately constant on a flux surface. With the updated alignment technique, the observed in-out asymmetry in impurity density is reduced from previous publishing [Churchill et al., Nucl. Fusion 53, 122002 (2013)], but remains substantial ( n z , H / n z , L ˜ 6 ). Candidate asymmetry drivers are explored, showing that neither non-uniform impurity sources nor localized fluctuation-driven transport are able to explain satisfactorily the impurity density asymmetry. Since impurity density asymmetries are only present in plasmas with strong electron density gradients, and radial transport timescales become comparable to parallel transport timescales in the pedestal region, it is suggested that global transport effects relating to the strong electron density gradients in the pedestal are the main driver for the pedestal in-out impurity density asymmetry.

Chlorine decay and bacterial inactivation kinetics in drinking water in the tropics.

PubMed

Thøgersen, J; Dahi, E

1996-09-01

The decay of free chlorine (Cl2) and combined chlorine (mostly monochloramine: NH2Cl) and the inactivation of bacteria was examined in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Batch experiments, pilot-scale pipe experiments and full-scale pipe experiments were carried out to establish the kinetics for both decay and inactivation, and to compare the two disinfectants for use under tropical conditions. The decay of both disinfectants closely followed first order kinetics, with respect to the concentration of both disinfectant and disinfectant-consuming substances. Bacterial densities exhibited a kinetic pattern consisting of first order inactivation with respect to the density of the bacteria and the concentration of the disinfectant, and first order growth with respect to the bacterial density. The disinfection kinetic model takes the decaying concentration of the disinfectant into account. The decay rate constant for free chlorine was 114 lg(-1)h(-1), while the decay rate constant for combined chlorine was 1.84 lg(-1)h(-1) (1.6% of the decay rate for free chlorine). The average concentration of disinfectant consuming substances in the water phase was 2.6 mg Cl2/l for free chlorine and 5.6 mg NH2Cl/l for combined chlorine. The decay rate constant and the concentration of disinfectant consuming substances when water was pumped through pipes, depended on whether or not chlorination was continuous. Combined chlorine especially could clean the pipes of disinfectant consuming substances. The inactivation rate constant λ, was estimated at 3.06×10(4) lg(-1)h(-1). Based on the inactivation rate constant, and a growth rate constant determined in a previous study, the critical concentration of free chlorine was found to be 0.08 mg Cl2/l. The critical concentration is a value below which growth rates dominate over inactivation.

Field emission from optimized structure of carbon nanotube field emitter array

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chouhan, V., E-mail: vchouhan@post.kek.jp, E-mail: vijaychouhan84@gmail.com; Noguchi, T.; Kato, S.

The authors report a detail study on the emission properties of field emitter array (FEA) of micro-circular emitters of multiwall carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The FEAs were fabricated on patterned substrates prepared with an array of circular titanium (Ti) islands on titanium nitride coated tantalum substrates. CNTs were rooted into these Ti islands to prepare an array of circular emitters. The circular emitters were prepared in different diameters and pitches in order to optimize their structure for acquiring a high emission current. The pitch was varied from 0 to 600 μm, while a diameter of circular emitters was kept constant to bemore » 50 μm in order to optimize a pitch. For diameter optimization, a diameter was changed from 50 to 200 μm while keeping a constant edge-to-edge distance of 150 μm between the circular emitters. The FEA with a diameter of 50 μm and a pitch of 120 μm was found to be the best to achieve an emission current of 47 mA corresponding to an effective current density of 30.5 A/cm{sup 2} at 7 V/μm. The excellent emission current was attributed to good quality of CNT rooting into the substrate and optimized FEA structure, which provided a high electric field on a whole circular emitter of 50 μm and the best combination of the strong edge effect and CNT coverage. The experimental results were confirmed with computer simulation.« less

Possible origin of nonlinear conductivity and large dielectric constant in the commensurate charge-density-wave phase of 1 T -TaS2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Yongchang; Hou, Yanhui; Lu, Cuimin; Li, Lijun; Petrovic, Cedomir

2018-05-01

The electric field dependence of the dielectric properties and the nonlinear conductance of 1 T -TaS2 below 50 K has been investigated. A large dielectric constant of about 104 is obtained up to 107 Hz, which cannot be attributed to hopping of the localized carriers alone, the collective excitations of the commensurate charge-density-wave must be another contributor. The dielectric spectra disperse slightly in our measured temperature and frequency range. At a moderate dc bias field, the real part of the dielectric constant ɛ1(ω ) decreases. We propose that the separation of bound soliton-antisoliton pairs may be a contributor to the reduction of ɛ1(ω ) and the accompanying nonlinear conductivity with increasing dc bias.

Inclusion of Indium, with doping in the barriers of InxGa1-xN/InyGa1-yN quantum wells reveals striking modifications of the emission properties with current for better operation of LEDs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gorai, Anup; Mistry, Apu; Panda, Siddhartha; Biswas, Dipankar

2018-02-01

Although that the continuous tunability of InGaN/GaN QW LEDs, carries the promise of a significant impact in optoelectronics, the reduction of the square of the overlap of electron and hole wave functions (Meh2) in InGaN/GaN QW LEDs, under certain conditions, is a sizable problem, difficult to overcome. Theoretical investigations have been carried out on the incorporation of Indium (In) in the GaN barrier layers, with an aim of increasing the overlap of electron and hole wave functions. Rigorous studies through the self consistent solution of Schrödinger and Poison equations expose some new and striking results. With suitable doping, the inclusion of In in the barriers can increase Meh2 to more than two times that of a conventional InGaN/GaN QW LED. In in the barrier along with doping may be suitably utilized to tailor the transition energy and Meh2 with current density, as desired. The transition energy and the Meh2 may be made to have a positive or a negative slope with current density or they may be made fairly constant. This paper will outline the theoretical details, computational methodologies, the parameters used, and the striking new results with suitable depictions and discussions. These new information ought to be interesting for current optoelectronics.

Parametric and cycle tests of a 40-A-hr bipolar nickel-hydrogen battery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cataldo, R. L.

1986-01-01

A series of tests was performed to characterize battery performance relating to certain operating parameters which included charge current, discharge current, temperature and pressure. The parameters were varied to confirm battery design concepts and to determine optimal operating conditions. Spacecraft power requirements are constantly increasing. Special spacecraft such as the Space Station and platforms will require energy storage systems of 130 and 25 kWh, respectively. The complexity of these high power systems will demand high reliability, and reduced mass and volume. A system that uses batteries for storage will require a cell count in excess of 400 units. These cell units must then be assembled into several batteries with over 100 cells in a series connected string. In an attempt to simplify the construction of conventional cells and batteries, the NASA Lewis Research Center battery systems group initiated work on a nickel-hydrogen battery in a bipolar configuration in early 1981. Features of the battery with this bipolar construction show promise in improving both volumetric and gravimetric energy densities as well as thermal management. Bipolar construction allows cooling in closer proximity to the cell components, thus heat removal can be accomplished at a higher rejection temperature than conventional cell designs. Also, higher current densities are achievable because of low cell impedance. Lower cell impedance is achieved via current flow perpendicular to the electrode face, thus reducing voltage drops in the electrode grid and electrode terminals tabs.

Liquid hydrogen densitometer utilizes open-ended microwave cavity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smetana, J.; Wenger, N. C.

1967-01-01

Open-ended microwave cavity directly measures the density of flowing liquid, gaseous, or two-phase hydrogen. Its operation is based on derived relations between the cavity resonant frequency and the dielectric constant and density of hydrogen.

Capillary suspensions as beneficial formulation concept for high energy density Li-ion battery electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bitsch, Boris; Gallasch, Tobias; Schroeder, Melanie; Börner, Markus; Winter, Martin; Willenbacher, Norbert

2016-10-01

We introduce a novel formulation concept to prepare high capacity graphite electrodes for lithium ion batteries. The concept is based on the capillary suspension phenomenon: graphite and conductive agent are dispersed in an aqueous binder solution and the organic solvent octanol is added as immiscible, secondary fluid providing the formation of a sample-spanning network resulting in unique stability and coating properties. No additional processing steps compared to conventional slurry preparation are required. The resulting ultra-thick electrodes comprise mass loadings of about 16.5 mg cm-2, uniform layer thickness, and superior edge contours. The adjustment of mechanical energy input ensures uniform distribution of the conductive agent and sufficient electronic conductivity of the final dry composite electrode. The resulting pore structure is due to the stable network provided by the secondary fluid which evaporates residue-free during drying. Constant current-constant potential (CC-CP) cycling clearly indicates that the corresponding microstructure significantly improves the kinetics of reversible Li+ (de-) intercalation. A double layer electrode combining a conventionally prepared layer coated directly onto the Cu current collector with an upper layer stabilized with octanol was prepared applying wet-on-wet coating. CC-CP cycling data confirms that staged porosity within the electrode cross section results in superior electrochemical performance.

Equivalent Electromagnetic Constants for Microwave Application to Composite Materials for the Multi-Scale Problem

PubMed Central

Fujisaki, Keisuke; Ikeda, Tomoyuki

2013-01-01

To connect different scale models in the multi-scale problem of microwave use, equivalent material constants were researched numerically by a three-dimensional electromagnetic field, taking into account eddy current and displacement current. A volume averaged method and a standing wave method were used to introduce the equivalent material constants; water particles and aluminum particles are used as composite materials. Consumed electrical power is used for the evaluation. Water particles have the same equivalent material constants for both methods; the same electrical power is obtained for both the precise model (micro-model) and the homogeneous model (macro-model). However, aluminum particles have dissimilar equivalent material constants for both methods; different electric power is obtained for both models. The varying electromagnetic phenomena are derived from the expression of eddy current. For small electrical conductivity such as water, the macro-current which flows in the macro-model and the micro-current which flows in the micro-model express the same electromagnetic phenomena. However, for large electrical conductivity such as aluminum, the macro-current and micro-current express different electromagnetic phenomena. The eddy current which is observed in the micro-model is not expressed by the macro-model. Therefore, the equivalent material constant derived from the volume averaged method and the standing wave method is applicable to water with a small electrical conductivity, although not applicable to aluminum with a large electrical conductivity. PMID:28788395

A novel electro-driven membrane for removal of chromium ions using polymer inclusion membrane under constant D.C. electric current.

PubMed

Kaya, Ahmet; Onac, Canan; Alpoguz, H Korkmaz

2016-11-05

In this study, the use of polymer inclusion membrane under constant electric current for the removal of Cr(VI) from water has investigated for the first time. Transport of Cr(VI) is performed by an electric current from the donor phase to the acceptor phase with a constant electric current of 0.5A. The optimized membrane includes of 12.1% 2-nitrophenyl octyl ether (2-NPOE), 77.6% cellulose triacetate (CTA), 10.3% tricapryl-methylammonium chloride (Aliquat 336) as a carrier. We tested the applicability of the selected membrane for Cr(VI) removal in real environmental water samples and evaluated its reusability. Electro membrane experiments were carried out under various parameters, such as the effect of electro membrane voltage at constant DC electric current; electro membrane current at constant voltage, acceptor phase pH, and stable electro membrane; and a comparison of polymer inclusion membrane and electro membrane transport studies. The Cr(VI) transport was achieved 98.33% after 40min under optimized conditions. An alternative method has been employed that eliminates the changing of electrical current by the application of constant electric current for higher reproducibility of electro membrane extraction experiments by combining the excellent selective and long-term use features of polymer inclusion membrane. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Coupling time constants of striated and copper-plated coated conductors and the potential of striation to reduce shielding-current-induced fields in pancake coils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amemiya, Naoyuki; Tominaga, Naoki; Toyomoto, Ryuki; Nishimoto, Takuma; Sogabe, Yusuke; Yamano, Satoshi; Sakamoto, Hisaki

2018-07-01

The shielding-current-induced field is a serious concern for the applications of coated conductors to magnets. The striation of the coated conductor is one of the countermeasures, but it is effective only after the decay of the coupling current, which is characterised with the coupling time constant. In a non-twisted striated coated conductor, the coupling time constant is determined primarily by its length and the transverse resistance between superconductor filaments, because the coupling current could flow along its entire length. We measured and numerically calculated the frequency dependences of magnetisation losses in striated and copper-plated coated conductors with various lengths and their stacks at 77 K and determined their coupling time constants. Stacked conductors simulate the turns of a conductor wound into a pancake coil. Coupling time constants are proportional to the square of the conductor length. Stacking striated coated conductors increases the coupling time constants because the coupling currents in stacked conductors are coupled to one another magnetically to increase the mutual inductances for the coupling current paths. We carried out the numerical electromagnetic field analysis of conductors wound into pancake coils and determined their coupling time constants. They can be explained by the length dependence and mutual coupling effect observed in stacked straight conductors. Even in pancake coils with practical numbers of turns, i.e. conductor lengths, the striation is effective to reduce the shielding-current-induced fields for some dc applications.

