In situ neutron diffraction study of micromechanical interactions and phase transformation in Ni-Mn-Ga alloy under uniaxial and hydrostatic stress.

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

Peng, R. L.; Wang, Y. D.; Nie, Z. H.

2008-01-01

This paper deals with the experimental study of stress-induced phase transformation in a polycrystalline Ni-Mn-Ga alloy under uniaxial compression and its powder under hydrostatic compression. In situ neutron diffraction experiments were employed to follow changes in the structure and lattice strains caused by the applied stresses. Large lattice strains that are dependent on the lattice planes or grain orientations were observed in the parent Heusler phase for both the bulk material and the powder sample. The development of such anisotropic strains and the influence of external load conditions are discussed in the paper.

Strain Phase Diagram of SrTiO3 Thin Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Feizhou; Shapiro, S. M.

2005-03-01

SrTiO3 thin films were used as a model system to study the effects of strain and epitaxial constraint on structural phase transitions of oxide films. The basic phenomena revealed will apply to a variety of important structural transitions including the ferroelectric transition. Highly strained, epitaxial films of SrTiO3 were grown on different substrates. The structural phase transition temperature Tc increases from 105 K in bulk STO to 167 K for films under tensile strain and 330 K for films with compressive strain. The measured temperature-strain phase diagram is qualitatively consistent with theory [1], however the increase in Tc is much larger than predicted in all cases. The symmetry of the phases involved in the transition is different from the corresponding bulk structures largely because of epitaxial constraint, the clamping effect. Thus the shape of the STO unit cell is tetragonal at all temperatures. The possibility exists of a very unique low temperature phase with orthorhombic symmetry (Cmcm) but tetragonal unit cell shape. More generally, we have characterized at least three different manifestations of the clamping effect, showing it is much more subtle than usually recognized. This work is supported through NSF DMR-0239667, DMR-0132918, by the Research Corp, and at BNL by the US DOE DE-AC02-98CH10886. [1] N. A. Pertsev, A. K. Tagantsev and N. Setter, Phys. Rev. B61, R825 (2000).

Creep deformation at crack tips in elastic-viscoplastic solids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riedel, H.

1981-02-01

THE EVALUATION of crack growth tests under creep conditions must be based on the stress analysis of a cracked body taking into account elastic, plastic and creep deformation. In addition to the well-known analysis of a cracked body creeping in secondary (steady-state) creep, the stress field at the tip of a stationary crack is calculated for primary (strain-hardening) or tertiary (strain-softening) creep of the whole specimen. For the special hardening creep-law considered, a path-independent integral C∗h, can be defined which correlates the near-tip field to the applied load. It is also shown how, after sudden load application, creep strains develop in the initially elastic or, for a higher load level, plastic body. Characteristic times are derived to distinguish between short times when the creep-zones, in which creep strains are concentrated, are still small, and long times when the whole specimen creeps extensively in primary and finally in secondary and tertiary creep. Comparing the creep-zone sizes with the specimen dimensions or comparing the characteristic times with the test duration, one can decide which deformation mechanism prevails in the bulk of the specimen and which load parameter enters into the near-tip stress field and determines crack growth behavior. The governing load parameter is the stress intensity factor K 1 if the bulk of the specimen is predominantly elastic and it is the J-integral in a fully-plastic situation when large creep strains are still confined to a small zone. The C∗h-integral applies if the bulk of the specimen deforms in primary or tertiary creep, and C∗ is the relevant load parameter for predominantly secondary creep of the whole specimen.

Flexo-photovoltaic effect.

PubMed

Yang, Ming-Min; Kim, Dong Jik; Alexe, Marin

2018-05-25

It is highly desirable to discover photovoltaic mechanisms that enable enhanced efficiency of solar cells. Here we report that the bulk photovoltaic effect, which is free from the thermodynamic Shockley-Queisser limit but usually manifested only in noncentrosymmetric (piezoelectric or ferroelectric) materials, can be realized in any semiconductor, including silicon, by mediation of flexoelectric effect. We used either an atomic force microscope or a micrometer-scale indentation system to introduce strain gradients, thus creating very large photovoltaic currents from centrosymmetric single crystals of strontium titanate, titanium dioxide, and silicon. This strain gradient-induced bulk photovoltaic effect, which we call the flexo-photovoltaic effect, functions in the absence of a p-n junction. This finding may extend present solar cell technologies by boosting the solar energy conversion efficiency from a wide pool of established semiconductors. Copyright © 2018 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

Analysis of Surface and Bulk Behavior in Ni-Pd Alloys

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bozzolo, Guillermo; Noebe, Rondald D.

2003-01-01

The most salient features of the surface structure and bulk behavior of Ni-Pd alloys have been studied using the BFS method for alloys. Large-scale atomistic simulations were performed to investigate surface segregation profiles as a function of temperature, crystal face, and composition. Pd enrichment of the first layer was observed in (111) and (100) surfaces, and enrichment of the top two layers occurred for (110) surfaces. In all cases, the segregation profile shows alternate planes enriched and depleted in Pd. In addition, the phase structure of bulk Ni-Pd alloys as a function of temperature and composition was studied. A weak ordering tendency was observed at low temperatures, which helps explain the compositional oscillations in the segregation profiles. Finally, based on atom-by-atom static energy calculations, a comprehensive explanation for the observed surface and bulk features will be presented in terms of competing chemical and strain energy effects.

Bulk solitary waves in elastic solids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samsonov, A. M.; Dreiden, G. V.; Semenova, I. V.; Shvartz, A. G.

2015-10-01

A short and object oriented conspectus of bulk solitary wave theory, numerical simulations and real experiments in condensed matter is given. Upon a brief description of the soliton history and development we focus on bulk solitary waves of strain, also known as waves of density and, sometimes, as elastic and/or acoustic solitons. We consider the problem of nonlinear bulk wave generation and detection in basic structural elements, rods, plates and shells, that are exhaustively studied and widely used in physics and engineering. However, it is mostly valid for linear elasticity, whereas dynamic nonlinear theory of these elements is still far from being completed. In order to show how the nonlinear waves can be used in various applications, we studied the solitary elastic wave propagation along lengthy wave guides, and remarkably small attenuation of elastic solitons was proven in physical experiments. Both theory and generation for strain soliton in a shell, however, remained unsolved problems until recently, and we consider in more details the nonlinear bulk wave propagation in a shell. We studied an axially symmetric deformation of an infinite nonlinearly elastic cylindrical shell without torsion. The problem for bulk longitudinal waves is shown to be reducible to the one equation, if a relation between transversal displacement and the longitudinal strain is found. It is found that both the 1+1D and even the 1+2D problems for long travelling waves in nonlinear solids can be reduced to the Weierstrass equation for elliptic functions, which provide the solitary wave solutions as appropriate limits. We show that the accuracy in the boundary conditions on free lateral surfaces is of crucial importance for solution, derive the only equation for longitudinal nonlinear strain wave and show, that the equation has, amongst others, a bidirectional solitary wave solution, which lead us to successful physical experiments. We observed first the compression solitary wave in the duct-like polymer shell and proved, that there is no tensile area behind the wave, the bulk soliton propagates on a distance many times longer than its wave length, while both its shape and amplitude remain unchanged. We demonstrated recently how the strain solitons can be used for non-destructive testing (NDT) of laminated composites, used nowadays for various applications, e.g., in microelectronics, aerospace and automotive industries, and bulk strain solitons are among prospective instruments for NDT. Being aimed to propose the bulk strain solitons as an instrument for NDT in solids, we studied numerically the evolution of them in various wave guides with local defects, and shown that the strain soliton undergoes changes in amplitude, phase shift and the shape, that are distinctive and can be estimated. To sum up, now we are able to propose a new NDT technique, based on bulk strain soliton propagation in structural elements.

Bulk Viscosity of Bubbly Magmas and the Amplification of Pressure Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Navon, O.; Lensky, N. G.; Neuberg, J. W.; Lyakhovsky, V.

2001-12-01

The bulk viscosity of magma is needed in order to describe the dynamics of a compressible bubbly magma flowing in conduits and to follow the attenuation of pressure waves travelling through a compressible magma. We developed a model for the bulk viscosity of a suspension of gas bubbles in an incompressible Newtonian liquid that exsolves volatiles (e.g. magma). The suspension is modeled as a close pack of spherical cells, consisting of gas bubbles centered in spherical shells of a volatile-bearing liquid. Following a drop in the ambient pressure the resulting dilatational motion and driving pressure are obtained in terms of the two-phase cell parameters, i.e. bubble radius and gas pressure. By definition, the bulk viscosity of a fluid is the relation between changes of the driving pressure with respect to changes in the resulted expansion strain-rate. Thus, we can use the two-phase solution to define the bulk viscosity of a hypothetical cell, composed of a homogeneously compressible, one-phase, continuous fluid. The resulted bulk viscosity is highly non-linear. At the beginning of the expansion process, when gas exsolution is efficient, the expansion rate grows exponentially while the driving pressure decreases slightly. That means that bulk viscosity is formally negative. The negative value reflects the release of the energy stored in the supersaturated liquid (melt) and its conversion to mechanical work during exsolution. Later, when bubbles are large enough and the gas influx decreases significantly, the strain rate decelerates and the bulk viscosity becomes positive as expected in a dissipative system. We demonstrate that amplification of seismic wave travelling through a volcanic conduit filled with a volatile saturated magma may be attributed to the negative bulk viscosity of the compressible magma. Amplification of an expansion wave may, at some level in the conduit, damage the conduit walls and initiate opening of new pathways for magma to erupt.

A new analytical method for estimating lumped parameter constants of linear viscoelastic models from strain rate tests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mattei, G.; Ahluwalia, A.

2018-04-01

We introduce a new function, the apparent elastic modulus strain-rate spectrum, E_{app} ( \\dot{ɛ} ), for the derivation of lumped parameter constants for Generalized Maxwell (GM) linear viscoelastic models from stress-strain data obtained at various compressive strain rates ( \\dot{ɛ}). The E_{app} ( \\dot{ɛ} ) function was derived using the tangent modulus function obtained from the GM model stress-strain response to a constant \\dot{ɛ} input. Material viscoelastic parameters can be rapidly derived by fitting experimental E_{app} data obtained at different strain rates to the E_{app} ( \\dot{ɛ} ) function. This single-curve fitting returns similar viscoelastic constants as the original epsilon dot method based on a multi-curve global fitting procedure with shared parameters. Its low computational cost permits quick and robust identification of viscoelastic constants even when a large number of strain rates or replicates per strain rate are considered. This method is particularly suited for the analysis of bulk compression and nano-indentation data of soft (bio)materials.

Fracture Toughness Properties of Gd123 Superconducting Bulks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujimoto, H.; Murakami, A.

Fracture toughness properties of melt growth GdBa2Cu3Ox (Gd123) large single domain superconducting bulks with Ag2O of 10 wt% and Pt of 0.5 wt%; 45 mm in diameter and 25 mm in thickness with low void density were evaluated at 77 K through flexural tests of specimens cut from the bulks, and compared to those of a conventional Gd123 with voids. The densified Gd123 bulks were prepared with a seeding and temperature gradient method; first melt processed in oxygen, then crystal growth in air; two-step regulated atmosphere heat treatment. The plane strain fracture toughness, KIC was obtained by the three point flexure test of the specimens with through precrack, referring to the single edge pre-cracked beam (SEPB) method, according to the JIS-R-1607, Testing Methods for Fracture Toughness of High Performance Ceramics. The results show that the fracture toughness of the densified Gd123 bulk with low void density was higher than that of the standard Gd123 bulk with voids, as well as the flexural strength previously reported. We also compared the fracture toughness of as-grown bulks with that of annealed bulks. The relation between the microstructure and the fracture toughness of the Gd123 bulk was clearly shown.

Understanding strain-induced phase transformations in BiFeO 3 thin films

DOE PAGES

Dixit, Hemant; Beekman, Christianne; Schlepütz, Christian M.; ...

2015-05-01

Bismuth ferrite (BiFeO 3) is a promising lead free multiferroic with large polarization, ferroelectricity and robust antiferomagnetism. Experiments demonstrate that epitaxial strain substantially enhance the piezoelectric response of BiFeO 3 thin films. Here, through a synergestic combination of theory and experiments, we characterize the co-existing polymorphs (specifically an intermediate S' phase between the bulk rhombohedral-R and the pseudotetragonal T' phases) observed in strained BiFeO 3 thin films. We show that the S' phase, although energetically very close to the T' phase, exhibits structural similarities with the bulk R phase. G-type antiferromagnetic ordering is predicted for the S' and R phases,more » whereas, the G/C-type antiferromagnetic order types are energetically indistinguishable for the T' phase. Furthermore, we predict a blue-shift in the band gap Eg when moving from R to S' to T', which we confirm by Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy measurements. The flat energy landscape and the absence of an energy barrier between the T and S' phases indicate that a reversible phase transformation between the two is possible under the application of an external electric field. This may make it possible to strain engineer the electromechanical response or, utilizing the corresponding changes in Eg, create unique photonic structures.« less

A treatment plant receiving waste water from multiple bulk drug manufacturers is a reservoir for highly multi-drug resistant integron-bearing bacteria.

PubMed

Marathe, Nachiket P; Regina, Viduthalai R; Walujkar, Sandeep A; Charan, Shakti Singh; Moore, Edward R B; Larsson, D G Joakim; Shouche, Yogesh S

2013-01-01

The arenas and detailed mechanisms for transfer of antibiotic resistance genes between environmental bacteria and pathogens are largely unclear. Selection pressures from antibiotics in situations where environmental bacteria and human pathogens meet are expected to increase the risks for such gene transfer events. We hypothesize that waste-water treatment plants (WWTPs) serving antibiotic manufacturing industries may provide such spawning grounds, given the high bacterial densities present there together with exceptionally strong and persistent selection pressures from the antibiotic-contaminated waste. Previous analyses of effluent from an Indian industrial WWTP that processes waste from bulk drug production revealed the presence of a range of drugs, including broad spectrum antibiotics at extremely high concentrations (mg/L range). In this study, we have characterized the antibiotic resistance profiles of 93 bacterial strains sampled at different stages of the treatment process from the WWTP against 39 antibiotics belonging to 12 different classes. A large majority (86%) of the strains were resistant to 20 or more antibiotics. Although there were no classically-recognized human pathogens among the 93 isolated strains, opportunistic pathogens such as Ochrobactrum intermedium, Providencia rettgeri, vancomycin resistant Enterococci (VRE), Aerococcus sp. and Citrobacter freundii were found to be highly resistant. One of the O. intermedium strains (ER1) was resistant to 36 antibiotics, while P. rettgeri (OSR3) was resistant to 35 antibiotics. Class 1 and 2 integrons were detected in 74/93 (80%) strains each, and 88/93 (95%) strains harbored at least one type of integron. The qPCR analysis of community DNA also showed an unprecedented high prevalence of integrons, suggesting that the bacteria living under such high selective pressure have an appreciable potential for genetic exchange of resistance genes via mobile gene cassettes. The present study provides insight into the mechanisms behind and the extent of multi-drug resistance among bacteria living under an extreme antibiotic selection pressure.

A Treatment Plant Receiving Waste Water from Multiple Bulk Drug Manufacturers Is a Reservoir for Highly Multi-Drug Resistant Integron-Bearing Bacteria

PubMed Central

Walujkar, Sandeep A.; Charan, Shakti Singh; Moore, Edward R. B.; Larsson, D. G. Joakim; Shouche, Yogesh S.

2013-01-01

The arenas and detailed mechanisms for transfer of antibiotic resistance genes between environmental bacteria and pathogens are largely unclear. Selection pressures from antibiotics in situations where environmental bacteria and human pathogens meet are expected to increase the risks for such gene transfer events. We hypothesize that waste-water treatment plants (WWTPs) serving antibiotic manufacturing industries may provide such spawning grounds, given the high bacterial densities present there together with exceptionally strong and persistent selection pressures from the antibiotic-contaminated waste. Previous analyses of effluent from an Indian industrial WWTP that processes waste from bulk drug production revealed the presence of a range of drugs, including broad spectrum antibiotics at extremely high concentrations (mg/L range). In this study, we have characterized the antibiotic resistance profiles of 93 bacterial strains sampled at different stages of the treatment process from the WWTP against 39 antibiotics belonging to 12 different classes. A large majority (86%) of the strains were resistant to 20 or more antibiotics. Although there were no classically-recognized human pathogens among the 93 isolated strains, opportunistic pathogens such as Ochrobactrum intermedium, Providencia rettgeri, vancomycin resistant Enterococci (VRE), Aerococcus sp. and Citrobacter freundii were found to be highly resistant. One of the O. intermedium strains (ER1) was resistant to 36 antibiotics, while P. rettgeri (OSR3) was resistant to 35 antibiotics. Class 1 and 2 integrons were detected in 74/93 (80%) strains each, and 88/93 (95%) strains harbored at least one type of integron. The qPCR analysis of community DNA also showed an unprecedented high prevalence of integrons, suggesting that the bacteria living under such high selective pressure have an appreciable potential for genetic exchange of resistance genes via mobile gene cassettes. The present study provides insight into the mechanisms behind and the extent of multi-drug resistance among bacteria living under an extreme antibiotic selection pressure. PMID:24204801

A study of deformation and strain induced in bulk by the oxide layers formation on a Fe-Cr-Al alloy in high-temperature liquid Pb-Bi eutectic

DOE PAGES

Popovic, M. P.; Chen, K.; Shen, H.; ...

2018-03-29

At elevated temperatures, heavy liquid metals and their alloys are known to create a highly corrosive environment that causes irreversible degradation of most iron-based materials. In this paper, it has been found that an appropriate concentration of oxygen in the liquid alloy can significantly reduce this issue by creating a passivating oxide scale that controls diffusion, especially if Al is present in Fe-based materials (by Al-oxide formation). However, the increase of the temperature and of oxygen content in liquid phase leads to the increase of oxygen diffusion into bulk, and to promotion of the internal Al oxidation. This can causemore » a strain in bulk near the oxide layer, due either to mismatch between the thermal expansion coefficients of the oxides and bulk material, or to misfit of the crystal lattices (bulk vs. oxides). This work investigates the strain induced into proximal bulk of a Fe-Cr-Al alloy by oxide layers formation in liquid lead-bismuth eutectic utilizing synchrotron X-ray Laue microdiffraction. Finally, it is found that internal oxidation is the most likely cause for the strain in the metal rather than thermal expansion mismatch as a two-layer problem.« less

A study of deformation and strain induced in bulk by the oxide layers formation on a Fe-Cr-Al alloy in high-temperature liquid Pb-Bi eutectic

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

Popovic, M. P.; Chen, K.; Shen, H.

At elevated temperatures, heavy liquid metals and their alloys are known to create a highly corrosive environment that causes irreversible degradation of most iron-based materials. In this paper, it has been found that an appropriate concentration of oxygen in the liquid alloy can significantly reduce this issue by creating a passivating oxide scale that controls diffusion, especially if Al is present in Fe-based materials (by Al-oxide formation). However, the increase of the temperature and of oxygen content in liquid phase leads to the increase of oxygen diffusion into bulk, and to promotion of the internal Al oxidation. This can causemore » a strain in bulk near the oxide layer, due either to mismatch between the thermal expansion coefficients of the oxides and bulk material, or to misfit of the crystal lattices (bulk vs. oxides). This work investigates the strain induced into proximal bulk of a Fe-Cr-Al alloy by oxide layers formation in liquid lead-bismuth eutectic utilizing synchrotron X-ray Laue microdiffraction. Finally, it is found that internal oxidation is the most likely cause for the strain in the metal rather than thermal expansion mismatch as a two-layer problem.« less

Room Temperature Quantum Spin Hall Insulator in Ethynyl-Derivative Functionalized Stanene Films

PubMed Central

Zhang, Run-wu; Zhang, Chang-wen; Ji, Wei-xiao; Li, Sheng-shi; Yan, Shi-shen; Hu, Shu-jun; Li, Ping; Wang, Pei-ji; Li, Feng

2016-01-01

Quantum spin Hall (QSH) insulators feature edge states that topologically protected from backscattering. However, the major obstacles to application for QSH effect are the lack of suitable QSH insulators with a large bulk gap. Based on first-principles calculations, we predict a class of large-gap QSH insulators in ethynyl-derivative functionalized stanene (SnC2X; X = H, F, Cl, Br, I), allowing for viable applications at room temperature. Noticeably, the SnC2Cl, SnC2Br, and SnC2I are QSH insulators with a bulk gap of ~0.2 eV, while the SnC2H and SnC2F can be transformed into QSH insulator under the tensile strains. A single pair of topologically protected helical edge states is established for the edge of these systems with the Dirac point locating at the bulk gap, and their QSH states are confirmed with topological invariant Z2 = 1. The films on BN substrate also maintain a nontrivial large-gap QSH effect, which harbors a Dirac cone lying within the band gap. These findings may shed new light in future design and fabrication of large-gap QSH insulators based on two-dimensional honeycomb lattices in spintronics. PMID:26728874

Multi-scale predictive modeling of nano-material and realistic electron devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palaria, Amritanshu

Among the challenges faced in further miniaturization of electronic devices, heavy influence of the detailed atomic configuration of the material(s) involved, which often differs significantly from that of the bulk material(s), is prominent. Device design has therefore become highly interrelated with material engineering at the atomic level. This thesis aims at outlining, with examples, a multi-scale simulation procedure that allows one to integrate material and device aspects of nano-electronic design to predict behavior of novel devices with novel material. This is followed in four parts: (1) An approach that combines a higher time scale reactive force field analysis with density functional theory to predict structure of new material is demonstrated for the first time for nanowires. Novel stable structures for very small diameter silicon nanowires are predicted. (2) Density functional theory is used to show that the new nanowire structures derived in 1 above have properties different from diamond core wires even though the surface bonds in some may be similar to the surface of bulk silicon. (3) Electronic structure of relatively large-scale germanium sections of realistically strained Si/strained Ge/ strained Si nanowire heterostructures is computed using empirical tight binding and it is shown that the average non-homogeneous strain in these structures drives their interesting non-conventional electronic characteristics such as hole effective masses which decrease as the wire cross-section is reduced. (4) It is shown that tight binding, though empirical in nature, is not necessarily limited to the material and atomic structure for which the parameters have been empirically derived, but that simple changes may adapt the derived parameters to new bond environments. Si (100) surface electronic structure is obtained from bulk Si parameters.

Ultrasensitive tunability of the direct bandgap of 2D InSe flakes via strain engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yang; Wang, Tianmeng; Wu, Meng; Cao, Ting; Chen, Yanwen; Sankar, Raman; Ulaganathan, Rajesh K.; Chou, Fangcheng; Wetzel, Christian; Xu, Cheng-Yan; Louie, Steven G.; Shi, Su-Fei

2018-04-01

InSe, a member of the layered materials family, is a superior electronic and optical material which retains a direct bandgap feature from the bulk to atomically thin few-layers and high electronic mobility down to a single layer limit. We, for the first time, exploit strain to drastically modify the bandgap of two-dimensional (2D) InSe nanoflakes. We demonstrated that we could decrease the bandgap of a few-layer InSe flake by 160 meV through applying an in-plane uniaxial tensile strain to 1.06% and increase the bandgap by 79 meV through applying an in-plane uniaxial compressive strain to 0.62%, as evidenced by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The large reversible bandgap change of ~239 meV arises from a large bandgap change rate (bandgap strain coefficient) of few-layer InSe in response to strain, ~154 meV/% for uniaxial tensile strain and ~140 meV/% for uniaxial compressive strain, representing the most pronounced uniaxial strain-induced bandgap strain coefficient experimentally reported in 2D materials. We developed a theoretical understanding of the strain-induced bandgap change through first-principles DFT and GW calculations. We also confirmed the bandgap change by photoconductivity measurements using excitation light with different photon energies. The highly tunable bandgap of InSe in the infrared regime should enable a wide range of applications, including electro-mechanical, piezoelectric and optoelectronic devices.

Direct evidence for the spin cycloid in strained nanoscale bismuth ferrite thin films

PubMed Central

Bertinshaw, Joel; Maran, Ronald; Callori, Sara J.; Ramesh, Vidya; Cheung, Jeffery; Danilkin, Sergey A.; Lee, Wai Tung; Hu, Songbai; Seidel, Jan; Valanoor, Nagarajan; Ulrich, Clemens

2016-01-01

Magnonic devices that utilize electric control of spin waves mediated by complex spin textures are an emerging direction in spintronics research. Room-temperature multiferroic materials, such as bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3), would be ideal candidates for this purpose. To realize magnonic devices, a robust long-range spin cycloid with well-known direction is desired, since it is a prerequisite for the magnetoelectric coupling. Despite extensive investigation, the stabilization of a large-scale uniform spin cycloid in nanoscale (100 nm) thin BiFeO3 films has not been accomplished. Here, we demonstrate cycloidal spin order in 100 nm BiFeO3 thin films through the careful choice of crystallographic orientation, and control of the electrostatic and strain boundary conditions. Neutron diffraction, in conjunction with X-ray diffraction, reveals an incommensurate spin cycloid with a unique [11] propagation direction. While this direction is different from bulk BiFeO3, the cycloid length and Néel temperature remain equivalent to bulk at room temperature. PMID:27585637

Understanding Strain-Induced Phase Transformations in BiFeO3 Thin Films.

PubMed

Dixit, Hemant; Beekman, Christianne; Schlepütz, Christian M; Siemons, Wolter; Yang, Yongsoo; Senabulya, Nancy; Clarke, Roy; Chi, Miaofang; Christen, Hans M; Cooper, Valentino R

2015-08-01

Experiments demonstrate that under large epitaxial strain a coexisting striped phase emerges in BiFeO 3 thin films, which comprises a tetragonal-like ( T ') and an intermediate S ' polymorph. It exhibits a relatively large piezoelectric response when switching between the coexisting phase and a uniform T ' phase. This strain-induced phase transformation is investigated through a synergistic combination of first-principles theory and experiments. The results show that the S ' phase is energetically very close to the T ' phase, but is structurally similar to the bulk rhombohedral ( R ) phase. By fully characterizing the intermediate S ' polymorph, it is demonstrated that the flat energy landscape resulting in the absence of an energy barrier between the T ' and S ' phases fosters the above-mentioned reversible phase transformation. This ability to readily transform between the S ' and T ' polymorphs, which have very different octahedral rotation patterns and c / a ratios, is crucial to the enhanced piezoelectricity in strained BiFeO 3 films. Additionally, a blueshift in the band gap when moving from R to S ' to T ' is observed. These results emphasize the importance of strain engineering for tuning electromechanical responses or, creating unique energy harvesting photonic structures, in oxide thin film architectures.

Goldstone-like phonon modes in a (111)-strained perovskite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marthinsen, A.; Griffin, S. M.; Moreau, M.; Grande, T.; Tybell, T.; Selbach, S. M.

2018-01-01

Goldstone modes are massless particles resulting from spontaneous symmetry breaking. Although such modes are found in elementary particle physics as well as in condensed-matter systems like superfluid helium, superconductors, and magnons, structural Goldstone modes are rare. Epitaxial strain in thin films can induce structures and properties not accessible in bulk and has been intensively studied for (001)-oriented perovskite oxides. Here we predict Goldstone-like phonon modes in (111)-strained SrMn O3 by first-principles calculations. Under compressive strain the coupling between two in-plane rotational instabilities gives rise to a Mexican hat-shaped energy surface characteristic of a Goldstone mode. Conversely, large tensile strain induces in-plane polar instabilities with no directional preference, giving rise to a continuous polar ground state. Such phonon modes with U (1) symmetry could emulate structural condensed-matter Higgs modes. The mass of this Higgs boson, given by the shape of the Mexican hat energy surface, can be tuned by strain through proper choice of substrate.

Incorporating 2D Materials with Micro-electromechanical Systems to Explore Strain Physics and Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christopher, Jason; Vutukuru, Mounika; Kohler, Travis; Bishop, David; Swan, Anna; Goldberg, Bennett

2D materials can withstand an order of magnitude more strain than their bulk counterparts which can be used to dramatically change electrical, thermal and optical properties or even cause unconventional behavior such as generating pseudo-magnetic fields. Here we present micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) as a platform for straining 2D materials to make such novel phenomena accessible. Unlike other strain techniques, MEMS are capable of precisely controlling the magnitude and orientation of the strain field and are readily integrated with current technology facilitating a path from lab bench to application. In this study, we use graphene as our prototypical 2D material, and determine strain via micro-Raman spectroscopy making extensive use of graphene's well-characterized phonon strain response. We report on the strength of various techniques for affixing graphene to MEMS, and investigate the role of surface morphology and chemistry in creating a high friction interface capable of inducing large strain. This work is supported by NSF DMR Grant 1411008, and author J. Christopher thanks the NDSEG program for its support.

Strain transfer across grain boundaries in MoS2 monolayers grown by chemical vapor deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niehues, Iris; Blob, Anna; Stiehm, Torsten; Schmidt, Robert; Jadriško, Valentino; Radatović, Borna; Čapeta, Davor; Kralj, Marko; Michaelis de Vasconcellos, Steffen; Bratschitsch, Rudolf

2018-07-01

Monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDC) mechanically exfoliated from bulk crystals have exceptional mechanical and optical properties. They are extremely flexible, sustaining mechanical strain of about 10% without breaking. Their optical properties dramatically change with applied strain. However, the fabrication of a large number of mechanical devices is tedious due to the micromechanical exfoliation process. Alternatively, monolayers can be grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on the wafer scale, with the drawback of cracks and grain boundaries in the material. Therefore, it is important to investigate the mechanical properties of CVD-grown material and its potential as a material for mass production of nanomechanical devices. Here, we measure the optical absorption of CVD-grown MoS2 monolayers with applied uniaxial tensile strain. We derive a strain-dependent shift for the A exciton of  ‑42 meV/%. This value is identical to MoS2 monolayers, which are mechanically exfoliated from natural molybdenite crystals. Using angle-resolved second-harmonic generation spectroscopy, we find that the applied uniaxial tensile strain is fully transferred across grain boundaries of the CVD-grown monolayer. Our work demonstrates that large-area artificially grown MoS2 monolayers are promising for mass-produced nanomechanical devices.

Highly compressible 3D periodic graphene aerogel microlattices

PubMed Central

Zhu, Cheng; Han, T. Yong-Jin; Duoss, Eric B.; Golobic, Alexandra M.; Kuntz, Joshua D.; Spadaccini, Christopher M.; Worsley, Marcus A.

2015-01-01

Graphene is a two-dimensional material that offers a unique combination of low density, exceptional mechanical properties, large surface area and excellent electrical conductivity. Recent progress has produced bulk 3D assemblies of graphene, such as graphene aerogels, but they possess purely stochastic porous networks, which limit their performance compared with the potential of an engineered architecture. Here we report the fabrication of periodic graphene aerogel microlattices, possessing an engineered architecture via a 3D printing technique known as direct ink writing. The 3D printed graphene aerogels are lightweight, highly conductive and exhibit supercompressibility (up to 90% compressive strain). Moreover, the Young's moduli of the 3D printed graphene aerogels show an order of magnitude improvement over bulk graphene materials with comparable geometric density and possess large surface areas. Adapting the 3D printing technique to graphene aerogels realizes the possibility of fabricating a myriad of complex aerogel architectures for a broad range of applications. PMID:25902277

A Finite Element Study of Micropipette Aspiration of Single Cells: Effect of Compressibility

PubMed Central

Jafari Bidhendi, Amirhossein; Korhonen, Rami K.

2012-01-01

Micropipette aspiration (MA) technique has been widely used to measure the viscoelastic properties of different cell types. Cells experience nonlinear large deformations during the aspiration procedure. Neo-Hookean viscohyperelastic (NHVH) incompressible and compressible models were used to simulate the creep behavior of cells in MA, particularly accounting for the effect of compressibility, bulk relaxation, and hardening phenomena under large strain. In order to find optimal material parameters, the models were fitted to the experimental data available for mesenchymal stem cells. Finally, through Neo-Hookean porohyperelastic (NHPH) material model for the cell, the influence of fluid flow on the aspiration length of the cell was studied. Based on the results, we suggest that the compressibility and bulk relaxation/fluid flow play a significant role in the deformation behavior of single cells and should be taken into account in the analysis of the mechanics of cells. PMID:22400045

Measures of Bulk and Grain Strain in Deformation Processes(PREPRINT)

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-04-01

the process and a similar measure of the flow stress of the material. The effective , or equivalent, strain, based on an analogous definition for...The conjugate effective stress in this case is the uniaxial tensile stress . Based on equations (12) and (13), expressions for effective bulk strains...t |L(t)| in the reference state deformed to an image, x′ = t′ | L′(t′)|, in the deformed state . In both cases an equation of the form of

Electromechanics in MoS2 and WS2: nanotubes vs. monolayers

PubMed Central

Ghorbani-Asl, Mahdi; Zibouche, Nourdine; Wahiduzzaman, Mohammad; Oliveira, Augusto F.; Kuc, Agnieszka; Heine, Thomas

2013-01-01

The transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMD) MoS2 and WS2 show remarkable electromechanical properties. Strain modifies the direct band gap into an indirect one, and substantial strain even induces an semiconductor-metal transition. Providing strain through mechanical contacts is difficult for TMD monolayers, but state-of-the-art for TMD nanotubes. We show using density-functional theory that similar electromechanical properties as in monolayer and bulk TMDs are found for large diameter TMD single- (SWNT) and multi-walled nanotubes (MWNTs). The semiconductor-metal transition occurs at elongations of 16%. We show that Raman signals of the in-plane and out-of-plane lattice vibrations depend significantly and linearly on the strain, showing that Raman spectroscopy is an excellent tool to determine the strain of the individual nanotubes and hence monitor the progress of nanoelectromechanical experiments in situ. TMD MWNTs show twice the electric conductance compared to SWNTs, and each wall of the MWNTs contributes to the conductance proportional to its diameter. PMID:24129919

Mechanical rejuvenation in bulk metallic glass induced by thermo-mechanical creep

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

Tong, Yang; Dmowski, W.; Bei, Hongbin

Using high energy X-ray diffraction we studied the temperature, stress, and time effect on structural changes in a Zr-based bulk metallic glass induced by thermo-mechanical creep. Pair distribution functions obtained from two-dimensional diffraction patterns show that thermo-mechanical creep induces structural disordering, but only when the stress beyond a threshold is applied. A similar threshold behavior was observed for anelastic strain. We conclude that anelastic creep strain induces rejuvenation, whereas plastic strain does not.

Mechanical rejuvenation in bulk metallic glass induced by thermo-mechanical creep

DOE PAGES

Tong, Yang; Dmowski, W.; Bei, Hongbin; ...

2018-02-16

Using high energy X-ray diffraction we studied the temperature, stress, and time effect on structural changes in a Zr-based bulk metallic glass induced by thermo-mechanical creep. Pair distribution functions obtained from two-dimensional diffraction patterns show that thermo-mechanical creep induces structural disordering, but only when the stress beyond a threshold is applied. A similar threshold behavior was observed for anelastic strain. We conclude that anelastic creep strain induces rejuvenation, whereas plastic strain does not.

Bulk photovoltaic effect at infrared wavelength in strained Bi2Te3 films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yucong; Chen, Jiadong; Wang, Chao; Deng, Huiyong; Zhu, Da-Ming; Hu, Gujin; Chen, Xiaoshuang; Dai, Ning

2016-12-01

As a prominent three-dimensional (3-D) topological insulator, traditional thermoelectric material Bi2Te3 has re-attracted greater interest in recent years. Herein, we demonstrate for the first time that c-axis oriented strained Bi2Te3 films exhibit the bulk photovoltaic effect (BPVE) at infrared wavelengths, which was only found in wide band-gap ferroelectric materials before. Moreover, further experiments show that the bulk photovoltaic effect probably comes from the flexoelectric effect which was induced by the stress gradient in strained Bi2Te3 films. And we anticipate that the results are generalizable to other layer-structured or two-dimensional (2-D) materials, e.g., Bi2Se3 and MoS2.

Potential for plant growth promotion of rhizobacteria associated with Salicornia growing in Tunisian hypersaline soils.

PubMed

Mapelli, Francesca; Marasco, Ramona; Rolli, Eleonora; Barbato, Marta; Cherif, Hanene; Guesmi, Amel; Ouzari, Imen; Daffonchio, Daniele; Borin, Sara

2013-01-01

Soil salinity and drought are among the environmental stresses that most severely affect plant growth and production around the world. In this study the rhizospheres of Salicornia plants and bulk soils were collected from Sebkhet and Chott hypersaline ecosystems in Tunisia. Depiction of bacterial microbiome composition by Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis unveiled the occurrence of a high bacterial diversity associated with Salicornia root system. A large collection of 475 halophilic and halotolerant bacteria was established from Salicornia rhizosphere and the surrounding bulk soil, and the bacteria were characterized for the resistance to temperature, osmotic and saline stresses, and plant growth promotion (PGP) features. Twenty Halomonas strains showed resistance to a wide set of abiotic stresses and were able to perform different PGP activities in vitro at 5% NaCl, including ammonia and indole-3-acetic acid production, phosphate solubilisation, and potential nitrogen fixation. By using a gfp-labelled strain it was possible to demonstrate that Halomonas is capable of successfully colonising Salicornia roots in the laboratory conditions. Our results indicated that the culturable halophilic/halotolerant bacteria inhabiting salty and arid ecosystems have a potential to contribute to promoting plant growth under the harsh salinity and drought conditions. These halophilic/halotolerant strains could be exploited in biofertilizer formulates to sustain crop production in degraded and arid lands.

X-Ray Spectroscopy of Ultra-Thin Oxide/Oxide Heteroepitaxial Films: A Case Study of Single-Nanometer VO2/TiO2.

PubMed

Quackenbush, Nicholas F; Paik, Hanjong; Woicik, Joseph C; Arena, Dario A; Schlom, Darrell G; Piper, Louis F J

2015-08-21

Epitaxial ultra-thin oxide films can support large percent level strains well beyond their bulk counterparts, thereby enabling strain-engineering in oxides that can tailor various phenomena. At these reduced dimensions (typically < 10 nm), contributions from the substrate can dwarf the signal from the epilayer, making it difficult to distinguish the properties of the epilayer from the bulk. This is especially true for oxide on oxide systems. Here, we have employed a combination of hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) and angular soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to study epitaxial VO2/TiO2 (100) films ranging from 7.5 to 1 nm. We observe a low-temperature (300 K) insulating phase with evidence of vanadium-vanadium (V-V) dimers and a high-temperature (400 K) metallic phase absent of V-V dimers irrespective of film thickness. Our results confirm that the metal insulator transition can exist at atomic dimensions and that biaxial strain can still be used to control the temperature of its transition when the interfaces are atomically sharp. More generally, our case study highlights the benefits of using non-destructive XAS and HAXPES to extract out information regarding the interfacial quality of the epilayers and spectroscopic signatures associated with exotic phenomena at these dimensions.

Deformation-induced spatiotemporal fluctuation, evolution and localization of strain fields in a bulk metallic glass

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

Wu, Yuan; Bei, Hongbin; Wang, Yanli

Deformation behavior and local strain evolutions upon loading and unloading of a bulk metallic glass (BMG) were systematically investigated by in situ digital image correlation (DIC). Distinct fluctuations and irreversible local strains were observed before the onset of macroscopic yielding. Statistical analysis shows that these fluctuations might be related to intrinsic structural heterogeneities, and that the evolution history and characteristics of local strain fields play an important role in the subsequent initiation of shear bands. Effects of sample size, pre-strain, and loading conditions were systematically analyzed in terms of the probability distributions of the resulting local strain fields. It ismore » found that a higher degree of local shear strain heterogeneity corresponds to a more ductile stressestrain curve. Implications of these findings are discussed for the design of new materials.« less

Deformation-induced spatiotemporal fluctuation, evolution and localization of strain fields in a bulk metallic glass

DOE PAGES

Wu, Yuan; Bei, Hongbin; Wang, Yanli; ...

2015-05-16

Deformation behavior and local strain evolutions upon loading and unloading of a bulk metallic glass (BMG) were systematically investigated by in situ digital image correlation (DIC). Distinct fluctuations and irreversible local strains were observed before the onset of macroscopic yielding. Statistical analysis shows that these fluctuations might be related to intrinsic structural heterogeneities, and that the evolution history and characteristics of local strain fields play an important role in the subsequent initiation of shear bands. Effects of sample size, pre-strain, and loading conditions were systematically analyzed in terms of the probability distributions of the resulting local strain fields. It ismore » found that a higher degree of local shear strain heterogeneity corresponds to a more ductile stressestrain curve. Implications of these findings are discussed for the design of new materials.« less

High velocity collisions of nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Donald F.; Mattson, William D.

2017-01-01

Nanoparticles (NPs) are a unique class of material with highly functionalizable surfaces and exciting applications. With a large surface-to-volume ratio and potentially high surface tension, shocked nanoparticles might display unique materials behavior. Using density functional theory, we have simulated high-velocity NP collisions under a variety of conditions. NPs composed of diamond-C, cubic-BN, and diamond-Si were considered with particle sizes up to 3.5 nm diameter. Additional simulations involved NPs that were destabilized by incorporating internal strain. The initial spherical NP structures were carved out of bulk crystals while the NPs with internal strain were constructed as a dense core (compressive strain) encompassed by a thin shell (tensile strain). Both on-axis and off-axis collisions were simulated at 10 km/s relative velocity. The amount of internal strain was artificially increased by creating a dense inner core with bond lengths compressed up to 8%. Collision dynamics, shock propagation, and fragmentation will be analyzed, but the simulation are ongoing and results are not finalized. The effect of material properties, internal strain, and collision velocity will be discussed.

Propensity of bond exchange as a window into the mechanical properties of metallic glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiao, W.; Wang, X. L.; Lan, S.; Pan, S. P.; Lu, Z. P.

2015-02-01

We investigated the mechanical properties of Zr-Cu-Al bulk metallic glasses, by compression experiment and molecular dynamics simulations. From the simulation, we found that the large, solvent atom, Zr, has high propensity of bond exchange compared to those of the smaller solute atoms. The difference in bond exchange is consistent with the observed disparity in mechanical behaviors: Zr-rich metallic glass exhibits low elastic modulus and large plastic strain. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements suggest that the increased propensity in bond exchange is related to the softening of Zr bonds with increasing Zr content.

Atomistic determination of flexoelectric properties of crystalline dielectrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maranganti, R.; Sharma, P.

2009-08-01

Upon application of a uniform strain, internal sublattice shifts within the unit cell of a noncentrosymmetric dielectric crystal result in the appearance of a net dipole moment: a phenomenon well known as piezoelectricity. A macroscopic strain gradient on the other hand can induce polarization in dielectrics of any crystal structure, even those which possess a centrosymmetric lattice. This phenomenon, called flexoelectricity, has both bulk and surface contributions: the strength of the bulk contribution can be characterized by means of a material property tensor called the bulk flexoelectric tensor. Several recent studies suggest that strain-gradient induced polarization may be responsible for a variety of interesting and anomalous electromechanical phenomena in materials including electromechanical coupling effects in nonuniformly strained nanostructures, “dead layer” effects in nanocapacitor systems, and “giant” piezoelectricity in perovskite nanostructures among others. In this work, adopting a lattice dynamics based microscopic approach we provide estimates of the flexoelectric tensor for certain cubic crystalline ionic salts, perovskite dielectrics, III-V and II-VI semiconductors. We compare our estimates with experimental/theoretical values wherever available and also revisit the validity of an existing empirical scaling relationship for the magnitude of flexoelectric coefficients in terms of material parameters. It is interesting to note that two independent groups report values of flexoelectric properties for perovskite dielectrics that are orders of magnitude apart: Cross and co-workers from Penn State have carried out experimental studies on a variety of materials including barium titanate while Catalan and co-workers from Cambridge used theoretical ab initio techniques as well as experimental techniques to study paraelectric strontium titanate as well as ferroelectric barium titanate and lead titanate. We find that, in the case of perovskite dielectrics, our estimates agree to an order of magnitude with the experimental and theoretical estimates for strontium titanate. For barium titanate however, while our estimates agree to an order of magnitude with existing ab initio calculations, there exists a large discrepancy with experimental estimates. The possible reasons for the observed deviations are discussed.

6th International Conference on Nanomaterials by Severe Plastic Deformation (NanoSPD6)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2014-08-01

''NanoSPD'' means Nano-material by Severe Plastic Deformation (SPD), which is an efficient way to obtain bulk nano-structured materials. During SPD, the microstructure of the material is transformed into a very fine structure consisting of ultra fine grains (UFG) approaching even the nano-scale. SPD is different from classical large strain forming processes in two aspects: 1. The sample undergoes extremely large strains without significant change in its dimensions, 2. In most SPD processes high hydrostatic stress is applied which makes it possible to deform difficult-to-form materials. This conference is part of a series of conferences taking place every third year; the history of NanoSPD conferences began in 1999 in Moscow (Russia), followed by Vienna in 2002 (Austria), Fukuoka in 2005 (Japan), Goslar in 2008 (Germany), Nanjing in 2011 (China), and Metz in 2014 (France). The preface continues in the pdf.

Strain induced ferromagnetism and large magnetoresistance of epitaxial La1.5Sr0.5CoMnO6 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krishna Murthy, J.; Jyotsna, G.; N, Nileena; Anil Kumar, P. S.

2017-08-01

In this study, the structural, magnetic, and magneto-transport properties of La1.5Sr0.5CoMnO6 (LSCMO) thin films deposited on a SrTiO3 (001) substrate were investigated. A normal θ/2θ x-ray diffraction, rocking curve, ϕ-scan, and reciprocal space mapping data showed that prepared LSCMO thin films are single phase and highly strained with epitaxial nature. Temperature vs. magnetization of LSCMO films exhibits strain-induced ferromagnetic ordering with TC ˜ 165 K. In contrast to the bulk samples, there was no exchange bias and canted type antiferromagnetic and spin glass behavior in films having thickness (t) ≤ 26 nm. Temperature dependent resistivity data were explained using Schnakenberg's model and the polaron hopping conduction process. The slope change in resistivity and magnetoresistance maximum (˜65%) around TC indicates the existence of a weak double exchange mechanism between the mixed valence states of transition metal ions. Suppression of spin dependent scattering with the magnetic field is attributed for the large negative magnetoresistance in LSCMO films.

Dynamics of bulk versus nanoscale W S2 : Local strain and charging effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luttrell, R. D.; Brown, S.; Cao, J.; Musfeldt, J. L.; Rosentsveig, R.; Tenne, R.

2006-01-01

We measured the infrared vibrational properties of bulk and nanoparticle WS2 in order to investigate the structure-property relations in these materials. In addition to the symmetry-breaking effects of local strain, nanoparticle curvature modifies the local charging environment of the bulk material. Performing a charge analysis on the xy -polarized E1u vibrational mode, we find an approximate 1.5:1 intralayer charge difference between the layered 2H material and inorganic fullerene-like (IF) nanoparticles. This effective charge difference may impact the solid-state lubrication properties of nanoscale metal dichalcogenides.

Dynamics of Bulk vs. Nanoscale WS2: Local Strain and Charging Effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Musfeldt, J. L.; Brown, S.; Luttrell, R. D.; Cao, J.; Rosentsveig, R.; Tenne, R.

2006-03-01

We measured the infrared vibrational properties of bulk and nanoparticle WS2 in order to investigate the structure- property relations in these novel materials. In addition to the symmetry-breaking effects of local strain, nanoparticle curvature modifies the local charging environment of the bulk material. Performing a charge analysis on the xy-polarized E1u vibrational mode, we find an approximate 1.5:1 intralayer charge difference between the layered 2H material and inorganic fullerene-like (IF) nanoparticles. This effective charge difference may impact the solid-state lubrication properties of nanoscale metal dichalcogenides.

From node-line semimetals to large-gap quantum spin Hall states in a family of pentagonal group-IVA chalcogenide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Run-Wu; Liu, Cheng-Cheng; Ma, Da-Shuai; Yao, Yugui

2018-03-01

Two-dimensional (2D) topological insulators (TIs) have attracted tremendous research interest from both the theoretical and the experimental fields in recent years. However, it is much less investigated in realizing node line (NL) semimetals in 2D materials. Combining first-principles calculations and symmetry analysis, we find that NL phases emerge in p -CS2 and p -SiS2 , as well as other pentagonal IVX2 films, i.e., p -IVX2 (IV= C, Si, Ge, Sn, Pb; X=S, Se, Te) in the absence of spin-orbit coupling (SOC). The NLs in p -IVX2 consist of symbolic Fermi loops centered around the Γ point and are protected by mirror reflection symmetry. As the atomic number is downward shifted, the NL semimetals are driven into 2D TIs with the large bulk gap up to 0.715 eV induced by the remarkable SOC effect. The nontrivial bulk gap can be tunable under external biaxial strain and uniaxial strain. Moreover, we also propose a quantum well by sandwiching a p -PbTe2 crystal between two NaI sheets in which p -PbTe2 still keeps its nontrivial topology with a sizable band gap (˜0.5 eV). These findings provide a new 2D material platform for exploring fascinating physics in both NL semimetals and TIs.

Effect of water on nanomechanics of bone is different between tension and compression

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

Samuel, Jitin; Park, Jun-Sang; Almer, Jonathan

Water, an important constituent in bone, resides in different compartments in bone matrix and may impose significant effects on its bulk mechanical properties. However, a clear understanding of the mechanistic role of water in toughening bone is yet to emerge. To address this issue, this study used a progressive loading protocol, coupled with measurements of in situ mineral and collagen fibril deformations using synchrotron X-ray diffraction techniques. Using this unique approach, the contribution of water to the ultrastructural behavior of bone was examined by testing bone specimens in different loading modes (tension and compression) and hydration states (wet and dehydrated).more » The results indicated that the effect of water on the mechanical behavior of mineral and collagen phases at the ultrastructural level was loading mode dependent and correlated with the bulk behavior of bone. Tensile loading elicited a transitional drop followed by an increase in load bearing by the mineral phase at the ultrastructural level, which was correlated with a strain hardening behavior of bone at the bulk level. Compression loading caused a continuous loss of load bearing by the mineral phase, which was reflected at the bulk level as a strain softening behavior. In addition, viscous strain relaxation and pre-strain reduction were observed in the mineral phase in the presence of water. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that water dictates the bulk behavior of bone by altering the interaction between mineral crystals and their surrounding matrix.« less

Highly compressible 3D periodic graphene aerogel microlattices

DOE PAGES

Zhu, Cheng; Han, T. Yong-Jin; Duoss, Eric B.; ...

2015-04-22

Graphene is a two-dimensional material that offers a unique combination of low density, exceptional mechanical properties, large surface area and excellent electrical conductivity. Recent progress has produced bulk 3D assemblies of graphene, such as graphene aerogels, but they possess purely stochastic porous networks, which limit their performance compared with the potential of an engineered architecture. Here we report the fabrication of periodic graphene aerogel microlattices, possessing an engineered architecture via a 3D printing technique known as direct ink writing. The 3D printed graphene aerogels are lightweight, highly conductive and exhibit supercompressibility (up to 90% compressive strain). Moreover, the Young’s modulimore » of the 3D printed graphene aerogels show an order of magnitude improvement over bulk graphene materials with comparable geometric density and possess large surface areas. Ultimately, adapting the 3D printing technique to graphene aerogels realizes the possibility of fabricating a myriad of complex aerogel architectures for a broad range of applications.« less

An imputed genotype resource for the laboratory mouse

PubMed Central

Szatkiewicz, Jin P.; Beane, Glen L.; Ding, Yueming; Hutchins, Lucie; de Villena, Fernando Pardo-Manuel; Churchill, Gary A.

2009-01-01

We have created a high-density SNP resource encompassing 7.87 million polymorphic loci across 49 inbred mouse strains of the laboratory mouse by combining data available from public databases and training a hidden Markov model to impute missing genotypes in the combined data. The strong linkage disequilibrium found in dense sets of SNP markers in the laboratory mouse provides the basis for accurate imputation. Using genotypes from eight independent SNP resources, we empirically validated the quality of the imputed genotypes and demonstrate that they are highly reliable for most inbred strains. The imputed SNP resource will be useful for studies of natural variation and complex traits. It will facilitate association study designs by providing high density SNP genotypes for large numbers of mouse strains. We anticipate that this resource will continue to evolve as new genotype data become available for laboratory mouse strains. The data are available for bulk download or query at http://cgd.jax.org/. PMID:18301946

Key role of lattice symmetry in the metal-insulator transition of NdNiO 3 films

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Jack Y.; Kim, Honggyu; Mikheev, Evgeny; ...

2016-04-01

Here, bulk NdNiO 3 exhibits a metal-to-insulator transition (MIT) as the temperature is lowered that is also seen in tensile strained films. In contrast, films that are under a large compressive strain typically remain metallic at all temperatures. To clarify the microscopic origins of this behavior, we use position averaged convergent beam electron diffraction in scanning transmission electron microscopy to characterize strained NdNiO 3 films both above and below the MIT temperature. We show that a symmetry lowering structural change takes place in case of the tensile strained film, which undergoes an MIT, but is absent in the compressively strainedmore » film. Using space group symmetry arguments, we show that these results support the bond length disproportionation model of the MIT in the rare-earth nickelates. Furthermore, the results provide insights into the non-Fermi liquid phase that is observed in films for which the MIT is absent.« less

The unusual magnetism of nanoparticle LaCoO3.

PubMed

Durand, A M; Belanger, D P; Hamil, T J; Ye, F; Chi, S; Fernandez-Baca, J A; Booth, C H; Abdollahian, Y; Bhat, M

2015-05-08

Bulk and nanoparticle powders of LaCoO3 (LCO) were synthesized and their magnetic and structural properties were studied using SQUID magnetometry and neutron diffraction. The bulk and large nanoparticles exhibit weak ferromagnetism (FM) below T ≈ 85 K and a crossover from strong to weak antiferromagnetic (AFM) correlations near a transition expressed in the lattice parameters, To≈40 K. This crossover does not occur in the smallest nanoparticles; instead, the magnetic behavior is predominantly ferromagnetic. The amount of FM in the nanoparticles depends on the amount of Co3O4 impurity phase, which induces tensile strain on the LCO lattice. A core-interface model is introduced, with the core region exhibiting the AFM crossover and with FM in the interface region near surfaces and impurity phases.

The unusual magnetism of nanoparticle LaCoO 3

DOE PAGES

Durand, A. M.; Belanger, D. P.; Hamil, T. J.; ...

2015-04-15

Bulk and nanoparticle powders of LaCoO 3 (LCO) were synthesized and their magnetic and structural properties were studied using SQUID magnetometry and neutron diffraction. The bulk and large nanoparticles exhibit weak ferromagnetism (FM) below T≈85K and a crossover from strong to weak antiferromagnetic (AFM) correlations near a transition expressed in the lattice parameters, To ≈ 40 K. This crossover does not occur in the smallest nanoparticles; instead, the magnetic behavior is predominantly ferromagnetic. The amount of FM in the nanoparticles depends on the amount of Co 3O 4 impurity phase, which induces tensile strain on the LCO lattice. A core-interfacemore » model is introduced, with the core region exhibiting the AFM crossover and with FM in the interface region near surfaces and impurity phases.« less

The unusual magnetism of nanoparticle LaCoO3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Durand, A. M.; Belanger, D. P.; Hamil, T. J.; Ye, F.; Chi, S.; Fernandez-Baca, J. A.; Booth, C. H.; Abdollahian, Y.; Bhat, M.

2015-05-01

Bulk and nanoparticle powders of LaCoO3 (LCO) were synthesized and their magnetic and structural properties were studied using SQUID magnetometry and neutron diffraction. The bulk and large nanoparticles exhibit weak ferromagnetism (FM) below T ≈ 85 K and a crossover from strong to weak antiferromagnetic (AFM) correlations near a transition expressed in the lattice parameters, To≈40 K. This crossover does not occur in the smallest nanoparticles; instead, the magnetic behavior is predominantly ferromagnetic. The amount of FM in the nanoparticles depends on the amount of Co3O4 impurity phase, which induces tensile strain on the LCO lattice. A core-interface model is introduced, with the core region exhibiting the AFM crossover and with FM in the interface region near surfaces and impurity phases.

Size-Dependent Brittle-to-Ductile Transition in Silica Glass Nanofibers.

PubMed

Luo, Junhang; Wang, Jiangwei; Bitzek, Erik; Huang, Jian Yu; Zheng, He; Tong, Limin; Yang, Qing; Li, Ju; Mao, Scott X

2016-01-13

Silica (SiO2) glass, an essential material in human civilization, possesses excellent formability near its glass-transition temperature (Tg > 1100 °C). However, bulk SiO2 glass is very brittle at room temperature. Here we show a surprising brittle-to-ductile transition of SiO2 glass nanofibers at room temperature as its diameter reduces below 18 nm, accompanied by ultrahigh fracture strength. Large tensile plastic elongation up to 18% can be achieved at low strain rate. The unexpected ductility is due to a free surface affected zone in the nanofibers, with enhanced ionic mobility compared to the bulk that improves ductility by producing more bond-switching events per irreversible bond loss under tensile stress. Our discovery is fundamentally important for understanding the damage tolerance of small-scale amorphous structures.

Optimal Ge/SiGe nanofin geometries for hole mobility enhancement: Technology limit from atomic simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vedula, Ravi Pramod; Mehrotra, Saumitra; Kubis, Tillmann; Povolotskyi, Michael; Klimeck, Gerhard; Strachan, Alejandro

2015-05-01

We use first principles simulations to engineer Ge nanofins for maximum hole mobility by controlling strain tri-axially through nano-patterning. Large-scale molecular dynamics predict fully relaxed, atomic structures for experimentally achievable nanofins, and orthogonal tight binding is used to obtain the corresponding electronic structure. Hole transport properties are then obtained via a linearized Boltzmann formalism. This approach explicitly accounts for free surfaces and associated strain relaxation as well as strain gradients which are critical for quantitative predictions in nanoscale structures. We show that the transverse strain relaxation resulting from the reduction in the aspect ratio of the fins leads to a significant enhancement in phonon limited hole mobility (7× over unstrained, bulk Ge, and 3.5× over biaxially strained Ge). Maximum enhancement is achieved by reducing the width to be approximately 1.5 times the height and further reduction in width does not result in additional gains. These results indicate significant room for improvement over current-generation Ge nanofins, provide geometrical guidelines to design optimized geometries and insight into the physics behind the significant mobility enhancement.

Graphene-based topological insulator with an intrinsic bulk band gap above room temperature.

PubMed

Kou, Liangzhi; Yan, Binghai; Hu, Feiming; Wu, Shu-Chun; Wehling, Tim O; Felser, Claudia; Chen, Changfeng; Frauenheim, Thomas

2013-01-01

Topological insulators (TIs) represent a new quantum state of matter characterized by robust gapless states inside the insulating bulk gap. The metallic edge states of a two-dimensional (2D) TI, known as the quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect, are immune to backscattering and carry fully spin-polarized dissipationless currents. However, existing 2D TIs realized in HgTe and InAs/GaSb suffer from small bulk gaps (<10 meV) well below room temperature, thus limiting their application in electronic and spintronic devices. Here, we report a new 2D TI comprising a graphene layer sandwiched between two Bi2Se3 slabs that exhibits a large intrinsic bulk band gap of 30-50 meV, making it viable for room-temperature applications. Distinct from previous strategies for enhancing the intrinsic spin-orbit coupling effect of the graphene lattice, the present graphene-based TI operates on a new mechanism of strong inversion between graphene Dirac bands and Bi2Se3 conduction bands. Strain engineering leads to effective control and substantial enhancement of the bulk gap. Recently reported synthesis of smooth graphene/Bi2Se3 interfaces demonstrates the feasibility of experimental realization of this new 2D TI structure, which holds great promise for nanoscale device applications.

Ferromagnetic spin-correlations in strained LaCoO3 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freeland, J. W.; Ma, J. X.; Shi, J.

2008-11-01

We present an element-resolved study of the valence and magnetic properties of LaCoO3 thin films grown via pulsed laser deposition. The Co L edge x-ray absorption shows that ferromagnetic (FM) order arises from a slight hole doping of the system presumably due to nonstoichiometry, which in the bulk system disrupts the low-spin state. However, even though the films are hole doped, the magnetic moments under tensile strain are much larger than the bulk system indicating that the strain can greatly increase the FM fraction observed in the spin-glass regime at low doping.

X-Ray Spectroscopy of Ultra-Thin Oxide/Oxide Heteroepitaxial Films: A Case Study of Single-Nanometer VO2/TiO2

PubMed Central

Quackenbush, Nicholas F.; Paik, Hanjong; Woicik, Joseph C.; Arena, Dario A.; Schlom, Darrell G.; Piper, Louis F. J.

2015-01-01

Epitaxial ultra-thin oxide films can support large percent level strains well beyond their bulk counterparts, thereby enabling strain-engineering in oxides that can tailor various phenomena. At these reduced dimensions (typically < 10 nm), contributions from the substrate can dwarf the signal from the epilayer, making it difficult to distinguish the properties of the epilayer from the bulk. This is especially true for oxide on oxide systems. Here, we have employed a combination of hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) and angular soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to study epitaxial VO2/TiO2 (100) films ranging from 7.5 to 1 nm. We observe a low-temperature (300 K) insulating phase with evidence of vanadium-vanadium (V-V) dimers and a high-temperature (400 K) metallic phase absent of V-V dimers irrespective of film thickness. Our results confirm that the metal insulator transition can exist at atomic dimensions and that biaxial strain can still be used to control the temperature of its transition when the interfaces are atomically sharp. More generally, our case study highlights the benefits of using non-destructive XAS and HAXPES to extract out information regarding the interfacial quality of the epilayers and spectroscopic signatures associated with exotic phenomena at these dimensions. PMID:28793516

X-ray Spectroscopy of Ultra-thin Oxide/oxide Heteroepitaxial Films: A Case Study of Single-nanometer VO2/TiO2

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

Quackenbush, Nicholas F.; Paik, Hanjong; Woicik, Joseph C.

2015-08-21

Epitaxial ultra-thin oxide films can support large percent level strains well beyond their bulk counterparts, thereby enabling strain-engineering in oxides that can tailor various phenomena. At these reduced dimensions (typically < 10 nm), contributions from the substrate can dwarf the signal from the epilayer, making it difficult to distinguish the properties of the epilayer from the bulk. This is especially true for oxide on oxide systems. Here, we have employed a combination of hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) and angular soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to study epitaxial VO2/TiO2 (100) films ranging from 7.5 to 1 nm. We observe amore » low-temperature (300 K) insulating phase with evidence of vanadium-vanadium (V-V) dimers and a high-temperature (400 K) metallic phase absent of V-V dimers irrespective of film thickness. Results confirm that the metal insulator transition can exist at atomic dimensions and that biaxial strain can still be used to control the temperature of its transition when the interfaces are atomically sharp. Generally, our case study highlights the benefits of using non-destructive XAS and HAXPES to extract out information regarding the interfacial quality of the epilayers and spectroscopic signatures associated with exotic phenomena at these dimensions.« less

Influence of quantum confinement and strain on orbital polarization of four-layer LaNiO 3 superlattices: A DFT+DMFT study

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

Park, Hyowon; Millis, Andrew J.; Marianetti, Chris A.

Atomically precise superlattices involving transition metal oxides provide a unique opportunity to engineer correlated electron physics using strain (modulated by choice of substate) and quantum confinement (controlled by layer thickness). We use the combination of density functional theory and dynamical mean field theory (DFT+DMFT) to study Ni E g d-orbital polarization in strained LaNiO 3/LaAlO 3 superlattices consisting of four layers of nominally metallic NiO 2 and four layers of insulating AlO 2 separated by LaO layers. The layer-resolved orbital polarization is calculated as a function of strain and analyzed in terms of structural, quantum confinement, and correlation effects. Wemore » determined that the effect of strain is from the dependence of the results on the Ni-O bondlength ratio and the octahedral rotation angles; quantum confinement is studied by comparison to bulk calculations with similar degrees of strain; correlation effects are inferred by varying interaction parameters within our DFT+DMFT calculations. The calculated dependence of orbital polarization on strain in superlattices is qualitatively consistent with recent X-ray absorption spectroscopy and resonant reflectometry data. But, interesting differences of detail are found between theory and experiment. Under tensile strain, the two inequivalent Ni ions display orbital polarization similar to that calculated for strained bulk LaNiO 3 and observed in experiment. Compressive strain produces a larger dependence of orbital polarization on Ni position and even the inner Ni layer exhibits orbital polarization different from that calculated for strained bulk LaNiO 3.« less

Influence of quantum confinement and strain on orbital polarization of four-layer LaNiO 3 superlattices: A DFT+DMFT study

DOE PAGES

Park, Hyowon; Millis, Andrew J.; Marianetti, Chris A.

2016-06-07

Atomically precise superlattices involving transition metal oxides provide a unique opportunity to engineer correlated electron physics using strain (modulated by choice of substate) and quantum confinement (controlled by layer thickness). We use the combination of density functional theory and dynamical mean field theory (DFT+DMFT) to study Ni E g d-orbital polarization in strained LaNiO 3/LaAlO 3 superlattices consisting of four layers of nominally metallic NiO 2 and four layers of insulating AlO 2 separated by LaO layers. The layer-resolved orbital polarization is calculated as a function of strain and analyzed in terms of structural, quantum confinement, and correlation effects. Wemore » determined that the effect of strain is from the dependence of the results on the Ni-O bondlength ratio and the octahedral rotation angles; quantum confinement is studied by comparison to bulk calculations with similar degrees of strain; correlation effects are inferred by varying interaction parameters within our DFT+DMFT calculations. The calculated dependence of orbital polarization on strain in superlattices is qualitatively consistent with recent X-ray absorption spectroscopy and resonant reflectometry data. But, interesting differences of detail are found between theory and experiment. Under tensile strain, the two inequivalent Ni ions display orbital polarization similar to that calculated for strained bulk LaNiO 3 and observed in experiment. Compressive strain produces a larger dependence of orbital polarization on Ni position and even the inner Ni layer exhibits orbital polarization different from that calculated for strained bulk LaNiO 3.« less

Simple shear of deformable square objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Treagus, Susan H.; Lan, Labao

2003-12-01

Finite element models of square objects in a contrasting matrix in simple shear show that the objects deform to a variety of shapes. For a range of viscosity contrasts, we catalogue the changing shapes and orientations of objects in progressive simple shear. At moderate simple shear ( γ=1.5), the shapes are virtually indistinguishable from those in equivalent pure shear models with the same bulk strain ( RS=4), examined in a previous study. In theory, differences would be expected, especially for very stiff objects or at very large strain. In all our simple shear models, relatively competent square objects become asymmetric barrel shapes with concave shortened edges, similar to some types of boudin. Incompetent objects develop shapes surprisingly similar to mica fish described in mylonites.

Molecular characterization of a novel Muscovy duck parvovirus isolate: evidence of recombination between classical MDPV and goose parvovirus strains.

PubMed

Wang, Jianye; Ling, Jueyi; Wang, Zhixian; Huang, Yu; Zhu, Jianzhong; Zhu, Guoqiang

2017-11-09

Muscovy duck parvovirus (MDPV) and Goose parvovirus (GPV) are important etiological agents for Muscovy duck parvoviral disease and Derzsy's disease, respectively; both of which can cause substantial economic losses in waterfowl industry. In contrast to GPV, the complete genomic sequence data of MDPV isolates are still limited and their phylogenetic relationships largely remain unknown. In this study, the entire genome of a pathogenic MDPV strain ZW, which was isolated from a deceased Muscovy duckling in 2006 in China, was cloned, sequenced, and compared with that of other classical MDPV and GPV strains. The genome of strain ZW comprises of 5071 nucleotides; this genome was shorter than that of the pathogenic MDPV strain YY (5075 nt). All the four deleted nucleotides produced in strain ZW are located at the base-pairing positions in the palindromic stem of inverted terminal repeats (ITR) without influencing the formation of a hairpin structure. Recombination analysis revealed that strain ZW originated from genetic recombination between the classical MDPV and GPV strain. The YY strain of MDPV acts as the major parent, whereas the virulent strains YZ99-6 and B and the vaccine strain SYG61v of GPV act as the minor parents in varying degrees. Two recombination sites were detected in strain ZW, with the small recombination site surrounding the P9 promoter, and the large recombination site situated in the middle of the VP3 gene. The SYG61V strain is a vaccine strain used for preventing goose parvoviral disease. This strain was found to be solely involved in the recombination event detected in the P9 promoter region. Phylogenetic analyses between strain ZW and other classical strains of MDPV and GPV were performed. The results supported the in silico recombination analysis conclusion. MDPV Strain ZW is a novel recombinant parvovirus, and the bulk of its genome originates from the classical MDPV strain. Two virulent strains and a vaccine strain of GPV were involved in the recombination process in varying degrees.

Strain induced superconductivity in the parent compound BaFe2As2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engelmann, J.; Grinenko, V.; Chekhonin, P.; Skrotzki, W.; Efremov, D. V.; Oswald, S.; Iida, K.; Hühne, R.; Hänisch, J.; Hoffmann, M.; Kurth, F.; Schultz, L.; Holzapfel, B.

2013-12-01

The discovery of superconductivity with a transition temperature, Tc, up to 65 K in single-layer FeSe (bulk Tc=8 K) films grown on SrTiO3 substrates has attracted special attention to Fe-based thin films. The high Tc is a consequence of the combined effect of electron transfer from the oxygen-vacant substrate to the FeSe thin film and lattice tensile strain. Here we demonstrate the realization of superconductivity in the parent compound BaFe2As2 (no bulk Tc) just by tensile lattice strain without charge doping. We investigate the interplay between strain and superconductivity in epitaxial BaFe2As2 thin films on Fe-buffered MgAl2O4 single crystalline substrates. The strong interfacial bonding between Fe and the FeAs sublattice increases the Fe-Fe distance due to the lattice misfit, which leads to a suppression of the antiferromagnetic spin density wave and induces superconductivity with bulk Tc≈10 K. These results highlight the role of structural changes in controlling the phase diagram of Fe-based superconductors.

Investigation of microstructure in additive manufactured Inconel 625 by spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy

DOE PAGES

Tremsin, Anton S.; Gao, Yan; Dial, Laura C.; ...