Comparison of deuterated leucine, valine, and lysine in the measurement of human apolipoprotein A-I and B-100 kinetics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lichtenstein, A.H.; Cohn, J.S.; Hachey, D.L.

1990-09-01

The production rates of apolipoprotein (apo)B-100 in very low density lipoprotein and in low density lipoprotein and apolipoprotein A-I in high density lipoprotein were determined using a primed-constant infusion of (5,5,5,-2H3)leucine, (4,4,4,-2H3)valine, and (6,6-2H2,1,2-13C2)lysine. The three stable isotope-labeled amino acids were administered simultaneously to determine whether absolute production rates calculated using a stochastic model were independent of the tracer species utilized. Three normolipidemic adult males were studied in the constantly fed state over a 15-h period. The absolute production rates of very low density lipoprotein apoB-100 were 11.4 +/- 5.8 (leucine), 11.2 +/- 6.8 (valine), and 11.1 +/- 5.4 (lysine)more » mg per kg per day (mean +/- SDM). The absolute production rates for low density lipoprotein apoB-100 were 8.0 +/- 4.7 (leucine), 7.5 +/- 3.8 (valine), and 7.5 +/- 4.2 (lysine) mg per kg per day. The absolute production rates for high density lipoprotein apoA-I were 9.7 +/- 0.2 (leucine), 9.4 +/- 1.7 (valine), and 9.1 +/- 1.3 (lysine) mg per kg per day. There were no statistically significant differences in absolute synthetic rates of the three apolipoproteins when the plateau isotopic enrichment values of very low density lipoprotein apoB-100 were used to define the isotopic enrichment of the intracellular precursor pool. Our data indicate that deuterated leucine, valine, or lysine provided similar results when used for the determination of apoA-I and apoB-100 absolute production rates within plasma lipoproteins as part of a primed-constant infusion protocol.« less

Electronic constant current and current pulse signal generator for nuclear instrumentation testing

DOEpatents

Brown, R.A.

1994-04-19

Circuitry is described for testing the ability of an intermediate range nuclear instrument to detect and measure a constant current and a periodic current pulse. The invention simulates the resistance and capacitance of the signal connection of a nuclear instrument ion chamber detector and interconnecting cable. An LED flasher/oscillator illuminates an LED at a periodic rate established by a timing capacitor and circuitry internal to the flasher/oscillator. When the LED is on, a periodic current pulse is applied to the instrument. When the LED is off, a constant current is applied. An inductor opposes battery current flow when the LED is on. 1 figures.

Electronic constant current and current pulse signal generator for nuclear instrumentation testing

DOEpatents

Brown, Roger A.

1994-01-01

Circuitry for testing the ability of an intermediate range nuclear instrut to detect and measure a constant current and a periodic current pulse. The invention simulates the resistance and capacitance of the signal connection of a nuclear instrument ion chamber detector and interconnecting cable. An LED flasher/oscillator illuminates an LED at a periodic rate established by a timing capacitor and circuitry internal to the flasher/oscillator. When the LED is on, a periodic current pulse is applied to the instrument. When the LED is off, a constant current is applied. An inductor opposes battery current flow when the LED is on.

Intermolecular interaction studies of glyphosate with water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manon, Priti; Juglan, K. C.; Kaur, Kirandeep; Sethi, Nidhi; Kaur, J. P.

2017-07-01

The density (ρ), viscosity (η) and ultrasonic velocity (U) of glyphosate with water have been measured on different ultrasonic frequency ranges from 1MHz, 2MHz, 3MHz & 5MHz by varying concentrations (0.05%, 0.10%, 0.15%, 0.20%, 0.25%, 0.30%, 0.35%, & 0.40%) at 30°C. The specific gravity bottle, Ostwald's viscometer and quartz crystal interferometer were used to determine density (ρ), viscosity (η) and ultrasonic velocity (U). These three factors contribute in evaluating the other parameters as acoustic impedance (Z), adiabatic compressibility (β), relaxation time (τ), intermolecular free length (Lf), free volume (Vf), ultrasonic attenuation (α/f2), Rao's constant (R), Wada's constant (W) and relative strength (R). Solute-solvent interaction is confirmed by ultrasonic velocity and viscosity values, which increases with increase in concentration indicates stronger association between solute and solvent molecules. With rise in ultrasonic frequency the interaction between the solute and solvent particles decreases. The linear variations in Rao's constant and Wada's constant suggest the absence of complex formation.

BInGaN alloys nearly lattice-matched to GaN for high-power high-efficiency visible LEDs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Logan; Kioupakis, Emmanouil

2017-11-01

InGaN-based visible light-emitting diodes (LEDs) find commercial applications for solid-state lighting and displays, but lattice mismatch limits the thickness of InGaN quantum wells that can be grown on GaN with high crystalline quality. Since narrower wells operate at a higher carrier density for a given current density, they increase the fraction of carriers lost to Auger recombination and lower the efficiency. The incorporation of boron, a smaller group-III element, into InGaN alloys is a promising method to eliminate the lattice mismatch and realize high-power, high-efficiency visible LEDs with thick active regions. In this work, we apply predictive calculations based on hybrid density functional theory to investigate the thermodynamic, structural, and electronic properties of BInGaN alloys. Our results show that BInGaN alloys with a B:In ratio of 2:3 are better lattice matched to GaN compared to InGaN and, for indium fractions less than 0.2, nearly lattice matched. Deviations from Vegard's law appear as bowing of the in-plane lattice constant with respect to composition. Our thermodynamics calculations demonstrate that the solubility of boron is higher in InGaN than in pure GaN. Varying the Ga mole fraction while keeping the B:In ratio constant enables the adjustment of the (direct) gap in the 1.75-3.39 eV range, which covers the entire visible spectrum. Holes are strongly localized in non-bonded N 2p states caused by local bond planarization near boron atoms. Our results indicate that BInGaN alloys are promising for fabricating nitride heterostructures with thick active regions for high-power, high-efficiency LEDs.

Substantial enhancement of energy storage capability in polymer nanocomposites by encapsulation of BaTiO3 NWs with variable shell thickness.

PubMed

Wang, Guanyao; Huang, Yanhui; Wang, Yuxin; Jiang, Pingkai; Huang, Xingyi

2017-08-09

Dielectric polymer nanocomposites have received keen interest due to their potential application in energy storage. Nevertheless, the large contrast in dielectric constant between the polymer and nanofillers usually results in a significant decrease of breakdown strength of the nanocomposites, which is unfavorable for enhancing energy storage capability. Herein, BaTiO 3 nanowires (NWs) encapsulated by TiO 2 shells of variable thickness were utilized to fabricate dielectric polymer nanocomposites. Compared with nanocomposites with bare BaTiO 3 NWs, significantly enhanced energy storage capability was achieved for nanocomposites with TiO 2 encapsulated BaTiO 3 NWs. For instance, an ultrahigh energy density of 9.53 J cm -3 at 440 MV m -1 could be obtained for nanocomposites comprising core-shell structured nanowires, much higher than that of nanocomposites with 5 wt% raw ones (5.60 J cm -3 at 360 MV m -1 ). The discharged energy density of the proposed nanocomposites with 5 wt% mTiO 2 @BaTiO 3 -1 NWs at 440 MV m -1 seems to rival or exceed those of some previously reported nanocomposites (mostly comprising core-shell structured nanofillers). More notably, this study revealed that the energy storage capability of the nanocomposites can be tailored by the TiO 2 shell thickness. Finite element simulations were employed to analyze the electric field distribution in the nanocomposites. The enhanced energy storage capability should be mainly attributed to the smoother gradient of dielectric constant between the nanofillers and polymer matrix, which alleviated the electric field concentration and leakage current in the polymer matrix. The methods and results herein offer a feasible approach to construct high-energy-density polymer nanocomposites with core-shell structured nanowires.

Electronic structure, magnetism, and exchange integrals in transition-metal oxides: Role of the spin polarization of the functional in DFT+U calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keshavarz, Samara; Schött, Johan; Millis, Andrew J.; Kvashnin, Yaroslav O.

2018-05-01

Density functional theory augmented with Hubbard-U corrections (DFT+U ) is currently one of the most widely used methods for first-principles electronic structure modeling of insulating transition-metal oxides (TMOs). Since U is relatively large compared to bandwidths, the magnetic excitations in TMOs are expected to be well described by a Heisenberg model. However, in practice the calculated exchange parameters Ji j depend on the magnetic configuration from which they are extracted and on the functional used to compute them. In this work we investigate how the spin polarization dependence of the underlying exchange-correlation functional influences the calculated magnetic exchange constants of TMOs. We perform a systematic study of the predictions of calculations based on the local density approximation plus U (LDA+U ) and the local spin density approximation plus U (LSDA+U ) for the electronic structures, total energies, and magnetic exchange interactions Ji j extracted from ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic (AFM) configurations of several transition-metal oxide materials. We report that for realistic choices of Hubbard U and Hund's J parameters, LSDA+U and LDA+U calculations result in different values of the magnetic exchange constants and band gap. The dependence of the band gap on the magnetic configuration is stronger in LDA+U than in LSDA+U and we argue that this is the main reason why the configuration dependence of Ji j is found to be systematically more pronounced in LDA+U than in LSDA+U calculations. We report a very good correspondence between the computed total energies and the parametrized Heisenberg model for LDA+U calculations, but not for LSDA+U , suggesting that LDA+U is a more appropriate method for estimating exchange interactions.