2016-07-08

Non-destructive testing techniques based on neutron imaging and diffraction can provide information on the internal structure of relatively thick metal samples (up to several cm), which are opaque to other conventional non-destructive methods. Spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy is an extension of traditional neutron radiography, where multiple images are acquired simultaneously, each corresponding to a narrow range of energy. The analysis of transmission spectra enables studies of bulk microstructures at the spatial resolution comparable to the detector pixel. In this study we demonstrate the possibility of imaging (with ~100 μm resolution) distribution of some microstructure properties, such as residual strain,more » texture, voids and impurities in Inconel 625 samples manufactured with an additive manufacturing method called direct metal laser melting (DMLM). Although this imaging technique can be implemented only in a few large-scale facilities, it can be a valuable tool for optimization of additive manufacturing techniques and materials and for correlating bulk microstructure properties to manufacturing process parameters. Additionally, the experimental strain distribution can help validate finite element models which many industries use to predict the residual stress distributions in additive manufactured components.« less

Investigation of microstructure in additive manufactured Inconel 625 by spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy.

PubMed

Tremsin, Anton S; Gao, Yan; Dial, Laura C; Grazzi, Francesco; Shinohara, Takenao

2016-01-01

Non-destructive testing techniques based on neutron imaging and diffraction can provide information on the internal structure of relatively thick metal samples (up to several cm), which are opaque to other conventional non-destructive methods. Spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy is an extension of traditional neutron radiography, where multiple images are acquired simultaneously, each corresponding to a narrow range of energy. The analysis of transmission spectra enables studies of bulk microstructures at the spatial resolution comparable to the detector pixel. In this study we demonstrate the possibility of imaging (with ~100 μm resolution) distribution of some microstructure properties, such as residual strain, texture, voids and impurities in Inconel 625 samples manufactured with an additive manufacturing method called direct metal laser melting (DMLM). Although this imaging technique can be implemented only in a few large-scale facilities, it can be a valuable tool for optimization of additive manufacturing techniques and materials and for correlating bulk microstructure properties to manufacturing process parameters. In addition, the experimental strain distribution can help validate finite element models which many industries use to predict the residual stress distributions in additive manufactured components.

Investigation of microstructure in additive manufactured Inconel 625 by spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tremsin, Anton S.; Gao, Yan; Dial, Laura C.; Grazzi, Francesco; Shinohara, Takenao

2016-01-01

Non-destructive testing techniques based on neutron imaging and diffraction can provide information on the internal structure of relatively thick metal samples (up to several cm), which are opaque to other conventional non-destructive methods. Spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy is an extension of traditional neutron radiography, where multiple images are acquired simultaneously, each corresponding to a narrow range of energy. The analysis of transmission spectra enables studies of bulk microstructures at the spatial resolution comparable to the detector pixel. In this study we demonstrate the possibility of imaging (with 100 μm resolution) distribution of some microstructure properties, such as residual strain, texture, voids and impurities in Inconel 625 samples manufactured with an additive manufacturing method called direct metal laser melting (DMLM). Although this imaging technique can be implemented only in a few large-scale facilities, it can be a valuable tool for optimization of additive manufacturing techniques and materials and for correlating bulk microstructure properties to manufacturing process parameters. In addition, the experimental strain distribution can help validate finite element models which many industries use to predict the residual stress distributions in additive manufactured components.

Investigation of microstructure in additive manufactured Inconel 625 by spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy

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

Tremsin, Anton S.; Gao, Yan; Dial, Laura C.

Non-destructive testing techniques based on neutron imaging and diffraction can provide information on the internal structure of relatively thick metal samples (up to several cm), which are opaque to other conventional non-destructive methods. Spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy is an extension of traditional neutron radiography, where multiple images are acquired simultaneously, each corresponding to a narrow range of energy. The analysis of transmission spectra enables studies of bulk microstructures at the spatial resolution comparable to the detector pixel. In this study we demonstrate the possibility of imaging (with ~100 μm resolution) distribution of some microstructure properties, such as residual strain,more » texture, voids and impurities in Inconel 625 samples manufactured with an additive manufacturing method called direct metal laser melting (DMLM). Although this imaging technique can be implemented only in a few large-scale facilities, it can be a valuable tool for optimization of additive manufacturing techniques and materials and for correlating bulk microstructure properties to manufacturing process parameters. Additionally, the experimental strain distribution can help validate finite element models which many industries use to predict the residual stress distributions in additive manufactured components.« less

Investigation of microstructure in additive manufactured Inconel 625 by spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy

PubMed Central

Tremsin, Anton S.; Gao, Yan; Dial, Laura C.; Grazzi, Francesco; Shinohara, Takenao

2016-01-01

Abstract Non-destructive testing techniques based on neutron imaging and diffraction can provide information on the internal structure of relatively thick metal samples (up to several cm), which are opaque to other conventional non-destructive methods. Spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy is an extension of traditional neutron radiography, where multiple images are acquired simultaneously, each corresponding to a narrow range of energy. The analysis of transmission spectra enables studies of bulk microstructures at the spatial resolution comparable to the detector pixel. In this study we demonstrate the possibility of imaging (with ~100 μm resolution) distribution of some microstructure properties, such as residual strain, texture, voids and impurities in Inconel 625 samples manufactured with an additive manufacturing method called direct metal laser melting (DMLM). Although this imaging technique can be implemented only in a few large-scale facilities, it can be a valuable tool for optimization of additive manufacturing techniques and materials and for correlating bulk microstructure properties to manufacturing process parameters. In addition, the experimental strain distribution can help validate finite element models which many industries use to predict the residual stress distributions in additive manufactured components. PMID:27877885

Powder metallurgy processing and deformation characteristics of bulk multimodal nickel

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

Farbaniec, L., E-mail: lfarban1@jhu.edu; Dirras, G., E-mail: dirras@univ-paris13.fr; Krawczynska, A.

2014-08-15

Spark plasma sintering was used to process bulk nickel samples from a blend of three powder types. The resulting multimodal microstructure was made of coarse (average size ∼ 135 μm) spherical microcrystalline entities (the core) surrounded by a fine-grained matrix (average grain size ∼ 1.5 μm) or a thick rim (the shell) distinguishable from the matrix. Tensile tests revealed yield strength of ∼ 470 MPa that was accompanied by limited ductility (∼ 2.8% plastic strain). Microstructure observation after testing showed debonding at interfaces between the matrix and the coarse entities, but in many instances, shallow dimples within the rim weremore » observed indicating local ductile events in the shell. Dislocation emission and annihilation at grain boundaries and twinning at crack tip were the main deformation mechanisms taking place within the fine-grained matrix as revealed by in-situ transmission electron microscopy. Estimation of the stress from loop's curvature and dislocation pile-up indicates that dislocation emission from grain boundaries and grain boundary overcoming largely contributes to the flow stress. - Highlights: • Bulk multi-modal Ni was processed by SPS from a powder blend. • Ultrafine-grained matrix or rim observed around spherical microcrystalline entities • Yield strength (470 MPa) and ductility (2.8% plastic strain) were measured. • Debonding was found at the matrix/microcrystalline entity interfaces. • In-situ TEM showed twinning, dislocation emission and annihilation at grain boundaries.« less

Insights into the role of protein molecule size and structure on interfacial properties using designed sequences

PubMed Central

Dwyer, Mirjana Dimitrijev; He, Lizhong; James, Michael; Nelson, Andrew; Middelberg, Anton P. J.

2013-01-01

Mixtures of a large, structured protein with a smaller, unstructured component are inherently complex and hard to characterize at interfaces, leading to difficulties in understanding their interfacial behaviours and, therefore, formulation optimization. Here, we investigated interfacial properties of such a mixed system. Simplicity was achieved using designed sequences in which chemical differences had been eliminated to isolate the effect of molecular size and structure, namely a short unstructured peptide (DAMP1) and its longer structured protein concatamer (DAMP4). Interfacial tension measurements suggested that the size and bulk structuring of the larger molecule led to much slower adsorption kinetics. Neutron reflectometry at equilibrium revealed that both molecules adsorbed as a monolayer to the air–water interface (indicating unfolding of DAMP4 to give a chain of four connected DAMP1 molecules), with a concentration ratio equal to that in the bulk. This suggests the overall free energy of adsorption is equal despite differences in size and bulk structure. At small interfacial extensional strains, only molecule packing influenced the stress response. At larger strains, the effect of size became apparent, with DAMP4 registering a higher stress response and interfacial elasticity. When both components were present at the interface, most stress-dissipating movement was achieved by DAMP1. This work thus provides insights into the role of proteins' molecular size and structure on their interfacial properties, and the designed sequences introduced here can serve as effective tools for interfacial studies of proteins and polymers. PMID:23303222

A Finite Element Study on Crack Tip Deformation.

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-08-01

REPOPINUMDER • TNOR(.) CONTRACT OR GRANT NUMSER(.) ______ ~~~ ~~~ /I. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS 10. PROGRAM ELEMEN T. PROJECT . TASKJ AREA ...that the bulk of the strain measurements agree well with the results of the plane stress calculations except in the small area close to the crack tip...that the bulk of the strain measurements agree veil with the results of the plane stress calcula- tions except in the small area cloae to the crack

Measurement at low strain rates of the elastic properties of dental polymeric materials.

PubMed

Chabrier, F; Lloyd, C H; Scrimgeour, S N

1999-01-01

To evaluate a simple static test (i.e. a slow strain rate test) designed to measure Young's modulus and the bulk modulus of polymeric materials (The NOL Test). Though it is a 'mature' test as yet it has never been applied to dental materials. A small cylindrical specimen is contained in a close-fitting steel constraining ring and compressive force applied to the ends by steel pistons. The initial (unconstrained) deformation is controlled by Young's modulus. Lateral spreading leads to constraint from the ring and subsequent deformation is controlled by the bulk modulus. A range of dental materials and reference polymers were selected and both moduli measured. From these data Poisson's ratios were calculated. The test proved be a simple reliable method for obtaining values for these properties. For composite the value of Young's modulus was lower, bulk modulus relatively similar and Poisson's ratio higher than that obtained from high strain rate techniques (as expected for a strain rate sensitive material). This test does fulfil a requirement for a simple test to define fully the elastic properties of dental polymeric materials. Measurements are made at the strain rates used in conventional static tests and values reflect this test condition. The higher values obtained for Poisson's ratio at this slow strain rate has implications for FEA, in that analysis is concerned with static or slow rate loading situations.

Models for viscosity and shear localization in bubble-rich magmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vona, Alessandro; Ryan, Amy G.; Russell, James K.; Romano, Claudia

2016-09-01

Bubble content influences magma rheology and, thus, styles of volcanic eruption. Increasing magma vesicularity affects the bulk viscosity of the bubble-melt suspension and has the potential to promote non-Newtonian behavior in the form of shear localization or brittle failure. Here, we present a series of high temperature uniaxial deformation experiments designed to investigate the effect of bubbles on the magma bulk viscosity. The starting materials are cores of natural rhyolitic obsidian synthesized to have variable vesicularity (ϕ = 0- 66%). The foamed cores were deformed isothermally (T = 750 °C) at atmospheric conditions using a high-temperature uniaxial press under constant displacement rates (strain rates between 0.5- 1 ×10-4 s-1) and to total strains of 10-40%. The viscosity of the bubble-free melt (η0) was measured by micropenetration and parallel plate methods to establish a baseline for experiments on the vesicle rich cores. At the experimental conditions, rising vesicle content produces a marked decrease in bulk viscosity that is best described by a two-parameter empirical equation: log10 ⁡ηBulk =log10 ⁡η0 - 1.47[ ϕ / (1 - ϕ) ] 0.48. Our parameterization of the bubble-melt rheology is combined with Maxwell relaxation theory to map the potential onset of non-Newtonian behavior (shear localization) in magmas as a function of melt viscosity, vesicularity, and strain rate. For low degrees of strain (i.e. as in our study), the rheological properties of vesicular magmas under different flow types (pure vs. simple shear) are indistinguishable. For high strain or strain rates where simple and pure shear viscosity values may diverge, our model represents a maximum boundary condition. Vesicular magmas can behave as non-Newtonian fluids at lower strain rates than unvesiculated melts, thereby, promoting shear localization and (explosive or non-explosive) magma fragmentation. The extent of shear localization in magma influences outgassing efficiency, thereby, affecting magma ascent and the potential for explosivity.

Linear electro-optic effect in semiconductors: Ab initio description of the electronic contribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prussel, Lucie; Véniard, Valérie

2018-05-01

We propose an ab initio framework to derive the electronic part of the second-order susceptibility tensor for the electro-optic effect in bulk semiconductors. We find a general expression for χ(2 ) evaluated within time-dependent density-functional theory, including explicitly the band-gap corrections at the level of the scissors approximation. Excitonic effects are accounted for, on the basis of a simple scalar approximation. We apply our formalism to the computation of the electro-optic susceptibilities for several semiconductors, such as GaAs, GaN, and SiC. Taking into account the ionic contribution according to the Faust-Henry coefficient, we obtain a good agreement with experimental results. Finally, using different types of strain to break centrosymmetry, we show that high electro-optic coefficients can be obtained in bulk silicon for a large range of frequencies.

Method for Manufacturing Bulk Metallic Glass-Based Strain Wave Gear Components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hofmann, Douglas C. (Inventor); Wilcox, Brian H. (Inventor)

2017-01-01

Systems and methods in accordance with embodiments of the invention implement bulk metallic glass-based strain wave gears and strain wave gear components. In one embodiment, a method of fabricating a strain wave gear includes: shaping a BMG-based material using a mold in conjunction with one of a thermoplastic forming technique and a casting technique; where the BMG-based material is shaped into one of: a wave generator plug, an inner race, an outer race, a rolling element, a flexspline, a flexspline without a set of gear teeth, a circular spline, a circular spline without a set of gear teeth, a set of gear teeth to be incorporated within a flexspline, and a set of gear teeth to be incorporated within a circular spline.

Modelling of cantilever based on piezoelectric energy harvester

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahim, N. F.; Ong, N. R.; Aziz, M. H. A.; Alcain, J. B.; Haimi, W. M. W. N.; Sauli, Z.

2017-09-01

Recent technology allows devices to become smaller and with more functions. However, the battery size remained the same and for some devices, the battery must be larger in order to accommodate the greater power demands by the portable device. Piezoelectric energy harvester has been suggested as a substitute for the batteries in coming future. In this paper, a cantilever based piezoelectric energy harvester was modelled and simulated using COMSOL software. The analysis focused on the mechanical part of the harvesting system such as output power, output voltage and vibration frequency. Results of the simulations proved that flexible piezoelectric energy harvesters using nano-materials had remarkable strength under the large strain. However, although the large strain was induced on the flexible energy harvesters, the output power was still lower than the bulk and MEMS piezoelectric energy harvesters that operated at the resonance frequency. The off-resonance operation and very lower packing density of the active piezoelectric materials of the flexible energy harvesters resulted in a low output power.

Bulk strain solitons as a tool for determination of the third order elastic moduli of composite materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Semenova, I. V.; Belashov, A. V.; Garbuzov, F. E.; Samsonov, A. M.; Semenov, A. A.

2017-06-01

We demonstrate an alternative approach to determination of the third order elastic moduli of materials based on registration of nonlinear bulk strain waves in three basic structural waveguides (rod, plate and shell) and further calculation of the Murnaghan moduli from the recorded wave parameters via simple algebra. These elastic moduli are available in literature for a limited number of materials and are measured with considerable errors, that evidences a demand in novel approaches to their determination.

Point Defects in Oxides: Tailoring Materials Through Defect Engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tuller, Harry L.; Bishop, Sean R.

2011-08-01

Optimization of electrical, optical, mechanical, and other properties of many advanced, functional materials today relies on precise control of point defects. This article illustrates the progress that has been made in elucidating the often complex equilibria exhibited by many materials by examining two recently well-characterized model systems, TlBr for radiation detection and PrxCe1-xO2-δ, of potential interest in solid-oxide fuel cells. The interplay between material composition, electrical conductivity, and mechanical properties (electrochemomechanics) is discussed, and implications in these relations, for example, enhancing electrical properties through large mechanical strains, are described. The impact of space charge and strain fields at interfaces, particularly important in nanostructure materials, is also emphasized. Key experimental techniques useful in characterizing bulk and surface defects are summarized and reviewed.

Reversible piezomagnetoelectric switching in bulk polycrystalline ceramics

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

Stevenson, T., E-mail: t.j.stevenson@leeds.ac.uk; Bennett, J.; Brown, A. P.

2014-08-01

Magnetoelectric (ME) coupling in materials offer tremendous advantages in device functionality enabling technologies including advanced electronic memory, combining electronic speed, and efficiency with magnetic robustness. However, low cost polycrystalline ME materials are excluded from most commercial applications, operating only at cryogenic temperatures, impractically large electric/magnetic fields, or with low ME coefficients (1-100 mV/cm Oe). Despite this, the technological potential of single compound ME coupling has continued to drive research into multiferroics over the last two decades. Here we show that by manipulating the large induced atomic strain within the polycrystalline, room temperature multiferroic compound 0.7BiFeO{sub 3}–0.3PbTiO{sub 3}, we can induce amore » reversible, piezoelectric strain controlled ME effect. Employing an in situ neutron diffraction experiment, we have demonstrated that this piezomagnetoelectric effect manifests with an applied electric field >8 kV/mm at the onset of piezoelectric strain, engineered in to the compound by crystallographic phase mixing. This produces a remarkable intrinsic ME coefficient of 1276 mV/cm Oe, due to a strain driven modification to the oxygen sub-lattice, inducing an increase in magnetic moment per Fe{sup 3+} ion of +0.142 μ{sub B}. This work provides a framework for investigations into strain engineered nanostructures to realize low-cost ME devices designed from the atoms up, as well as contributing to the deeper understanding of single phase ME coupling mechanisms.« less

Effect of Different Loading Conditions on the Nucleation and Development of Shear Zones Around Material Heterogeneities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rybacki, E.; Nardini, L.; Morales, L. F.; Dresen, G.

2017-12-01

Rock deformation at depths in the Earth's crust is often localized in high temperature shear zones, which occur in the field at different scales and in a variety of lithologies. The presence of material heterogeneities has long been recognized to be an important cause for shear zones evolution, but the mechanisms controlling initiation and development of localization are not fully understood, and the question of which loading conditions (constant stress or constant deformation rate) are most favourable is still open. To better understand the effect of boundary conditions on shear zone nucleation around heterogeneities, we performed a series of torsion experiments under constant twist rate (CTR) and constant torque (CT) conditions in a Paterson-type deformation apparatus. The sample assemblage consisted of copper-jacketed Carrara marble hollow cylinders with one weak inclusion of Solnhofen limestone. The CTR experiments were performed at maximum bulk strain rates of 1.8-1.9*10-4 s-1, yielding shear stresses of 19-20 MPa. CT tests were conducted at shear stresses between 18.4 and 19.8 MPa resulting in shear strain rates of 1-2*10-4 s-1. All experiments were run at 900 °C temperature and 400 MPa confining pressure. Maximum bulk shear strains (γ) were ca. 0.3 and 1. Strain localized within the host marble in front of the inclusion in an area termed process zone. Here grain size reduction is intense and local shear strain (estimated from markers on the jackets) is up to 8 times higher than the applied bulk strain, rapidly dropping to 2 times higher at larger distance from the inclusion. The evolution of key microstructural parameters such as average grain size and average grain orientation spread (GOS, a measure of lattice distortion) within the process zone, determined by electron backscatter diffraction analysis, differs significantly as a function of loading conditions. Both parameters indicate that, independent of bulk strain and distance from the inclusion, the contribution of small strain-free recrystallized grains is larger in CTR than in CT samples. Our results suggest that loading conditions substantially affect material heterogeneity-induced localization in its nucleation and transient stages.

Modeling and characterization of dielectrophoretically structured piezoelectric composites using piezoceramic particle inclusions with high aspect ratios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van den Ende, D. A.; Maier, R. A.; van Neer, P. L. M. J.; van der Zwaag, S.; Randall, C. A.; Groen, W. A.

2013-01-01

In this work, the piezoelectric properties at high electric fields of dielectrophoretically aligned PZT—polymer composites containing high aspect ratio particles (such as short fibers) are presented. Polarization and strain as a function of electric field are evaluated. The properties of the composites are compared to those of PZT-polymer composites with equiaxed particles, continuous PZT fiber-polymer composites, and bulk PZT ceramics. From high-field polarization and strain measurements, the effective field dependent permittivity and piezoelectric charge constant in the poling direction are determined for dielectrophoresis structured PZT-polymer composites, continuous PZT fiber-polymer composites, and bulk PZT ceramics. The changes in dielectric properties of the inclusions and the matrix at high fields influence the dielectric and piezoelectric properties of the composites. It is found that the permittivity and piezoelectric charge constants increase towards a maximum at an applied field of around 2.5-5 kV/mm. The electric field at which the maximum occurs depends on the aspect ratio and degree of alignment of the inclusions. Experimental values of d33 at low and high applied fields are compared to a model describing the composites as a continuous polymer matrix containing PZT particles of various aspect ratios arranged into chains. Thickness mode coupling factors were determined from measured impedance data using fitted equivalent circuit model simulations. The relatively high piezoelectric strain constants, voltage constants, and thickness coupling factors indicate that such aligned short fiber composites could be useful as flexible large area transducers.

Hot forming of silicon sheet, silicon sheet growth development for the large area silicon sheet task of the low cost silicon solar array project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Graham, C. D., Jr.; Pope, D. P.; Kulkarni, S.; Wolf, M.

1978-01-01

The hot workability of polycrystalline silicon was studied. Uniaxail stress-strain curves are given for strain rates in the range of .0001 to .1/sec and temperatures from 1100 to 1380 C. At the highest strain rates at 1380 C axial strains in excess of 20% were easily obtainable without cracking. After deformations of 36%, recrystallization was completed within 0.1 hr at 1380 C. When the recrystallization was complete, there was still a small volume fraction of unrecyrstallized material which appeared very stable and may degrade the electronic properties of the bulk materials. Texture measurements showed that the as-produced vapor deposited polycrystalline rods have a 110 fiber texture with the 110 direction parallel to the growth direction and no preferred orientation about this axis. Upon axial compression perpendicular to the growth direction, the former 110 fiber axis changed to 111 and the compression axis became 110 . Recrystallization changed the texture to 110 along the former fiber axis and to 100 along the compression axis.

Largely Tunable Band Structures of Few-Layer InSe by Uniaxial Strain.

PubMed

Song, Chaoyu; Fan, Fengren; Xuan, Ningning; Huang, Shenyang; Zhang, Guowei; Wang, Chong; Sun, Zhengzong; Wu, Hua; Yan, Hugen

2018-01-31

Because of the strong quantum confinement effect, few-layer γ-InSe exhibits a layer-dependent band gap, spanning the visible and near infrared regions, and thus recently has been drawing tremendous attention. As a two-dimensional material, the mechanical flexibility provides an additional tuning knob for the electronic structures. Here, for the first time, we engineer the band structures of few-layer and bulk-like InSe by uniaxial tensile strain and observe a salient shift of photoluminescence peaks. The shift rate of the optical gap is approximately 90-100 meV per 1% strain for four- to eight-layer samples, which is much larger than that for the widely studied MoS 2 monolayer. Density functional theory calculations well reproduce the observed layer-dependent band gaps and the strain effect and reveal that the shift rate decreases with the increasing layer number for few-layer InSe. Our study demonstrates that InSe is a very versatile two-dimensional electronic and optoelectronic material, which is suitable for tunable light emitters, photodetectors, and other optoelectronic devices.

Shock wave response of a zirconium-based bulk metallic glass and its composite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhuang, Shiming; Lu, Jun; Ravichandran, Guruswami

2002-06-01

A zirconium-based bulk metallic glass, Zr41.2Ti13.8Cu12.5Ni10Be22.5 (Vit 1), and its composite, Zr56.3Ti13.8Cu6.9Ni5.6Nb5.0Be12.5 (beta-Vit), were subjected to planar impact loading. A surprisingly low amplitude elastic precursor and bulk wave, corresponding to the elastic response of the "frozen structure" of the intact metallic glasses, were observed to precede the rate-dependent large deformation shock wave. A concave downward curvature after the initial increase of the Us-Up shock Hugoniots suggests that a phase-change-like transition occurred during shock compression. Further, compression damage occurred due to the shear localization. The spalling in Vit 1 was induced by shear localization, while in beta-Vit, it was due to debonding of the beta-phase boundary from the matrix. The spall strengths at strain rate of 2 x106 s-1 were determined to be 2.35 and 2.11 GPa for Vit 1 and beta-Vit, respectively.

Doping induced carrier and band-gap modulation in bulk versus nano for topological insulators: A test case of Stibnite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maji, Tuhin Kumar; Pal, Samir Kumar; Karmakar, Debjani

2018-04-01

We aim at comparing the electronic properties of topological insulator Sb2S3 in bulk and Nanorod using density-functional scheme and investigating the effects of Se-doping at chalcogen-site. While going from bulk to nano, there is a drastic change in the band gap due to surface-induced strain. However, the trend of band gap modulation with increased Se doping is more prominent in bulk. Interestingly, Se-doping introduces different type of carriers in bulk and nano.

Piezoresistive effect in metal-semiconductor-metal structures on p-type GaN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaska, R.; Shur, M. S.; Bykhovski, A. D.; Yang, J. W.; Khan, M. A.; Kaminski, V. V.; Soloviov, S. M.

2000-06-01

We report on a strong piezoresistive effect in metal-semiconductor-metal structures fabricated on p-type GaN. The maximum measured gauge factor was 260, which is nearly two times larger than for piezoresistive silicon transducers. We attribute this large sensitivity to applied strain to the combination of two mechanisms: (i) a high piezoresistance of bulk p-GaN and (ii) a strong piezoresistive effect in a Schottky contact on p-GaN. The obtained results demonstrate that GaN-based structures can be suitable for stress/pressure sensor applications.

Catastrophic optical bulk degradation (COBD) in high-power single- and multi-mode InGaAs-AlGaAs strained quantum well lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sin, Yongkun; Lingley, Zachary; Brodie, Miles; Presser, Nathan; Moss, Steven C.

2017-02-01

High-power single-mode (SM) and multi-mode (MM) InGaAs-AlGaAs strained quantum well (QW) lasers are critical components for both telecommunications and space satellite communications systems. However, little has been reported on failure modes and degradation mechanisms of high-power SM and MM InGaAs-AlGaAs strained QW lasers although it is crucial to understand failure modes and underlying degradation mechanisms in developing these lasers that meet lifetime requirements for space satellite systems, where extremely high reliability of these lasers is required. Our present study addresses the aforementioned issues by performing long-term life-tests followed by failure mode analysis (FMA) and physics of failure investigation. We performed long-term accelerated life-tests on state-of-the-art SM and MM InGaAs-AlGaAs strained QW lasers under ACC (automatic current control) mode. Our life-tests have accumulated over 25,000 test hours for SM lasers and over 35,000 test hours for MM lasers. FMA was performed on failed SM lasers using electron beam induced current (EBIC). This technique allowed us to identify failure types by observing dark line defects. All the SM failures we studied showed catastrophic and sudden degradation and all of these failures were bulk failures. Our group previously reported that bulk failure or COBD (catastrophic optical bulk damage) is the dominant failure mode of MM InGaAs-AlGaAs strained QW lasers. Since degradation mechanisms responsible for COBD are still not well understood, we also employed other techniques including focused ion beam (FIB) processing and high-resolution TEM to further study dark line defects and dislocations in post-aged lasers. Our long-term life-test results and FMA results are reported.

Nanometre-scale 3D defects in Cr2AlC thin films.

PubMed

Chen, Y T; Music, D; Shang, L; Mayer, J; Schneider, J M

2017-04-20

MAX-phase Cr 2 AlC containing thin films were synthesized by magnetron sputtering in an industrial system. Nanometre-scale 3D defects are observed near the boundary between regions of Cr 2 AlC and of the disordered solid solution (CrAl) x C y . Shrinkage of the Cr-Cr interplanar distance and elongation of the Cr-Al distance in the vicinity of the defects are detected using transmission electron microscopy. The here observed deformation surrounding the defects was described using density functional theory by comparing the DOS of bulk Cr 2 AlC with the DOS of a strained and unstrained Cr 2 AlC(0001) surface. From the partial density of states analysis, it can be learned that Cr-C bonds are stronger than Cr-Al bonds in bulk Cr 2 AlC. Upon Cr 2 AlC(0001) surface formation, both bonds are weakened. While the Cr-C bonds recover their bulk strength as Cr 2 AlC(0001) is strained, the Cr-Al bonds experience only a partial recovery, still being weaker than their bulk counterparts. Hence, the strain induced bond strengthening in Cr 2 AlC(0001) is larger for Cr d - C p bonds than for Cr d - Al p bonds. The here observed changes in bonding due to the formation of a strained surface are consistent with the experimentally observed elongation of the Cr-Al distance in the vicinity of nm-scale 3D defects in Cr 2 AlC thin films.

Experimental Clocking of Nanomagnets with Strain for Ultralow Power Boolean Logic.

PubMed

D'Souza, Noel; Salehi Fashami, Mohammad; Bandyopadhyay, Supriyo; Atulasimha, Jayasimha

2016-02-10

Nanomagnetic implementations of Boolean logic have attracted attention because of their nonvolatility and the potential for unprecedented overall energy-efficiency. Unfortunately, the large dissipative losses that occur when nanomagnets are switched with a magnetic field or spin-transfer-torque severely compromise the energy-efficiency. Recently, there have been experimental reports of utilizing the Spin Hall effect for switching magnets, and theoretical proposals for strain induced switching of single-domain magnetostrictive nanomagnets, that might reduce the dissipative losses significantly. Here, we experimentally demonstrate, for the first time that strain-induced switching of single-domain magnetostrictive nanomagnets of lateral dimensions ∼200 nm fabricated on a piezoelectric substrate can implement a nanomagnetic Boolean NOT gate and steer bit information unidirectionally in dipole-coupled nanomagnet chains. On the basis of the experimental results with bulk PMN-PT substrates, we estimate that the energy dissipation for logic operations in a reasonably scaled system using thin films will be a mere ∼1 aJ/bit.

Combined strain and composition-induced effects in the metal-insulator transition of epitaxial VO2 films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Théry, V.; Boulle, A.; Crunteanu, A.; Orlianges, J. C.

2017-12-01

The role of epitaxial strain, thermal strain, and bulk (strain-free) lattice parameters in the metal-insulator transition (MIT) and the structural phase transition (SPT) of VO2 is investigated for the case of epitaxial films grown on (001)-oriented TiO2 substrates. Temperature-resolved X-ray reciprocal space mapping has been used to determine the absolute state of strain as well as the bulk lattice parameters of VO2 at 100 °C. For the thinnest film (15 nm), the state of strain is dominated by the film/substrate lattice mismatch yielding an in-plane tensile strain which, in turn, shifts both the MIT and the SPT towards lower temperatures. Conversely, for the thickest film (100 nm), the epitaxial strain is relaxed, so that the state of strain is dominated by the VO2/TiO2 thermal expansion mismatch which is responsible for a compressive in-plane strain. In all cases, a swelling of the strain-free VO2 unit-cell is observed which indicates the presence of interfacial oxygen vacancies and/or Ti diffusion into the VO2 films. The presence of oxygen vacancies stabilizes the metallic rutile phase and counterbalances the action of thermal strain on the MIT and the SPT and degrades the electric properties for the thinnest film. For the thickest film, the resistivity ratio is 6.4 × 104.

Parallel Nanoshaping of Brittle Semiconductor Nanowires for Strained Electronics.

PubMed

Hu, Yaowu; Li, Ji; Tian, Jifa; Xuan, Yi; Deng, Biwei; McNear, Kelly L; Lim, Daw Gen; Chen, Yong; Yang, Chen; Cheng, Gary J

2016-12-14

Semiconductor nanowires (SCNWs) provide a unique tunability of electro-optical property than their bulk counterparts (e.g., polycrystalline thin films) due to size effects. Nanoscale straining of SCNWs is desirable to enable new ways to tune the properties of SCNWs, such as electronic transport, band structure, and quantum properties. However, there are two bottlenecks to prevent the real applications of straining engineering of SCNWs: strainability and scalability. Unlike metallic nanowires which are highly flexible and mechanically robust for parallel shaping, SCNWs are brittle in nature and could easily break at strains slightly higher than their elastic limits. In addition, the ability to generate nanoshaping in large scale is limited with the current technologies, such as the straining of nanowires with sophisticated manipulators, nanocombing NWs with U-shaped trenches, or buckling NWs with prestretched elastic substrates, which are incompatible with semiconductor technology. Here we present a top-down fabrication methodology to achieve large scale nanoshaping of SCNWs in parallel with tunable elastic strains. This method utilizes nanosecond pulsed laser to generate shock pressure and conformably deform the SCNWs onto 3D-nanostructured silicon substrates in a scalable and ultrafast manner. A polymer dielectric nanolayer is integrated in the process for cushioning the high strain-rate deformation, suppressing the generation of dislocations or cracks, and providing self-preserving mechanism for elastic strain storage in SCNWs. The elastic strain limits have been studied as functions of laser intensity, dimensions of nanowires, and the geometry of nanomolds. As a result of 3D straining, the inhomogeneous elastic strains in GeNWs result in notable Raman peak shifts and broadening, which bring more tunability of the electrical-optical property in SCNWs than traditional strain engineering. We have achieved the first 3D nanostraining enhanced germanium field-effect transistors from GeNWs. Due to laser shock induced straining effect, a more than 2-fold hole mobility enhancement and a 120% transconductance enhancement are obtained from the fabricated back-gated field effect transistors. The presented nanoshaping of SCNWs provide new ways to manipulate nanomaterials with tunable electrical-optical properties and open up many opportunities for nanoelectronics, the nanoelectrical-mechanical system, and quantum devices.

A model for hydrostatic consolidation of Pierre shale

USGS Publications Warehouse

Savage, W.Z.; Braddock, W.A.

1991-01-01

This paper presents closed-form solutions for consolidation of transversely isotropic porous media under hydrostatic stress. The solutions are applied to model the time variation of pore pressure, volume strain and strains parallel and normal to bedding, and to obtain coefficients of consolidation and permeability, as well as other properties, and the bulk modulus resulting from hydrostatic consolidation of Pierre shale. It is found that the coefficients consolidation and permeability decrease and the bulk moduli increase with increasing confining pressure, reflecting the closure of voids in the rock. ?? 1991.

Systems and Methods for Implementing Bulk Metallic Glass-Based Macroscale Compliant Mechanisms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hofmann, Douglas C. (Inventor); Agnes, Gregory (Inventor)

2017-01-01

Systems and methods in accordance with embodiments of the invention implement bulk metallic glass-based macroscale compliant mechanisms. In one embodiment, a bulk metallic glass-based macroscale compliant mechanism includes: a flexible member that is strained during the normal operation of the compliant mechanism; where the flexible member has a thickness of 0.5 mm; where the flexible member comprises a bulk metallic glass-based material; and where the bulk metallic glass-based material can survive a fatigue test that includes 1000 cycles under a bending loading mode at an applied stress to ultimate strength ratio of 0.25.

Mechanical properties of novel forms of graphyne under strain: A density functional theory study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majidi, Roya

2017-06-01

The mechanical properties of two forms of graphyne sheets named α-graphyne and α2-graphyne under uniaxial and biaxial strains were studied. In-plane stiffness, bulk modulus, and shear modulus were calculated based on density functional theory. The in-plane stiffness, bulk modulus, and shear modulus of α2-graphyne were found to be larger than that of α-graphyne. The maximum values of supported uniaxial and biaxial strains before failure were determined. The α-graphyne was entered into the plastic region with the higher magnitude of tension in comparison to α2-graphyne. The mechanical properties of α-graphyne family revealed that these forms of graphyne are proper materials for use in nanomechanical applications.

Effect of Cu addition on the martensitic transformation of powder metallurgy processed Ti–Ni alloys

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

Kim, Yeon-wook, E-mail: ywk@gw.kmu.ac.kr; Choi, Eunsoo

2014-10-15

Highlights: • M{sub s} of Ti{sub 50}Ni{sub 50} powders is 22 °C, while M{sub s} of SPS-sintered porous bulk increases up to 50 °C. • M{sub s} of Ti{sub 50}Ni{sub 40}Cu{sub 20} porous bulk is only 2 °C higher than that of the powders. • Recovered stain of porous TiNi and TiNiCu alloy is more than 1.5%. - Abstract: Ti{sub 50}Ni{sub 50} and Ti{sub 50}Ni{sub 30}Cu{sub 20} powders were prepared by gas atomization and their transformation behaviors were examined by means of differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction. One-step B2–B19’ transformation occurred in Ti{sub 50}Ni{sub 50} powders, while Ti{sub 50}Ni{submore » 30}Cu{sub 20} powders showed B2–B19 transformation behavior. Porous bulks with 24% porosity were fabricated by spark plasma sintering. The martensitic transformation start temperature (50 °C) of Ti{sub 50}Ni{sub 50} porous bulk is much higher than that (22 °C) of the as-solidified powders. However, the martensitic transformation start temperature (35 °C) of Ti{sub 50}Ni{sub 30}Cu{sub 20} porous bulk is almost the same as that (33 °C) of the powders. When the specimens were compressed to the strain of 8% and then unloaded, the residual strains of Ti{sub 50}Ni{sub 50} and Ti{sub 50}Ni{sub 30}Cu{sub 20} alloy bulks were 3.95 and 3.7%, respectively. However, these residual strains were recovered up to 1.7% after heating by the shape memory phenomenon.« less

An environment-dependent semi-empirical tight binding model suitable for electron transport in bulk metals, metal alloys, metallic interfaces, and metallic nanostructures. II. Application—Effect of quantum confinement and homogeneous strain on Cu conductance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hegde, Ganesh; Povolotskyi, Michael; Kubis, Tillmann; Charles, James; Klimeck, Gerhard

2014-03-01

The Semi-Empirical tight binding model developed in Part I Hegde et al. [J. Appl. Phys. 115, 123703 (2014)] is applied to metal transport problems of current relevance in Part II. A systematic study of the effect of quantum confinement, transport orientation, and homogeneous strain on electronic transport properties of Cu is carried out. It is found that quantum confinement from bulk to nanowire boundary conditions leads to significant anisotropy in conductance of Cu along different transport orientations. Compressive homogeneous strain is found to reduce resistivity by increasing the density of conducting modes in Cu. The [110] transport orientation in Cu nanowires is found to be the most favorable for mitigating conductivity degradation since it shows least reduction in conductance with confinement and responds most favorably to compressive strain.

Total Ionizing Dose Effects on Strained Ge pMOS FinFETs on Bulk Si

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

Zhang, En Xia; Fleetwood, Daniel M.; Hachtel, Jordan A.

2016-12-02

In this paper, we have characterized the total ionizing dose response of strained Ge p MOS FinFETs built on bulk Si using a fin replacement process. Devices irradiated to 1.0 Mrad(SiO 2) show minimal transconductance degradation (less than 5%), very small V th shifts (less than 40 mV in magnitude) and very little ON/OFF current ratio degradation (<5%), and only modest variation in radiation response with transistor geometry (typically less than normal part-to-part variation). Both before and after irradiation, the performance of these strained Ge p MOS FinFETs is far superior to that of past generations of planar Ge pmore » MOS devices. Finally, these improved properties result from significant improvements in processing technology, as well as the enhanced gate control provided by the strained Ge FinFET technology.« less

Cell wall elasticity: I. A critique of the bulk elastic modulus approach and an analysis using polymer elastic principles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, H. I.; Spence, R. D.; Sharpe, P. J.; Goeschl, J. D.

1985-01-01

The traditional bulk elastic modulus approach to plant cell pressure-volume relations is inconsistent with its definition. The relationship between the bulk modulus and Young's modulus that forms the basis of their usual application to cell pressure-volume properties is demonstrated to be physically meaningless. The bulk modulus describes stress/strain relations of solid, homogeneous bodies undergoing small deformations, whereas the plant cell is best described as a thin-shelled, fluid-filled structure with a polymer base. Because cell walls possess a polymer structure, an alternative method of mechanical analysis is presented using polymer elasticity principles. This initial study presents the groundwork of polymer mechanics as would be applied to cell walls and discusses how the matrix and microfibrillar network induce nonlinear stress/strain relationships in the cell wall in response to turgor pressure. In subsequent studies, these concepts will be expanded to include anisotropic expansion as regulated by the microfibrillar network.

The effect of inter-granular constraints on the response of polycrystalline piezoelectric ceramics at the surface and in the bulk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hossain, Mohammad J.; Wang, Zhiyang; Khansur, Neamul H.; Kimpton, Justin A.; Oddershede, Jette; Daniels, John E.

2016-08-01

The electro-mechanical coupling mechanisms in polycrystalline ferroelectric materials, including a soft PbZrxTi1-xO3 (PZT) and lead-free 0.9375(Bi1/2Na1/2)TiO3-0.0625BaTiO3 (BNT-6.25BT), have been studied using a surface sensitive low-energy (12.4 keV) and bulk sensitive high-energy (73 keV) synchrotron X-ray diffraction with in situ electric fields. The results show that for tetragonal PZT at a maximum electric field of 2.8 kV/mm, the electric-field-induced lattice strain (ɛ111) is 20% higher at the surface than in the bulk, and non-180° ferroelectric domain texture (as indicated by the intensity ratio I002/I200) is 16% higher at the surface. In the case of BNT-6.25BT, which is pseudo-cubic up to fields of 2 kV/mm, lattice strains, ɛ111 and ɛ200, are 15% and 20% higher at the surface, while in the mixed tetragonal and rhombohedral phases at 5 kV/mm, the domain texture indicated by the intensity ratio, I 111 / I 11 1 ¯ and I002/I200, are 12% and 10% higher at the surface than in the bulk, respectively. The observed difference in the strain contributions between the surface and bulk is suggested to result from the fact that surface grains are not constrained in three dimensions, and consequently, domain reorientation and lattice expansion in surface grains are promoted. It is suggested that the magnitude of property difference between the surface and bulk is higher for the PZT than for BNT-6.25BT due to the level of anisotropy in the strain mechanism. The comparison of the results from different methods demonstrates that the intergranular constraints have a significant influence on the electric-field-induced electro-mechanical responses in polycrystalline ferroelectrics. These results have implications for the design of higher performance polycrystalline piezoelectrics.

Effect of dead layer and strain on diffuse phase transition of PLZT relaxor thin films.

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

Tong, S.; Narayanan, M.; Ma, B.

2011-02-01

Bulk relaxor ferroelectrics exhibit excellent permittivity compared to their thin film counterpart, although both show diffuse phase transition (DPT) behavior unlike normal ferroelectrics. To better understand the effect of dead layer and strain on the observed anomaly in the dielectric properties, we have developed relaxor PLZT (lead lanthanum zirconate titanate) thin films with different thicknesses and measured their dielectric properties as a function of temperature and frequency. The effect of dead layer on thin film permittivity has been found to be independent of temperature and frequency, and is governed by the Schottky barrier between the platinum electrode and PLZT. Themore » total strain (thermal and intrinsic) in the film majorly determines the broadening, dielectric peak and temperature shift in the relaxor ferroelectric. The Curie-Weiss type law for relaxors has been further modified to incorporate these two effects to accurately predict the DPT behavior of thin film and bulk relaxor ferroelectrics. The dielectric behavior of thin film is predicted by using the bulk dielectric data from literature in the proposed equation, which agree well with the measured dielectric behavior.« less

Measuring the flexoelectric coefficient of bulk barium titanate from a shock wave experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Taotao; Deng, Qian; Liang, Xu; Shen, Shengping

2017-08-01

In this paper, a phenomenon of polarization introduced by shock waves is experimentally studied. Although this phenomenon has been reported previously in the community of physics, this is the first time to link it to flexoelectricity, the coupling between electric polarization and strain gradients in dielectrics. As the shock waves propagate in a dielectric material, electric polarization is thought to be induced by the strain gradient at the shock front. First, we control the first-order hydrogen gas gun to impact and generate shock waves in unpolarized bulk barium titanate (BT) samples. Then, a high-precision oscilloscope is used to measure the voltage generated by the flexoelectric effect. Based on experimental results, strain elastic wave theory, and flexoelectric theory, a longitudinal flexoelectric coefficient of the bulk BT sample is calculated to be μ 11 = 17.33 × 10 - 6 C/m, which is in accord with the published transverse flexoelectric coefficient. This method effectively suppresses the majority of drawbacks in the quasi-static and low frequency dynamic techniques and provides more reliable results of flexoelectric behaviors.

The deformation and failure response of closed-cell PMDI foams subjected to dynamic impact loading

DOE PAGES

Koohbor, Behrad; Mallon, Silas; Kidane, Addis; ...

2015-04-07

The present work aims to investigate the bulk deformation and failure response of closed-cell Polymeric Methylene Diphenyl Diisocyanate (PMDI) foams subjected to dynamic impact loading. First, foam specimens of different initial densities are examined and characterized in quasi-static loading conditions, where the deformation behavior of the samples is quantified in terms of the compressive elastic modulus and effective plastic Poisson's ratio. Then, the deformation response of the foam specimens subjected to direct impact loading is examined by taking into account the effects of material compressibility and inertia stresses developed during deformation, using high speed imaging in conjunction with 3D digitalmore » image correlation. The stress-strain response and the energy absorption as a function of strain rate and initial density are presented and the bulk failure mechanisms are discussed. As a result, it is observed that the initial density of the foam and the applied strain rates have a substantial influence on the strength, bulk failure mechanism and the energy dissipation characteristics of the foam specimens.« less

Ultralight anisotropic foams from layered aligned carbon nanotube sheets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faraji, Shaghayegh; L. Stano, Kelly; Yildiz, Ozkan; Li, Ang; Zhu, Yuntian; Bradford, Philip D.

2015-10-01

In this work, we present large scale, ultralight aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) structures which have densities an order of magnitude lower than CNT arrays, have tunable properties and exhibit resiliency after compression. By stacking aligned sheets of carbon nanotubes and then infiltrating with a pyrolytic carbon (PyC), resilient foam-like materials were produced that exhibited complete recovery from 90% compressive strain. With density as low as 3.8 mg cm-3, the foam structure is over 500 times less dense than bulk graphite. Microscopy revealed that PyC coated the junctions among CNTs, and also increased CNT surface roughness. These changes in the morphology explain the transition from inelastic behavior to foam-like recovery of the layered CNT sheet structure. Mechanical and thermal properties of the foams were tuned for different applications through variation of PyC deposition duration while dynamic mechanical analysis showed no change in mechanical properties over a large temperature range. Observation of a large and linear electrical resistance change during compression of the aligned CNT/carbon (ACNT/C) foams makes strain/pressure sensors a relevant application. The foams have high oil absorption capacities, up to 275 times their own weight, which suggests they may be useful in water treatment and oil spill cleanup. Finally, the ACNT/C foam's high porosity, surface area and stability allow for demonstration of the foams as catalyst support structures.In this work, we present large scale, ultralight aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) structures which have densities an order of magnitude lower than CNT arrays, have tunable properties and exhibit resiliency after compression. By stacking aligned sheets of carbon nanotubes and then infiltrating with a pyrolytic carbon (PyC), resilient foam-like materials were produced that exhibited complete recovery from 90% compressive strain. With density as low as 3.8 mg cm-3, the foam structure is over 500 times less dense than bulk graphite. Microscopy revealed that PyC coated the junctions among CNTs, and also increased CNT surface roughness. These changes in the morphology explain the transition from inelastic behavior to foam-like recovery of the layered CNT sheet structure. Mechanical and thermal properties of the foams were tuned for different applications through variation of PyC deposition duration while dynamic mechanical analysis showed no change in mechanical properties over a large temperature range. Observation of a large and linear electrical resistance change during compression of the aligned CNT/carbon (ACNT/C) foams makes strain/pressure sensors a relevant application. The foams have high oil absorption capacities, up to 275 times their own weight, which suggests they may be useful in water treatment and oil spill cleanup. Finally, the ACNT/C foam's high porosity, surface area and stability allow for demonstration of the foams as catalyst support structures. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr03899e

Suppression of the ferromagnetic state in LaCoO3 films by rhombohedral distortion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuchs, D.; Dieterle, L.; Arac, E.; Eder, R.; Adelmann, P.; Eyert, V.; Kopp, T.; Schneider, R.; Gerthsen, D.; v. Löhneysen, H.

2009-01-01

Epitaxially strained LaCoO3 (LCO) thin films were grown with different film thickness, t , on (001) oriented (LaAlO3)0.3(SrAl0.5Ta0.5O3)0.7 substrates. After initial pseudomorphic growth the films start to relieve their strain partly by the formation of periodic nanotwins with twin planes predominantly along the ⟨100⟩ direction. Nanotwinning occurs already at the initial stage of growth, albeit in a more moderate way. Pseudomorphic grains, on the other hand, still grow up to a thickness of at least several tenths of nanometers. The twinning is attributed to the symmetry lowering of the epitaxially strained pseudotetragonal structure toward the relaxed rhombohedral structure of bulk LCO. However, the unit-cell volume of the pseudotetragonal structure is found to be nearly constant over a very large range of t . Only films with t>130nm show a significant relaxation of the lattice parameters toward values comparable to those of bulk LCO. Measurements of the magnetic moment indicate that the effective paramagnetic moment, meff , and thus the spin state of the Co3+ ion do not change for films with t≤100nm . However, the saturated ferromagnetic moment, ms , was found to be proportional only to the pseudotetragonal part of the film and decreases with increasing rhombohedral distortion. The measurements demonstrate that ferromagnetism of LCO is strongly affected by the rhombohedral distortion while the increased unit-cell volume mainly controls the effective paramagnetic moment and thus the spin state of the Co3+ ion.

A tale of two mechanisms. Strain-softening versus strain-hardening in single crystals under small stressed volumes

DOE PAGES

Bei, Hongbin; Xia, Yuzhi; Barabash, Rozaliya; ...

2015-08-10

Pre-straining defect-free single crystals will introduce heterogeneous dislocation nucleation sources that reduce the measured strength from the theoretical value, while pre-straining bulk samples will lead to strain hardening. Their competition is investigated by nanoindentation pop-in tests on variously pre-strained Mo single crystals with several indenter radii (~micrometer). Pre-straining primarily shifts deformation mechanism from homogeneous dislocation nucleation to a stochastic behavior, while strain hardening plays a secondary role, as summarized in a master plot of pop-in strength versus normalized indenter radius.

Strain stabilization and thickness dependence of magnetism in epitaxial transition metal monosilicide thin films on Si(111)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geisler, Benjamin; Kratzer, Peter

2013-09-01

We present a comprehensive study of different 3d transition metal monosilicides in their ground state crystal structure (B20), ranging from equilibrium bulk over biaxially strained bulk to epitaxial thin films on Si(111), by means of density functional theory. The magnetic properties of MnSi and FeSi films are found to be considerably modified due to the epitaxial strain induced by the substrate. In MnSi bulk material, which can be seen as a limit of thick films, we find a strain-induced volume expansion, an increase of the magnetic moments, and a significant rise of the energy difference between different spin configurations. The latter can be associated with an increase of the Curie temperature, which is in accordance with recent experimental results. While a ferromagnetic spin alignment is found to be the ground state also for ultrathin films, we show that for films of intermediate thickness a partially compensating magnetic ordering is more favorable; however, the films retain a net magnetic moment. Furthermore, we analyze the orbital structure in FeSi around the band gap, which can be located somewhere in the density of states for all studied B20 transition metal monosilicides, and find that FeSi becomes metallic and ferromagnetic under epitaxial strain. Finally, the influence of on-site electronic correlation and the reliability of ab initio calculations for 3d transition metal monosilicides are discussed.

Synthesis and electromechanical characterization of a new acrylic dielectric elastomer with high actuation strain and dielectric strength

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Wei; Niu, Xiaofan; Yang, Xinguo; Zhang, Naifang; Pei, Qibing

2013-04-01

Dielectric Elastomers (DEs) can be actuated under high electric field to produce large strains. Most high-performing DE materials such as the 3M™ VHB™ membranes are commercial products designed for industrial pressure-sensitive adhesives. The limited knowledge of the exact chemical structures of these commercial materials has made it difficult to understand the relationship between molecular structures and electromechanical properties. In this work, new acrylic elastomers based on n-butyl acrylate and acrylic acid were synthesized from monomer solutions by UV-initiated bulk polymerization. The new acrylic copolymers have a potential to obtain high dielectric constant, actuation strain, dielectric strength, and a high energy density. Silicone and ester oligomer diacrylates were also added onto the copolymer structures to suppress crystallization and to crosslink the polymer chains. Four acrylic formulations were developed with different amounts of acrylic acid. This gives a tunable stiffness, while the dielectric constant is varied from 4.3 to 7.1. The figure-of-merit performance of the best formulation is 186 % area strain, 222 MV/m of dielectric strength, and 2.7 MJ/m3 of energy density. To overcome electromechanical instability, different prestrain ratios were investigated, and under the optimized prestrain, the material has a lifetime of thousands of cycles at 120 % area strain.

High-resolution 2-D Bragg diffraction reveal heterogeneous domain transformation behavior in a bulk relaxor ferroelectric

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

Pramanick, Abhijit, E-mail: apramani@cityu.edu.hk; Stoica, Alexandru D.; An, Ke

2016-08-29

In-situ measurement of fine-structure of neutron Bragg diffraction peaks from a relaxor single-crystal using a time-of-flight instrument reveals highly heterogeneous mesoscale domain transformation behavior under applied electric fields. It is observed that only ∼25% of domains undergo reorientation or phase transition contributing to large average strains, while at least 40% remain invariant and exhibit microstrains. Such insights could be central for designing new relaxor materials with better performance and longevity. The current experimental technique can also be applied to resolve complex mesoscale phenomena in other functional materials.

High-resolution 2-D Bragg diffraction reveal heterogeneous domain transformation behavior in a bulk relaxor ferroelectric

DOE PAGES

Pramanick, Abhijit; Stoica, Alexandru D.; An, Ke

2016-09-02

In-situ measurement of fine-structure of neutron Bragg diffraction peaks from a relaxor single-crystal using a time-of-flight instrument reveals highly heterogeneous mesoscale domain transformation behavior under applied electric fields. We observed that only 25% of domains undergo reorienta- tion or phase transition contributing to large average strains, while at least 40% remain invariant and exhibit microstrains. Such insights could be central for designing new relaxor materials with better performance and longevity. The current experimental technique can also be applied to resolve com- plex mesoscale phenomena in other functional materials.

Local Probing of Magnetoelectric Coupling and Magnetoelastic Control of Switching in BiFeO3-CoFe2O4 Thin-Film Nanocomposite

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-07-25

at remanent state (Fig. 4(d)). The obtained ME coefficient (the highest value we measure is 102 mV/ cm/Oe) and is comparable to that of bulk PZT -CFO...For a large field (H > Hc), a mag- netostrictive strain (k) must be already saturated and the ME coefficient estimated (Fig. 4) should be nearly...zero at high field (as a function of piezomagnetic coefficient (dk=dH), leading to a maximum in the ME response near Hc. That this is not observed can be

Covalent nitrogen doping in molecular beam epitaxy-grown and bulk WSe2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khosravi, Ava; Addou, Rafik; Smyth, Christopher M.; Yue, Ruoyu; Cormier, Christopher R.; Kim, Jiyoung; Hinkle, Christopher L.; Wallace, Robert M.

2018-02-01

Covalent p-type doping of WSe2 thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy and WSe2 exfoliated from bulk crystals is achieved via remote nitrogen plasma exposure. X-ray photoelectron and Raman spectroscopies indicate covalently bonded nitrogen in the WSe2 lattice as well as tunable nitrogen concentration with N2 plasma exposure time. Furthermore, nitrogen incorporation induces compressive strain on the WSe2 lattice after N2 plasma exposure. Finally, atomic force microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy reveal that N2 plasma treatment needs to be carefully tuned to avoid any unwanted strain or surface damage.

Phase transition in bulk single crystals and thin films of V O 2 by nanoscale infrared spectroscopy and imaging

DOE PAGES

Liu, Mengkun; Sternbach, Aaron J.; Wagner, Martin; ...

2015-06-29

We have systematically studied a variety of vanadium dioxide (VO 2) crystalline forms, including bulk single crystals and oriented thin films, using infrared (IR) near-field spectroscopic imaging techniques. By measuring the IR spectroscopic responses of electrons and phonons in VO 2 with sub-grain-size spatial resolution (~20nm), we show that epitaxial strain in VO 2 thin films not only triggers spontaneous local phase separations, but leads to intermediate electronic and lattice states that are intrinsically different from those found in bulk. Generalized rules of strain- and symmetry-dependent mesoscopic phase inhomogeneity are also discussed. Furthermore, these results set the stage for amore » comprehensive understanding of complex energy landscapes that may not be readily determined by macroscopic approaches.« less

Effect of Local Post Weld Heat Treatment on Tensile Properties in Friction Stir Welded 2219-O Al Alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Guannan; Sun, Lei; Lin, Caiyuan; Lin, Yanli

2017-11-01

To improve the formability of the aluminum alloy welds and overcome the size limitation of the bulk post weld heat treatment (BPWHT) on large size friction stir welded joints, a local post weld heat treatment method (LPWHT) was proposed. In this method, the resistance heating as the moving heat source is adopted to only heat the weld seam. The temperature field of LPWHT and its influence on the mechanical properties and formability of FSW 2219-O Al alloy joints was investigated. The evaluation of the tensile properties of FSW samples was also examined by mapping the global and local strain distribution using the digital image correlation methodology. The results indicated that the formability was improved greatly after LPWHT, while the hardness distribution of the FSW joint was homogenized. The maximum elongation can reach 1.4 times that of as-welded joints with increase the strength and the strain of the nugget zone increased from 3 to 8% when annealing at 300 °C. The heterogeneity on the tensile deformation of the as-welded joints was improved by the nugget zone showing large local strain value and the reason was given according to the dimple fracture characteristics at different annealing temperatures. The tensile strength and elongation of LPWHT can reach 93.3 and 96.1% of the BPWHT, respectively. Thus, the LPWHT can be advantageous compared to the BPWHT for large size welds.

Strain-induced high-temperature perovskite ferromagnetic insulator.

PubMed

Meng, Dechao; Guo, Hongli; Cui, Zhangzhang; Ma, Chao; Zhao, Jin; Lu, Jiangbo; Xu, Hui; Wang, Zhicheng; Hu, Xiang; Fu, Zhengping; Peng, Ranran; Guo, Jinghua; Zhai, Xiaofang; Brown, Gail J; Knize, Randy; Lu, Yalin

2018-03-20

Ferromagnetic insulators are required for many new magnetic devices, such as dissipationless quantum-spintronic devices, magnetic tunneling junctions, etc. Ferromagnetic insulators with a high Curie temperature and a high-symmetry structure are critical integration with common single-crystalline oxide films or substrates. So far, the commonly used ferromagnetic insulators mostly possess low-symmetry structures associated with a poor growth quality and widespread properties. The few known high-symmetry materials either have extremely low Curie temperatures (≤16 K), or require chemical doping of an otherwise antiferromagnetic matrix. Here we present compelling evidence that the LaCoO 3 single-crystalline thin film under tensile strain is a rare undoped perovskite ferromagnetic insulator with a remarkably high T C of up to 90 K. Both experiments and first-principles calculations demonstrate tensile-strain-induced ferromagnetism which does not exist in bulk LaCoO 3 The ferromagnetism is strongest within a nearly stoichiometric structure, disappearing when the Co 2+ defect concentration reaches about 10%. Significant impact of the research includes demonstration of a strain-induced high-temperature ferromagnetic insulator, successful elevation of the transition over the liquid-nitrogen temperature, and high potential for integration into large-area device fabrication processes. Copyright © 2018 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

Strain-induced vertical self-organization of semiconductor quantum dots: A computational study

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

Shtinkov, N., E-mail: nshtinkov@uottawa.ca

Atomistic strain simulations based on the valence force field method are employed to study the vertical arrangements of semiconductor quantum dot (QD) multilayers. The effects of the QD shape, dimensions, and materials parameters are systematically investigated, varying independently the following parameters: spacer width H, QD lateral spacing D, base b, and height h, slope of the side facets, elastic properties of the dot and the substrate materials, and lattice mismatch between the dot and the substrate. The transition between vertically aligned and anti-aligned structures is found to be determined mainly by the ratios H/D and b/D, as well as bymore » the strain anisotropy of the substrate and to a lesser extent of the QD. The dependence on the QD height h is significant only for steep side facets and large aspect ratios h/b, and the effects of the lattice mismatch strain and the bulk elastic moduli are found to be negligible. The comparison with experimental data shows an excellent agreement with the results from the simulations, demonstrating that the presented analysis results in precise theoretical predictions for the vertical self-organization regime in a wide range of QD materials systems.« less

A vacuum-actuated microtissue stretcher for long-term exposure to oscillatory strain within a 3D matrix.

PubMed

Walker, Matthew; Godin, Michel; Pelling, Andrew E

2018-05-28

Although our understanding of cellular behavior in response to extracellular biological and mechanical stimuli has greatly advanced using conventional 2D cell culture methods, these techniques lack physiological relevance. To a cell, the extracellular environment of a 2D plastic petri dish is artificially flat, extremely rigid, static and void of matrix protein. In contrast, we developed the microtissue vacuum-actuated stretcher (MVAS) to probe cellular behavior within a 3D multicellular environment composed of innate matrix protein, and in response to continuous uniaxial stretch. An array format, compatibility with live imaging and high-throughput fabrication techniques make the MVAS highly suited for biomedical research and pharmaceutical discovery. We validated our approach by characterizing the bulk microtissue strain, the microtissue strain field and single cell strain, and by assessing F-actin expression in response to chronic cyclic strain of 10%. The MVAS was shown to be capable of delivering reproducible dynamic bulk strain amplitudes up to 13%. The strain at the single cell level was found to be 10.4% less than the microtissue axial strain due to cellular rotation. Chronic cyclic strain produced a 35% increase in F-actin expression consistent with cytoskeletal reinforcement previously observed in 2D cell culture. The MVAS may further our understanding of the reciprocity shared between cells and their environment, which is critical to meaningful biomedical research and successful therapeutic approaches.

Microstructural dependency of optical properties of m-plane InGaN multiple quantum wells grown on 2° misoriented bulk GaN substrates

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

Tang, Fengzai; Barnard, Jonathan S.; Zhu, Tongtong

A non-polar m-plane structure consisting of five InGaN/GaN quantum wells (QWs) was grown on ammonothermal bulk GaN by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy. Surface step bunches propagating through the QW stack were found to accommodate the 2° substrate miscut towards the -c direction. Both large steps with heights of a few tens of nanometres and small steps between one and a few atomic layers in height are observed, the former of which exhibit cathodoluminescence at longer wavelengths than the adjacent m-plane terraces. This is attributed to the formation of semi-polar facets at the steps on which the QWs are shown tomore » be thicker and have higher Indium contents than those in the adjacent m-plane regions. Discrete basal-plane stacking faults (BSFs) were occasionally initiated from the QWs on the main m-plane terraces, but groups of BSFs were frequently observed to initiate from those on the large steps, probably related to the increased strain associated with the locally higher indium content and thickness.« less

The elastocaloric effect of Ni50.8Ti49.2 shape memory alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Min; Li, Yushuang; Zhang, Chen; Li, Shaojie; Wu, Erfu; Li, Wei; Li, Laifeng

2018-04-01

Solid-state cooling technologies are considered as possible alternatives for vapor compression cooling systems. The elastocaloric cooling (whose caloric effects are driven by uniaxial stress) technology, as an efficient and clean solid-state cooling technology, is receiving a great deal of attention very recently. Herein, a NiTi-based elastocaloric bulk material was reported. A large coefficient-of-performance of the material (COPmater) of 4.5 was obtained, which was even higher than that of other NiTi bulk materials. The temperature changes (ΔT) increased with increasing applied strain (ɛ), and reached 18 K upon loading and  -11 K upon unloading when the ɛ value increased to 4%. The high temperature changes were attributed to the large stress-induced entropy changes (the maximum ΔS σ value was 37 J kg-1 K-1). The temperature changes decreased with loading-unloading tensile cycles, and stabilized at 6.5 K upon loading and  -6 K upon unloading after tens of mechanical cycles. The Ni50.8Ti49.2 shape memory alloy showed great promise for application in solid-state refrigeration (or as heat pumps).

Three-dimensionally bonded spongy graphene material with super compressive elasticity and near-zero Poisson’s ratio

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Yingpeng; Yi, Ningbo; Huang, Lu; Zhang, Tengfei; Fang, Shaoli; Chang, Huicong; Li, Na; Oh, Jiyoung; Lee, Jae Ah; Kozlov, Mikhail; Chipara, Alin C.; Terrones, Humberto; Xiao, Peishuang; Long, Guankui; Huang, Yi; Zhang, Fan; Zhang, Long; Lepró, Xavier; Haines, Carter; Lima, Márcio Dias; Lopez, Nestor Perea; Rajukumar, Lakshmy P.; Elias, Ana L.; Feng, Simin; Kim, Seon Jeong; Narayanan, N. T.; Ajayan, Pulickel M.; Terrones, Mauricio; Aliev, Ali; Chu, Pengfei; Zhang, Zhong; Baughman, Ray H.; Chen, Yongsheng

2015-01-01

It is a challenge to fabricate graphene bulk materials with properties arising from the nature of individual graphene sheets, and which assemble into monolithic three-dimensional structures. Here we report the scalable self-assembly of randomly oriented graphene sheets into additive-free, essentially homogenous graphene sponge materials that provide a combination of both cork-like and rubber-like properties. These graphene sponges, with densities similar to air, display Poisson’s ratios in all directions that are near-zero and largely strain-independent during reversible compression to giant strains. And at the same time, they function as enthalpic rubbers, which can recover up to 98% compression in air and 90% in liquids, and operate between -196 and 900 °C. Furthermore, these sponges provide reversible liquid absorption for hundreds of cycles and then discharge it within seconds, while still providing an effective near-zero Poisson’s ratio.

Three-dimensionally bonded spongy graphene material with super compressive elasticity and near-zero Poisson's ratio.

PubMed

Wu, Yingpeng; Yi, Ningbo; Huang, Lu; Zhang, Tengfei; Fang, Shaoli; Chang, Huicong; Li, Na; Oh, Jiyoung; Lee, Jae Ah; Kozlov, Mikhail; Chipara, Alin C; Terrones, Humberto; Xiao, Peishuang; Long, Guankui; Huang, Yi; Zhang, Fan; Zhang, Long; Lepró, Xavier; Haines, Carter; Lima, Márcio Dias; Lopez, Nestor Perea; Rajukumar, Lakshmy P; Elias, Ana L; Feng, Simin; Kim, Seon Jeong; Narayanan, N T; Ajayan, Pulickel M; Terrones, Mauricio; Aliev, Ali; Chu, Pengfei; Zhang, Zhong; Baughman, Ray H; Chen, Yongsheng

2015-01-20

It is a challenge to fabricate graphene bulk materials with properties arising from the nature of individual graphene sheets, and which assemble into monolithic three-dimensional structures. Here we report the scalable self-assembly of randomly oriented graphene sheets into additive-free, essentially homogenous graphene sponge materials that provide a combination of both cork-like and rubber-like properties. These graphene sponges, with densities similar to air, display Poisson's ratios in all directions that are near-zero and largely strain-independent during reversible compression to giant strains. And at the same time, they function as enthalpic rubbers, which can recover up to 98% compression in air and 90% in liquids, and operate between -196 and 900 °C. Furthermore, these sponges provide reversible liquid absorption for hundreds of cycles and then discharge it within seconds, while still providing an effective near-zero Poisson's ratio.

Lattice structure and magnetization of LaCoO3 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rata, A. D.; Herklotz, A.; Schultz, L.; Dörr, K.

2010-07-01

We investigate the structure and magnetic properties of thin films of the LaCoO3 compound. Thin films are deposited by pulsed laser deposition on various substrates in order to tune the strain from compressive to tensile. Single-phase (001) oriented LaCoO3 layers were grown on all substrates despite large misfits. The tetragonal distortion of the films covers a wide range from -2% to 2.8%. Our LaCoO3 films are ferromagnetic with Curie temperature around 85 K, contrary to the bulk. The total magnetic moment is below 1 μ B /Co3+, a value relatively small for an exited spin-state of the Co3+ ions, but comparable to values reported in literature. A correlation of strain states and magnetic moment of Co3+ ions in LaCoO3 thin films is observed.

Electrical fatigue behaviour in lead zirconate titanate: an experimental and theoretical study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharyya, Mainak; Arockiarajan, A.

2013-08-01

A systematic investigation on electrical fatigue in lead zirconate titanate (PZT) is carried out for different loading frequencies. Experiments are conducted up to 106 cycles to measure the electrical displacement and longitudinal strain on bulk ceramics in the bipolar mode with large electrical loading conditions. A simplified macroscopic model based on physical mechanisms of domain switching is developed to predict the non-linear behaviour. In this model, the volume fraction of a domain is used as the internal variable by considering the mechanisms of domain nucleation and propagation (domain wall movement). The measured material properties at different fatigue cycles are incorporated into the switching model as damage parameters and the classical strain versus electric field and electric displacement versus electric field curves are simulated. Comparison between the experiments and simulations shows that the proposed model can reproduce the characteristics of non-linear as well as fatigue responses.

A Continuum Damage Mechanics Model to Predict Kink-Band Propagation Using Deformation Gradient Tensor Decomposition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bergan, Andrew C.; Leone, Frank A., Jr.

2016-01-01

A new model is proposed that represents the kinematics of kink-band formation and propagation within the framework of a mesoscale continuum damage mechanics (CDM) model. The model uses the recently proposed deformation gradient decomposition approach to represent a kink band as a displacement jump via a cohesive interface that is embedded in an elastic bulk material. The model is capable of representing the combination of matrix failure in the frame of a misaligned fiber and instability due to shear nonlinearity. In contrast to conventional linear or bilinear strain softening laws used in most mesoscale CDM models for longitudinal compression, the constitutive response of the proposed model includes features predicted by detailed micromechanical models. These features include: 1) the rotational kinematics of the kink band, 2) an instability when the peak load is reached, and 3) a nonzero plateau stress under large strains.