Heat transfer and thermal management studies of lithium polymer batteries for electric vehicle applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Li

The thermal conductivities of the polymer electrolyte and composite cathode are important parameters characterizing heat transport in lithium polymer batteries. The thermal conductivities of lithium polymer electrolytes, including poly-ethylene oxide (PEO), PEO-LiClO4, PEO-LiCF3SO 3, PEO-LiN(CF3SO2)2, PEO-LiC(CF 3SO2)3, and the thermal conductivities of TiS 2 and V6O13 composite cathodes, were measured over the temperature range from 25°C to 150°C by a guarded heat flow meter. The thermal conductivities of the electrolytes were found to be relatively constant for the temperature and for electrolytes with various concentrations of the lithium salt. The thermal conductivities of the composite cathodes were found to increase with the temperature below the melting temperature of the polymer electrolyte and only slightly increase above the melting temperature. Three different lithium polymer cells, including Li/PEO-LiCF3 S O3/TiS2, Li/PEO-LiC(CF3 S O2)3/V6 O13, and Li/PEO-LiN(CF3 S O2)2/ Li1+x Mn2 O4 were prepared and their discharge curves, along with heat generation rates, were measured at various galvanostatic discharge current densities, and at different temperature (70°C, 80°C and 90°C), by a potentiostat/galvanostat and an isothermal microcalorimeter. The thermal stability of a lithium polymer battery was examined by a linear perturbation analysis. In contrast to the thermal conductivity, the ionic conductivity of polymer electrolytes for lithium-polymer cell increases greatly with increasing temperature, an instability could arise from this temperature dependence. The numerical calculations, using a two dimensional thermal model, were carried out for constant potential drop across the electrolyte, for constant mean current density and for constant mean cell output power. The numerical calculations were approximately in agreement with the linear perturbation analysis. A coupled mathematical model, including electrochemical and thermal components, was developed to study the heat transfer and thermal management of lithium polymer batteries. The results calculated from the model, including temperature distributions, and temperatures at different stages of discharge are significantly different from those calculated from the thermal model. The discharge curves and heat generation rates calculated by the electrochemical-thermal model were in agreement with the experimental results. Different thermal management approaches, including a variable conductance insulation enclosure were studied.

Poole-Frenkel-effect as dominating current mechanism in thin oxide films—An illusion?!

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schroeder, Herbert

2015-06-07

In many of the publications, over 50 per year for the last five years, the Poole-Frenkel-effect (PFE) is identified or suggested as dominating current mechanism to explain measured current–electric field dependencies in metal-insulator-metal (MIM) thin film stacks. Very often, the insulating thin film is a metal oxide as this class of materials has many important applications, especially in information technology. In the overwhelming majority of the papers, the identification of the PFE as dominating current mechanism is made by the slope of the current–electric field curve in the so-called Poole-Frenkel plot, i.e., logarithm of current density, j, divided by themore » applied electric field, F, versus the square root of that field. This plot is suggested by the simplest current equation for the PFE, which comprises this proportionality (ln(j/F) vs. F{sup 1/2}) leading to a straight line in this plot. Only one other parameter (except natural constants) may influence this slope: the optical dielectric constant of the insulating film. In order to identify the importance of the PFE simulation studies of the current through MIM stacks with thin insulating films were performed and the current–electric field curves without and with implementation of the PFE were compared. For the simulation, an advanced current model has been used combining electronic carrier injection/ejection currents at the interfaces, described by thermionic emission, with the carrier transport in the dielectric, described by drift and diffusion of electrons and holes in a wide band gap semiconductor. Besides the applied electric field (or voltage), many other important parameters have been varied: the density of the traps (with donor- and acceptor-like behavior); the zero-field energy level of the traps within the energy gap, this energy level is changed by the PFE (also called internal Schottky effect); the thickness of the dielectric film; the permittivity of the dielectric film simulating different oxide materials; the barriers for electrons and holes at the interfaces simulating different electrode materials; the temperature. The main results and conclusions are: (1) For a single type of trap present only (donor-like or acceptor-like), none of the simulated current density curves shows the expected behavior of the PFE and in most cases within the tested parameter field the effect of PFE is negligibly small. (2) For both types of traps present (compensation) only in the case of exact compensation, the expected slope in the PF-plot was nearly found for a wider range of the applied electric field, but for a very small range of the tested parameter field because of the very restricting additional conditions: first, the quasi-fermi level of the current controlling particle (electrons or holes) has to be 0.1 to 0.5 eV closer to the respective band limit than the zero-field energy level of the respective traps and, second, the compensating trap energy level has to be shallow. The conclusion from all these results is: the observation of the PFE as dominating current mechanism in MIM stacks with thin dielectric (oxide) films (typically 30 nm) is rather improbable!.« less

Long-Term Efficacy of Constant Current Deep Brain Stimulation in Essential Tremor.

PubMed

Rezaei Haddad, Ali; Samuel, Michael; Hulse, Natasha; Lin, Hsin-Ying; Ashkan, Keyoumars

2017-07-01

Ventralis intermedius deep brain stimulation is an established intervention for medication-refractory essential tremor. Newer constant current stimulation technology offers theoretical advantage over the traditional constant voltage systems in terms of delivering a more biologically stable therapy. There are no previous reports on the outcomes of constant current deep brain stimulation in the treatment of essential tremor. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term efficacy of ventralis intermedius constant current deep brain stimulation in patients diagnosed with essential tremor. Essential tremor patients implanted with constant current deep brain stimulation for a minimum of three years were evaluated. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the Fahn-Tolosa-Marin tremor rating scale at baseline and postoperatively at the time of evaluation. The quality of life in the patients was assessed using the Quality of Life in Essential Tremor questionnaire. Ten patients were evaluated with a median age at evaluation of 74 years (range 66-79) and a mean follow up time of 49.7 (range 36-78) months since starting stimulation. Constant current ventralis intermedius deep brain stimulation was well tolerated and effective in all patients with a mean score improvement from 50.7 ± 5.9 to 17.4 ± 5.7 (p = 0.0020) in the total Fahn-Tolosa-Marin rating scale score (65.6%). Furthermore, the total combined mean Quality of Life in Essential Tremor score was improved from 56.2 ± 4.9 to 16.8 ± 3.5 (p value = 0.0059) (70.1%). This report shows that long-term constant current ventralis intermedius deep brain stimulation is a safe and effective intervention for essential tremor patients. © 2017 International Neuromodulation Society.

On the Appearance of Thresholds in the Dynamical Model of Star Formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elmegreen, Bruce G.

2018-02-01

The Kennicutt–Schmidt (KS) relationship between the surface density of the star formation rate (SFR) and the gas surface density has three distinct power laws that may result from one model in which gas collapses at a fixed fraction of the dynamical rate. The power-law slope is 1 when the observed gas has a characteristic density for detection, 1.5 for total gas when the thickness is about constant as in the main disks of galaxies, and 2 for total gas when the thickness is regulated by self-gravity and the velocity dispersion is about constant, as in the outer parts of spirals, dwarf irregulars, and giant molecular clouds. The observed scaling of the star formation efficiency (SFR per unit CO) with the dense gas fraction (HCN/CO) is derived from the KS relationship when one tracer (HCN) is on the linear part and the other (CO) is on the 1.5 part. Observations of a threshold density or column density with a constant SFR per unit gas mass above the threshold are proposed to be selection effects, as are observations of star formation in only the dense parts of clouds. The model allows a derivation of all three KS relations using the probability distribution function of density with no thresholds for star formation. Failed galaxies and systems with sub-KS SFRs are predicted to have gas that is dominated by an equilibrium warm phase where the thermal Jeans length exceeds the Toomre length. A squared relation is predicted for molecular gas-dominated young galaxies.

Enhancement of piezoelectric constants induced by cation-substitution and two-dimensional strain effects on ZnO predicted by density functional perturbation theory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nakamura, Kaoru, E-mail: n-kaoru@criepi.denken.or.jp; Higuchi, Sadao; Ohnuma, Toshiharu

2016-03-21

Using density functional perturbation theory, we investigated the effect of various substitutional dopant elements and in-plane strain on the piezoelectric properties of ZnO. The piezoelectric stress constant e{sub 33} of doped ZnO was found to depend on the formal charge of the substitutional dopant. By decomposing the piezoelectric stress constant e{sub 33} into the individual atomic contributions, the change in the piezoelectric properties was found to originate from a change in the coupling between the atomic displacement and the strain. Furthermore, we found that in-plane tensile strain along the a axis, which is specific to the thin film, can enhancemore » the piezoelectric constant of ZnO. A phase transition from wurtzite to h-BN-type structure was found to occur with increasing in-plane tensile. The piezoelectric strain constant d{sub 33} was predicted to reach ∼200 pC/N for 2.78 at. % V-substituted ZnO at 5.5% in-plane strain, just before the phase transition. These theoretical results suggest that the piezoelectric constant of ZnO can be enhanced by controlling the in-plane strain via selection of the substrate material and dopant element.« less

Possible determination of the physical parameters of the first living cells based on the fundamental physical constants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atanasov, Atanas Todorov

2016-12-01

Here is developed the hypothesis that the cell parameters of unicellular organisms (Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes) are determined by the gravitational constant (G, N.m2 /kg2), Planck constant (h, J.s) and growth rate of cells. By scaling analyses it was shown that the growth rate vgr(m/s) of unicellular bacteria and protozoa is relatively constant parameter, ranging in a narrow window of 10-12 - 10-10 m/s, in comparison to the diapason of cell mass, ranging 10 orders of magnitudes from 10-17 kg in bacteria to 10-7 kg in amoebas. By dimensional analyses it was shown that the combination between the growth rate of cells, gravitational constant and Planck constant gives equations with dimension of mass M(vgr)=(h.vgr/G)½ in kg, length L(v gr)=(hṡG/vgr3)1/2 in meter, time T(vgr)=(hṡG/vgr5)1/2 in seconds, and density ρ ((vgr)=vgr.3.5/hG2 in kg/m3 . For growth rate vgr in diapason of 1×10-11 m/s - 1×10-9.5 m/s the calculated numerical values for mass (3×10-18 -1×10-16 kg), length (5×10-8 -1×10-5 m), time (1×102 -1×106 s) and density (1×10-1 - 1×104 kg/m3) overlaps with diapason of experimentally measured values for cell mass (3×10-18 -1×10-15 kg), volume to surface ratio (1×10-7 -1×10-4 m), doubling time (1×103 -1×107 s), and density (1050 - 1300 kg/m3) in bacteria and protozoa. These equations show that appearance of the first living cells could be mutually connected to the physical constants.

Mössbauer and X-ray Diffraction Investigations of Sn-containing Binary and Ternary Electrodeposited Alloys from a Gluconate Bath

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuzmann, E.; Stichleutner, S.; Doyle, O.; Chisholm, C. U.; El-Sharif, M.; Homonnay, Z.; Vértes, A.

2005-04-01

Constant current technique was applied to electrodeposit tin-containing coatings such as tin-cobalt (Sn-Co), tin-iron (Sn-Fe) and a novel tin-cobalt-iron (Sn-Co-Fe) from a gluconate bath. The effect of plating parameters (current density, deposition time at an electrolyte temperature of 60°C and pH=7.0) on phase composition, crystal structure and magnetic anisotropy of alloy deposits has been investigated mainly by 57Fe CEMS, 119Sn CEMS and transmission Mössbauer Spectroscopy as well as XRD. 57Fe and 119Sn CEM spectra and XRD reflect that the dominant phases of the deposits are orthorhombic Co3Sn2, tetragonal FeSn2 or amorphous Fe-Sn and amorphous Sn-Co-Fe in Sn-Co, Sn-Fe and Sn-Co-Fe coatings, respectively. Furthermore, the relative area of the 2nd and 5th lines of the sextets representing the magnetic iron containing phases decreases continuously with increasing current density in all Fe-containing deposits. At the same time, no essential change in the magnetic anisotropy can be found with the plating time. 119Sn spectra reveal the presence of small amount of β-Sn besides the main phases in Sn-Fe and in the Sn-Co coatings. Magnetically split 119Sn spectra reflecting transferred hyperfine field were observed in the case of Co-Sn-Fe coatings.

Effects of metal ions on the reactivity and corrosion electrochemistry of Fe/FeS nanoparticles.

PubMed

Kim, Eun-Ju; Kim, Jae-Hwan; Chang, Yoon-Seok; Turcio-Ortega, David; Tratnyek, Paul G

2014-04-01

Nano-zerovalent iron (nZVI) formed under sulfidic conditions results in a biphasic material (Fe/FeS) that reduces trichloroethene (TCE) more rapidly than nZVI associated only with iron oxides (Fe/FeO). Exposing Fe/FeS to dissolved metals (Pd(2+), Cu(2+), Ni(2+), Co(2+), and Mn(2+)) results in their sequestration by coprecipitation as dopants into FeS and FeO and/or by electroless precipitation as zerovalent metals that are hydrogenation catalysts. Using TCE reduction rates to probe the effect of metal amendments on the reactivity of Fe/FeS, it was found that Mn(2+) and Cu(2+) decreased TCE reduction rates, while Pd(2+), Co(2+), and Ni(2+) increased them. Electrochemical characterization of metal-amended Fe/FeS showed that aging caused passivation by growth of FeO and FeS phases and poisoning of catalytic metal deposits by sulfide. Correlation of rate constants for TCE reduction (kobs) with electrochemical parameters (corrosion potentials and currents, Tafel slopes, and polarization resistance) and descriptors of hydrogen activation by metals (exchange current density for hydrogen reduction and enthalpy of solution into metals) showed the controlling process changed with aging. For fresh Fe/FeS, kobs was best described by the exchange current density for activation of hydrogen, whereas kobs for aged Fe/FeS correlated with electrochemical descriptors of electron transfer.

Gas sorption and barrier properties of polymeric membranes from molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations.

PubMed

Cozmuta, Ioana; Blanco, Mario; Goddard, William A

2007-03-29

It is important for many industrial processes to design new materials with improved selective permeability properties. Besides diffusion, the molecule's solubility contributes largely to the overall permeation process. This study presents a method to calculate solubility coefficients of gases such as O2, H2O (vapor), N2, and CO2 in polymeric matrices from simulation methods (Molecular Dynamics and Monte Carlo) using first principle predictions. The generation and equilibration (annealing) of five polymer models (polypropylene, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl dichloride, polyvinyl chloride-trifluoroethylene, and polyethylene terephtalate) are extensively described. For each polymer, the average density and Hansen solubilities over a set of ten samples compare well with experimental data. For polyethylene terephtalate, the average properties between a small (n = 10) and a large (n = 100) set are compared. Boltzmann averages and probability density distributions of binding and strain energies indicate that the smaller set is biased in sampling configurations with higher energies. However, the sample with the lowest cohesive energy density from the smaller set is representative of the average of the larger set. Density-wise, low molecular weight polymers tend to have on average lower densities. Infinite molecular weight samples do however provide a very good representation of the experimental density. Solubility constants calculated with two ensembles (grand canonical and Henry's constant) are equivalent within 20%. For each polymer sample, the solubility constant is then calculated using the faster (10x) Henry's constant ensemble (HCE) from 150 ps of NPT dynamics of the polymer matrix. The influence of various factors (bad contact fraction, number of iterations) on the accuracy of Henry's constant is discussed. To validate the calculations against experimental results, the solubilities of nitrogen and carbon dioxide in polypropylene are examined over a range of temperatures between 250 and 650 K. The magnitudes of the calculated solubilities agree well with experimental results, and the trends with temperature are predicted correctly. The HCE method is used to predict the solubility constants at 298 K of water vapor and oxygen. The water vapor solubilities follow more closely the experimental trend of permeabilities, both ranging over 4 orders of magnitude. For oxygen, the calculated values do not follow entirely the experimental trend of permeabilities, most probably because at this temperature some of the polymers are in the glassy regime and thus are diffusion dominated. Our study also concludes large confidence limits are associated with the calculated Henry's constants. By investigating several factors (terminal ends of the polymer chains, void distribution, etc.), we conclude that the large confidence limits are intimately related to the polymer's conformational changes caused by thermal fluctuations and have to be regarded--at least at microscale--as a characteristic of each polymer and the nature of its interaction with the solute. Reducing the mobility of the polymer matrix as well as controlling the distribution of the free (occupiable) volume would act as mechanisms toward lowering both the gas solubility and the diffusion coefficients.

Adiabatic elimination of inertia of the stochastic microswimmer driven by α -stable noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noetel, Joerg; Sokolov, Igor M.; Schimansky-Geier, Lutz

2017-10-01

We consider a microswimmer that moves in two dimensions at a constant speed and changes the direction of its motion due to a torque consisting of a constant and a fluctuating component. The latter will be modeled by a symmetric Lévy-stable (α -stable) noise. The purpose is to develop a kinetic approach to eliminate the angular component of the dynamics to find a coarse-grained description in the coordinate space. By defining the joint probability density function of the position and of the orientation of the particle through the Fokker-Planck equation, we derive transport equations for the position-dependent marginal density, the particle's mean velocity, and the velocity's variance. At time scales larger than the relaxation time of the torque τϕ, the two higher moments follow the marginal density and can be adiabatically eliminated. As a result, a closed equation for the marginal density follows. This equation, which gives a coarse-grained description of the microswimmer's positions at time scales t ≫τϕ , is a diffusion equation with a constant diffusion coefficient depending on the properties of the noise. Hence, the long-time dynamics of a microswimmer can be described as a normal, diffusive, Brownian motion with Gaussian increments.

Adiabatic elimination of inertia of the stochastic microswimmer driven by α-stable noise.

PubMed

Noetel, Joerg; Sokolov, Igor M; Schimansky-Geier, Lutz

2017-10-01

We consider a microswimmer that moves in two dimensions at a constant speed and changes the direction of its motion due to a torque consisting of a constant and a fluctuating component. The latter will be modeled by a symmetric Lévy-stable (α-stable) noise. The purpose is to develop a kinetic approach to eliminate the angular component of the dynamics to find a coarse-grained description in the coordinate space. By defining the joint probability density function of the position and of the orientation of the particle through the Fokker-Planck equation, we derive transport equations for the position-dependent marginal density, the particle's mean velocity, and the velocity's variance. At time scales larger than the relaxation time of the torque τ_{ϕ}, the two higher moments follow the marginal density and can be adiabatically eliminated. As a result, a closed equation for the marginal density follows. This equation, which gives a coarse-grained description of the microswimmer's positions at time scales t≫τ_{ϕ}, is a diffusion equation with a constant diffusion coefficient depending on the properties of the noise. Hence, the long-time dynamics of a microswimmer can be described as a normal, diffusive, Brownian motion with Gaussian increments.

Experimental research of different plasma cathodes for generation of high-current electron beams

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shafir, G.; Kreif, M.; Gleizer, J. Z.

2015-11-21

The results of experimental studies of different types of cathodes—carbon-epoxy rods, carbon-epoxy capillary, edged graphite, and metal-dielectric—under the application of high-voltage pulses with an amplitude of several hundreds of kV and pulse duration of several nanoseconds are presented. The best diode performance was achieved with the edged graphite and carbon-epoxy-based cathodes characterized by uniform and fast (<1 ns) formation of explosive emission plasma spots and quasi-constant diode impedance. This result was achieved for both annular cathodes in a strong magnetic field and planar cathodes of a similar diameter (∼2 cm) with no external magnetic field. The cathodes based on carbon-epoxy rods andmore » carbon-epoxy capillaries operating with an average current density up to 1 kA/cm{sup 2} showed insignificant erosion along 10{sup 6} pulses of the generator and the generated electron beam current showed excellent reproducibility in terms of the amplitude and waveform.« less

Robust three-body water simulation model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tainter, C. J.; Pieniazek, P. A.; Lin, Y.-S.; Skinner, J. L.

2011-05-01

The most common potentials used in classical simulations of liquid water assume a pairwise additive form. Although these models have been very successful in reproducing many properties of liquid water at ambient conditions, none is able to describe accurately water throughout its complicated phase diagram. The primary reason for this is the neglect of many-body interactions. To this end, a simulation model with explicit three-body interactions was introduced recently [R. Kumar and J. L. Skinner, J. Phys. Chem. B 112, 8311 (2008), 10.1021/jp8009468]. This model was parameterized to fit the experimental O-O radial distribution function and diffusion constant. Herein we reparameterize the model, fitting to a wider range of experimental properties (diffusion constant, rotational correlation time, density for the liquid, liquid/vapor surface tension, melting point, and the ice Ih density). The robustness of the model is then verified by comparing simulation to experiment for a number of other quantities (enthalpy of vaporization, dielectric constant, Debye relaxation time, temperature of maximum density, and the temperature-dependent second and third virial coefficients), with good agreement.

Lattice dynamic properties of Rh2XAl (X=Fe and Y) alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al, Selgin; Arikan, Nihat; Demir, Süleyman; Iyigör, Ahmet

2018-02-01

The electronic band structure, elastic and vibrational spectra of Rh2FeAl and Rh2YAl alloys were computed in detail by employing an ab-initio pseudopotential method and a linear-response technique based on the density-functional theory (DFT) scheme within a generalized gradient approximation (GGA). Computed lattice constants, bulk modulus and elastic constants were compared. Rh2YAl exhibited higher ability to resist volume change than Rh2FeAl. The elastic constants, shear modulus, Young modulus, Poisson's ratio, B/G ratio electronic band structure, total and partial density of states, and total magnetic moment of alloys were also presented. Rh2FeAl showed spin up and spin down states whereas Rh2YAl showed none due to being non-magnetic. The calculated total densities of states for both materials suggest that both alloys are metallic in nature. Full phonon spectra of Rh2FeAl and Rh2YA1 alloys in the L21 phase were collected using the ab-initio linear response method. The obtained phonon frequencies were in the positive region indicating that both alloys are dynamically stable.

A Spectroscopic Study of Impurity Behavior in Neutral-beam and Ohmically Heated TFTR Discharges

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Stratton, B. C.; Ramsey, A. T.; Boody, F. P.; Bush, C. E.; Fonck, R. J.; Groenbner, R. J.; Hulse, R. A.; Richards, R. K.; Schivell, J.

1987-02-01

Quantitative spectroscopic measurements of Z{sub eff}, impurity densities, and radiated power losses have been made for ohmic- and neutral-beam-heated TFTR discharges at a plasma current of 2.2 MA and toroidal field of 4.7 T. Variations in these quantities with line-average plasma density (anti n{sub e}) and beam power up to 5.6 MW are presented for discharges on a graphite movable limiter. A detailed discussion of the use of an impurity transport model to infer absolute impurity densities and radiative losses from line intensity and visible continuum measurements is given. These discharges were dominated by low-Z impurities with carbon having a considerably higher density than oxygen, except in high-anti n{sub e} ohmic discharges, where the densities of carbon and oxygen were comparable. Metallic impurity concentrations and radiative losses were small, resulting in hollow radiated power profiles and fractions of the input power radiated being 30 to 50% for ohmic heating and 30% or less with beam heating. Spectroscopic estimates of the radiated power were in good agreement with bolometrically measured values. Due to an increase in the carbon density, Z{sub eff} rose from 2.0 to 2.8 as the beam power increased from 0 to 5.6 MW, pointing to a potentially serious dilution of the neutron-producing plasma ions as the beam power increased. Both the low-Z and metallic impurity concentrations were approximately constant with minor radius, indicating no central impurity accumulation in these discharges.

Calculation of density of states for modeling photoemission using method of moments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finkenstadt, Daniel; Lambrakos, Samuel G.; Jensen, Kevin L.; Shabaev, Andrew; Moody, Nathan A.