Catastrophic optical bulk degradation in high-power single- and multi-mode InGaAs-AlGaAs strained QW lasers: part II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sin, Yongkun; Ayvazian, Talin; Brodie, Miles; Lingley, Zachary

2018-03-01

High-power single-mode (SM) and multi-mode (MM) InGaAs-AlGaAs strained quantum well (QW) lasers are critical components for both terrestrial and space satellite communications systems. Since these lasers predominantly fail by catastrophic and sudden degradation due to catastrophic optical damage (COD), it is especially crucial for space satellite applications to investigate reliability, failure modes, precursor signatures of failure, and degradation mechanisms of these lasers. Our group reported a new failure mode in MM and SM InGaAs-AlGaAs strained QW lasers in 2009 and 2016, respectively. Our group also reported in 2017 that bulk failure due to catastrophic optical bulk damage (COBD) is the dominant failure mode of both SM and MM lasers that were subject to long-term life-tests. For the present study, we continued our physics of failure investigation by performing long-term life-tests followed by failure mode analysis (FMA) using nondestructive and destructive micro-analytical techniques. We performed long-term accelerated life-tests on state-of-the-art SM and MM InGaAs- AlGaAs strained QW lasers under ACC mode. Our life-tests have accumulated over 25,000 test hours for SM lasers and over 35,000 test hours for MM lasers. We first employed electron beam induced current (EBIC) technique to identify failure modes of degraded SM lasers by observing dark line defects. All the SM failures that we studied showed catastrophic and sudden degradation and all of these failures were bulk failures. Since degradation mechanisms responsible for COBD are still not well understood, we also employed other techniques including focused ion beam (FIB) and high-resolution TEM to further study dark line defects and dislocations in post-aged lasers. Keywor

Identification of Defect Candidates and their Effects on Carrier Lifetimes and Dark Currents in InAs/InAsSb Strained-Layer Superlattices for Infrared Detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kioussis, Nicholas

The InAs/GaSb and InAs/InAsSb type-II strain-layer superlattices (T2SLS) are of great importance and show great promise for mid-wave and long-wave infrared (IR) detectors for a variety of civil and military applications. The T2SLS offer several advantages over present day detection technologies including suppressed Auger recombination relative to the bulk MCT material, high quantum efficiencies, and commercial availability of low defect density substrates. While the T2SLS detectors are approaching the empirical Rule-07 benchmark of MCT's performance level, the dark-current density is still significantly higher than that of bulk MCT detectors. One of the major origins of dark current is associated with the Shockley-Read- Hall (SRH) process in the depletion region of the detector. I will present results of ab initio electronic structure calculations of the stability of a wide range of point defects [As and In vacancies, In, As and Sb antisites, In interstitials, As interstitials, and Sb interstitials] in various charged states in bulk InAs, InSb, and InAsSb systems and T2SLS. I will also present results of the transition energy levels. The calculations reveal that compared to defects in bulk materials, the formation and defect properties in InAs/InAsSb T2SLS can be affected by various structural features, such as strain, interface, and local chemical environment. I will present examples where the effect of strain or local chemical environment shifts the transition energy levels of certain point defects either above or below the conduction band minimum, thus suppressing their contribution to the SRH recombination.

Characterization of crystallographic properties of thin films using X-ray diffraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zoo, Yeongseok

2007-12-01

Silver (Ag) has been recognized as one of promising candidates in Ultra-Large Scale Integrated (ULSI) applications in that it has the lowest bulk electrical resistivity of all pure metals and higher electromigration resistance than other interconnect materials. However, low thermal stability on Silicon Dioxide (Si02) at high temperatures (e.g., agglomeration) is considered a drawback for the Ag metallization scheme. Moreover, if a thin film is attached on a substrate, its properties may differ significantly from that of the bulk, since the properties of thin films can be significantly affected by the substrate. In this study, the Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) and texture evolution of Ag thin films on different substrates were characterized using various analytical techniques. The experimental results showed that the CTE of the Ag thin film was significantly affected by underlying substrate and the surface roughness of substrate. To investigate the alloying effect for Ag meatallization, small amounts of Copper (Cu) were added and characterized using theta-2theta X-ray Diffraction (XRD) scan and pole figure analysis. These XRD techniques are useful for investigating the primary texture of a metal film, (111) in this study, which (111) is the notation of a specific plane in the orthogonal coordinate system. They revealed that the (111) textures of Ag and Ag(Cu) thin films were enhanced with increasing temperature. Comparison of texture profiles between Ag and Ag(Cu) thin films showed that Cu additions enhanced (111) texture in Ag thin films. Accordingly, the texture enhancement in Ag thin films by Cu addition was discussed. Strained Silicon-On-Insulator (SSOI) is being considered as a potential substrate for Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) technology since the induced strain results in a significant improvement in device performance. High resolution X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques were used to characterize the perpendicular and parallel strains in SSOI layers. XRD diffraction profiles generated from the crystalline SSOI layer provided a direct measurement of the layer's strain components. In addition, it has demonstrated that the rotational misalignment between the layer and the substrate can be incorporated within the biaxial strain equations for epitaxial layers. Based on these results, the strain behavior of the SSOI layer and the relation between strained Si and SiO2 layers are discussed for annealed samples.

Application of viscoelastic, viscoplastic, and rate-and-state friction constitutive laws to the deformation of unconsolidated sands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hagin, Paul N.

Laboratory experiments on dry, unconsolidated sands from the Wilmington field, CA, reveal significant viscous creep strain under a variety of loading conditions. In hydrostatic compression tests between 10 and 50 MPa of pressure, the creep strain exceeds the magnitude of the instantaneous strain and follows a power law function of time. Interestingly, the viscous effects only appear when loading a sample beyond its preconsolidation pressure. Cyclic loading tests (at quasi-static frequencies of 10-6 to 10 -2 Hz) show that the bulk modulus increases by a factor of two with increasing frequency while attenuation remains constant. I attempt to fit these observations using three classes of models: linear viscoelastic, viscoplastic, and rate-and-state friction models. For the linear viscoelastic modeling, I investigated two types of models; spring-dashpot (exponential) and power law models. I find that a combined power law-Maxwell solid creep model adequately fits all of the data. Extrapolating the power law-Maxwell creep model out to 30 years (to simulate the lifetime of a reservoir) predicts that the static bulk modulus is 25% of the dynamic modulus, in good agreement with field observations. Laboratory studies also reveal that a large portion of the deformation is permanent, suggesting that an elastic-plastic model is appropriate. However, because the viscous component of deformation is significant, an elastic-viscoplastic model is necessary. An appropriate model for unconsolidated sands is developed by incorporating Perzyna (power law) viscoplasticity theory into the modified Cambridge clay cap model. Hydrostatic compression tests conducted as a function of volumetric strain rate produced values for the required model parameters. As a result, by using an end cap model combined with power law viscoplasticity theory, changes in porosity in both the elastic and viscoplastic regimes can be predicted as a function of both stress path and strain rate. To test whether rate-and-state friction laws can be used to model creep strain, I expand the rate-and-state formulation to include deformation under hydrostatic stress boundary conditions. Results show that the expanded rate-and-state formulation successfully describes the creep strain of unconsolidated sand. Finally, I show that the viscoplastic end cap and rate-and-state models are mathematically similar.

Engineering Strain for Improved III-Nitride Optoelectronic Device Performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Den Broeck, Dennis Marnix

Due to growing environmental and economic concerns, renewable energy generation and high-efficiency lighting are becoming even more important in the scientific community. III-Nitride devices have been essential in production of high-brightness light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and are now entering the photovoltaic (PV) realm as the technology advances. InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well LEDs emitting in the blue/green region have emerged as promising candidates for next-generation lighting technologies. Due to the large lattice mismatch between InN and GaN, large electric fields exist within the quantum well layers and result in low rates of radiative recombination, especially for the green spectral region. This is commonly referred to as the "green gap" and results in poor external quantum efficiencies for light-emitting diodes and laser diodes. In order to mitigate the compressive stress of InGaN QWs, a novel growth technique is developed in order to grown thick, strain-relaxed In yGa1-yN templates for 0.08 < y < 0.11. By inserting 2 nm GaN interlayers into the growing InyGa1-yN film, and subsequently annealing the structure, "semibulk" InGaN templates were achieved with vastly superior crystal and optical properties than bulk InGaN films. These semibulk InGaN templates were then utilized as new templates for multiple quantum well active layers, effectively reducing the compressive strain in the InGaN wells due to the larger lattice constant of the InGaN template with respect to a GaN template. A zero-stress balance method was used in order to realize a strain-balanced multiple quantum well structure, which again showed improved optical characteristics when compared to fully-strain active regions. The semibulk InGaN template was then implemented into "strain-compensated" LED structures, where light emission was achieved with very little leakage current. Discussion of these strain-compensated devices compared to conventional LEDs is detailed.

Deformation Behavior and TExture Evolution of Steel Alloys under Axial-Torsional Loading

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

Siriruk, A.; Kant, M.; Penumadu, D.

2011-06-01

Using hollow cylinder samples with suitable geometry obtained from round bar stock, the deformation behavior of bcc Fe based 12L14 steel alloy is evaluated under multi-axial conditions. A stacked strain gage rosette and extensometer mounted on the cylindrical surface at the mid height of the specimen provided strain tensor as a function of applied stress for pure tensile and torsion tests prior to yielding. This study examines elastic and yield behavior and effects of these with respect to texture evolution. Hollow cylinder specimen geometry (tubes) with small wall thickness and relatively (to its thickness) large inner diameter is used. Themore » variation of observed yield surface in deviatoric plane and the effect on mode of deformation (tension versus torsion versus its combination) on stress-strain behavior is discussed. Bulk texture was studied using neutron time-of-flight diffractometer at High-Pressure-Preferred Orientation (HIPPO) - Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) instrument and the evolution of texture and related anisotropy for pure tension versus torsion are also included.« less

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

Lummen, Tom T. A.; Leung, J.; Kumar, Amit

The design of new or enhanced functionality in materials is traditionally viewed as requiring the discovery of new chemical compositions through synthesis. Large property enhancements may however also be hidden within already well-known materials, when their structural symmetry is deviated from equilibrium through a small local strain or field. Here, the discovery of enhanced material properties associated with a new metastable phase of monoclinic symmetry within bulk KNbO3 is reported. This phase is found to coexist with the nominal orthorhombic phase at room temperature, and is both induced by and stabilized with local strains generated by a network of ferroelectricmore » domain walls. While the local microstructural shear strain involved is only approximate to 0.017%, the concurrent symmetry reduction results in an optical second harmonic generation response that is over 550% higher at room temperature. Moreover, the meandering walls of the low-symmetry domains also exhibit enhanced electrical conductivity on the order of 1 S m(-1). This discovery reveals a potential new route to local engineering of significant property enhancements and conductivity through symmetry lowering in ferroelectric crystals.« less

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

Lummen, Tom T. A.; Leung, J.; Kumar, Amit

The design of new or enhanced functionality in materials is traditionally viewed as requiring the discovery of new chemical compositions through synthesis. Large property enhancements may however also be hidden within already well-known materials, when their structural symmetry is deviated from equilibrium through a small local strain or field. Here, the discovery of enhanced material properties associated with a new metastable phase of monoclinic symmetry within bulk KNbO 3 is reported. This phase is found to coexist with the nominal orthorhombic phase at room temperature, and is both induced by and stabilized with local strains generated by a network ofmore » ferroelectric domain walls. While the local microstructural shear strain involved is only ≈0.017%, the concurrent symmetry reduction results in an optical second harmonic generation response that is over 550% higher at room temperature. Moreover, the meandering walls of the low-symmetry domains also exhibit enhanced electrical conductivity on the order of 1 S m -1. In conclusion, this discovery reveals a potential new route to local engineering of significant property enhancements and conductivity through symmetry lowering in ferroelectric crystals.« less

Gravity-driven dense granular flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ertas, Deniz

2002-03-01

Despite their importance in many areas of science and technology, the emergent physics of hard granular systems remain largely obscure, especially when the packing density approaches that of a jammed system. In particular, I will focus on the rheology of gravity-driven dense granular flows on an incline with a ``rough" bottom in two and three dimensions. We have conducted large-scale molecular dynamics simulations of spheres that interact through linear damped spring or Hertzian force laws with a Coulomb failure criterion(D. Ertaş) et al., Europhys. Lett. 56, 214 (2001); L.E. Silbert et al., Phys. Rev. E 64, 051302 (2001).. This flow geometry produces a constant density profile, and reproduces key features of such flows that have been observed experimentally(O. Pouliquen, Phys. Fluids 11), 542 (1999), such as an angle of repose that depends on flow thickness, steady-state solutions at varying heights for a given inclination angle, and the scaling of the mean particle velocity with pile height (< v > ∝ H^3/2). These successes prompted us to carefully examine the rheology in the interior of the pile by measuring the full stress and strain tensors, which are generally unavailable through experiments. The type of force law has little impact on the behavior of the system. The bulk rheology can be approximately described in terms of extensions of Chapman-Enskog theory to dense packings(L. Bocquet et al.), cond-mat/0112072. However, close to the angle of repose, this description fails near the free surface, which exhibits a rheology dominated by normal stress differences that are small in the bulk. This change in rheology can be qualitatively understood in terms of stress-bearing force networks that are continuously formed by ``gravitational inelastic collapse" and destroyed by the imposed strain.

Flexoelectricity as a bulk property

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Resta, Raffaele

2010-03-01

Piezoelectric composites can be created using nonpiezoelectric materials, by exploiting flexoelectricity. This is by definition the linear response of polarization to strain gradient, and is symmetry-allowed even in elemental crystals. However, the basic issue whether flexoelectricity is a bulk or a surface material property is open. We mention that the analogous issue about piezoelectricity is nontrivial either.^1 In this first attempt towards a full theory of flexoelectricity we prove that, for a simple class of strain and strain gradients, flexoelectricity is indeed a bulk effect. The key ingredients of the present theory are the long-range perturbations linearly induced by a unit displacement of a single nucleus in an otherwise perfect crystal: to leading order these are dipolar, quadrupolar, and octupolar. The corresponding tensors have rank 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Whereas dipoles and quadrupoles provide the piezoelectric response,^1 we show that dipoles and octupoles provide the flexoelectric response in nonpiezoelectric crystals. We conjecture that the full dipole and octupole tensors provide the flexoelectric response to the most general form of strain gradient. Our problem has a close relationship to the one of the ``absolute'' deformation potentials, which is based on a similar kind of dipolar and octupolar tensors.^2 ^1 R. M. Martin, Phys. Rev. B 5, 1607 (1972). ^2 R. Resta, L. Colombo and S. Baroni, Phys. Rev. B 41, 12538 (1990).

Occurrence of Staphylococcus aureus in raw milk produced in dairy farms in São Paulo state, Brazil

PubMed Central

Fagundes, Helena; Barchesi, Luciana; Filho, Antonio Nader; Ferreira, Luciano Menezes; Oliveira, Carlos Augusto Fernandes

2010-01-01

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the occurrence of Staphylococcus aureus in milk produced in 37 farms located in the regions of Ribeirão Preto and São Carlos, state of São Paulo, Brazil. Two-hundred and eight samples of milk from individual cows showing subclinical mastitis, and 37 samples of bulk tank milk were analyzed. S. aureus strains were detected in 18 (7.3%) milk samples: 14 (6.7%) from samples of individual cows, and 4 (10.8%) from bulk tank milk. Two individual milk samples (14.3%) and two bulk milk samples contained enterotoxigenic S. aureus. PFGE analysis revealed the genetic heterogeneity of the strains isolated from raw milk, which presented to 13 S. aureus patterns. Results confirmed the potential transmission of staphylococcal food poisoning to consumers via milk of cows affected by subclinical mastitis, mainly when raw milk is ingested. PMID:24031507

Formation and Migration Energies of Interstitials in Silicon Under Strain Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Halicioglu, Timur; Barnett, David M.

1999-01-01

Simulation calculations are conducted for Si substrates to analyze formation and diffusion energies of interstitials under strain condition using statics methods .based on a Stillinger-Weber type potential function. Defects in the vicinity of the surface region and in the bulk are examined, and the role played by compressive and tensile strains on the energetics of interstitials is investigated. Results indicate that strain alters defect energetics which, in turn, modifies their diffusion characteristics.

Experimental analysis of compaction of concrete and mortar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burlion, Nicolas; Pijaudier-Cabot, Gilles; Dahan, Noël

2001-12-01

Compaction of concrete is physically a collapse of the material porous microstructure. It produces plastic strains in the material and, at the same time, an increase of its bulk modulus. This paper presents two experimental techniques aimed at obtaining the hydrostatic response of concrete and mortar. The first one is a uniaxial confined compression test which is quite simple to implement and allows to reach hydrostatic pressures of about 600 MPa. The specimen size is large enough so that concrete with aggregate sizes up to 16 mm can be tested. The second one is a true hydrostatic test performed on smaller (mortar) specimens. Test results show that the hydrostatic response of the material is elasto-plastic with a stiffening effect on both the tangent and unloading bulk moduli. The magnitude of the irreversible volumetric strains depends on the initial porosity of the material. This porosity can be related in a first approximation to the water/cement ratio. A comparison of the hydrostatic responses obtained from the two testing techniques on the same material show that the hydrostatic response of cementitious materials cannot be uncoupled from the deviatoric response, as opposed to the standard assumption in constitutive relations for metal alloys. This feature should be taken into account in the development of constitutive relations for concrete subjected to high confinement pressures which are needed in the modelling of impact problems.

Experimental input for the design of metallic glass/crystalline composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hutchinson, Nicholas Willis

Bulk metallic glasses often exhibit exceptional strength and large elastic strains, but the structural applications of bulk metallic glasses are limited by their extremely low tensile ductility. Below the glass transition temperature of the alloy, plastic deformation occurs primarily in narrow shear bands, which propagate unimpeded through the monolithic glass structure, resulting in catastrophic failure under tensile loading. A number of studies have added crystalline reinforcements to the glassy matrix in an effort to block shear band propagation and increase ductility. The reinforcements in these bulk metallic glass matrix composites (BMGMC's) can be added as ex situ particles or fibers infiltrated by the glass-forming liquid [1], or can be formed in situ, either via devitrification of the glass during post-processing [2] or as a second phase that precipitates from the melt during solidification [3]. The size, distribution, and mechanical properties of the reinforcement phase have significant impact on the ductility of the composite. However, surprisingly little quantitative microstructural information is available for BMGMC's, particularly those formed by precipitation from the melt. In this work, we examine two in situ BMGMC's in which a ductile crystalline phase precipitates during solidification of the melt, resulting in a complex dendritic structure embedded in a continuous glass matrix. A 3D serial sectioning process was used to image the microstructure at regular intervals by removing slices of material using a dual beam focused ion-scanning electron microscope (FIB). Due to the complex nature of the microstructure, measurements of key features were conducted using a 3D measurement method that was developed for this purpose. Experiments were also conducted to provide experimental input for the development and tuning of finite element models. Changes in the elastic modulus of the composite were evaluated over a range of stresses that encompassed the yield point of the composite. An interesting increase in the modulus was observed prior to yielding. The work is concluded with a study of the accumulation of strain within the composite microstructure during tensile loading. The strain was determined and evaluated by a digital image correlation method. [1] R. B. Dandliker, R. D. Conner, and W. L. Johnson, "Melt infiltration casting of bulk metallic-glass matrix composites," J. Mater. Res., vol. 13, no. 10, pp. 2896--2901, 1998. [2] J. Eckert, J. Das, S. Pauly, and C. Duhamel, "Mechanical Properties of Bulk Metallic Glasses and Composites," J. Mater. Res., vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 285--301, 2007. [3] D. C. Hofmann, J.-Y. Suh, A. Wiest, G. Duan, M.-L. Lind, M. D. Demetriou, and W. L. Johnson, "Designing metallic glass matrix composites with high toughness and tensile ductility.," Nature, vol. 451, no. 7182, pp. 1085--9, Feb. 2008.

Measurements of unjacketed moduli of porous rock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarokh, A.; Makhnenko, R. Y.; Labuz, J.

2017-12-01

Coupling of stress and pore pressure appears in a number of applications dealing with subsurface (sedimentary) rock, including petroleum exploration and waste storage. Poroelastic analyses consider the compressibility of the solid constituents forming the rock, and often times solid bulk modulus Ks is assumed to be the same as the dominant mineral bulk modulus. In fact, there are two different parameters describing solid compressibility of a porous rock: the unjacketed bulk modulus Ks' and the unjacketed pore modulus Ks". Experimental techniques are developed to measure the two poroelastic parameters of fluid-saturated porous rock under the unjacketed condition. In an unjacketed experiment, the rock without a membrane is loaded by the fluid in a pressure vessel. The confining fluid permeates the connected pore space throughout the interior of the rock. Therefore, changes in mean stress P will produce equal changes in pore pressure p, i.e. ΔP = Δp. The test can also be performed with a jacketed rock specimen by applying equal increments of mean stress and pore pressure. The unjacketed bulk modulus, Ks', is obtained by measuring the bulk strain with resistive strain gages. The unjacketed pore modulus, Ks", the pore volume counterpart to Ks', is a measure of the change in pore pressure per unit pore volume strain under the unjacketed condition. Several indirect estimates of Ks" have been reported but limitations of these approaches do not provide an accurate value. We present direct measurements of Ks" with detailed calibration on the system volumetric response. The results indicate that for Dunnville sandstone Ks' and Ks" are equal while for Berea sandstone, a difference between the two moduli exists, which is explained by the presence of non-connected pores. The experiments also strongly suggest that both Ks' and Ks" are independent of effective stress.

Non destructive neutron diffraction measurements of cavities, inhomogeneities, and residual strain in bronzes of Ghiberti's relief from the Gates of Paradise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Festa, G.; Senesi, R.; Alessandroni, M.; Andreani, C.; Vitali, G.; Porcinai, S.; Giusti, A. M.; Materna, T.; Paradowska, A. M.

2011-03-01

Quantitative neutron studies of cultural heritage objects provide access to microscopic, mesoscopic, and macroscopic structures in a nondestructive manner. In this paper we present a neutron diffraction investigation of a Ghiberti Renaissance gilded bronze relief devoted to the measurement of cavities and inhomogeneities in the bulk of the sample, along with the bulk phase composition and residual strain distribution. The quantitative measurements allowed the determination of the re-melting parts extension, as well as improving current knowledge about the manufacturing process. The study provides significant and unique information to conservators and restorators about the history of the relief.

Giant Mechano-Optoelectronic Effect in an Atomically Thin Semiconductor

DOE PAGES

Wu, Wei; Wang, Jin; Ercius, Peter; ...

2018-03-20

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are particularly sensitive to mechanical strain as they are capable of experiencing high atomic displacements without nucleating defects to release excess energy. Promising for photonic applications, it has been shown that as TMDs are scaled to a thickness of one monolayer, the photoluminescence response is dramatically enhanced due to the emergence of a direct electronic band gap, compared with multi-layer or bulk TMDs which typically exhibit indirect band gaps. Recently, mechanical strain has also been predicted to enable direct excitonic recombination in these materials, where large changes in the photoluminescence response will occur during an indirect-to-directmore » band gap transition brought on by elastic tensile strain. Here, we demonstrate a two orders of magnitude enhancement in the photoluminescence emission intensity in uniaxially strained single crystalline WSe 2 bilayers. Through a theoretical model which includes experimentally relevant system conditions, we determine this amplification to arise from a significant increase in direct excitonic recombination. Adding confidence to the high levels of elastic strain achieved in this report, we observe strain-independent mode-dependent Grüneisen parameters over the entire range of tensile strain (1– 3.59 %) which were obtained as 1.149±0.027, 0.307±0.061, and 0.357±0.103 for the E 2g, A 1g, and A 2 1g optical phonon modes, respectively. Lastly, these results can inform the predictive strain-engineered design of other atomically thin indirect semiconductors, where a decrease in out-of-plane bonding strength will lead to an increase in the strength of strain-coupled optoelectronic effects.« less

Analysis of heterogeneities in strain and microstructure in aluminum alloy and magnesium processed by high-pressure torsion

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

Panda, Subrata, E-mail: subrata.panda@univ-lorrain

2017-01-15

Two distinct bulk light metals were opted to study the shear strain evolution and associated heterogeneities in texture/microstructure development during torsional straining by high pressure torsion (HPT): a face centered cubic Al alloy (A5086) and a hexagonal commercial purity Mg. Relatively thick disk samples - four times thicker than usually employed in HPT process - were processed to 180° and 270° rotations. With the help of X-ray tomography, the shear strain gradients were examined in the axial direction. The results showed strongly localized shear deformation in the middle plane of the disks in both materials. These gradients involved strong heterogeneitiesmore » in texture, microstructure and associated hardness, in particular through the thickness direction at the periphery of the disk where the interplay between significant strain hardening and possible dynamic recrystallization could occur. - Highlights: •HPT processing was conducted on bulk specimens thicker than the usual thin-disks. •The Al alloy (A5086) and commercial purity magnesium samples were compared. •Distributions of strain and microhardness were evaluated in the radial and axial direction. •Plastic deformation is highly localized in the middle plane at outer edge in both materials. •Different DRX rates governed the differences in microstructure and hardening behavior.« less

Antibiotic Resistance Patterns of Gram-Negative Psychrotrophic Bacteria from Bulk Tank Milk.

PubMed

Decimo, Marilù; Silvetti, Tiziana; Brasca, Milena

2016-04-01

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a major global health problem and resistance of Pseudomonadaceae and Enterobacteriaceae is a serious concern. We investigated the prevalence of drug-resistance in a total of 80 psychrotrophic strains from bulk milk belonging to Pseudomonas genus (n. 63) and Enterobacteriaceae group (n. 17). All the strains were tested against 16 antibiotics. Pseudomonas were further investigated for their sensitivity against 12 additional antibiotics. Pseudomonas showed a high susceptibility toward fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides, and piperacillin and, to a lesser extent, to imipenem, ceftazidime, cefepime. Thirty-five out of 63 Pseudomonas strains were susceptible to meropenem, while among antibiotics for which recommended breakpoints are not yet available, 55% of Pseudomonas strains had no inhibition halo in presence of nitrofurantoin, highlighting a resistance toward this drug. The results obtained in this study indicate a high efficiency of fluoroquinolones, chloramphenicol (94%), and kanamycin (76%) for Enterobacteriaceae while a high prevalence of resistant strains was found to ampicillin (13/17). Serratia marcescens is highly susceptible to fluoroquinolones, chloramphenicol, and kanamycin. Moreover, mupirocin seems to be the new antibiotic with the less efficacy for Enterobacteriaceae, with 41% of strains without halo, pointing out an important resistance. Further knowledge on resistance to known and new antibiotics among Pseudomonas species and Enterobacteriaceae of milk origin was acquired. © 2016 Institute of Food Technologists®

Magnetic skin layer of NiO(100) probed by polarization-dependent spectromicroscopy

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

Mandal, Suman, E-mail: suman.mandal@sscu.iisc.ernet.in; Menon, Krishnakumar S. R., E-mail: krishna.menon@saha.ac.in; Belkhou, Rachid

2014-06-16

Using polarization-dependent x-ray photoemission electron microscopy, we have investigated the surface effects on antiferromagnetic (AFM) domain formation. Depth-resolved information obtained from our study indicates the presence of strain-induced surface AFM domains on some of the cleaved NiO(100) crystals, which are unusually thinner than bulk AFM domain wall widths (∼150 nm). Existence of such magnetic skin layer is substantiated by exchange-coupled ferromagnetic Fe domains in Fe/NiO(100), thereby evidencing the influence of this surface AFM domains on interfacial magnetic coupling. Our observations demonstrate a depth evolution of AFM structure in presence of induced surface strain, while the surface symmetry-breaking in absence of inducedmore » strain does not modify the bulk AFM domain structure. Realization of such thin surface AFM layer will provide better microscopic understanding of the exchange bias phenomena.« less

Intrinsic Spin-Hall Effect in n-Doped Bulk GaAs

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

Bernevig, B.Andrei; Zhang, Shou-Cheng; /Stanford U., Phys. Dept.

2010-01-15

We show that the bulk Dresselhauss (k{sup 3}) spin-orbit coupling term leads to an intrinsic spin-Hall effect in n-doped bulk GaAs, but without the appearance of uniform magnetization. The spin-Hall effect in strained and unstrained bulk GaAs has been recently observed experimentally by Kato et. al. [1]. We show that the experimental result is quantitatively consistent with the intrinsic spin-Hall effect due to the Dresselhauss term, when lifetime broadening is taken into account. On the other hand, extrinsic contribution to the spin-Hall effect is several orders of magnitude smaller than the observed effect.

[Occurrence and typing of Listeria monocytogenes isolated from raw cow's milk collected on farms and from vending machines].

PubMed

Gelbícová, T; Karpísková, R

2012-04-01

Evaluation of the incidence and characteristics of L. monocytogenes in samples of raw cow's milk collected on farms (bulk tank milk samples) and from vending machines. Detection of L. monocytogenes and enumeration were carried out according to EN/ISO 11290--1, 2. Strains were characterised by serotyping and macrorestriction analysis using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. The presence of L. monocytogenes was detected in 3,2 % (11/346) of bulk tank milk samples and 1,8 % (4/219) samples of raw cow's milk from vending machines. Findings of L. monocytogenes in raw milk were sporadic. Only on one farm strains of L. monocytogenes were detected repeatedly. Thirteen strains of L. monocytogenes belonged to serotype 1/2a, two strains to serotype 1/2b and one to serotype 4b. Macrorestriction analysis revealed considerable heterogeinity of profiles, with nine different pulsotypes being detected. Pulsotype 711 was the most frequent. This pulsotype was found on three different farms. The incidence of L. monocytogenes in raw cow's milk is relatively low in the Czech Republic. The results confirmed that some clones of L. monocytogenes from raw milk are identical with food and human strains.

Tensile Fracture of Welded Polymer Interfaces: Miscibility, Entanglements, and Crazing

DOE PAGES

Ge, Ting; Grest, Gary S.; Robbins, Mark O.

2014-09-26

Large-scale molecular simulations are performed to investigate tensile failure of polymer interfaces as a function of welding time t. Changes in the tensile stress, mode of failure and interfacial fracture energy G I are correlated to changes in the interfacial entanglements as determined from Primitive Path Analysis. Bulk polymers fail through craze formation, followed by craze breakdown through chain scission. At small t welded interfaces are not strong enough to support craze formation and fail at small strains through chain pullout at the interface. Once chains have formed an average of about one entanglement across the interface, a stable crazemore » is formed throughout the sample. The failure stress of the craze rises with welding time and the mode of craze breakdown changes from chain pullout to chain scission as the interface approaches bulk strength. The interfacial fracture energy G I is calculated by coupling the simulation results to a continuum fracture mechanics model. As in experiment, G I increases as t 1/2 before saturating at the average bulk fracture energy G b. As in previous studies of shear strength, saturation coincides with the recovery of the bulk entanglement density. Before saturation, G I is proportional to the areal density of interfacial entanglements. Immiscibiltiy limits interdiffusion and thus suppresses entanglements at the interface. Even small degrees of immisciblity reduce interfacial entanglements enough that failure occurs by chain pullout and G I << G b.« less

Advanced bulk processing of lightweight materials for utilization in the transportation sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milner, Justin L.

The overall objective of this research is to develop the microstructure of metallic lightweight materials via multiple advanced processing techniques with potentials for industrial utilization on a large scale to meet the demands of the aerospace and automotive sectors. This work focused on (i) refining the grain structure to increase the strength, (ii) controlling the texture to increase formability and (iii) directly reducing processing/production cost of lightweight material components. Advanced processing is conducted on a bulk scale by several severe plastic deformation techniques including: accumulative roll bonding, isolated shear rolling and friction stir processing to achieve the multiple targets of this research. Development and validation of the processing techniques is achieved through wide-ranging experiments along with detailed mechanical and microstructural examination of the processed material. On a broad level, this research will make advancements in processing of bulk lightweight materials facilitating industrial-scale implementation. Where accumulative roll bonding and isolated shear rolling, currently feasible on an industrial scale, processes bulk sheet materials capable of replacing more expensive grades of alloys and enabling low-temperature and high-strain-rate formability. Furthermore, friction stir processing to manufacture lightweight tubes, made from magnesium alloys, has the potential to increase the utilization of these materials in the automotive and aerospace sectors for high strength - high formability applications. With the increased utilization of these advanced processing techniques will significantly reduce the cost associated with lightweight materials for many applications in the transportation sectors.

Characterization of human passive muscles for impact loads using genetic algorithm and inverse finite element methods.

PubMed

Chawla, A; Mukherjee, S; Karthikeyan, B

2009-02-01

The objective of this study is to identify the dynamic material properties of human passive muscle tissues for the strain rates relevant to automobile crashes. A novel methodology involving genetic algorithm (GA) and finite element method is implemented to estimate the material parameters by inverse mapping the impact test data. Isolated unconfined impact tests for average strain rates ranging from 136 s(-1) to 262 s(-1) are performed on muscle tissues. Passive muscle tissues are modelled as isotropic, linear and viscoelastic material using three-element Zener model available in PAMCRASH(TM) explicit finite element software. In the GA based identification process, fitness values are calculated by comparing the estimated finite element forces with the measured experimental forces. Linear viscoelastic material parameters (bulk modulus, short term shear modulus and long term shear modulus) are thus identified at strain rates 136 s(-1), 183 s(-1) and 262 s(-1) for modelling muscles. Extracted optimal parameters from this study are comparable with reported parameters in literature. Bulk modulus and short term shear modulus are found to be more influential in predicting the stress-strain response than long term shear modulus for the considered strain rates. Variations within the set of parameters identified at different strain rates indicate the need for new or improved material model, which is capable of capturing the strain rate dependency of passive muscle response with single set of material parameters for wide range of strain rates.

Unraveling complex nonlinear elastic behaviors in rocks using dynamic acousto-elasticity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riviere, J.; Guyer, R.; Renaud, G.; TenCate, J. A.; Johnson, P. A.

2012-12-01

In comparison with standard nonlinear ultrasonic methods like frequency mixing or resonance based measurements that allow one to extract average, bulk variations of modulus and attenuation versus strain level, dynamic acousto-elasticity (DAE) allows to obtain the elastic behavior over the entire dynamic cycle, detailing the full nonlinear behavior under tension and compression, including hysteresis and memory effects. This method consists of exciting a sample in Bulk-mode resonance at strains of 10-7 to 10-5 and simultaneously probing with a sequence of high frequency, low amplitude pulses. Time of flight and amplitudes of these pulses, respectively related to nonlinear elastic and dissipative parameters, can be plotted versus vibration strain level. Despite complex nonlinear signatures obtained for most rocks, it can be shown that for low strain amplitude (< 10-6), the nonlinear classical theory issued from a Taylor decomposition can explain the harmonic content. For higher strain, harmonic content becomes richer and the material exhibits more hysteretic behaviors, i.e. strain rate dependencies. Such observations have been made in the past (e.g., Pasqualini et al., JGR 2007), but not with the extreme detail of elasticity provided by DAE. Previous quasi-static measurements made in Berea sandstone (Claytor et al, GRL 2009), show that the hysteretic behavior disappears when the protocol is performed at a very low strain-rate (static limit). Therefore, future work will aim at linking quasi-static and dynamic observations, i.e. the frequency or strain-rate dependence, in order to understand underlying physical phenomena.