2017-09-01

Modeling photoemission using the Moments Approach (akin to Spicer's "Three Step Model") is often presumed to follow simple models for the prediction of two critical properties of photocathodes: the yield or "Quantum Efficiency" (QE), and the intrinsic spreading of the beam or "emittance" ɛnrms. The simple models, however, tend to obscure properties of electrons in materials, the understanding of which is necessary for a proper prediction of a semiconductor or metal's QE and ɛnrms. This structure is characterized by localized resonance features as well as a universal trend at high energy. Presented in this study is a prototype analysis concerning the density of states (DOS) factor D(E) for Copper in bulk to replace the simple three-dimensional form of D(E) = (m/π2 h3)p2mE currently used in the Moments approach. This analysis demonstrates that excited state spectra of atoms, molecules and solids based on density-functional theory can be adapted as useful information for practical applications, as well as providing theoretical interpretation of density-of-states structure, e.g., qualitatively good descriptions of optical transitions in matter, in addition to DFT's utility in providing the optical constants and material parameters also required in the Moments Approach.

Synthesis of Mesoporous Carbons from Rice Husk for Supercapacitors with High Energy Density in Ionic Liquid Electrolytes.

PubMed

He, Xiaojun; Zhang, Hebao; Xie, Kang; Xia, Youyi; Zhao, Zhigang; Wang, Xiaoting

2016-03-01

High-performance mesoporous carbons (MCs) for supercapacitors were made from rice husk by one-step microwave-assisted ZnCl2 activation. The microstructures of MCs as-made were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The pore structure parameters of MCs were obtained by N2 adsorption technique. The electrochemical properties of MC electrodes were studied by constant current charge-discharge, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in different electrolytes. The results showed that the specific surface area of MC4 made at the ZnCl2/rice husk mass of 4:1 reached 1737 m2 g(-1). The specific capacitance and energy density of the electrodes fabricated from the mixture of MC4 and microporous carbon increased with the mass percentage of MC4, reaching 157 F g(-1) and 84 Wh kg(-1) at 0.05 A g(-1), and showed good cycle stability in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate electrolyte. Compared to the often-used aqueous and organic electrolytes, MC4 capacitor exhibited extremely high energy density in ionic liquid electrolyte, remaining at 28 Wh kg(-1) at 1684 W kg(-1). This work paves a new way to produce cost-effective MCs from biomass for supercapacitors with extremely high energy density in ionic liquid electrolytes.

Temperature-dependence of L-type Ca(2+) current in ventricular cardiomyocytes of the Alaska blackfish (Dallia pectoralis).

PubMed

Kubly, Kerry L; Stecyk, Jonathan A W

2015-12-01

To lend insight into the overwintering strategy of the Alaska blackfish (Dallia pectoralis), we acclimated fish to 15 or 5 °C and then utilized whole-cell patch clamp to characterize the effects of thermal acclimation and acute temperature change on the density and kinetics of ventricular L-type Ca(2+) current (I Ca). Peak I Ca density at 5 °C (-1.1 ± 0.1 pA pF(-1)) was 1/8th that at 15 °C (-8.8 ± 0.6 pA pF(-1)). However, alterations of the Ca(2+)- and voltage-dependent inactivation properties of L-type Ca(2+) channels partially compensated against the decrease. The time constant tau (τ) for the kinetics of inactivation of I Ca was ~4.5 times greater at 5 °C than at 15 °C, and the voltage for half-maximal inactivation was shifted from -23.3 ± 1.0 mV at 15 °C to -19.8 ± 1.2 mV at 5 °C. These modifications increase the open probability of the channel and culminate in an approximate doubling of the L-type Ca(2+) window current, which contributes to approximately 15% of the maximal Ca(2+) conductance at 5 °C. Consequently, the charge density of I Ca (Q Ca) and the total Ca(2+) transferred through the L-type Ca(2+) channels (Δ[Ca(2+)]) were not as severely reduced at 5 °C as compared to peak I Ca density. In combination, the results suggest that while the Alaska blackfish substantially down-regulates I Ca with acclimation to low temperature, there is sufficient compensation in the kinetics of the L-type Ca(2+) channel to support the level of cardiac performance required for the fish to remain active throughout the winter.

Temperature-dependence of L-type Ca2+ current in ventricular cardiomyocytes of the Alaska blackfish (Dallia pectoralis)

PubMed Central

Kubly, Kerry L.; Stecyk, Jonathan A.W.

2016-01-01

Summary To lend insight into the overwintering strategy of the Alaska blackfish (Dallia pectoralis), we acclimated fish to 15°C or 5°C and then utilized whole-cell patch-clamp to characterize the effects of thermal acclimation and acute temperature change on the density and kinetics of ventricular L-type Ca2+ current (ICa). Peak ICa density at 5°C (−1.1± 0.1 pA pF−1) was 1/8th that at 15°C (−8.8 ± 0.6 pA pF−1). However, alterations of the Ca2+- and voltage-dependent inactivation properties of L-type Ca2+ channels partially compensated against the decrease. The time constant tau (τ) for the kinetics of inactivation of ICa was ~4.5-times greater at 5°C than at 15°C, and the voltage for half-maximal inactivation was shifted from −23.3 ± 1.0 mV at 15°C to - 19.8 ± 1.2 mV at 5°C. These modifications increase the open probability of the channel and culminated in an approximate doubling of the L-type Ca2+ window current, which contributed to approximately 15% of the maximal Ca2+ conductance at 5°C. Consequently, the charge density of ICa (QCa) and the total Ca2+ transferred through the L-type Ca channels (Δ[Ca2+]) were not as severely reduced at 5°C as compared to peak ICa density. In combination, the results suggest that while the Alaska blackfish substantially down-regulates ICa with acclimation to low temperature, there is sufficient compensation in the kinetics of the L-type Ca2+ channel to support the level of cardiac performance required for the fish to remain active throughout the winter. PMID:26439127

Hydrophobic polymer covered by a grating electrode for converting the mechanical energy of water droplets into electrical energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helseth, L. E.; Guo, X. D.

2016-04-01

Water contact electric harvesting has a great potential as a new energy technology for powering small-scale electronics, but a better understanding of the dynamics governing the conversion from mechanical to electrical energy on the polymer surfaces is needed. Important questions are how current correlates with droplet kinetic energy and what happens to the charge dynamics when a large number of droplets are incident on the polymer simultaneously. Here we address these questions by studying the current that is generated in an external electrical circuit when water droplets impinge on hydrophobic fluorinated ethylene propylene film containing a grating electrode on the back side. Droplets moving down an inclined polymer plane exhibit a characteristic periodic current time trace, and it is found that the peak current scales with sine of the inclination angle. For single droplets in free fall impinging onto the polymer, it is found that the initial peak current scales with the height of the free fall. The transition from individual droplets to a nearly continuous stream was investigated using the spectral density of the current signal. In both regimes, the high frequency content of the spectral density scales as f -2. For low frequencies, the low frequency content at low volume rates was noisy but nearly constant, whereas for high volume rates an increase with frequency is observed. It is demonstrated that the output signal from the system exposed to water droplets from a garden hose can be rectified and harvested by a 33 μF capacitor, where the stored energy increases at a rate of about 20 μJ in 100 s.

Nano-sized Mo- and Nb-doped TiO2 as anode materials for high energy and high power hybrid Li-ion capacitors.

PubMed

Bauer, Dustin; Roberts, Alexander J; Matsumi, Noriyoshi; Darr, Jawwad A

2017-05-12

Nano-sized Mo-doped titania (Mo 0.1 Ti 0.9 O 2 ) and Nb-doped titania (Nb 0.25 Ti 0.75 O 2 ) were directly synthesized via a continuous hydrothermal flow synthesis process. Materials characterization was conducted using physical techniques such as transmission electron microscopy, powder x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller specific surface area measurements and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. Hybrid Li-ion supercapacitors were made with either a Mo-doped or Nb-doped TiO 2 negative electrode material and an activated carbon (AC) positive electrode. Cells were evaluated using electrochemical testing (cyclic voltammetry, constant charge discharge cycling). The hybrid Li-ion capacitors showed good energy densities at moderate power densities. When cycled in the potential window 0.5-3.0 V, the Mo 0.1 Ti 0.9 O 2 /AC hybrid supercapacitor showed the highest energy densities of 51 Wh kg -1 at a power of 180 W kg -1 with energy densities rapidly declining with increasing applied specific current. In comparison, the Nb 0.25 Ti 0.75 O 2 /AC hybrid supercapacitor maintained its energy density of 45 Wh kg -1 at 180 W kg -1 better, showing 36 Wh g -1 at 3200 W kg -1 , which is a very promising mix of high energy and power densities. Reducing the voltage window to the range 1.0-3.0 V led to an increase in power density, with the Mo 0.1 Ti 0.9 O 2 /AC hybrid supercapacitor giving energy densities of 12 Wh kg -1 and 2.5 Wh kg -1 at power densities of 6700 W kg -1 and 14 000 W kg -1 , respectively.

Nano-sized Mo- and Nb-doped TiO2 as anode materials for high energy and high power hybrid Li-ion capacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauer, Dustin; Roberts, Alexander J.; Matsumi, Noriyoshi; Darr, Jawwad A.

2017-05-01

Nano-sized Mo-doped titania (Mo0.1Ti0.9O2) and Nb-doped titania (Nb0.25Ti0.75O2) were directly synthesized via a continuous hydrothermal flow synthesis process. Materials characterization was conducted using physical techniques such as transmission electron microscopy, powder x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller specific surface area measurements and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. Hybrid Li-ion supercapacitors were made with either a Mo-doped or Nb-doped TiO2 negative electrode material and an activated carbon (AC) positive electrode. Cells were evaluated using electrochemical testing (cyclic voltammetry, constant charge discharge cycling). The hybrid Li-ion capacitors showed good energy densities at moderate power densities. When cycled in the potential window 0.5-3.0 V, the Mo0.1Ti0.9O2/AC hybrid supercapacitor showed the highest energy densities of 51 Wh kg-1 at a power of 180 W kg-1 with energy densities rapidly declining with increasing applied specific current. In comparison, the Nb0.25Ti0.75O2/AC hybrid supercapacitor maintained its energy density of 45 Wh kg-1 at 180 W kg-1 better, showing 36 Wh g-1 at 3200 W kg-1, which is a very promising mix of high energy and power densities. Reducing the voltage window to the range 1.0-3.0 V led to an increase in power density, with the Mo0.1Ti0.9O2/AC hybrid supercapacitor giving energy densities of 12 Wh kg-1 and 2.5 Wh kg-1 at power densities of 6700 W kg-1 and 14 000 W kg-1, respectively.

Local density variation of gold nanoparticles in aquatic environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hosseinzadeh, F.; Shirazian, F.; Shahsavari, R.; Khoei, A. R.

2016-10-01

Gold (Au) nanoparticles are widely used in diagnosing cancer, imaging, and identification of therapeutic methods due to their particular quantum characteristics. This research presents different types of aqueous models and potentials used in TIP3P, to study the effect of the particle size and density of Au clusters in aquatic environments; so it can be useful to facilitate future investigation of the interaction of proteins with Au nanoparticles. The EAM potential is used to model the structure of gold clusters. It is observed that in the systems with identical gold/water density and different cluster radii, gold particles are distributed in aqueous environment almost identically. Thus, Au particles have identical local densities, and the root mean square displacement (RMSD) increases with a constant slope. However in systems with constant cluster radii and different gold/water densities, Au particle dispersion increases with density; as a result, the local density decreases and the RMSD increases with a larger slope. In such systems, the larger densities result in more blunted second peaks in gold-gold radial distribution functions, owing to more intermixing of the clusters and less FCC crystalline features at longer range, a mechanism that is mediated by the competing effects of gold-water and gold-gold interactions.

Investigation of Saltwater Intrusion and Recirculation of Seawater for Henry Constant Dispersion and Velocity-Dependent Dispersion Problems and Field-Scale Problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Motz, L. H.; Kalakan, C.

2013-12-01

Three problems regarding saltwater intrusion, namely the Henry constant dispersion and velocity-dependent dispersion problems and a larger, field-scale velocity-dependent dispersion problem, have been investigated to determine quantitatively how saltwater intrusion and the recirculation of seawater at a coastal boundary are related to the freshwater inflow and the density-driven buoyancy flux. Based on dimensional analysis, saltwater intrusion and the recirculation of seawater are dependent functions of the independent ratio of freshwater advective flux relative to the density-driven vertical buoyancy flux, defined as az (or a for an isotropic aquifer), and the aspect ratio of horizontal and vertical dimensions of the cross-section. For the Henry constant dispersion problem, in which the aquifer is isotropic, saltwater intrusion and recirculation are related to an additional independent dimensionless parameter that is the ratio of the constant dispersion coefficient treated as a scalar quantity, the porosity, and the freshwater advective flux, defined as b. For the Henry velocity-dependent dispersion problem, the ratio b is zero, and saltwater intrusion and recirculation are related to an additional independent dimensionless parameter that is the ratio of the vertical and horizontal dispersivities, or rα = αz/αx. For an anisotropic aquifer, saltwater intrusion and recirculation are also dependent on the ratio of vertical and horizontal hydraulic conductivities, or rK = Kz/Kx. For the field-scale velocity-dependent dispersion problem, saltwater intrusion and recirculation are dependent on the same independent ratios as the Henry velocity-dependent dispersion problem. In the two-dimensional cross-section for all three problems, freshwater inflow occurs at an upgradient boundary, and recirculated seawater outflow occurs at a downgradient coastal boundary. The upgradient boundary is a specified-flux boundary with zero freshwater concentration, and the downgradient boundary is a specified-head boundary with a specified concentration equal to seawater. Equivalent freshwater heads are specified at the downstream boundary to account for density differences between freshwater and saltwater at the downstream boundary. The three problems were solved using the numerical groundwater flow and transport code SEAWAT for two conditions, i.e., first for the uncoupled condition in which the fluid density is constant and thus the flow and transport equations are uncoupled in a constant-density flowfield, and then for the coupled condition in which the fluid density is a function of the total dissolved solids concentration and thus the flow and transport equations are coupled in a variable-density flowfield. A wide range of results for the landward extent of saltwater intrusion and the amount of recirculation of seawater at the coastal boundary was obtained by varying the independent dimensionless ratio az (or a in problem one) in all three problems. The dimensionless dispersion ratio b was also varied in problem one, and the dispersivity ratio rα and the hydraulic conductivity ratio rK were also varied in problems two and three.

Advanced control of neutral beam injected power in DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Pawley, Carl J.; Crowley, Brendan J.; Pace, David C.; ...

2017-03-23

In the DIII-D tokamak, one of the most powerful techniques to control the density, temperature and plasma rotation is by eight independently modulated neutral beam sources with a total power of 20 MW. The rapid modulation requires a high degree of reproducibility and precise control of the ion source plasma and beam acceleration voltage. Recent changes have been made to the controls to provide a new capability to smoothly vary the beam current and beam voltage during a discharge, while maintaining the modulation capability. The ion source plasma inside the arc chamber is controlled through feedback from the Langmuir probesmore » measuring plasma density near the extraction end. To provide the new capability, the plasma control system (PCS) has been enabled to change the Langmuir probe set point and the beam voltage set point in real time. When the PCS varies the Langmuir set point, the plasma density is directly controlled in the arc chamber, thus changing the beam current (perveance) and power going into the tokamak. Alternately, the PCS can sweep the beam voltage set point by 20 kV or more and adjust the Langmuir probe setting to match, keeping the perveance constant and beam divergence at a minimum. This changes the beam power and average neutral particle energy, which changes deposition in the tokamak plasma. The ion separating magnetic field must accurately match the beam voltage to protect the beam line. To do this, the magnet current control accurately tracks the beam voltage set point. In conclusion, these new capabilities allow continuous in-shot variation of neutral beam ion energy to complement« less

Dependence of cancer cell adhesion kinetics on integrin ligand surface density measured by a high-throughput label-free resonant waveguide grating biosensor.

PubMed

Orgovan, Norbert; Peter, Beatrix; Bősze, Szilvia; Ramsden, Jeremy J; Szabó, Bálint; Horvath, Robert

2014-02-07

A novel high-throughput label-free resonant waveguide grating (RWG) imager biosensor, the Epic® BenchTop (BT), was utilized to determine the dependence of cell spreading kinetics on the average surface density (v(RGD)) of integrin ligand RGD-motifs. v(RGD) was tuned over four orders of magnitude by co-adsorbing the biologically inactive PLL-g-PEG and the RGD-functionalized PLL-g-PEG-RGD synthetic copolymers from their mixed solutions onto the sensor surface. Using highly adherent human cervical tumor (HeLa) cells as a model system, cell adhesion kinetic data of unprecedented quality were obtained. Spreading kinetics were fitted with the logistic equation to obtain the spreading rate constant (r) and the maximum biosensor response (Δλmax), which is assumed to be directly proportional to the maximum spread contact area (Amax). r was found to be independent of the surface density of integrin ligands. In contrast, Δλmax increased with increasing RGD surface density until saturation at high densities. Interpreting the latter behavior with a simple kinetic mass action model, a 2D dissociation constant of 1753 ± 243 μm(-2) (corresponding to a 3D dissociation constant of ~30 μM) was obtained for the binding between RGD-specific integrins embedded in the cell membrane and PLL-g-PEG-RGD. All of these results were obtained completely noninvasively without using any labels.

High performance YBCO films. Report for 1 August-31 October 1992

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Denlinger, E.J.; Fathy, A.; Kalokitis, D.

1992-10-31

The objective of this program is to identify suitable low loss, low dielectric constant substrates and develop and optimize deposition processes for high quality YBCO films including the necessary buffer layers. Ultimate goals are large area substrates having double-sided HTS coating with a surface resistance ten times lower than copper at 40 GHz. High quality HTS films on low dielectric constant substrates are expected to find widespread use in advanced millimeter wave components, in extending the power handling capability of microwave and millimeter wave circuitry, and in facilitating high speed computer interconnects. Sample demonstration circuits will be built toward themore » end of the program. We have successfully deposited a high quality YBCO film on a good low loss and low dielectric constant substrate, magnesium fluoride (e=5). With the use of two buffer layers (magnesium oxide and strontium titanate) between the YBCO and the substrate, transition temperatures of 89 deg K and transition widths of about 0.5 deg K were achieved. The critical current density Jc of 4 x 10 6 A/cm2 at 77K in zero field is among the highest reported for YBCO films. The magnesium fluoride (MgF2) substrate has a tetragonal structure with a dielectric constant of 5.2 in the plane of the substrate and 4.6 perpendicular to the substrate surface. It has a good harness (-575 Knoop) and a linear thermal expansion coefficient that closely matches YBCO and the buffer layers.« less

NMR shielding and spin–rotation constants of {sup 175}LuX (X = {sup 19}F, {sup 35}Cl, {sup 79}Br, {sup 127}I) molecules

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Demissie, Taye B.

2015-12-31

This presentation demonstrates the relativistic effects on the spin-rotation constants, absolute nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) shielding constants and shielding spans of {sup 175}LuX (X = {sup 19}F, {sup 35}Cl, {sup 79}Br, {sup 127}I) molecules. The results are obtained from calculations performed using density functional theory (non-relativistic and four-component relativistic) and coupled-cluster calculations. The spin-rotation constants are compared with available experimental values. In most of the molecules studied, relativistic effects make an order of magnitude difference on the NMR absolute shielding constants.

Dielectric properties of organic solvents from non-polarizable molecular dynamics simulation with electronic continuum model and density functional theory.

PubMed

Lee, Sanghun; Park, Sung Soo

2011-11-03

Dielectric constants of electrolytic organic solvents are calculated employing nonpolarizable Molecular Dynamics simulation with Electronic Continuum (MDEC) model and Density Functional Theory. The molecular polarizabilities are obtained by the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory to estimate high-frequency refractive indices while the densities and dipole moment fluctuations are computed using nonpolarizable MD simulations. The dielectric constants reproduced from these procedures are evaluated to provide a reliable approach for estimating the experimental data. An additional feature, two representative solvents which have similar molecular weights but are different dielectric properties, i.e., ethyl methyl carbonate and propylene carbonate, are compared using MD simulations and the distinctly different dielectric behaviors are observed at short times as well as at long times.

First-principles study of anhydrite, polyhalite and carnallite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weck, Philippe F.; Kim, Eunja; Jové-Colón, Carlos F.; Sassani, David C.

2014-02-01

We report density functional calculations of the structures and properties of anhydrite (CaSO4), polyhalite (K2SO4·MgSO4·2CaSO4·2H2O) and carnallite (KCl·MgCl2·6H2O). Densities of states are systematically investigated and phonon analysis using density functional perturbation theory is performed at constant equilibrium volume for anhydrite and polyhalite in order to derive their isochoric thermal properties. Thermal properties at constant atmospheric pressure are also calculated using the quasi-harmonic approximation. The computed molar entropy and isobaric heat capacity for anhydrite reproduce experimental data up to 800 K to within 3% and 10%, respectively, while further experimental work is needed to assess our theoretical predictions for polyhalite.

Structural, elastic and electronic properties of transition metal carbides ZnC, NbC and their ternary alloys ZnxNb1-xC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zidi, Y.; Méçabih, S.; Abbar, B.; Amari, S.

2018-02-01

We have investigated the structural, electronic and elastic properties of transition-metal carbides ZnxNb1-xC alloys in the range of 0 ≤ x ≤ 1 using the density functional theory (DFT). The full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method within a framework of the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and GGA + U (where U is the Hubbard correlation terms) approach is used to perform the calculations presented here. The lattice parameters, the bulk modulus, its pressure derivative and the elastic constants were determined. We have obtained Young's modulus, shear modulus, Poisson's ratio, anisotropy factor by the aid of the calculated elastic constants. We discuss the total and partial densities of states and charge densities.

Current-voltage hysteresis and dielectric properties of PVA coated MWCNT film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, Amit Kumar; Meikap, Ajit Kumar

2017-12-01

In this work, we have prepared polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) coated multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) film by an in situ chemical oxidative preparation technique. The thermogravimetric analysis clearly explains the thermal degradation of pure polymer and polymer nanocomposite film. We have studied the AC electrical transport properties and current-voltage (I-V) characteristic of PVA-MWCNT composites within the temperature range 300 ≤ T ≤ 423 K and frequency range 150 Hz ≤ f ≤ 2 MHz. It is observed that the dielectric constant of the composite film increases significantly. The frequency variation of AC conductivity follows the power law ( ωS ) and a sharp transition from small polaron tunneling to correlated barrier hopping model is found. The imaginary part of electric modulus shows non-Debye type asymmetric behaviour. The impedance spectroscopy shows the negative temperature coefficient of resistance of the composite film. Nyquist plot of the composite film at different temperatures is established from impedance measurement. The current-voltage characteristic (under ± 20 V) shows hysteresis behaviour and field dependent resistance. We simulate the experimentally observed current density-electric field data with the established theory.