First-principles study of strain effect on the formation and electronic structures of oxygen vacancy in SrFeO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Zhang; Jie, Huang

2016-05-01

Motivated by recent experimental observations of metallic conduction in the quasi-two-dimensional SrFeO2, we study the epitaxial strain effect on the formation and electronic structures of oxygen vacancy (Vo) by first-principles calculations. The bulk SrFeO2 is found to have the G-type antiferromagnetic ordering (G-AFM) at zero strain, which agrees with the experiment. Under compressive strain the bulk SrFeO2 keeps the G-AFM and has the trend of Mott insulator-metal transition. Different from most of the previous similar work about the strain effect on Vo, both the tensile strain and the compressive strain enhance the Vo formation. It is found that the competitions between the band energies and the electrostatic interactions are the dominant mechanisms in determining the Vo formation. We confirm that the Vo in SrFeO2 would induce the n-type conductivity where the donor levels are occupied by the delocalized d x 2-y 2 electrons. It is suggested that the vanishing of n-type conductivity observed by the Hall measurement on the strained films are caused by the shift of donor levels into the conduction band. These results would provide insightful information for the realization of metallic conduction in SrFeO2. Project supported by the Creative Plan Project of Nanjing Forest Police College, China (Grant Nos. 201512213045xy and 201512213007x).

Unexpected Giant-Gap Quantum Spin Hall Insulator in Chemically Decorated Plumbene Monolayer

PubMed Central

Zhao, Hui; Zhang, Chang-wen; Ji, Wei-xiao; Zhang, Run-wu; Li, Sheng-shi; Yan, Shi-shen; Zhang, Bao-min; Li, Ping; Wang, Pei-ji

2016-01-01

Quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect of two-dimensional (2D) materials features edge states that are topologically protected from backscattering by time-reversal symmetry. However, the major obstacles to the application for QSH effect are the lack of suitable QSH insulators with a large bulk gap. Here, we predict a novel class of 2D QSH insulators in X-decorated plumbene monolayers (PbX; X = H, F, Cl, Br, I) with extraordinarily giant bulk gaps from 1.03 eV to a record value of 1.34 eV. The topological characteristic of PbX mainly originates from s-px,y band inversion related to the lattice symmetry, while the effect of spin-orbital coupling (SOC) is only to open up a giant gap. Their QSH states are identified by nontrivial topological invariant Z2 = 1, as well as a single pair of topologically protected helical edge states locating inside the bulk gap. Noticeably, the QSH gaps of PbX are tunable and robust via external strain. We also propose high-dielectric-constant BN as an ideal substrate for the experimental realization of PbX, maintaining its nontrivial topology. These novel QSH insulators with giant gaps are a promising platform to enrich topological phenomena and expand potential applications at high temperature. PMID:26833133

Conduction- and Valence-Band Energies in Bulk InAs(1-x)Sb(x) and Type II InAs(1-x) Sb(x)/InAs Strained-Layer Superlattices

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-08

tions in the studied SLS structures . The fit of the dependence of the valence- band energy of unstrained InAs1!xSbx on the composition x with a... band . STRUCTURES Bulk InAsSb epilayers on metamorphic buffers and InAsSb/InAs strained-layer superlattices (SLS) were grown on GaSb substrates by solid...meV in InAs and Ev = 0 meV in InSb. For InAsSb with 22.5% Sb grown on GaSb , an unstrained valence- band energy of Ev = !457 meV was obtained. For the

Castable Bulk Metallic Glass Strain Wave Gears: Towards Decreasing the Cost of High-Performance Robotics

PubMed Central

Hofmann, Douglas C.; Polit-Casillas, Raul; Roberts, Scott N.; Borgonia, John-Paul; Dillon, Robert P.; Hilgemann, Evan; Kolodziejska, Joanna; Montemayor, Lauren; Suh, Jong-ook; Hoff, Andrew; Carpenter, Kalind; Parness, Aaron; Johnson, William L.; Kennett, Andrew; Wilcox, Brian

2016-01-01

The use of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) as the flexspline in strain wave gears (SWGs), also known as harmonic drives, is presented. SWGs are unique, ultra-precision gearboxes that function through the elastic flexing of a thin-walled cup, called a flexspline. The current research demonstrates that BMGs can be cast at extremely low cost relative to machining and can be implemented into SWGs as an alternative to steel. This approach may significantly reduce the cost of SWGs, enabling lower-cost robotics. The attractive properties of BMGs, such as hardness, elastic limit and yield strength, may also be suitable for extreme environment applications in spacecraft. PMID:27883054

Topological mechanical metamaterials have perfectly directional bulk response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rocklin, D. Zeb

The elastic response of typical materials to a local load is stress and strain in all directions. Here, we show contrariwise that mechanical frames with balanced numbers of constraints and degrees of freedom (the ''Maxwell'' condition) can experience stress and/or strain on only one side of a load. Kane and Lubensky showed, in a recent, seminal work, that such systems possess a topologically nontrivial phonon band structure corresponding to the electronic modes of topological insulators. Applying bulk-boundary correspondence, they demonstrated a signature physical consequence: the shifting of zero modes resultant from missing bonds from one edge to another. We now show that the same topological invariant governs such a system's bulk response: when bonds are swollen at one point the lattice does not distort evenly around it but instead only on one side dictated by the topological polarization. Similarly, when general forces are applied to a polarized lattice tension is induced in bonds only on one side of the applied force. Hence, topological polarization represents a sharp and robust way to direct force and motion and the response (Green's) function is a fundamental bulk signature of topological polarization. Bethe/KIC Fellowship, and the National Science Foundation Grant No. NSF DMR- 1308089.

Synchrotron X-ray measurement of residual strain within the nose of a worn manganese steel railway crossing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhar, S.; Zhang, Y.; Xu, R.; Danielsen, HK; Jensen, D. Juul

2017-07-01

Switches and crossings are an integral part of any railway network. Plastic deformation associated with wear and rolling contact fatigue due to repeated passage of trains cause severe damage leading to the formation of surface and sub-surface cracks which ultimately may result in rail failure. Knowledge of the internal stress distribution adds to the understanding of crack propagation and may thus help to prevent catastrophic rail failures. In this work, the residual strains inside the bulk of a damaged nose of a manganese railway crossing that was in service for five years has been investigated by using differential aperture synchrotron X-ray diffraction. The main purpose of this paper is to describe how this method allows non-destructive measurement of residual strains in selected local volumes in the bulk of the rail. Measurements were conducted on the transverse surface at a position about 6.5 mm from the rail running surface of a crossing nose. The results revealed the presence of significant compressive residual strains along the running direction of the rail.

Silica-Based and Borate-Based, Titania-Containing Bioactive Coatings Characterization: Critical Strain Energy Release Rate, Residual Stresses, Hardness, and Thermal Expansion.

PubMed

Rodriguez, Omar; Matinmanesh, Ali; Phull, Sunjeev; Schemitsch, Emil H; Zalzal, Paul; Clarkin, Owen M; Papini, Marcello; Towler, Mark R

2016-12-01

Silica-based and borate-based glass series, with increasing amounts of TiO₂ incorporated, are characterized in terms of their mechanical properties relevant to their use as metallic coating materials. It is observed that borate-based glasses exhibit CTE (Coefficient of Thermal Expansion) closer to the substrate's (Ti6Al4V) CTE, translating into higher mode I critical strain energy release rates of glasses and compressive residual stresses and strains at the coating/substrate interface, outperforming the silica-based glasses counterparts. An increase in the content of TiO₂ in the glasses results in an increase in the mode I critical strain energy release rate for both the bulk glass and for the coating/substrate system, proving that the addition of TiO₂ to the glass structure enhances its toughness, while decreasing its bulk hardness. Borate-based glass BRT3, with 15 mol % TiO₂ incorporated, exhibits superior properties overall compared to the other proposed glasses in this work, as well as 45S5 Bioglass ® and Pyrex.

Silica-Based and Borate-Based, Titania-Containing Bioactive Coatings Characterization: Critical Strain Energy Release Rate, Residual Stresses, Hardness, and Thermal Expansion

PubMed Central

Rodriguez, Omar; Matinmanesh, Ali; Phull, Sunjeev; Schemitsch, Emil H.; Zalzal, Paul; Clarkin, Owen M.; Papini, Marcello; Towler, Mark R.

2016-01-01

Silica-based and borate-based glass series, with increasing amounts of TiO2 incorporated, are characterized in terms of their mechanical properties relevant to their use as metallic coating materials. It is observed that borate-based glasses exhibit CTE (Coefficient of Thermal Expansion) closer to the substrate’s (Ti6Al4V) CTE, translating into higher mode I critical strain energy release rates of glasses and compressive residual stresses and strains at the coating/substrate interface, outperforming the silica-based glasses counterparts. An increase in the content of TiO2 in the glasses results in an increase in the mode I critical strain energy release rate for both the bulk glass and for the coating/substrate system, proving that the addition of TiO2 to the glass structure enhances its toughness, while decreasing its bulk hardness. Borate-based glass BRT3, with 15 mol % TiO2 incorporated, exhibits superior properties overall compared to the other proposed glasses in this work, as well as 45S5 Bioglass® and Pyrex. PMID:27916951

Compression-sensitive magnetic resonance elastography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirsch, Sebastian; Beyer, Frauke; Guo, Jing; Papazoglou, Sebastian; Tzschaetzsch, Heiko; Braun, Juergen; Sack, Ingolf

2013-08-01

Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) quantifies the shear modulus of biological tissue to detect disease. Complementary to the shear elastic properties of tissue, the compression modulus may be a clinically useful biomarker because it is sensitive to tissue pressure and poromechanical interactions. In this work, we analyze the capability of MRE to measure volumetric strain and the dynamic bulk modulus (P-wave modulus) at a harmonic drive frequency commonly used in shear-wave-based MRE. Gel phantoms with various densities were created by introducing CO2-filled cavities to establish a compressible effective medium. The dependence of the effective medium's bulk modulus on phantom density was investigated via static compression tests, which confirmed theoretical predictions. The P-wave modulus of three compressible phantoms was calculated from volumetric strain measured by 3D wave-field MRE at 50 Hz drive frequency. The results demonstrate the MRE-derived volumetric strain and P-wave modulus to be sensitive to the compression properties of effective media. Since the reconstruction of the P-wave modulus requires third-order derivatives, noise remains critical, and P-wave moduli are systematically underestimated. Focusing on relative changes in the effective bulk modulus of tissue, compression-sensitive MRE may be useful for the noninvasive detection of diseases involving pathological pressure alterations such as hepatic hypertension or hydrocephalus.

Experiments on the rheology of vesicle-bearing magmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vona, Alessandro; Ryan, Amy G.; Russell, James K.; Romano, Claudia

2016-04-01

We present a series of high temperature uniaxial deformation experiments designed to investigate the effect of bubbles on the magma bulk viscosity. Starting materials having variable vesicularity (φ = 0 - 66%) were synthesized by high-temperature foaming (T = 900 - 1050 ° C and P = 1 bar) of cores of natural rhyolitic obsidian from Hrafntinnuhryggur, Krafla, Iceland. These cores were subsequently deformed using a high-temperature uniaxial press at dry atmospheric conditions. Each experiment involved deforming vesicle-bearing cores isothermally (T = 750 ° C), at constant displacement rates (strain rates between 0.5-1 x 10-4 s-1), and to total strains (ɛ) of 10-40%. The viscosity of the bubble-free melt (η0) was measured by micropenetration and parallel plate methods and establishes a baseline for comparing data derived from experiments on vesicle rich cores. At the experimental conditions, the presence of vesicles has a major impact on the rheological response, producing a marked decrease of bulk viscosity (maximum decrease of 2 log units Pa s) that is best described by a two-parameter empirical equation: log ηBulk = log η0 - 1.47 * [φ/(1-φ)]0.48. Our model provides a means to compare the diverse behaviour of vesicle-bearing melts reported in the literature and reflecting material properties (e.g., analogue vs. natural), geometry and distribution of pores (e.g. foamed/natural vs. unconsolidated/sintered materials), and flow regime. Lastly, we apply principles of Maxwell relaxation theory, combined with our parameterization of bubble-melt rheology, to map the potential onset of non-Newtonian behaviour (strain localization) in vesiculated magmas and lavas as a function of melt viscosity, vesicularity, strain rate, and geological condition. Increasing vesicularity in magmas can initiate non-Newtonian behaviour at constant strain rates. Lower melt viscosity sustains homogeneous Newtonian flow in vesiculated magmas even at relatively high strain rates.

Strain-induced high-temperature perovskite ferromagnetic insulator

PubMed Central

Meng, Dechao; Guo, Hongli; Cui, Zhangzhang; Ma, Chao; Zhao, Jin; Lu, Jiangbo; Xu, Hui; Wang, Zhicheng; Hu, Xiang; Fu, Zhengping; Peng, Ranran; Guo, Jinghua; Zhai, Xiaofang; Brown, Gail J.; Knize, Randy; Lu, Yalin

2018-01-01

Ferromagnetic insulators are required for many new magnetic devices, such as dissipationless quantum-spintronic devices, magnetic tunneling junctions, etc. Ferromagnetic insulators with a high Curie temperature and a high-symmetry structure are critical integration with common single-crystalline oxide films or substrates. So far, the commonly used ferromagnetic insulators mostly possess low-symmetry structures associated with a poor growth quality and widespread properties. The few known high-symmetry materials either have extremely low Curie temperatures (≤16 K), or require chemical doping of an otherwise antiferromagnetic matrix. Here we present compelling evidence that the LaCoO3 single-crystalline thin film under tensile strain is a rare undoped perovskite ferromagnetic insulator with a remarkably high TC of up to 90 K. Both experiments and first-principles calculations demonstrate tensile-strain–induced ferromagnetism which does not exist in bulk LaCoO3. The ferromagnetism is strongest within a nearly stoichiometric structure, disappearing when the Co2+ defect concentration reaches about 10%. Significant impact of the research includes demonstration of a strain-induced high-temperature ferromagnetic insulator, successful elevation of the transition over the liquid-nitrogen temperature, and high potential for integration into large-area device fabrication processes. PMID:29507211

Thermoreversibly Cross-Linked EPM Rubber Nanocomposites with Carbon Nanotubes

PubMed Central

Criscitiello, Francesco; van Essen, Machiel; Araya-Hermosilla, Rodrigo; Migliore, Nicola; Lenti, Mattia; Raffa, Patrizio

2018-01-01

Conductive rubber nanocomposites were prepared by dispersing conductive nanotubes (CNT) in thermoreversibly cross-linked ethylene propylene rubbers grafted with furan groups (EPM-g-furan) rubbers. Their features were studied with a strong focus on conductive and mechanical properties relevant for strain-sensor applications. The Diels-Alder chemistry used for thermoreversible cross-linking allows for the preparation of fully recyclable, homogeneous, and conductive nanocomposites. CNT modified with compatible furan groups provided nanocomposites with a relatively large tensile strength and small elongation at break. High and low sensitivity deformation experiments of nanocomposites with 5 wt % CNT (at the percolation threshold) displayed an initially linear sensitivity to deformation. Notably, only fresh samples displayed a linear response of their electrical resistivity to deformations as the resistance variation collapsed already after one cycle of elongation. Notwithstanding this mediocre performance as a strain sensor, the advantages of using thermoreversible chemistry in a conductive rubber nanocomposite were highlighted by demonstrating crack-healing by welding due to the joule effect on the surface and the bulk of the material. This will open up new technological opportunities for the design of novel strain-sensors based on recyclable rubbers. PMID:29360772

Revealing the core-shell interactions of a giant strain relaxor ferroelectric 0.75Bi1/2Na1/2TiO3-0.25SrTiO3.

PubMed

Liu, Na; Acosta, Matias; Wang, Shuai; Xu, Bai-Xiang; Stark, Robert W; Dietz, Christian

2016-11-14

Lead-free relaxor ferroelectrics that feature a core-shell microstructure provide an excellent electromechanical response. They even have the potential to replace the environmentally hazardous lead-zirconia-titanate (PZT) in large strain actuation applications. Although the dielectric properties of core-shell ceramics have been extensively investigated, their piezoelectric properties are not yet well understood. To unravel the interfacial core-shell interaction, we studied the relaxation behaviour of field-induced ferroelectric domains in 0.75Bi 1/2 Na 1/2 TiO 3 -0.25SrTiO 3 (BNT-25ST), as a typical core-shell bulk material, using a piezoresponse force microscope. We found that after poling, lateral domains emerged at the core-shell interface and propagated to the shell region. Phase field simulations showed that the increased electrical potential beneath the core is responsible for the in-plane domain evolution. Our results imply that the field-induced domains act as pivotal points at the coherent heterophase core-shell interface, reinforcing the phase transition in the non-polar shell and thus promoting the giant strain.

Strain-induced semi-metal to semiconductor transition and strong enhancement in thermopower of TiS2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samanta, Atanu; Pandey, Tribhuwan; Singh, Abhishek K.

2015-03-01

Electronic properties of transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) (MX2, where M = Mo, W and X = S, Se, Te) are very sensitive to the applied pressure/strain, causing a semiconductor to metal transition. Using first principles density functional theory calculations, we demonstrate that bulk TiS2 changes from semi-metal to semi-conducting electronic phase upon application of uniform biaxial strain. This phase transition is responsible for the charge transfer from Ti to S and reduces the overlap between Ti-(d) and S-(p) orbitals. The transport calculations show a three-fold enhancement in thermopower for both p- and n-type TiS2 due to opening of band gap along with changes in dispersion of bands. The electrical conductivity and thermopower shows a large anisotropy due to the difference in the effective masses along the in-plane and out-of-plane directions. We further demonstrate that the enhancement of thermoelectric performance, can also be achieved by doping TiS2 with larger iso-electronic elements such as Zr or Hf at the Ti sites. Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) under NPMASS and Department of Science and Technology(DST) nanomission

Stacked bilayer phosphorene: strain-induced quantum spin Hall state and optical measurement

PubMed Central

Zhang, Tian; Lin, Jia-He; Yu, Yan-Mei; Chen, Xiang-Rong; Liu, Wu-Ming

2015-01-01

Bilayer phosphorene attracted considerable interest, giving a potential application in nanoelectronics owing to its natural bandgap and high carrier mobility. However, very little is known regarding the possible usefulness in spintronics as a quantum spin Hall (QSH) state of material characterized by a bulk energy gap and gapless spin-filtered edge states. Here, we report a strain-induced topological phase transition from normal to QSH state in bilayer phosphorene, accompanied by band-inversion that changes number from 0 to 1, which is highly dependent on interlayer stacking. When the bottom layer is shifted by 1/2 unit-cell along zigzag/armchair direction with respect to the top layer, the maximum topological bandgap 92.5 meV is sufficiently large to realize QSH effect even at room-temperature. An optical measurement of QSH effect is therefore suggested in view of the wide optical absorption spectrum extending to far infra-red, making bilayer phosphorene a promising candidate for opto-spintronic devices. PMID:26370771

Understanding the Origin of Ferromagnetism in Strained LaCoO3 Thin Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, J. X.; Shi, J.; Freeland, J. W.

2009-03-01

Using strain to control the behavior of strongly correlated materials offers new opportunities to control fundamental properties. For the case of magnetism, LaCoO3 offers the ability to use strain through thin film growth to manipulate directly the spin-state of Co in this system. Here we present the results of a detailed polarized x-ray spectroscopy study of LaCoO3 thin films grown on SrTiO3(001) and LaAlO3 (001) substrates. X-ray diffraction from 25 nm thin films confirm the films are fully strained in both cases and, for films under tensile strain, total moment magnetometry shows a clear transition to ferromagnetic state at ˜80K. X-ray absorption shows that the films grown from a LaCoO3 target are slightly hole doped due to non-stoichiometry generated during growth (effective doping ˜ 0.1 holes per unit cell), which in the bulk is sufficient to destroy the low-spin state. However, even though the films are slightly hole doped, the films under tensile strain show long range ferromagnetic order unlike the bulk system. Since the films are insulating, these results are consistent with a ferromagnetic insulating state arising due to superexchange. Work at UCR is supported by ONR/DMEA under award H94003-08-2-0803.

Specificity, Size, and Frequency of Spaces That Characterize the Mechanism of Bulk Transepithelial Transport of Prions in the Nasal Cavities of Hamsters and Mice

PubMed Central

Ayers, J. I.; Bartz, J. C.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Inhalation of infected brain homogenate results in transepithelial transport of prions across the nasal mucosa of hamsters, some of which occurs rapidly in relatively large amounts between cells (A. E. Kincaid, K. F. Hudson, M. W. Richey, and J. C. Bartz, J. Virol 86:12731–12740, 2012, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JVI.01930-12). Bulk transepithelial transport in the nasal cavity has not been studied to date. In the present study, we characterized the frequency, size, and specificity of the intercellular spaces that mediate the bulk transport of inhaled prions between cells of mice or hamsters following extranasal inoculation with mock-infected brain homogenate, different strains of prion-infected brain homogenate, or brain homogenate mixed with India ink. Infected or mock-infected inoculum was identified within lymphatic vessels of the lamina propria and in spaces of >5 μm between a small number of cells of the nasal mucosa in >90% of animals from 5 to 60 min after inhalation. The width of the spaces between cells, the amount of the inoculum within the lumen of lymphatic vessels, and the timing of the transport indicate that this type of transport was taking place through preexisting spaces in the nasal cavity that were orders of magnitude wider than what is normally reported for paracellular transport. The indiscriminate rapid bulk transport of brain homogenate in the nasal cavity results in immediate entry into nasal cavity lymphatics following inhalation. This novel mechanism may underlie the recent report of the early detection of prions in blood following inhalation and has implications for horizontal prion transmission. IMPORTANCE The results of these studies demonstrate that the nasal mucosa of mice and hamsters is not an absolute anatomical barrier to inhaled prion-infected or uninfected brain homogenate. Relatively large amounts of infected and uninfected brain homogenate rapidly cross the nasal mucosa and enter the lumen of lymphatic vessels following inhalation. These bulk transepithelial transport events were relatively rare but present in >90% of animals 5 to 60 min following inhalation. This novel mechanism of bulk transepithelial transport was seen in experimental and control hamsters and mice, indicating that it was not species specific or in response to prion exposure. The indiscriminate bulk intercellular transport of inhaled pathogens across the nasal mucosa followed by entry into the lymphatic system may be a mechanism that underlies the entry and spread of other toxins and pathogens in olfactory system-driven animals. PMID:27384659

Extremely small bandgaps, engineered by controlled multi-scale ordering in InAsSb

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

Sarney, W. L.; Svensson, S. P.; Lin, Y.

2016-06-07

The relationship between the effective bandgap and the crystalline structure in ordered InAsSb material has been studied. Modulation of the As/Sb ratio was induced along the growth direction during molecular beam epitaxy, producing a strained layer superlattice. To enable the use of concentration ratios near unity in both layers in the period, the structures were grown with negligible net strain on a virtual substrate with a lattice constant considerably larger than that of GaSb. The bandgap line-up of InAsSb layers with different compositions is such that a type II superlattice is formed, which exhibits smaller bandgaps than either of themore » two constituents. It can also be smaller than the possible minimum direct-bandgap of the alloy. From observations of CuPt ordering in bulk layers with small amounts of strain of both signs, we postulate that strain is the main driving force for atomic ordering in InAsSb. Because the modulated structures exhibit small but opposing amounts of strain, both layers in the period exhibit ordering at the atomic scale throughout the structure. Since the strain can be controlled, the ordering can be controlled and sustained for arbitrary thick layers, unlike the situation in uniform bulk layers where the residual strain eventually leads to dislocation formation. This offers a unique way of using ordering at two different scales to engineer the band-structure.« less

Role of B19' martensite deformation in stabilizing two-way shape memory behavior in NiTi

DOE PAGES

Benafan, O.; Padula, S. A.; Noebe, R. D.; ...

2012-11-01

Deformation of a B19' martensitic, polycrystallineNi49.9Ti50.1 (at. %) shape memoryalloy and its influence on the magnitude and stability of the ensuing two-way shape memory effect (TWSME) was investigated by combined ex situ mechanical experimentation and in situneutron diffraction measurements at stress and temperature. The microstructural changes (texture, lattice strains, and phase fractions) during room-temperature deformation and subsequent thermal cycling were captured and compared to the bulk macroscopic response of the alloy. With increasing uniaxial strain, it was observed that B19' martensite deformed by reorientation and detwinning with preferred selection of the (1¯50) M and (010) M variants, (201¯) B19' deformationmore » twinning, and dislocation activity. These mechanisms were indicated by changes in bulk texture from the neutron diffraction measurements. Partial reversibility of the reoriented variants and deformation twins was also captured upon load removal and thermal cycling, which after isothermal deformation to strains between 6% and 22% resulted in a strong TWSME. Consequently, TWSME functional parameters including TWSME strain, strain reduction, and transformation temperatures were characterized and it was found that prior martensite deformation to 14% strain provided the optimum condition for the TWSME, resulting in a stable two-way shape memory strain of 2.2%. Thus, isothermal deformation of martensite was found to be a quick and efficient method for creating a strong and stable TWSME in Ni₄₉.₉Ti₅₀.₁.« less

Ultralight anisotropic foams from layered aligned carbon nanotube sheets.

PubMed

Faraji, Shaghayegh; Stano, Kelly L; Yildiz, Ozkan; Li, Ang; Zhu, Yuntian; Bradford, Philip D

2015-10-28

In this work, we present large scale, ultralight aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) structures which have densities an order of magnitude lower than CNT arrays, have tunable properties and exhibit resiliency after compression. By stacking aligned sheets of carbon nanotubes and then infiltrating with a pyrolytic carbon (PyC), resilient foam-like materials were produced that exhibited complete recovery from 90% compressive strain. With density as low as 3.8 mg cm(-3), the foam structure is over 500 times less dense than bulk graphite. Microscopy revealed that PyC coated the junctions among CNTs, and also increased CNT surface roughness. These changes in the morphology explain the transition from inelastic behavior to foam-like recovery of the layered CNT sheet structure. Mechanical and thermal properties of the foams were tuned for different applications through variation of PyC deposition duration while dynamic mechanical analysis showed no change in mechanical properties over a large temperature range. Observation of a large and linear electrical resistance change during compression of the aligned CNT/carbon (ACNT/C) foams makes strain/pressure sensors a relevant application. The foams have high oil absorption capacities, up to 275 times their own weight, which suggests they may be useful in water treatment and oil spill cleanup. Finally, the ACNT/C foam's high porosity, surface area and stability allow for demonstration of the foams as catalyst support structures.

Mechanical testing and modelling of carbon-carbon composites for aircraft disc brakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bradley, Luke R.

The objective of this study is to improve the understanding of the stress distributions and failure mechanisms experienced by carbon-carbon composite aircraft brake discs using finite element (FE) analyses. The project has been carried out in association with Dunlop Aerospace as an EPSRC CASE studentship. It therefore focuses on the carbon-carbon composite brake disc material produced by Dunlop Aerospace, although it is envisaged that the approach will have broader applications for modelling and mechanical testing of carbon-carbon composites in general. The disc brake material is a laminated carbon-carbon composite comprised of poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) derived carbon fibres in a chemical vapour infiltration (CVI) deposited matrix, in which the reinforcement is present in both continuous fibre and chopped fibre forms. To pave the way for the finite element analysis, a comprehensive study of the mechanical properties of the carbon-carbon composite material was carried out. This focused largely, but not entirely, on model composite materials formulated using structural elements of the disc brake material. The strengths and moduli of these materials were measured in tension, compression and shear in several orientations. It was found that the stress-strain behaviour of the materials were linear in directions where there was some continuous fibre reinforcement, but non-linear when this was not the case. In all orientations, some degree of non-linearity was observed in the shear stress-strain response of the materials. However, this non-linearity was generally not large enough to pose a problem for the estimation of elastic moduli. Evidence was found for negative Poisson's ratio behaviour in some orientations of the material in tension. Additionally, the through-thickness properties of the composite, including interlaminar shear strength, were shown to be positively related to bulk density. The in-plane properties were mostly unrelated to bulk density over the range of densities of the tested specimens.Two types of FE model were developed using a commercially available program. The first type was designed to analyse the model composite materials for comparison with mechanical test data for the purpose of validation of the FE model. Elastic moduli predicted by this type of FE model showed good agreement with the experimentally measured elastic moduli of the model composite materials. This result suggested that the use of layered FE models, which rely upon an isostrain assumption between the layers, can be useful in predicting the elastic properties of different lay-ups of the disc brake material.The second type of FE model analysed disc brake segments, using the experimentally measured bulk mechanical properties of the disc brake material. This FE model approximated the material as a continuum with in-plane isotropy but with different properties in the through-thickness direction. In order to validate this modelling approach, the results of the FE analysis were compared with mechanical tests on disc brake segments, which were loaded by their drive tenons in a manner intended to simulate in-service loading. The FE model showed good agreement with in-plane strains measured on the disc tenon face close to the swept area of the disc, but predicted significantly higher strains than those experimentally measured on the tenon fillet curve. This discrepancy was attributed to the existence of a steep strain gradient on the fillet curve.

Effect of high strain rates on peak stress in a Zr-based bulk metallic glass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sunny, George; Yuan, Fuping; Prakash, Vikas; Lewandowski, John

2008-11-01

The mechanical behavior of Zr41.25Ti13.75Cu12.5Ni10Be22.5 (LM-1) has been extensively characterized under quasistatic loading conditions; however, its mechanical behavior under dynamic loading conditions is currently not well understood. A Split-Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) and a single-stage gas gun are employed to characterize the mechanical behavior of LM-1 in the strain-rate regime of 102-105/s. The SHPB experiments are conducted with a tapered insert design to mitigate the effects of stress concentrations and preferential failure at the specimen-insert interface. The higher strain-rate plate-impact compression-and-shear experiments are conducted by impacting a thick tungsten carbide (WC) flyer plate with a sandwich sample comprising a thin bulk metallic glass specimen between two thicker WC target plates. Specimens employed in the SHPB experiments failed in the gage-section at a peak stress of approximately 1.8 GPa. Specimens in the high strain-rate plate-impact experiments exhibited a flow stress in shear of approximately 0.9 GPa, regardless of the shear strain-rate. The flow stress under the plate-impact conditions was converted to an equivalent flow stress under uniaxial compression by assuming a von Mises-like material behavior and accounting for the plane strain conditions. The results of these experiments, when compared to the previous work conducted at quasistatic loading rates, indicate that the peak stress of LM-1 is essentially strain rate independent over the strain-rate range up to 105/s.

In-situ neutron diffraction study of martensitic variant redistribution in polycrystalline Ni-Mn-Ga alloy under cyclic thermo-mechanical treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Zongbin; Zhang, Yudong; Esling, Claude; Gan, Weimin; Zou, Naifu; Zhao, Xiang; Zuo, Liang

2014-07-01

The influences of uniaxial compressive stress on martensitic transformation were studied on a polycrystalline Ni-Mn-Ga bulk alloy prepared by directional solidification. Based upon the integrated in-situ neutron diffraction measurements, direct experimental evidence was obtained on the variant redistribution of seven-layered modulated (7M) martensite, triggered by external uniaxial compression during martensitic transformation. Large anisotropic lattice strain, induced by the cyclic thermo-mechanical treatment, has led to the microstructure modification by forming martensitic variants with a strong ⟨0 1 0⟩7M preferential orientation along the loading axis. As a result, the saturation of magnetization became easier to be reached.

In-situ neutron diffraction study of martensitic variant redistribution in polycrystalline Ni-Mn-Ga alloy under cyclic thermo-mechanical treatment

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

Li, Zongbin; Zou, Naifu; Zhao, Xiang

2014-07-14

The influences of uniaxial compressive stress on martensitic transformation were studied on a polycrystalline Ni-Mn-Ga bulk alloy prepared by directional solidification. Based upon the integrated in-situ neutron diffraction measurements, direct experimental evidence was obtained on the variant redistribution of seven-layered modulated (7M) martensite, triggered by external uniaxial compression during martensitic transformation. Large anisotropic lattice strain, induced by the cyclic thermo-mechanical treatment, has led to the microstructure modification by forming martensitic variants with a strong 〈0 1 0〉{sub 7M} preferential orientation along the loading axis. As a result, the saturation of magnetization became easier to be reached.

Modeling and Simulation of Viscous Electro-Active Polymers

PubMed Central

Vogel, Franziska; Göktepe, Serdar; Steinmann, Paul; Kuhl, Ellen

2014-01-01

Electro-active materials are capable of undergoing large deformation when stimulated by an electric field. They can be divided into electronic and ionic electro-active polymers (EAPs) depending on their actuation mechanism based on their composition. We consider electronic EAPs, for which attractive Coulomb forces or local re-orientation of polar groups cause a bulk deformation. Many of these materials exhibit pronounced visco-elastic behavior. Here we show the development and implementation of a constitutive model, which captures the influence of the electric field on the visco-elastic response within a geometrically non-linear finite element framework. The electric field affects not only the equilibrium part of the strain energy function, but also the viscous part. To adopt the familiar additive split of the strain from the small strain setting, we formulate the governing equations in the logarithmic strain space and additively decompose the logarithmic strain into elastic and viscous parts. We show that the incorporation of the electric field in the viscous response significantly alters the relaxation and hysteresis behavior of the model. Our parametric study demonstrates that the model is sensitive to the choice of the electro-viscous coupling parameters. We simulate several actuator structures to illustrate the performance of the method in typical relaxation and creep scenarios. Our model could serve as a design tool for micro-electro-mechanical systems, microfluidic devices, and stimuli-responsive gels such as artificial skin, tactile displays, or artificial muscle. PMID:25267881

Polymerization shrinkage kinetics and shrinkage-stress in dental resin-composites.