Current-voltage hysteresis and dielectric properties of PVA coated MWCNT film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, Amit Kumar; Meikap, Ajit Kumar

2018-06-01

In this work, we have prepared polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) coated multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) film by an in situ chemical oxidative preparation technique. The thermogravimetric analysis clearly explains the thermal degradation of pure polymer and polymer nanocomposite film. We have studied the AC electrical transport properties and current-voltage (I-V) characteristic of PVA-MWCNT composites within the temperature range 300 ≤ T ≤ 423 K and frequency range 150 Hz ≤ f ≤ 2 MHz. It is observed that the dielectric constant of the composite film increases significantly. The frequency variation of AC conductivity follows the power law ( ωS ) and a sharp transition from small polaron tunneling to correlated barrier hopping model is found. The imaginary part of electric modulus shows non-Debye type asymmetric behaviour. The impedance spectroscopy shows the negative temperature coefficient of resistance of the composite film. Nyquist plot of the composite film at different temperatures is established from impedance measurement. The current-voltage characteristic (under ± 20 V) shows hysteresis behaviour and field dependent resistance. We simulate the experimentally observed current density-electric field data with the established theory.

Interaction potential for indium phosphide: a molecular dynamics and first-principles study of the elastic constants, generalized stacking fault and surface energies.

PubMed

Branicio, Paulo Sergio; Rino, José Pedro; Gan, Chee Kwan; Tsuzuki, Hélio

2009-03-04

Indium phosphide is investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and density-functional theory calculations. MD simulations use a proposed effective interaction potential for InP fitted to a selected experimental dataset of properties. The potential consists of two- and three-body terms that represent atomic-size effects, charge-charge, charge-dipole and dipole-dipole interactions as well as covalent bond bending and stretching. Predictions are made for the elastic constants as a function of density and temperature, the generalized stacking fault energy and the low-index surface energies.

Diffusion with chemical reaction: An attempt to explain number density anomalies in experiments involving alkali vapor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Snow, W. L.

1974-01-01

The mutual diffusion of two reacting gases is examined which takes place in a bath of inert gas atoms. Solutions are obtained between concentric spheres, each sphere acting as a source for one of the reactants. The calculational model is used to illustrate severe number density gradients observed in absorption experiments with alkali vapor. Severe gradients result when sq root k/D R is approximately 5 where k, D, and R are respectively the second order rate constant, the multicomponent diffusion constant, and the geometrical dimension of the experiment.

Metallated porphyrin based porous organic polymers as efficient electrocatalysts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Guolong; Zhu, Youlong; Xu, Kongliang; Jin, Yinghua; Ren, Zhiyong Jason; Liu, Zhenning; Zhang, Wei

2015-10-01

Developing efficient, stable and low-cost catalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) is of great significance to many emerging technologies including fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Herein, we report the development of a cobalt(ii) porphyrin based porous organic polymer (CoPOP) and its pyrolyzed derivatives as highly active ORR catalysts. The as-synthesized CoPOP exhibits high porosity and excellent catalytic performance stability, retaining ~100% constant ORR current over 50 000 s in both alkaline and acidic media. Pyrolysis of CoPOP at various temperatures (600 °C, 800 °C, and 1000 °C) yields the materials consisting of graphitic carbon layers and cobalt nanoparticles, which show greatly enhanced catalytic activity compared to the as-synthesized CoPOP. Among them, CoPOP-800/C pyrolyzed at 800 °C shows the highest specific surface area and ORR activity, displaying the most positive half-wave potential (0.825 V vs. RHE) and the largest limited diffusion current density (5.35 mA cm-2) in an alkaline medium, which are comparable to those of commercial Pt/C (20 wt%) (half-wave potential 0.829 V vs. RHE, limited diffusion current density 5.10 mA cm-2). RDE and RRDE experiments indicate that CoPOP-800/C directly reduces molecular oxygen to water through a 4-e- pathway in both alkaline and acidic media. More importantly, CoPOP-800/C exhibits excellent durability and methanol-tolerance under acidic and alkaline conditions, which surpass the Pt/C (20 wt%) system.Developing efficient, stable and low-cost catalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) is of great significance to many emerging technologies including fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Herein, we report the development of a cobalt(ii) porphyrin based porous organic polymer (CoPOP) and its pyrolyzed derivatives as highly active ORR catalysts. The as-synthesized CoPOP exhibits high porosity and excellent catalytic performance stability, retaining ~100% constant ORR current over 50 000 s in both alkaline and acidic media. Pyrolysis of CoPOP at various temperatures (600 °C, 800 °C, and 1000 °C) yields the materials consisting of graphitic carbon layers and cobalt nanoparticles, which show greatly enhanced catalytic activity compared to the as-synthesized CoPOP. Among them, CoPOP-800/C pyrolyzed at 800 °C shows the highest specific surface area and ORR activity, displaying the most positive half-wave potential (0.825 V vs. RHE) and the largest limited diffusion current density (5.35 mA cm-2) in an alkaline medium, which are comparable to those of commercial Pt/C (20 wt%) (half-wave potential 0.829 V vs. RHE, limited diffusion current density 5.10 mA cm-2). RDE and RRDE experiments indicate that CoPOP-800/C directly reduces molecular oxygen to water through a 4-e- pathway in both alkaline and acidic media. More importantly, CoPOP-800/C exhibits excellent durability and methanol-tolerance under acidic and alkaline conditions, which surpass the Pt/C (20 wt%) system. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Details of the experimental section, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) data, scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) images, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) data, and additional electrochemical data. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr05324b

Passive turbulent flamelet propagation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ashurst, William T.; Ruetsch, G. R.; Lund, T. S.

1994-01-01

We analyze results of a premixed constant density flame propagating in three-dimensional turbulence, where a flame model developed by Kerstein, et al. (1988) has been used. Simulations with constant and evolving velocity fields are used, where peculiar results were obtained from the constant velocity field runs. Data from the evolving flow runs with various flame speeds are used to determine two-point correlations of the fluctuating scalar field and implications for flamelet modeling are discussed.

A hybrid electron cyclotron resonance metal ion source with integrated sputter magnetron for the production of an intense Al{sup +} ion beam

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Weichsel, T., E-mail: tim.weichsel@fep.fraunhofer.de; Hartung, U.; Kopte, T.

2015-09-15

A metal ion source prototype has been developed: a combination of magnetron sputter technology with 2.45 GHz electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source technology—a so called magnetron ECR ion source (MECRIS). An integrated ring-shaped sputter magnetron with an Al target is acting as a powerful metal atom supply in order to produce an intense current of singly charged metal ions. Preliminary experiments show that an Al{sup +} ion current with a density of 167 μA/cm{sup 2} is extracted from the source at an acceleration voltage of 27 kV. Spatially resolved double Langmuir probe measurements and optical emission spectroscopy were usedmore » to study the plasma states of the ion source: sputter magnetron, ECR, and MECRIS plasma. Electron density and temperature as well as Al atom density were determined as a function of microwave and sputter magnetron power. The effect of ECR heating is strongly pronounced in the center of the source. There the electron density is increased by one order of magnitude from 6 × 10{sup 9} cm{sup −3} to 6 × 10{sup 10} cm{sup −3} and the electron temperature is enhanced from about 5 eV to 12 eV, when the ECR plasma is ignited to the magnetron plasma. Operating the magnetron at constant power, it was observed that its discharge current is raised from 1.8 A to 4.8 A, when the ECR discharge was superimposed with a microwave power of 2 kW. At the same time, the discharge voltage decreased from about 560 V to 210 V, clearly indicating a higher plasma density of the MECRIS mode. The optical emission spectrum of the MECRIS plasma is dominated by lines of excited Al atoms and shows a significant contribution of lines arising from singly ionized Al. Plasma emission photography with a CCD camera was used to prove probe measurements and to identify separated plasma emission zones originating from the ECR and magnetron discharge.« less

On the v-representability of ensemble densities of electron systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonis, A.; Däne, M.

2018-05-01

Analogously to the case at zero temperature, where the density of the ground state of an interacting many-particle system determines uniquely (within an arbitrary additive constant) the external potential acting on the system, the thermal average of the density over an ensemble defined by the Boltzmann distribution at the minimum of the thermodynamic potential, or the free energy, determines the external potential uniquely (and not just modulo a constant) acting on a system described by this thermodynamic potential or free energy. The paper describes a formal procedure that generates the domain of a constrained search over general ensembles (at zero or elevated temperatures) that lead to a given density, including as a special case a density thermally averaged at a given temperature, and in the case of a v-representable density determines the external potential leading to the ensemble density. As an immediate consequence of the general formalism, the concept of v-representability is extended beyond the hitherto discussed case of ground state densities to encompass excited states as well. Specific application to thermally averaged densities solves the v-representability problem in connection with the Mermin functional in a manner analogous to that in which this problem was recently settled with respect to the Hohenberg and Kohn functional. The main formalism is illustrated with numerical results for ensembles of one-dimensional, non-interacting systems of particles under a harmonic potential.

On the v-representability of ensemble densities of electron systems

DOE PAGES

Gonis, A.; Dane, M.

2017-12-30

Analogously to the case at zero temperature, where the density of the ground state of an interacting many-particle system determines uniquely (within an arbitrary additive constant) the external potential acting on the system, the thermal average of the density over an ensemble defined by the Boltzmann distribution at the minimum of the thermodynamic potential, or the free energy, determines the external potential uniquely (and not just modulo a constant) acting on a system described by this thermodynamic potential or free energy. The study describes a formal procedure that generates the domain of a constrained search over general ensembles (at zeromore » or elevated temperatures) that lead to a given density, including as a special case a density thermally averaged at a given temperature, and in the case of a v-representable density determines the external potential leading to the ensemble density. As an immediate consequence of the general formalism, the concept of v-representability is extended beyond the hitherto discussed case of ground state densities to encompass excited states as well. Specific application to thermally averaged densities solves the v-representability problem in connection with the Mermin functional in a manner analogous to that in which this problem was recently settled with respect to the Hohenberg and Kohn functional. Finally, the main formalism is illustrated with numerical results for ensembles of one-dimensional, non-interacting systems of particles under a harmonic potential.« less

The effect of grain size on aluminum anodes for Al-air batteries in alkaline electrolytes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Liang; Lu, Huimin

2015-06-01

Aluminum is an ideal material for metallic fuel cells. In this research, different grain sizes of aluminum anodes are prepared by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) at room temperature. Microstructure of the anodes is examined by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) in scanning electron microscope (SEM). Hydrogen corrosion rates of the Al anodes in 4 mol L-1 NaOH are determined by hydrogen collection method. The electrochemical properties of the aluminum anodes are investigated in the same electrolyte using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and polarization curves. Battery performance is also tested by constant current discharge at different current densities. Results confirm that the electrochemical properties of the aluminum anodes are related to grain size. Finer grain size anode restrains hydrogen evolution, improves electrochemical activity and increases anodic utilization rate. The proposed method is shown to effectively improve the performance of Al-air batteries.

Properties of Hermean plasma belt: Numerical simulations and comparison with MESSENGER data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herčík, David; Trávníček, Pavel M.; Å tverák, Å. těpán.; Hellinger, Petr

2016-01-01

Using a global hybrid model and test particle simulations we present a detailed analysis of the Hermean plasma belt structure. We investigate characteristic properties of quasi-trapped particle population characteristics and its behavior under different orientations of the interplanetary magnetic field. The plasma belt region is constantly supplied with solar wind protons via magnetospheric flanks and tail current sheet region. Protons inside the plasma belt region are quasi-trapped in the magnetic field of Mercury and perform westward drift along the planet. This region is well separated by a magnetic shell and has higher average temperatures and lower bulk proton current densities than the surrounding area. On the dayside the population exhibits loss cone distribution function matching the theoretical loss cone angle. The simulation results are in good agreement with in situ observations of MESSENGER's (MErcury Surface Space ENvironment GEochemistry, and Ranging) MAG and FIPS instruments.

The effect of K and Na excess on the ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of K0.5Na0.5NbO3 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahn, C. W.; Y Lee, S.; Lee, H. J.; Ullah, A.; Bae, J. S.; Jeong, E. D.; Choi, J. S.; Park, B. H.; Kim, I. W.

2009-11-01

We have fabricated K0.5Na0.5NbO3 (KNN) thin films on Pt substrates by a chemical solution deposition method and investigated the effect of K and Na excess (0-30 mol%) on ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of KNN thin film. It was found that with increasing K and Na excess in a precursor solution from 0 to 30 mol%, the leakage current and ferroelectric properties were strongly affected. KNN thin film synthesized by using 20 mol% K and Na excess precursor solution exhibited a low leakage current density and well saturated ferroelectric P-E hysteresis loops. Moreover, the optimized KNN thin film had good fatigue resistance and a piezoelectric constant of 40 pm V-1, which is comparable to that of polycrystalline PZT thin films.

Toroidal Ampere-Faraday Equations Solved Consistently with the CQL3D Fokker-Planck Time-Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harvey, R. W.; Petrov, Yu. V.

2013-10-01

A self-consistent, time-dependent toroidal electric field calculation is a key feature of a complete 3D Fokker-Planck kinetic distribution radial transport code for f(v,theta,rho,t). In the present CQL3D finite-difference model, the electric field E(rho,t) is either prescribed, or iteratively adjusted to obtain prescribed toroidal or parallel currents. We discuss first results of an implementation of the Ampere-Faraday equation for the self-consistent toroidal electric field, as applied to the runaway electron production in tokamaks due to rapid reduction of the plasma temperature as occurs in a plasma disruption. Our previous results assuming a constant current density (Lenz' Law) model showed that prompt ``hot-tail runaways'' dominated ``knock-on'' and Dreicer ``drizzle'' runaways; we will examine modifications due to the more complete Ampere-Faraday solution. Work supported by US DOE under DE-FG02-ER54744.

A Parametric Computational Analysis into Galvanic Coupling Intrabody Communication.

PubMed

Callejon, M Amparo; Del Campo, P; Reina-Tosina, Javier; Roa, Laura M

2017-08-02

Intrabody Communication (IBC) uses the human body tissues as transmission media for electrical signals to interconnect personal health devices in wireless body area networks. The main goal of this work is to conduct a computational analysis covering some bioelectric issues that still have not been fully explained, such as the modeling of the skin-electrode impedance, the differences associated to the use of constant voltage or current excitation modes, or the influence on attenuation of the subject's anthropometrical and bioelectric properties. With this aim, a computational finite element model has been developed, allowing the IBC channel attenuation as well as the electric field and current density through arm tissues to be computed as a function of these parameters. As a conclusion, this parametric analysis has in turn permitted us to disclose some knowledge about the causes and effects of the above-mentioned issues, thus explaining and complementing previous results reported in the literature.

Bipolar membrane electrodialysis for generation of hydrochloric acid and ammonia from simulated ammonium chloride wastewater.

PubMed

Li, Ya; Shi, Shaoyuan; Cao, Hongbin; Wu, Xinmin; Zhao, Zhijuan; Wang, Liying

2016-02-01

Simulated ammonium chloride wastewater was treated by a lab-scale bipolar membrane electrodialysis for the generation of HCl and NH3·H2O and desalination. The influence of initial concentration of NH4Cl, current density, salt solution volume, initial concentration of acid and base and membrane stack structure on the yields of HCl and NH3·H2O was investigated. The current efficiency and energy consumption were also examined under different conditions. The results showed that, at the current density of 48 mA/cm(2), the highest concentration of HCl and NH3·H2O with initial concentration of 110 g/L NH4Cl was 57.67 g/L and 45.85 g/L, respectively. Higher initial concentration of NH4Cl was favor to reduce unit energy consumption and increase current efficiency of the BMED system. The membrane stack voltage of BMED increased quickly under constant current when the concentration of NH4Cl contained in the solution of salt compartment was depleted below the "inflection point concentration" about 8000 mg/L. It means that the concentration of NH4Cl below 8000 mg/L was no longer suitable for BMED because of higher energy consumption. The HCl and NH3·H2O concentration increased more quickly following the increase of current density. When increasing the volume of NH4Cl, the concentration of HCl and NH3·H2O also increased. The high initial concentration of acid and base could improve the final concentration of them, while the growth rate was decreased. Compared with the BMED system with three compartments, the growth rate of HCl concentration with the two compartments was higher and its unit energy consumption was lower. It meant that the performance of the BMED system could be improved by optimizing operation conditions. The application feasibility of the generation of HCl and NH3·H2O and desalination of ammonium chloride wastewater by BMED was proved. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Load positioning system with gravity compensation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hollow, R. H.

1984-01-01

A load positioning system with gravity compensation has a servomotor, position sensing feedback potentiometer and velocity sensing tachometer in a conventional closed loop servo arrangement to cause a lead screw and a ball nut to vertically position a load. Gravity compensating components comprise the DC motor, gears, which couple torque from the motor to the lead screw, and constant current power supply. The constant weight of the load applied to the lead screw via the ball nut tend to cause the lead screw to rotate, the constant torque of which is opposed by the constant torque produced by the motor when fed from the constant current source. The constant current is preset as required by the potentiometer to effect equilibration of the load which thereby enables the positioning servomotor to see the load as weightless under both static and dynamic conditions. Positioning acceleration and velocity performance are therefore symmetrical.

The electronic structure, elastic and optical properties of Cu2ZnGe(SexS1 - x)4 alloys: density functional calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Kesheng; Jia, Guangrui; Zhang, Xianzhou; Jiao, Zhaoyong

2016-10-01

The electronic structure, elastic and optical properties of Cu2ZnGe(SexS1 - x)4 alloys are systematically analysed using first-principles calculations. The lattice parameters agree well with the theoretical and experimental values which are searched as complete as possible indicating our calculations are reliable. The elastic properties are investigated first and are compared with the similar compounds CZTS and CZTSe due to the unavailable experimental data currently. The variation of the optical properties caused by the increase of Se/S ratio is discussed. The static optical constants are calculated and the corrected values are also predicted according to the available experimental data.

Development of a microwave-type densimeter for slush hydrogen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohira, K.; Nakamichi, K.; Kihara, Y.

2003-10-01

Slush hydrogen is a two-phase solid-liquid cryogenic fluid consisting of solid hydrogen particles in liquid hydrogen, various applications for which are anticipated, including fuel for reusable space shuttles. The authors of the current study have measured the density of slush hydrogen by using the phase shift that takes place when microwaves are propagated through slush hydrogen, i.e., using the change in the specific dielectric constant. This new technique, unlike the conventional method using a waveguide and horn antenna, features a coaxial cable and patch antenna that can be used at cryogenic temperatures, leading to the development of a slush hydrogen densimeter with a high accuracy of within ±0.5%.

A Brief Review of Recent Superconductivity Research at NIST

PubMed Central

Lundy, D. R.; Swartzendruber, L. J.; Bennett, L. H.

1989-01-01

A brief overview of recent superconductivity research at NIST is presented. Emphasis is placed on the new high-temperature oxide superconductors, though mention is made of important work on low-temperature superconductors, and a few historical notes are included. NIST research covers a wide range of interests. For the new high-temperature superconductors, research activities include determination of physical properties such as elastic constants and electronic structure, development of new techniques such as magnetic-field modulated microwave-absorption and determination of phase diagrams and crystal structure. For the low-temperature superconductors, research spans studying the effect of stress on current density to the fabrication of a new Josephson junction voltage standard. PMID:28053408

On propagation of energy flux in de Sitter spacetime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoque, Sk Jahanur; Virmani, Amitabh

2018-04-01

In this paper, we explore propagation of energy flux in the future Poincaré patch of de Sitter spacetime. We present two results. First, we compute the flux integral of energy using the symplectic current density of the covariant phase space approach on hypersurfaces of constant radial physical distance. Using this computation we show that in the tt-projection, the integrand in the energy flux expression on the cosmological horizon is same as that on the future null infinity. This suggests that propagation of energy flux in de Sitter spacetime is sharp. Second, we relate our energy flux expression in tt-projection to a previously obtained expression using the Isaacson stress-tensor approach.

Performance and Transient Behavior of Vertically Integrated Thin-film Silicon Sensors

PubMed Central

Wyrsch, Nicolas; Choong, Gregory; Miazza, Clément; Ballif, Christophe

2008-01-01

Vertical integration of amorphous hydrogenated silicon diodes on CMOS readout chips offers several advantages compared to standard CMOS imagers in terms of sensitivity, dynamic range and dark current while at the same time introducing some undesired transient effects leading to image lag. Performance of such sensors is here reported and their transient behaviour is analysed and compared to the one of corresponding amorphous silicon test diodes deposited on glass. The measurements are further compared to simulations for a deeper investigation. The long time constant observed in dark or photocurrent decay is found to be rather independent of the density of defects present in the intrinsic layer of the amorphous silicon diode. PMID:27873778

Vertical density profile and internal bond strength of wet-formed particleboard bonded with cellulose nanofibrils

Treesearch

John F. Hunt; Weiqi Leng; Mehdi Tajvidi

2017-01-01

In this study, the effects of cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) ratio, press program, particle size, and density on the vertical density profile (VDP) and internal bond (IB) strength of the wet-formed particleboard were investigated. Results revealed that the VDP was significantly influenced by the press program. Pressing using a constant pressure (CP) press program...

Method and apparatus for measuring surface density of explosive and inert dust in stratified layers

DOEpatents

Sapko, Michael J.; Perlee, Henry E.

1988-01-01

A method for determining the surface density of coal dust on top of rock dust or rock dust on top of coal dust is disclosed which comprises directing a light source at either a coal or rock dust layer overlaying a substratum of the other, detecting the amount of light reflected from the deposit, generating a signal from the reflected light which is converted into a normalized output (V), and calculating the surface density from the normalized output. The surface density S.sub.c of coal dust on top of rock dust is calculated according to the equation: S.sub.c =1/-a.sub.c ln(V) wherein a.sub.c is a constant for the coal dust particles, and the surface density S.sub.r of rock dust on top of coal dust is determined by the equation: ##EQU1## wherein a.sub.r is a constant based on the properties of the rock dust particles. An apparatus is also disclosed for carrying out the method of the present invention.

Local-spin-density calculations for iron: Effect of spin interpolation on ground-state properties

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

MacLaren, J.M.; Clougherty, D.P.; Albers, R.C.

1990-08-15

Scalar-relativistic self-consistent linear muffin-tin orbital (LMTO) calculations for bcc and fcc Fe have been performed with several different local approximations to the exchange and correlation energy density and potential. Overall, in contrast to the conclusions of previous studies, we find that the local-spin-density approximation to exchange and correlation can provide an adequate description of bulk Fe {ital provided} that a proper parametrization of the correlation energy density and potential of the homogeneous electron gas over both spin and density is used. Lattice constants, found from the position of the minimum of the total energy as a function of Wigner-Seitz radius,more » agree to within 1% (for {ital s},{ital p},{ital d} LMTO's only) and within 1--2% (for {ital s},{ital p},{ital d},{ital f} LMTO's) of the experimental lattice constants for all forms used for the local correlation. The best agreement, however, was obtained using a local correlation potential derived from the Vosko-Wilk-Nusair form for the spin dependence of the correlation energy density. The calculation performed with this correlation potential was also the only calculation to correctly predict a bcc ferromagnetic ground state.« less