PubMed

Al Sunbul, Hanan; Silikas, Nick; Watts, David C

2016-08-01

To investigate a set of resin-composites and the effect of their composition on polymerization shrinkage strain and strain kinetics, shrinkage stress and the apparent elastic modulus. Eighteen commercially available resin-composites were investigated. Three specimens (n=3) were made per material and light-cured with an LED unit (1200mW/cm(2)) for 20s. The bonded-disk method was used to measure the shrinkage strain and Bioman shrinkage stress instrument was used to measure shrinkage stress. The shrinkage strain kinetics at 23°C was monitored for 60min. Maximum strain and stress was evaluated at 60min. The shrinkage strain rate was calculated using numerical differentiation. The shrinkage strain values ranged from 1.83 (0.09) % for Tetric Evoceram (TEC) to 4.68 (0.04) % for Beautifil flow plus (BFP). The shrinkage strain rate ranged from 0.11 (0.01%s(-1)) for Gaenial posterior (GA-P) to 0.59 (0.07) %s(-1) for BFP. Shrinkage stress values ranged from 3.94 (0.40)MPa for TET to 10.45 (0.41)MPa for BFP. The apparent elastic modulus ranged from 153.56 (18.7)MPa for Ever X posterior (EVX) to 277.34 (25.5) MPa for Grandio SO heavy flow (GSO). The nature of the monomer system determines the amount of the bulk contraction that occurs during polymerization and the resultant stress. Higher values of shrinkage strain and stress were demonstrated by the investigated flowable materials. The bulk-fill materials showed comparable result when compared to the traditional resin-composites. Copyright © 2016 The Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ultrafine-grained Aluminm and Boron Carbide Metal Matrix Composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogt, Rustin

Cryomilling is a processing technique used to generate homogenously distributed boron carbide (B4C) particulate reinforcement within an ultrafine-grained aluminum matrix. The motivation behind characterizing a composite consisting of cryomilled aluminum B4C metal matrix composite is to design and develop a high-strength, lightweight aluminum composite for structural and high strain rate applications. Cryomilled Al 5083 and B4C powders were synthesized into bulk composite by various thermomechanical processing methods to form plate and extruded geometries. The effects of processing method on microstructure and mechanical behavior for the final consolidated composite were investigated. Cryomilling for extended periods of time in liquid nitrogen has shown to increase strength and thermal stability. The effects associated with cryomilling with stearic acid additions (as a process-control agent) on the degassing behavior of Al powders is investigated and results show that the liberation of compounds associated with stearic acid were suppressed in cryomilled Al powders. The effect of thermal expansion mismatch strain on strengthening due to geometrically necessary dislocations resulting from quenching is investigated and found not to occur in bulk cryomilled Al 5083 and B 4C composites. Previous cryomilled Al 5083 and B4C composites have exhibited ultrahigh strength associated with considerable strain-to-failure (>14 pct.) at high strain rates (>103/s) during mechanical testing, but only limited strain-to-failure (˜0.75 pct.) at quasi-static strain rates (10-3/s). The increased strain to failure at high strain rates is attributed to micro-flaw developments, including kinking, extensive axial splitting, and grain growth were observed after high strain rate deformation, and the significance of these mechanisms is considered.

An algorithm for continuum modeling of rocks with multiple embedded nonlinearly-compliant joints [Continuum modeling of elasto-plastic media with multiple embedded nonlinearly-compliant joints

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

Hurley, R. C.; Vorobiev, O. Y.; Ezzedine, S. M.

Here, we present a numerical method for modeling the mechanical effects of nonlinearly-compliant joints in elasto-plastic media. The method uses a series of strain-rate and stress update algorithms to determine joint closure, slip, and solid stress within computational cells containing multiple “embedded” joints. This work facilitates efficient modeling of nonlinear wave propagation in large spatial domains containing a large number of joints that affect bulk mechanical properties. We implement the method within the massively parallel Lagrangian code GEODYN-L and provide verification and examples. We highlight the ability of our algorithms to capture joint interactions and multiple weakness planes within individualmore » computational cells, as well as its computational efficiency. We also discuss the motivation for developing the proposed technique: to simulate large-scale wave propagation during the Source Physics Experiments (SPE), a series of underground explosions conducted at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS).« less

An algorithm for continuum modeling of rocks with multiple embedded nonlinearly-compliant joints [Continuum modeling of elasto-plastic media with multiple embedded nonlinearly-compliant joints

DOE PAGES

Hurley, R. C.; Vorobiev, O. Y.; Ezzedine, S. M.

2017-04-06

Here, we present a numerical method for modeling the mechanical effects of nonlinearly-compliant joints in elasto-plastic media. The method uses a series of strain-rate and stress update algorithms to determine joint closure, slip, and solid stress within computational cells containing multiple “embedded” joints. This work facilitates efficient modeling of nonlinear wave propagation in large spatial domains containing a large number of joints that affect bulk mechanical properties. We implement the method within the massively parallel Lagrangian code GEODYN-L and provide verification and examples. We highlight the ability of our algorithms to capture joint interactions and multiple weakness planes within individualmore » computational cells, as well as its computational efficiency. We also discuss the motivation for developing the proposed technique: to simulate large-scale wave propagation during the Source Physics Experiments (SPE), a series of underground explosions conducted at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS).« less

Mechanical and electrical strain response of a piezoelectric auxetic PZT lattice structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fey, Tobias; Eichhorn, Franziska; Han, Guifang; Ebert, Kathrin; Wegener, Moritz; Roosen, Andreas; Kakimoto, Ken-ichi; Greil, Peter

2016-01-01

A two-dimensional auxetic lattice structure was fabricated from a PZT piezoceramic. Tape casted and sintered sheets with a thickness of 530 μm were laser cut into inverted honeycomb lattice structure with re-entrant cell geometry (θ = -25°) and poling direction oriented perpendicular to the lattice plane. The in-plane strain response upon applying an uniaxial compression load as well as an electric field perpendicular to the lattice plane were analyzed by a 2D image data detection analysis. The auxetic lattice structure exhibits orthotropic deformation behavior with a negative in-plane Poisson’s ratio of -2.05. Compared to PZT bulk material the piezoelectric auxetic lattice revealed a strain amplification by a factor of 30-70. Effective transversal coupling coefficients {{d}al}31 of the PZT lattice exceeding 4 × 103 pm V-1 were determined which result in an effective hydrostatic coefficient {{d}al}h 66 times larger than that of bulk PZT.

High stability of yellow fever 17D-204 vaccine: a 12-year restrospective analysis of large-scale production.

PubMed

Barban, V; Girerd, Y; Aguirre, M; Gulia, S; Pétiard, F; Riou, P; Barrere, B; Lang, J

2007-04-12

We have retrospectively analyzed 12 bulk lots of yellow fever vaccine Stamaril, produced between 1990 and 2002 and prepared from the same seed lot that has been in continuous use since 1990. All vaccine batches displayed identical genome sequence. Only four nucleotide substitutions were observed, compared to previously published sequence, with no incidence at amino-acid level. Fine analysis of viral plaque size distribution was used as an additional marker for genetic stability and demonstrated a remarkable homogeneity of the viral population. The total virus load, measured by qRT-PCR, was also homogeneous pointing out reproducibility of the vaccine production process. Mice inoculated intracerebrally with the different bulks exhibited a similar average survival time, and ratio between in vitro potency and mouse LD(50) titers remained constant from batch-to-batch. Taken together, these data demonstrate the genetic stability of the strain at mass production level over a period of 12 years and reinforce the generally admitted idea of the safety of YF17D-based vaccines.

Strain Gauges Based on CVD Graphene Layers and Exfoliated Graphene Nanoplatelets with Enhanced Reproducibility and Scalability for Large Quantities

PubMed Central

Yokaribas, Volkan; Schneider, Daniel S.; Friebertshäuser, Philipp; Lemme, Max C.; Fritzen, Claus-Peter

2017-01-01

The two-dimensional material graphene promises a broad variety of sensing activities. Based on its low weight and high versatility, the sensor density can significantly be increased on a structure, which can improve reliability and reduce fluctuation in damage detection strategies such as structural health monitoring (SHM). Moreover; it initializes the basis of structure–sensor fusion towards self-sensing structures. Strain gauges are extensively used sensors in scientific and industrial applications. In this work, sensing in small strain fields (from −0.1% up to 0.1%) with regard to structural dynamics of a mechanical structure is presented with sensitivities comparable to bulk materials by measuring the inherent piezoresistive effect of graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) with a very high aspect ratio of approximately 4.86 × 108. It is demonstrated that the increasing number of graphene layers with CVD graphene plays a key role in reproducible strain gauge application since defects of individual layers may become less important in the current path. This may lead to a more stable response and, thus, resulting in a lower scattering.. Further results demonstrate the piezoresistive effect in a network consisting of liquid exfoliated graphene nanoplatelets (GNP), which result in even higher strain sensitivity and reproducibility. A model-assisted approach provides the main parameters to find an optimum of sensitivity and reproducibility of GNP films. The fabricated GNP strain gauges show a minimal deviation in PRE effect with a GF of approximately 5.6 and predict a linear electromechanical behaviour up to 1% strain. Spray deposition is used to develop a low-cost and scalable manufacturing process for GNP strain gauges. In this context, the challenge of reproducible and reliable manufacturing and operating must be overcome. The developed sensors exhibit strain gauges by considering the significant importance of reproducible sensor performances and open the path for graphene strain gauges for potential usages in science and industry. PMID:29258260

Tissue Strain Reorganizes Collagen With a Switchlike Response That Regulates Neuronal Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase Phosphorylation In Vitro: Implications for Ligamentous Injury and Mechanotransduction

PubMed Central

Zhang, Sijia; Cao, Xuan; Stablow, Alec M.; Shenoy, Vivek B.; Winkelstein, Beth A.

2016-01-01

Excessive loading of ligaments can activate the neural afferents that innervate the collagenous tissue, leading to a host of pathologies including pain. An integrated experimental and modeling approach was used to define the responses of neurons and the surrounding collagen fibers to the ligamentous matrix loading and to begin to understand how macroscopic deformation is translated to neuronal loading and signaling. A neuron-collagen construct (NCC) developed to mimic innervation of collagenous tissue underwent tension to strains simulating nonpainful (8%) or painful ligament loading (16%). Both neuronal phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), which is related to neuroplasticity (R2 ≥ 0.041; p ≤ 0.0171) and neuronal aspect ratio (AR) (R2 ≥ 0.250; p < 0.0001), were significantly correlated with tissue-level strains. As NCC strains increased during a slowly applied loading (1%/s), a “switchlike” fiber realignment response was detected with collagen reorganization occurring only above a transition point of 11.3% strain. A finite-element based discrete fiber network (DFN) model predicted that at bulk strains above the transition point, heterogeneous fiber strains were both tensile and compressive and increased, with strains in some fibers along the loading direction exceeding the applied bulk strain. The transition point identified for changes in collagen fiber realignment was consistent with the measured strain threshold (11.7% with a 95% confidence interval of 10.2–13.4%) for elevating ERK phosphorylation after loading. As with collagen fiber realignment, the greatest degree of neuronal reorientation toward the loading direction was observed at the NCC distraction corresponding to painful loading. Because activation of neuronal ERK occurred only at strains that produced evident collagen fiber realignment, findings suggest that tissue strain-induced changes in the micromechanical environment, especially altered local collagen fiber kinematics, may be associated with mechanotransduction signaling in neurons. PMID:26549105

Structural and luminescent Properties of Bulk InAsSb

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-12-21

have used compositionally graded metamorphic buffer layers to accommodate the misfit strain between InAsxSb1-x alloys and GaSb and InSb substrates in...wavelength range. The authors have used compositionally graded metamorphic buffer layers to accommodate the misfit strain between InAsxSb1x alloys...long wave IR range. We used compositionally graded GaInSb, AlGaInSb, and InAsxSb1x metamorphic buffer layers to accommodate the misfit strain between

Retrieving cosmological signal using cosmic flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouillot, V.; Alimi, J.-M.

2011-12-01

To understand the origin of the anomalously high bulk flow at large scales, we use very large simulations in various cosmological models. To disentangle between cosmological and environmental effects, we select samples with bulk flow profiles similar to the observational data Watkins et al. (2009) which exhibit a maximum in the bulk flow at 53 h^{-1} Mpc. The estimation of the cosmological parameters Ω_M and σ_8, done on those samples, is correct from the rms mass fluctuation whereas this estimation gives completely false values when done on bulk flow measurements, hence showing a dependance of velocity fields on larger scales. By drawing a clear link between velocity fields at 53 h^{-1} Mpc and asymmetric patterns of the density field at 85 h^{-1} Mpc, we show that the bulk flow can depend largely on the environment. The retrieving of the cosmological signal is achieved by studying the convergence of the bulk flow towards the linear prediction at very large scale (˜ 150 h^{-1} Mpc).

Ductile Damage and Fatigue Behavior of Semi-Finished Tailored Blanks for Sheet-Bulk Metal Forming Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Besserer, Hans-Bernward; Hildenbrand, Philipp; Gerstein, Gregory; Rodman, Dmytro; Nürnberger, Florian; Merklein, Marion; Maier, Hans Jürgen

2016-03-01

To produce parts from sheet metal with thickened functional elements, bulk forming operations can be employed. For this new process class, the term sheet-bulk metal forming has been established recently. Since sheet-bulk metal forming processes such as orbital forming generates triaxial stress and strain states, ductile damage is induced in the form of voids in the microstructure. Typical parts will experience cyclic loads during service, and thus, the influence of ductile damage on the fatigue life of parts manufactured by orbital forming is of interest. Both the formation and growth of voids were characterized following this forming process and then compared to the as-received condition of the ferritic deep drawing steel DC04 chosen for this study. Subsequent to the forming operation, the specimens were fatigued and the evolution of ductile damage and the rearrangement of the dislocation networks occurring during cyclic loading were determined. It was shown, that despite an increased ductile damage due to the forming process, the induced strain hardening has a positive effect on the fatigue life of the material. However, by analyzing the fatigued specimens a development of the ductile damage by an increasing number of voids and a change in the void shape were detected.

Physical properties and depth of cure of a new short fiber reinforced composite.

PubMed

Garoushi, Sufyan; Säilynoja, Eija; Vallittu, Pekka K; Lassila, Lippo

2013-08-01

To determine the physical properties and curing depth of a new short fiber composite intended for posterior large restorations (everX Posterior) in comparison to different commercial posterior composites (Alert, TetricEvoCeram Bulk Fill, Voco X-tra base, SDR, Venus Bulk Fill, SonicFill, Filtek Bulk Fill, Filtek Superme, and Filtek Z250). In addition, length of fiber fillers of composite XENIUS base compared to the previously introduced composite Alert has been measured. The following properties were examined according to ISO standard 4049: flexural strength, flexural modulus, fracture toughness, polymerization shrinkage and depth of cure. The mean and standard deviation were determined and all results were statistically analyzed with analysis of variance ANOVA (a=0.05). XENIUS base composite exhibited the highest fracture toughness (4.6MPam(1/2)) and flexural strength (124.3MPa) values and the lower shrinkage strain (0.17%) among the materials tested. Alert composite revealed the highest flexural modulus value (9.9GPa), which was not significantly different from XENIUS base composite (9.5GPa). Depth of cure of XENIUS base (4.6mm) was similar than those of bulk fill composites and higher than other hybrid composites. The length of fiber fillers in XENIUS base was longer (1.3-2mm) than in Alert (20-60μm). The new short fiber composite differed significantly in its physical properties compared to other materials tested. This suggests that the latter could be used in high-stress bearing areas. Copyright © 2013 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Advances in cryogenic engineering. Volume 27 - Proceedings of the Cryogenic Engineering Conference, San Diego, CA, August 11-14, 1981

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fast, R. W. (Editor)

1982-01-01

Applications of superconductivity are considered, taking into account MHD and fusion, generators, transformers, transmission lines, magnets for physics, cryogenic techniques, electrtronics, and aspects of magnet stability. Advances related to heat transfer in He I are discussed along with subjects related to theat transfer in He II, refrigeration of superconducting systems, refrigeration and liquefaction, dilution and magnetic refrigerators, refrigerators for space applications, mass transfer and flow phenomena, and the properties of fluids. Developments related to cryogenic applications are also explored, giving attention to bulk storage and transfer of cryogenic fluids, liquefied natural gas operations, space science and technology, and cryopumping. Topics related to cryogenic instrumentation and controls include the production and use of high grade silicon diode temperature sensors, the choice of strain gages for use in a large superconducting alternator, microprocessor control of cryogenic pressure, and instrumentation, data acquisition and reduction for a large spaceborne helium dewar.

Stanene cyanide: a novel candidate of Quantum Spin Hall insulator at high temperature

PubMed Central

Ji, Wei-xiao; Zhang, Chang-wen; Ding, Meng; Li, Ping; Li, Feng; Ren, Miao-juan; Wang, Pei-ji; Hu, Shu-jun; Yan, Shi-shen

2015-01-01

The search for quantum spin Hall (QSH) insulators with high stability, large and tunable gap and topological robustness, is critical for their realistic application at high temperature. Using first-principle calculations, we predict the cyanogen saturated stanene SnCN as novel topological insulators material, with a bulk gap as large as 203 meV, which can be engineered by applying biaxial strain and electric field. The band topology is identified by Z2 topological invariant together with helical edge states, and the mechanism is s-pxy band inversion at G point induced by spin-orbit coupling (SOC). Remarkably, these systems have robust topology against chemical impurities, based on the calculations on halogen and cyano group co-decorated stanene SnXxX′1−x (X,X′  =  F, Cl, Br, I and CN), which makes it an appropriate and flexible candidate material for spintronic devices. PMID:26688269

Strain effects on thermal conductivity of nanostructured silicon by Raman piezothermography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murphy, Kathryn Fay

A fundamental problem facing the rational design of materials is the independent control of electrical and thermal properties, with implications for a wide range of applications including thermoelectrics, solar thermal power generation, and thermal logic. One strategy for controlling transport involves manipulating the length scales which affect it. For instance, Si thermal conductivity may be reduced with relatively little change in electrical properties when the confining dimension (e.g., nanowire diameter) is small enough that heat carriers are preferentially scattered at free surfaces. However, tailoring properties by geometry or chemistry alone does not allow for on-demand modification, precluding applications which require responsive behavior such as thermal transistors, thermoelectric modules which adapt to their environmental temperature, or switchable thermal barriers. One means of tuning transport is elastic strain, which has long been exploited to improve carrier mobility in electronic devices. Uniform strain is predicted to affect thermal conductivity primarily via changes in heat capacity and phonon velocity, and crystalline defects such as vacancies or dislocations---which induce large strain gradients---should lower thermal conductivity by decreasing the phonon mean free path. Nanowires are ideal for the study of strain and defect effects due to the availability of a range of elastic strain an order of magnitude larger than in bulk and due to their small volumes. However, experimental measurements of strain-mediated thermal conductivity in nanowires have been limited due to the complexity of simultaneously applying and measuring stress or strain, heating, and measuring temperature. In this dissertation, we measure strain effects on thermal conductivity using a novel non-contact approach which we name Raman piezothermography. We apply a uniaxial load to individual Si nanowires, Si thin films, and Si micromeshes under a confocal mu-Raman microscope and, using the Raman laser as a heat source and the Raman spectrum as a measure of temperature, determine thermal transport properties. We show that uniaxial strain up to ˜1% has a weak effect on Si nanowire or thin film thermal conductivity, but irradiation-induced defects in nanowires yield dramatic reductions due to increased phonon scattering. Such defects are accompanied by large strain gradients, but decoupling the effect of these gradients from local changes in mass and interatomic potential is experimentally untenable. To isolate the effect of strain gradients, we extend our method to Si micromeshes, which exhibit nonuniform strains upon loading. The complex strain states achieved cause more drastic reductions of thermal conductivity due to enhanced phonon-phonon scattering in the presence of a strain gradient. The directions suggested by our experiments, as well as the development of the method, will allow for more robust understanding and control of thermal transport in nanostructures.

High electromechanical strain and enhanced temperature characteristics in lead-free (Na,Bi)TiO3-BaTiO3 thin films on Si substrates.

PubMed

Tanaka, Yoshiaki; Okamoto, Shoji; Hashimoto, Kazuya; Takayama, Ryoichi; Harigai, Takakiyo; Adachi, Hideaki; Fujii, Eiji

2018-05-18

Here, we demonstrate the high electromechanical strain and enhanced temperature characteristics in the c-axis-oriented lead-free (Na,Bi)TiO 3 -BaTiO 3 (NBT-BT) polycrystalline thin film prepared on Si substrates by rf magnetron sputtering. The effective transverse piezoelectric coefficient, e 31 * , estimated from the electromechanical strain measured under high electric field, reaches a high level of -12.5 C/m 2 , and is comparable to those of conventional Pb(Zr,Ti)O 3 films. In-situ X-ray diffraction measurement and electron diffraction analysis revealed the electromechanical strain of the NBT-BT film to originate predominantly in elongation of the tetragonal (P4bm) crystal lattice in the c-axis direction. In addition to the large e 31 * , the NBT-BT film exhibits enhanced permittivity maximum temperature, T m , of ~400 °C and no depolarization below T m , as compared to bulk NBT-BT having T m ≈ 300 °C and a depolarization temperature of ~100 °C. We conclude that the enhancement of temperature characteristics is associated with the distorted P4bm crystal lattice formed by deposition-induced stress and defects. We believe that the present study paves the way for practical applications of lead-free piezoelectric thin films in electromechanical devices.

Elastic solitons in delaminated bars: splitting leads to fission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samsonov, A. M.; Dreiden, G. V.; Khusnutdinova, K. R.; Semenova, I. V.

2008-06-01

Recent theoretical and successful experimental studies confirmed existence and demonstrated main properties of bulk strain solitary waves in nonlinearly elastic solid wave guides. Our current research is devoted to nonlinear wave processes in layered elastic wave guides with inhomogeneities modelling delamination. We present first theoretical and experimental results showing the influence of delamination on the parameters of the longitudinal strain solitary wave.

Study of the effect of varying core diameter, shell thickness and strain velocity on the tensile properties of single crystals of Cu-Ag core-shell nanowire using molecular dynamics simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarkar, Jit; Das, D. K.

2018-01-01

Core-shell type nanostructures show exceptional properties due to their unique structure having a central solid core of one type and an outer thin shell of another type which draw immense attention among researchers. In this study, molecular dynamics simulations are carried out on single crystals of copper-silver core-shell nanowires having wire diameter ranging from 9 to 30 nm with varying core diameter, shell thickness, and strain velocity. The tensile properties like yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and Young's modulus are studied and correlated by varying one parameter at a time and keeping the other two parameters constant. The results obtained for a fixed wire size and different strain velocities were extrapolated to calculate the tensile properties like yield strength and Young's modulus at standard strain rate of 1 mm/min. The results show ultra-high tensile properties of copper-silver core-shell nanowires, several times than that of bulk copper and silver. These copper-silver core-shell nanowires can be used as a reinforcing agent in bulk metal matrix for developing ultra-high strength nanocomposites.

Magnetism and phase transitions in LaCoO3

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

Belanger, David P; Durand, Alice M; Booth, C

2013-01-01

Neutron scattering and magnetometry measurements have been used to study phase transitions in LaCoO3 (LCO). For H 100 Oe, evidence for a ferromagnetic (FM) transition is observed at Tc 87 K. For 1 kOe H 60 kOe, no transition is apparent. For all H, Curie Weiss analysis shows predominantly antiferromagnetic (AFM) interactions for T > Tc, but the lack of long-range AFM order indicates magnetic frustration. We argue that the weak ferromagnetism in bulk LCO is induced by lattice strain, as is the case with thin films and nanoparticles. The lattice strain is present at the bulk surfaces and atmore » the interfaces between the LCO and a trace cobalt oxide phase. The ferromagnetic ordering in the LCO bulk is strongly affected by the Co O Co angle ( ), in agreement with recent band calculations which predict that ferromagnetic long-range order can only take place above a critical value, C. Consistent with recent thin film estimations, we find C D 162:8. For > C, we observe power-law behavior in the structural parameters. decreases with T until the critical temperature, To 37 K; below To the rate of change becomes very small. For T < To, FM order appears to be confined to regions close to the surfaces, likely due to the lattice strain keeping the local Co O Co angle above C.« less

Strain-induced Weyl and Dirac states and direct-indirect gap transitions in group-V materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moynihan, Glenn; Sanvito, Stefano; O'Regan, David D.

2017-12-01

We perform comprehensive density-functional theory calculations on strained two-dimensional phosphorus (P), arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb) in the monolayer, bilayer, and bulk α-phase, from which we compute the key mechanical and electronic properties of these materials. Specifically, we compute their electronic band structures, band gaps, and charge-carrier effective masses, and identify the qualitative electronic and structural transitions that may occur. Moreover, we compute the elastic properties such as the Young’s modulus Y; shear modulus G; bulk modulus B ; and Poisson ratio ν and present their isotropic averages of as well as their dependence on the in-plane orientation, for which the relevant expressions are derived. We predict strain-induced Dirac states in the monolayers of As and Sb and the bilayers of P, As, and Sb, as well as the possible existence of Weyl states in the bulk phases of P and As. These phases are predicted to support charge velocities up to 106 m {{\\text{s}}-1} and, in some highly anisotropic cases, permit one-dimensional ballistic conductivity in the puckered direction. We also predict numerous band gap transitions for moderate in-plane stresses. Our results contribute to the mounting evidence for the utility of these materials, made possible by their broad range in tuneable properties, and facilitate the directed exploration of their potential application in next-generation electronics.

Development, Characterization and Piezoelectric Fatigue Behavior of Lead-Free Perovskite Piezoelectric Ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patterson, Eric Andrew

Much recent research has focused on the development lead-free perovskite piezoelectrics as environmentally compatible alternatives to lead zirconate titanate (PZT). Two main categories of lead free perovskite piezoelectric ceramic systems were investigated as potential replacements to lead zirconate titanate (PZT) for actuator devices. First, solid solutions based on Li, Ta, and Sb modified (K0.5Na0.5)NbO3 (KNN) lead-free perovskite systems were created using standard solid state methods. Secondly, Bi-based materials a variety of compositions were explored for (1-x)(Bi 0.5Na0.5)TiO3-xBi(Zn0.5Ti0.5)O 3 (BNT-BZT) and Bi(Zn0.5Ti0.5)O3-(Bi 0.5K0.5)TiO3-(Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO 3 (BZT-BKT-BNT). It was shown that when BNT-BKT is combined with increasing concentrations of Bi(Zn1/2i1/2)O3 (BZT), a transition from normal ferroelectric behavior to a material with large electric field induced strains was observed. The higher BZT containing compositions are characterized by large hysteretic strains(> 0.3%) with no negative strains that might indicate domain switching. This work summarizes and analyzes the fatigue behavior of the new generation of Pb-free piezoelectric materials. In piezoelectric materials, fatigue is observed as a degradation in the electromechanical properties under the application of a bipolar or unipolar cyclic electrical load. In Pb-based materials such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT), fatigue has been studied in great depth for both bulk and thin film applications. In PZT, fatigue can result from microcracking or electrode effects (especially in thin films). Ultimately, however, it is electronic and ionic point defects that are the most influential mechanism. Therefore, this work also analyzes the fatigue characteristics of bulk polycrystalline ceramics of the modified-KNN and BNT-BKT-BZT compositions developed. The defect chemistry that underpins the fatigue behavior will be examined and the results will be compared to the existing body of work on PZT. It will be demonstrated that while some Pb-free materials show severe property degradation under cyclic loading, other materials such as BNT-BKT-BZT essentially exhibit fatigue- free piezoelectric properties with chemical doping or other modifications. Based on these results, these new Pb-free materials have great potential for use in piezoelectric applications requiring a large number of drive cycles such as MEMS devices or high frequency actuators.

Molecular dynamics (MD) studies on phase transformation and deformation behaviors in FCC metals and alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Yue

This thesis focused on the phase transformation and deformation behaviors in face center cubic (FCC) metals and alloys. These studies used the new quantum modified Sutton-Chen (QMSC) many-body potentials for Cu, Ni, Ag, and Au and for their alloys through simple combination rules. Various systems and processes are simulated by standard equilibrium molecular dynamics (MD), quasi-static equilibrium MD and non-equilibrium MD (NEMD), cooperated with different periodic boundary conditions. The main topics include: (1) Melting, glass formation, and crystallization processes in bulk alloys. In our simulation CuNi and pure Cu always form an FCC crystal, while Cu4Ag6 always forms glass (with Tg decreasing as the quench rate increases) due to the large atomic size difference. (2) Size effects in melting and crystallization in Ni nano clusters. There is a transition from cluster or molecular regime (where the icosahedral is the stable structure) below ˜500 atoms to a mesoscale regime (with well-defined bulk and surface properties and surface melting processes, which leads to Tm,N = Tm,B - alpha N-1/3) above ˜750 atoms. (3) The deformation behavior of metallic nanowires of pure Ni, NiCu and NiAu alloys, under high rates of uniaxial tensile strain, ranging from 5*108/s to 5*1010/s. We find that deformation proceeds through twinning and coherent slipping at low strain rate and amorphization at high strain rate. This research provides a new method, fast straining, to induce amorphization except fast cooling and disordering. (4) The calculation of the ½ <110> screw dislocation in nickel (Ni). We calculated the core energy of screw dislocation after dissociation is 0.5 eV/b, the annihilation process of opposite signed dislocations depends dramatically on the configurations of dissociation planes and the cross-slip energy barrier is 0.1eV/b. (5) Friction anisotropy on clean Ni(100)/(100) interface. We found that static friction coefficient on flat and incommensurate interface is close to zero (as analytical theory predicted), however, the calculation show the same anisotropic behavior as experiments on rough surface, thus explained the difference between theory and experiments.

Functionalized Thallium Antimony Films as Excellent Candidates for Large-Gap Quantum Spin Hall Insulator

PubMed Central

Zhang, Run-wu; Zhang, Chang-wen; Ji, Wei-xiao; Li, Sheng-shi; Yan, Shi-shen; Li, Ping; Wang, Pei-ji

2016-01-01

Group III-V films are of great importance for their potential application in spintronics and quantum computing. Search for two-dimensional III-V films with a nontrivial large-gap are quite crucial for the realization of dissipationless transport edge channels using quantum spin Hall (QSH) effects. Here we use first-principles calculations to predict a class of large-gap QSH insulators in functionalized TlSb monolayers (TlSbX2; (X = H, F, Cl, Br, I)), with sizable bulk gaps as large as 0.22 ~ 0.40 eV. The QSH state is identified by Z2 topological invariant together with helical edge states induced by spin-orbit coupling (SOC). Noticeably, the inverted band gap in the nontrivial states can be effectively tuned by the electric field and strain. Additionally, these films on BN substrate also maintain a nontrivial QSH state, which harbors a Dirac cone lying within the band gap. These findings may shed new light in future design and fabrication of QSH insulators based on two-dimensional honeycomb lattices in spintronics. PMID:26882865

Functionalized Thallium Antimony Films as Excellent Candidates for Large-Gap Quantum Spin Hall Insulator.

PubMed

Zhang, Run-wu; Zhang, Chang-wen; Ji, Wei-xiao; Li, Sheng-shi; Yan, Shi-shen; Li, Ping; Wang, Pei-ji

2016-02-17

Group III-V films are of great importance for their potential application in spintronics and quantum computing. Search for two-dimensional III-V films with a nontrivial large-gap are quite crucial for the realization of dissipationless transport edge channels using quantum spin Hall (QSH) effects. Here we use first-principles calculations to predict a class of large-gap QSH insulators in functionalized TlSb monolayers (TlSbX2; (X = H, F, Cl, Br, I)), with sizable bulk gaps as large as 0.22~0.40 eV. The QSH state is identified by Z2 topological invariant together with helical edge states induced by spin-orbit coupling (SOC). Noticeably, the inverted band gap in the nontrivial states can be effectively tuned by the electric field and strain. Additionally, these films on BN substrate also maintain a nontrivial QSH state, which harbors a Dirac cone lying within the band gap. These findings may shed new light in future design and fabrication of QSH insulators based on two-dimensional honeycomb lattices in spintronics.

Effect of ripples on the finite temperature elastic properties of hexagonal boron nitride using strain-fluctuation method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas, Siby; Ajith, K. M.; Valsakumar, M. C.

2017-11-01

This work intents to put forth the results of a classical molecular dynamics study to investigate the temperature dependent elastic constants of monolayer hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) between 100 and 1000 K for the first time using strain fluctuation method. The temperature dependence of out-of-plane fluctuations (ripples) is quantified and is explained using continuum theory of membranes. At low temperatures, negative in-plane thermal expansion is observed and at high temperatures, a transition to positive thermal expansion has been observed due to the presence of thermally excited ripples. The decrease of Young's modulus, bulk modulus, shear modulus and Poisson's ratio with increase in temperature has been analyzed. The thermal rippling in h-BN leads to strong anharmonic behaviour that causes large deviation from the isotropic elasticity. A detailed study shows that the strong thermal rippling in large systems is also responsible for the softening of elastic constants in h-BN. From the determined values of elastic constants and elastic moduli, it has been elucidated that 2D h-BN sheets meet the Born's mechanical stability criterion in the investigated temperature range. The variation of longitudinal and shear velocities with temperature is also calculated from the computed values of elastic constants and elastic moduli.

Cyclic Deformation of Ultra-Fine Grained Commercial Purity Aluminum Processed by Accumulative Roll-Bonding.

PubMed

Kwan, Charles C F; Wang, Zhirui

2013-08-13

Accumulative Roll-Bonding (ARB) is one of the more recently developed techniques capable of producing bulk ultra-fine grained (ufg) metals. There are still many aspects of the behavior of ufg metals that lacks an in-depth understanding, such as a generalized view of the factors that govern the cyclic deformation mechanism(s). This study aims to advance the understanding of the cyclic deformation behavior of ufg metals through the systematic investigation of ARB processed aluminum upon cyclic loading. It was found that the cyclic softening response often reported for ufg metals is largely influenced by the microstructure stability as the cyclic softening response is facilitated by grain coarsening which becomes inhibited with highly stable microstructure. On one hand, shear bands resembling braids of dislocations trespassing multiple grains have been observed to operate for the accommodation of the imposed cyclic strain in cases where grain coarsening is largely restricted. On the other hand, it was found that the microstructure stability can be overcome at higher applied cyclic plastic strain levels, leading to grain coarsening and thus a cyclic softening response. The findings in this study have further confirmed that the cyclic softening behavior found in many ufg metals, which may be detrimental in practical applications, can be inhibited by improvements in the microstructure stability.

Cyclic Deformation of Ultra-Fine Grained Commercial Purity Aluminum Processed by Accumulative Roll-Bonding

PubMed Central

Kwan, Charles C.F.; Wang, Zhirui

2013-01-01

Accumulative Roll-Bonding (ARB) is one of the more recently developed techniques capable of producing bulk ultra-fine grained (ufg) metals. There are still many aspects of the behavior of ufg metals that lacks an in-depth understanding, such as a generalized view of the factors that govern the cyclic deformation mechanism(s). This study aims to advance the understanding of the cyclic deformation behavior of ufg metals through the systematic investigation of ARB processed aluminum upon cyclic loading. It was found that the cyclic softening response often reported for ufg metals is largely influenced by the microstructure stability as the cyclic softening response is facilitated by grain coarsening which becomes inhibited with highly stable microstructure. On one hand, shear bands resembling braids of dislocations trespassing multiple grains have been observed to operate for the accommodation of the imposed cyclic strain in cases where grain coarsening is largely restricted. On the other hand, it was found that the microstructure stability can be overcome at higher applied cyclic plastic strain levels, leading to grain coarsening and thus a cyclic softening response. The findings in this study have further confirmed that the cyclic softening behavior found in many ufg metals, which may be detrimental in practical applications, can be inhibited by improvements in the microstructure stability. PMID:28811446

Characterization of Plastic Flow Pertinent to the Evolution of Bulk Residual Stress in Powder-Metallurgy, Nickel-Base Superalloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Semiatin, S. L.; Fagin, P. N.; Goetz, R. L.; Furrer, D. U.; Dutton, R. E.

2015-09-01

The plastic-flow behavior which controls the formation of bulk residual stresses during final heat treatment of powder-metallurgy (PM), nickel-base superalloys was quantified using conventional (isothermal) stress-relaxation (SR) tests and a novel approach which simulates concurrent temperature and strain transients during cooling following solution treatment. The concurrent cooling/straining test involves characterization of the thermal compliance of the test sample. In turn, this information is used to program the ram-displacement- vs-time profile to impose a constant plastic strain rate during cooling. To demonstrate the efficacy of the new approach, SR tests (in both tension and compression) and concurrent cooling/tension-straining experiments were performed on two PM superalloys, LSHR and IN-100. The isothermal SR experiments were conducted at a series of temperatures between 1144 K and 1436 K (871 °C and 1163 °C) on samples that had been supersolvus solution treated and cooled slowly or rapidly to produce starting microstructures comprising coarse gamma grains and coarse or fine secondary gamma-prime precipitates, respectively. The concurrent cooling/straining tests comprised supersolvus solution treatment and various combinations of subsequent cooling rate and plastic strain rate. Comparison of flow-stress data from the SR and concurrent cooling/straining tests showed some similarities and some differences which were explained in the context of the size of the gamma-prime precipitates and the evolution of dislocation substructure. The magnitude of the effect of concurrent deformation during cooling on gamma-prime precipitation was also quantified experimentally and theoretically.

Oil point and mechanical behaviour of oil palm kernels in linear compression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kabutey, Abraham; Herak, David; Choteborsky, Rostislav; Mizera, Čestmír; Sigalingging, Riswanti; Akangbe, Olaosebikan Layi

2017-07-01

The study described the oil point and mechanical properties of roasted and unroasted bulk oil palm kernels under compression loading. The literature information available is very limited. A universal compression testing machine and vessel diameter of 60 mm with a plunger were used by applying maximum force of 100 kN and speed ranging from 5 to 25 mm min-1. The initial pressing height of the bulk kernels was measured at 40 mm. The oil point was determined by a litmus test for each deformation level of 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 mm at a minimum speed of 5 mmmin-1. The measured parameters were the deformation, deformation energy, oil yield, oil point strain and oil point pressure. Clearly, the roasted bulk kernels required less deformation energy compared to the unroasted kernels for recovering the kernel oil. However, both kernels were not permanently deformed. The average oil point strain was determined at 0.57. The study is an essential contribution to pursuing innovative methods for processing palm kernel oil in rural areas of developing countries.

Atomistic theory for the damping of vibrational modes in monoatomic gold chains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engelund, M.; Brandbyge, M.; Jauho, A. P.

2009-07-01

We develop a computational method for evaluating the damping of vibrational modes in monatomic metallic chains suspended between bulk crystals under external strain. The damping is due to the coupling between the chain and contact modes and the phonons in the bulk substrates. The geometry of the atoms forming the contact is taken into account. The dynamical matrix is computed with density-functional theory in the atomic chain and the contacts using finite atomic displacements while an empirical method is employed for the bulk substrate. As a specific example, we present results for the experimentally realized case of gold chains in two different crystallographic directions. The range of the computed damping rates confirms the estimates obtained by fits to experimental data [T. Frederiksen , Phys. Rev. B 75, 205413 (2007)]. Our method indicates that an order-of-magnitude variation in the harmonic damping is possible even for relatively small changes in the strain. Such detailed insight is necessary for a quantitative analysis of damping in metallic atomic chains and in explaining the rich phenomenology seen in the experiments.

Hydromechanics in dentine: role of dentinal tubules and hydrostatic pressure on mechanical stress-strain distribution.

PubMed

Kishen, A; Vedantam, S

2007-10-01

This investigation is to understand the role of free water in the dentinal tubules on the mechanical integrity of bulk dentine. Three different experiments were conducted in this study. In experiment 1, three-dimensional models of dentine with gradient elastic modulus, homogenous elastic modulus, and with and without hydrostatic pressure were simulated using the finite element method. Static compressive loads of 15, 50 and 100 N were applied and the distribution of the principal stresses, von Mises stresses, and strains in loading direction were determined. In experiment 2, experimental compression testing of fully hydrated and partially dehydrated dentine (21 degrees C for 72 h) was conducted using a Universal testing machine. In experiment 3, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analysis of hydrated and partially dehydrated dentine was carried out. The finite element analysis revealed that the dentine model with simulated hydrostatic pressure displayed residual tensile stresses and strains in the inner region adjacent to the root canal. When external compressive loads were applied to the model, the residual stresses and strains counteracted the applied loads. Similarly the hydrated specimens subjected to experimental compression loads showed greater toughness when compared to the partially dehydrated specimens. The stress at fracture was significantly higher in partially dehydrated specimens (p=0.014), while the strain at fracture was significantly higher in hydrated dentine specimens (p=0.037). These experiments highlighted the distinct role of free water in the dentinal tubules and hydrostatic pressure on the stress-strain distribution within the bulk dentine.

Structural and mechanical modifications induced on Zr-based bulk metallic glass by laser shock peening

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Yunhu; Fu, Jie; Zheng, Chao; Ji, Zhong

2016-12-01

In this study, surface modification of a Zr41.2Ti13.8Cu12.5Ni10Be22.5 (vit1) bulk metallic glass (BMG) has been studied in an effort to improve the mechanical properties by laser shock peening (LSP) treatment. The phase structure, mechanical properties, and microstructural evolution of the as-cast and LSP treated specimens were systematically investigated. It was found that the vit1 BMG still consisted of fully amorphous structure after LSP treatment. Measurements of the heat relaxation indicate that a large amount of free volume is introduced into vit1 BMG during LSP process. LSP treatment causes a decrease of hardness attributable to generation of free volume. The plastic deformation ability of vit1 BMG was investigated under three-point bending conditions. The results demonstrate that the plastic strain of LSP treated specimen is 1.83 times as large as that of the as-cast specimen. The effect of LSP technology on the hardness and plastic deformation ability of vit1 BMG is discussed on the basis of free volume theory. The high dense shear bands on the side surface, the increase of striations and critical shear displacement on the tensile fracture region, and more uniform dimples structure on the compressive fracture region also demonstrate that the plasticity of vit1 BMG can be enhanced by LSP.

Dynamic Pressure Induced Transformation Toughening and Strengthening in Bulk Metallic Glasses

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-11-01

involved impact of 303 stainless steel flyer-plate on 303 stainless steel sample holder containing two BMGMC samples, at varying velocities. The Hugoniot...Technology. An aluminum sabot was used as the projectile with 303 Stainless Steel (SS) flyer plate to impact the DV1 bulk metallic glass composite. As...crystallization; polyamorphism; shear banding; high- strain -rate deformation REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE 11. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S REPORT NUMBER(S) 10. SPONSOR

Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species in bulk milk: Prevalence, distribution, and associated subgroup- and species-specific risk factors.

PubMed

De Visscher, A; Piepers, S; Haesebrouck, F; Supré, K; De Vliegher, S

2017-01-01

Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) have become the main pathogens causing bovine mastitis in recent years. A huge variation in species distribution among herds has been observed in several studies, emphasizing the need to identify subgroup- and species-specific herd-level factors to improve our understanding of the differences in ecological and epidemiological nature between species. The use of bulk milk samples enables the inclusion of a large(r) number of herds needed to identify herd-level risk factors and increases the likelihood of recovering enough isolates per species needed for conducting subgroup- and, eventually, species-specific analyses at the same time. This study aimed to describe the prevalence and distribution of CNS species in bulk milk samples and to identify associated subgroup- and species-specific herd-level factors. Ninety percent of all bulk milk samples yielded CNS. Staphylococcus equorum was the predominant species, followed by Staphylococcus haemolyticus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. A seasonal effect was observed for several CNS species. Bulk milk samples from herds with a loose-pack or a tiestall housing system were more likely to yield CNS species compared with herds with a freestall barn, except for S. epidermidis, Staphylococcus simulans, and Staphylococcus cohnii. In September, herds in which udders were clipped had lower odds of yielding Staphylococcus chromogenes, S. simulans, and Staphylococcus xylosus, the CNS species assumed to be most relevant for udder health, in their bulk milk than herds in which udder clipping was not practiced. Bulk milk of herds participating in a monthly veterinary udder health-monitoring program was more likely to yield these 3 CNS species. Herds always receiving their milk quality premium or predisinfecting teats before attachment of the milking cluster had lower odds of having S. equorum in their bulk milk. Herds not using a single dry cotton or paper towel for each cow during premilking udder preparation were more likely to have S. cohnii-positive bulk milk. Herds in which flushing with hot water or steam of the milking cluster after having milked a cow with a (sub)clinical mastitis was applied, were less likely to yield S. simulans, S. haemolyticus, and S. cohnii in their bulk milk. Always wearing gloves during milking decreased the odds of having Staphylococcus devriesei-positive bulk milk. Tap water from the public drinking system used as drinking water increased the odds of yielding S. simulans in the bulk milk. In conclusion, CNS are highly prevalent in bulk milk and might originate from the environment for some species (we hypothesize this is true for S. equorum or S. cohnii), or from within the udder (e.g., for S. simulans). Studies collecting bulk milk and quarter milk samples at the same time along with environmental samples are needed to determine the exact origin of the different (subgroups of) CNS species present in bulk milk using strain-typing techniques. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Strain engineered barium strontium titanate for tunable thin film resonators

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

Khassaf, H.; Khakpash, N.; Sun, F.

2014-05-19

Piezoelectric properties of epitaxial (001) barium strontium titanate (BST) films are computed as functions of composition, misfit strain, and temperature using a non-linear thermodynamic model. Results show that through adjusting in-plane strains, a highly adaptive rhombohedral ferroelectric phase can be stabilized at room temperature with outstanding piezoelectric response exceeding those of lead based piezoceramics. Furthermore, by adjusting the composition and the in-plane misfit, an electrically tunable piezoelectric response can be obtained in the paraelectric state. These findings indicate that strain engineered BST films can be utilized in the development of electrically tunable and switchable surface and bulk acoustic wave resonators.

High-linearity piezoresistive response of mechanically strong graphene-based elastomer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuanzheng, Luo; Buyin, Li; Xiaoqi

2017-05-01

Traditional additive-free graphene bulk materials based on mono- three dimensional(3D) graphene networks type are fragile in most cases, which is unfavorable for their potential applications. Here we present compressible graphene foams (CGF) with superior properties endowed by the hierarchical porous structure, which taking graphene sheets as an inorganic embedding material and polyurethane sponge (PUS) as a polymer open-framework. The preparation process utilized a dip-coating method associated with directional freezing followed by lyophilization. The as-synthesized CGF not only possess a combination of ultralow density and excellent electrical conductivity, but it also can withstand large strains (>99%) without permanent deformation or fracture. We believe that these sponge/graphene embeddable multifunctional nanocomposites will expand practical applications of graphene monolith in the future.

Periodic Cellular Structure Technology for Shape Memory Alloys

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Edward Y.

2015-01-01

Shape memory alloys are being considered for a wide variety of adaptive components for engine and airframe applications because they can undergo large amounts of strain and then revert to their original shape upon heating or unloading. Transition45 Technologies, Inc., has developed an innovative periodic cellular structure (PCS) technology for shape memory alloys that enables fabrication of complex bulk configurations, such as lattice block structures. These innovative structures are manufactured using an advanced reactive metal casting technology that offers a relatively low cost and established approach for constructing near-net shape aerospace components. Transition45 is continuing to characterize these structures to determine how best to design a PCS to better exploit the use of shape memory alloys in aerospace applications.

Compaction behavior of surrogate degraded emplaced WIPP waste.

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

Broome, Scott Thomas; Bronowski, David R.; Kuthakun, Souvanny James

The present study results are focused on laboratory testing of surrogate waste materials. The surrogate wastes correspond to a conservative estimate of degraded Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) containers and TRU waste materials at the end of the 10,000 year regulatory period. Testing consists of hydrostatic, triaxial, and uniaxial strain tests performed on surrogate waste recipes that were previously developed by Hansen et al. (1997). These recipes can be divided into materials that simulate 50% and 100% degraded waste by weight. The percent degradation indicates the anticipated amount of iron corrosion, as well as the decomposition of cellulosics, plastics, andmore » rubbers (CPR). Axial, lateral, and volumetric strain and axial, lateral, and pore stress measurements were made. Two unique testing techniques were developed during the course of the experimental program. The first involves the use of dilatometry to measure sample volumetric strain under a hydrostatic condition. Bulk moduli of the samples measured using this technique were consistent with those measured using more conventional methods. The second technique involved performing triaxial tests under lateral strain control. By limiting the lateral strain to zero by controlling the applied confining pressure while loading the specimen axially in compression, one can maintain a right-circular cylindrical geometry even under large deformations. This technique is preferred over standard triaxial testing methods which result in inhomogeneous deformation or (3z(Bbarreling(3y. (BManifestations of the inhomogeneous deformation included non-uniform stress states, as well as unrealistic Poissons ratios (> 0.5) or those that vary significantly along the length of the specimen. Zero lateral strain controlled tests yield a more uniform stress state, and admissible and uniform values of Poissons ratio.« less

THz-wave generation via difference frequency mixing in strained silicon based waveguide utilizing its second order susceptibility χ((2)).

PubMed

Saito, Kyosuke; Tanabe, Tadao; Oyama, Yutaka

2014-07-14

Terahertz (THz) wave generation via difference frequency mixing (DFM) process in strain silicon membrane waveguides by introducing the straining layer is theoretically investigated. The Si(3)N(4) straining layer induces anisotropic compressive strain in the silicon core and results in the appearance of the bulk second order nonlinear susceptibility χ((2)) by breaking the crystal symmetry. We have proposed waveguide structures for THz wave generation under the DFM process by .using the modal birefringence in the waveguide core. Our simulations show that an output power of up to 0.95 mW can be achieved at 9.09 THz. The strained silicon optical device may open a widow in the field of the silicon-based active THz photonic device applications.

Assessing effects of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium brunneum on soil microbial communities in Agriotes spp. biological pest control.

PubMed

Mayerhofer, Johanna; Eckard, Sonja; Hartmann, Martin; Grabenweger, Giselher; Widmer, Franco; Leuchtmann, Adrian; Enkerli, Jürg

2017-10-01

The release of large quantities of microorganisms to soil for purposes such as pest control or plant growth promotion may affect the indigenous soil microbial communities. In our study, we investigated potential effects of Metarhizium brunneum ART2825 on soil fungi and prokaryota in bulk soil using high-throughput sequencing of ribosomal markers. Different formulations of this strain, and combinations of the fungus with garlic as efficacy-enhancing agent, were tested over 4 months in a pot and a field experiment carried out for biological control of Agriotes spp. in potatoes. A biocontrol effect was observed only in the pot experiment, i.e. the application of FCBK resulted in 77% efficacy. Colony counts combined with genotyping and marker sequence abundance confirmed the successful establishment of the applied strain. Only the formulated applied strain caused small shifts in fungal communities in the pot experiment. Treatment effects were in the same range as the effects caused by barley kernels, the carrier of the FCBK formulation and temporal effects. Garlic treatments and time affected prokaryotic communities. In the field experiment, only spatial differences affected fungal and prokaryotic communities. Our findings suggest that M. brunneum may not adversely affect soil microbial communities. © FEMS 2017.

Local thermal expansions and lattice strains in Elinvar and stainless steel alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yokoyama, Toshihiko; Koide, Akihiro; Uemura, Yohei

2018-02-01

Local thermal expansions and lattice strains in the Elinvar alloy Fe49.66Ni42.38Cr5.49Ti2.47 (Ni Span C) and the stainless steel SUS304 Fe71.98Ni9.07Cr18.09Mn0.86 (AISI304) were investigated by the temperature-dependent Cr, Fe, and Ni K -edge extended x-ray absorption fine-structure (EXAFS) measurements, combined with the path-integral effective classical potential Monte Carlo (PIECP MC) theoretical simulations. From the EXAFS analysis of the Elinvar alloy, the local thermal expansion around Fe is found to be considerably smaller than the ones around Ni and Cr. This observation can be understood simply because Fe in the Elinvar alloy exhibit an incomplete Invar-like effect. Moreover, in both the Elinvar and SUS304 alloys, the local thermal expansions and the lattice strains around Cr are found to be larger than those around Fe and Ni. From the PIECP MC simulations of both the alloys, the first-nearest neighbor Cr-Fe pair shows extraordinarily large thermal expansion, while the Cr-Cr pair exhibits quite small or even negative thermal expansion. These findings consequently indicate that the lattice strains in both the Elinvar and SUS304 alloys are concentrated predominantly on the Cr atoms. Although the role of Cr in stainless steel has been known to inhibit corrosion by the formation of surface chromium oxide, the present investigation may interestingly suggest that the Cr atoms in the bulk play a hidden new role of absorbing inevitable lattice strains in the alloys.

Predicting the compressibility behaviour of tire shred samples for landfill applications.

PubMed

Warith, M A; Rao, Sudhakar M

2006-01-01

Tire shreds have been used as an alternative to crushed stones (gravel) as drainage media in landfill leachate collection systems. The highly compressible nature of tire shreds (25-47% axial strain on vertical stress applications of 20-700 kPa) may reduce the thickness of the tire shred drainage layer to less than 300 mm (minimum design requirement) during the life of the municipal solid waste landfill. There hence exists a need to predict axial strains of tire shred samples in response to vertical stress applications so that the initial thickness of the tire shred drainage layer can be corrected for compression. The present study performs one-dimensional compressibility tests on four tire shred samples and compares the results with stress/strain curves from other studies. The stress/strain curves are developed into charts for choosing the correct initial thickness of tire shred layers that maintain the minimum thickness of 300 mm throughout the life of the landfill. The charts are developed for a range of vertical stresses based on the design height of municipal waste cell and bulk unit weight of municipal waste. Experimental results also showed that despite experiencing large axial strains, the average permeability of the tire shred sample consistently remained two to three orders of magnitude higher than the design performance criterion of 0.01cm/s for landfill drainage layers. Laboratory experiments, however, need to verify whether long-term chemical and bio-chemical reactions between landfill leachate and the tire shred layer will deteriorate their mechanical functions (hydraulic conductivity, compressibility, strength) beyond permissible limits for geotechnical applications.

Effective temperature dynamics of shear bands in metallic glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daub, Eric G.; Klaumünzer, David; Löffler, Jörg F.

2014-12-01

We study the plastic deformation of bulk metallic glasses with shear transformation zone (STZ) theory, a physical model for plasticity in amorphous systems, and compare it with experimental data. In STZ theory, plastic deformation occurs when localized regions rearrange due to applied stress and the density of these regions is determined by a dynamically evolving effective disorder temperature. We compare the predictions of STZ theory to experiments that explore the low-temperature deformation of Zr-based bulk metallic glasses via shear bands at various thermal temperatures and strain rates. By following the evolution of effective temperature with time, strain rate, and temperature through a series of approximate and numerical solutions to the STZ equations, we successfully model a suite of experimentally observed phenomena, including shear-band aging as apparent from slide-hold-slide tests, a temperature-dependent steady-state flow stress, and a strain-rate- and temperature-dependent transition from stick-slip (serrated flow) to steady-sliding (nonserrated flow). We find that STZ theory quantitatively matches the observed experimental data and provides a framework for relating the experimentally measured energy scales to different types of atomic rearrangements.

Magnetism in nanoparticle LaCoO3

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

Durand, A. M.; Belanger, D. P.; Booth, C. H.

2014-06-24

Neutron scattering and magnetometry measurements have been used to study phase transitions in LaCoO3 (LCO). For H <= 100 Oe, evidence for a ferromagnetic (FM) transition is observed at T-c approximate to 87 K. For 1 kOe <= H <= 60 kOe, no transition is apparent. For all H, Curie-Weiss analysis shows predominantly antiferromagnetic (AFM) interactions for T > T-c, but the lack of long-range AFM order indicates magnetic frustration. We argue that the weak ferromagnetism in bulk LCO is induced by lattice strain, as is the case with thin films and nanoparticles. The lattice strain is present at themore » bulk surfaces and at the interfaces between the LCO and a trace cobalt oxide phase. The ferromagnetic ordering in the LCO bulk is strongly affected by the Co-O-Co angle (gamma), in agreement with recent band calculations which predict that ferromagnetic long-range order can only take place above a critical value, gamma C. Consistent with recent thin film estimations, we find gamma C = 162.8 degrees. For gamma > gamma C, we observe power-law behavior in the structural parameters. gamma decreases with T until the critical temperature, T-o approximate to 37 K; below T-o the rate of change becomes very small. For T < T-o, FM order appears to be confined to regions close to the surfaces, likely due to the lattice strain keeping the local Co-O-Co angle above gamma C.« less

Shear flow of dense granular materials near smooth walls. I. Shear localization and constitutive laws in the boundary region.

PubMed

Shojaaee, Zahra; Roux, Jean-Noël; Chevoir, François; Wolf, Dietrich E

2012-07-01

We report on a numerical study of the shear flow of a simple two-dimensional model of a granular material under controlled normal stress between two parallel smooth frictional walls moving with opposite velocities ± V. Discrete simulations, which are carried out with the contact dynamics method in dense assemblies of disks, reveal that, unlike rough walls made of strands of particles, smooth ones can lead to shear strain localization in the boundary layer. Specifically, we observe, for decreasing V, first a fluidlike regime (A), in which the whole granular layer is sheared, with a homogeneous strain rate except near the walls, then (B) a symmetric velocity profile with a solid block in the middle and strain localized near the walls, and finally (C) a state with broken symmetry in which the shear rate is confined to one boundary layer, while the bulk of the material moves together with the opposite wall. Both transitions are independent of system size and occur for specific values of V. Transient times are discussed. We show that the first transition, between regimes A and B, can be deduced from constitutive laws identified for the bulk material and the boundary layer, while the second one could be associated with an instability in the behavior of the boundary layer. The boundary zone constitutive law, however, is observed to depend on the state of the bulk material nearby.

Electric field induced lattice strain in pseudocubic Bi(Mg{sub 1/2}Ti{sub 1/2})O{sub 3}-modified BaTiO{sub 3}-BiFeO{sub 3} piezoelectric ceramics

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

Fujii, Ichiro, E-mail: ifujii@rins.ryukoku.ac.jp; Iizuka, Ryo; Ueno, Shintaro

2016-04-25

Contributions to the piezoelectric response in pseudocubic 0.3BaTiO{sub 3}-0.1Bi(Mg{sub 1/2}Ti{sub 1/2})O{sub 3}-0.6BiFeO{sub 3} ceramics were investigated by synchrotron X-ray diffraction under electric fields. All of the lattice strain determined from the 110, 111, and 200 pseudocubic diffraction peaks showed similar lattice strain hysteresis that was comparable to the bulk butterfly-like strain curve. It was suggested that the hysteresis of the lattice strain and the lack of anisotropy were related to the complex domain structure and the phase boundary composition.

Complex strain fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bradshaw, P.

Computational techniques for accounting for extra strain rates, abnormal distributions of delta-U/delta-y, fluctuating strain rates, and the effects of body forces in modeling shear flows are discussed. Consideration is given to simple shears where the extra strain rate does not affect turbulence, thin shear layers, moderately thin shear layers, and strongly distorted flows. Attention is given to formulations based on the exact transport equations for Reynolds stress as derived from the time-averaged Navier-Stokes equations. Extra strain rates arise from curvature, lateral divergence, and bulk compression, with Coriolis forces accounting for the first, intensification of the spanwise vorticity for the second, and compression or dilation of the shear layer producing the third. The curvature forces, e.g., buoyancy and Coriolis forces, are responsible for hurricanes and tornadoes.

A versatile phenomenological model for the S-shaped temperature dependence of photoluminescence energy for an accurate determination of the exciton localization energy in bulk and quantum well structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dixit, V. K.; Porwal, S.; Singh, S. D.; Sharma, T. K.; Ghosh, Sandip; Oak, S. M.

2014-02-01

Temperature dependence of the photoluminescence (PL) peak energy of bulk and quantum well (QW) structures is studied by using a new phenomenological model for including the effect of localized states. In general an anomalous S-shaped temperature dependence of the PL peak energy is observed for many materials which is usually associated with the localization of excitons in band-tail states that are formed due to potential fluctuations. Under such conditions, the conventional models of Varshni, Viña and Passler fail to replicate the S-shaped temperature dependence of the PL peak energy and provide inconsistent and unrealistic values of the fitting parameters. The proposed formalism persuasively reproduces the S-shaped temperature dependence of the PL peak energy and provides an accurate determination of the exciton localization energy in bulk and QW structures along with the appropriate values of material parameters. An example of a strained InAs0.38P0.62/InP QW is presented by performing detailed temperature and excitation intensity dependent PL measurements and subsequent in-depth analysis using the proposed model. Versatility of the new formalism is tested on a few other semiconductor materials, e.g. GaN, nanotextured GaN, AlGaN and InGaN, which are known to have a significant contribution from the localized states. A quantitative evaluation of the fractional contribution of the localized states is essential for understanding the temperature dependence of the PL peak energy of bulk and QW well structures having a large contribution of the band-tail states.

Quantum Phase Transition in Few-Layer NbSe2 Probed through Quantized Conductance Fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kundu, Hemanta Kumar; Ray, Sujay; Dolui, Kapildeb; Bagwe, Vivas; Choudhury, Palash Roy; Krupanidhi, S. B.; Das, Tanmoy; Raychaudhuri, Pratap; Bid, Aveek

2017-12-01

We present the first observation of dynamically modulated quantum phase transition between two distinct charge density wave (CDW) phases in two-dimensional 2 H -NbSe2 . There is recent spectroscopic evidence for the presence of these two quantum phases, but its evidence in bulk measurements remained elusive. We studied suspended, ultrathin 2 H -NbSe2 devices fabricated on piezoelectric substrates—with tunable flakes thickness, disorder level, and strain. We find a surprising evolution of the conductance fluctuation spectra across the CDW temperature: the conductance fluctuates between two precise values, separated by a quantum of conductance. These quantized fluctuations disappear for disordered and on-substrate devices. With the help of mean-field calculations, these observations can be explained as to arise from dynamical phase transition between the two CDW states. To affirm this idea, we vary the lateral strain across the device via piezoelectric medium and map out the phase diagram near the quantum critical point. The results resolve a long-standing mystery of the anomalously large spectroscopic gap in NbSe2 .

Screening of novel bacteria for the 2,3-butanediol production.

PubMed

Kallbach, Malee; Horn, Sonja; Kuenz, Anja; Prüße, Ulf

2017-02-01

Biotechnologically produced 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BDO) is a potential starting material for industrial bulk chemicals such as butadiene or methyl ethyl ketone which are currently produced from fossil feedstocks. So far, the highest 2,3-BDO concentrations have been obtained with risk group 2 microorganisms. In this study, three risk group 1 microorganisms are presented that are so far unknown for an efficient production of 2,3-BDO. The strains Bacillus atrophaeus NRS-213, Bacillus mojavensis B-14698, and Bacillus vallismortis B-14891 were evaluated regarding their ability to produce high 2,3-BDO concentrations with a broad range of different carbon sources. A maximum 2,3-BDO concentration of 60.4 g/L was reached with the strain B. vallismortis B-14891 with an initial glucose concentration of 200 g/L within 55 h in a batch cultivation. Besides glucose, B. vallismortis B-14891 converts 14 different substrates that can be obtained from residual biomass sources to 2,3-BDO. Therefore B. vallismortis B-14891 is a promising candidate for the large-scale production of 2,3-BDO with low-cost substrates.

3D Imaging of a Dislocation Loop at the Onset of Plasticity in an Indented Nanocrystal.

PubMed

Dupraz, M; Beutier, G; Cornelius, T W; Parry, G; Ren, Z; Labat, S; Richard, M-I; Chahine, G A; Kovalenko, O; De Boissieu, M; Rabkin, E; Verdier, M; Thomas, O

2017-11-08

Structural quality and stability of nanocrystals are fundamental problems that bear important consequences for the performances of small-scale devices. Indeed, at the nanoscale, their functional properties are largely influenced by elastic strain and depend critically on the presence of crystal defects. It is thus of prime importance to be able to monitor, by noninvasive means, the stability of the microstructure of nano-objects against external stimuli such as mechanical load. Here we demonstrate the potential of Bragg coherent diffraction imaging for such measurements, by imaging in 3D the evolution of the microstructure of a nanocrystal exposed to in situ mechanical loading. Not only could we observe the evolution of the internal strain field after successive loadings, but we also evidenced a transient microstructure hosting a stable dislocation loop. The latter is fully characterized from its characteristic displacement field. The mechanical behavior of this small crystal is clearly at odds with what happens in bulk materials where many dislocations interact. Moreover, this original in situ experiment opens interesting possibilities for the investigation of plastic deformation at the nanoscale.

Short period strain balanced gallium arsenide nitride/indium arsenide nitride superlattice lattice matched to indium phosphide for mid-infrared photovoltaics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhusal, Lekhnath

Dilute nitrogen-containing III-V-N alloys have been intensively studied for their unusual electronic and optical behavior in the presence of a small amount of nitrogen. Those behaviors can further be manipulated, with a careful consideration of the strain and strain balancing, for example, in the context of a strain-balanced superlattice (SL) based on those alloys. In this work, the k.p approximation and the band anti-crossing model modified for the strain have been used to describe the electronic states of the strained bulk-like GaAs1-xNx and InAs 1-yNy ternaries in the vicinity of the center of the Brillouin zone (Gamma-point). Band-offsets between the conduction and valence bands of GaAs1-xNx and InAs1-yN y have also been evaluated, before implementing them into the SL structure. By minimizing the total mechanical energy of the stack of the alternating layers of GaAs1-xNx and InAs1-yNy in the SL, the ratio of the thicknesses of the epilayers is determined to make the structure lattice-matching on the InP(001), through the strain-balancing. Mini-band energies of the strain-balanced GaAs1-xNx/InAs 1-yNy short-period SL on InP(001) is then investigated using the transfer matrix formalism. This enabled identifying the evolution of the band edge transition energies of the superlattice structure for different nitrogen compositions. Results show the potential of the new proposed design to exceed the existing limits of bulk-like InGaAsN alloys and offer the applications for photon absorption/emission energies in the range of ~0.65-0.35eV at 300K for a typical nitrogen composition of ≤5%. The optical absorption coefficient of such a SL is then estimated under the anisotropic medium approximation, where the optical absorption of the bulk structure is modified according to the anisotropy imposed by the periodic potential in the growth direction. As an application, the developed SL structure is used to investigate the performance of double, triple and quadruple junction thermophotovoltaic devices. Integration of the SL structure, which is lattice matched to InP, in the i region of the p(InGaAs)- i(SL) n(InGaAs) diode allowed the possibility of more than two junction thermophotovoltiac device with the enhanced performance in comparison to the conventional p(InGaAs)n(InGaAs) diode.

Construction of Escherichia Coli Cell Factories for Production of Organic Acids and Alcohols.

PubMed

Liu, Pingping; Zhu, Xinna; Tan, Zaigao; Zhang, Xueli; Ma, Yanhe

2016-01-01

Production of bulk chemicals from renewable biomass has been proved to be sustainable and environmentally friendly. Escherichia coli is the most commonly used host strain for constructing cell factories for production of bulk chemicals since it has clear physiological and genetic characteristics, grows fast in minimal salts medium, uses a wide range of substrates, and can be genetically modified easily. With the development of metabolic engineering, systems biology, and synthetic biology, a technology platform has been established to construct E. coli cell factories for bulk chemicals production. In this chapter, we will introduce this technology platform, as well as E. coli cell factories successfully constructed for production of organic acids and alcohols.

Effects of biaxial strains on electronic and elastic properties of hexagonal XSi2 (X = Cr, Mo, W) from first-principles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Haiyan; Shi, Liwei; Li, Shuaiqi; Zhang, Shaobo; Xia, Wangsuo

2018-02-01

Structural, electronic properties and elastic anisotropy of hexagonal C40 XSi2 (X = Cr, Mo, W) under equibiaxial in-plane strains are systematically studied using first-principle calculations. The energy gaps show significant changes with biaxial strains, whereas they are always indirect band-gap materials for -6% <ɛxx < 6%. All elastic constants, bulk modulus, shear modulus, Young's modulus increase (decrease) almost linearly with increasing compressive (tensile) strains. The evolutions of BH /GH ratio and Poisson's ratio indicate that these compounds have a better (worse) ductile behaviour under compressive (tensile) strains. A set of 3D plots show a larger directional variability in the Young's modulus E and shear modulus G at different strains for the three compounds, which is consist with the values of anisotropy factors. Moreover, the evolution of Debye temperature and anisotropy of sound velocities with biaxial strains are discussed.

Anisotropic-Strain-Induced Band Gap Engineering in Nanowire-Based Quantum Dots.

PubMed

Francaviglia, Luca; Giunto, Andrea; Kim, Wonjong; Romero-Gomez, Pablo; Vukajlovic-Plestina, Jelena; Friedl, Martin; Potts, Heidi; Güniat, Lucas; Tütüncüoglu, Gözde; Fontcuberta I Morral, Anna

2018-04-11

Tuning light emission in bulk and quantum structures by strain constitutes a complementary method to engineer functional properties of semiconductors. Here, we demonstrate the tuning of light emission of GaAs nanowires and their quantum dots up to 115 meV by applying strain through an oxide envelope. We prove that the strain is highly anisotropic and clearly results in a component along the NW longitudinal axis, showing good agreement with the equations of uniaxial stress. We further demonstrate that the strain strongly depends on the oxide thickness, the oxide intrinsic strain, and the oxide microstructure. We also show that ensemble measurements are fully consistent with characterizations at the single-NW level, further elucidating the general character of the findings. This work provides the basic elements for strain-induced band gap engineering and opens new avenues in applications where a band-edge shift is necessary.

Effect of oxide particles on the stabilization and final microstructure in aluminium

PubMed Central

Bachmaier, Andrea; Pippan, Reinhard

2011-01-01

Bulk aluminium samples containing alumina particles have been produced by different severe plastic deformation methods. Aluminium foils with different initial foil thicknesses were cold rolled to different amounts of strain and aluminium powders were consolidated and deformed by high pressure torsion (HPT). During processing, alumina particles from the foil or particle surface are easily incorporated and dispersed in the bulk material. The influence of these alumina particles on the developing microstructures and the mechanical properties has been studied. PMID:21976787

In vitro mutagenicity assessment of aluminium oxide nanomaterials using the Salmonella/microsome assay.

PubMed

Balasubramanyam, A; Sailaja, N; Mahboob, M; Rahman, M F; Hussain, Saber M; Grover, Paramjit

2010-09-01

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the potential mutagenicity of aluminium oxide nanomaterials (NMs) (Al(2)O(3)-30 nm and Al(2)O(3)-40 nm). Characterization of the NMs was done before the initiation of the study. The mutagenicity of the NMs was studied by the Ames test with Salmonella typhimurium TA100, TA1535, TA98, TA97a and TA102 strains, in the presence and absence of the S9 mixture. Based on a preliminary cytotoxicity study conducted on the strains, different concentrations of Al(2)O(3)-30 nm, Al(2)O(3)-40 nm and Al(2)O(3)-bulk were selected. At all the concentrations tested, Al(2)O(3)-30 nm and Al(2)O(3)-40 nm did not significantly increase the number of revertant colonies compared to the Al(2)O(3)-bulk and control with or without S9 mixture. Our findings suggest that Al(2)O(3) NMs were devoid of any size and concentration dependent mutagenicity compared to the Al(2)O(3)-bulk and control. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Short-range correlations control the G/K and Poisson ratios of amorphous solids and metallic glasses

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

Zaccone, Alessio; Terentjev, Eugene M.

2014-01-21

The bulk modulus of many amorphous materials, such as metallic glasses, behaves nearly in agreement with the assumption of affine deformation, namely that the atoms are displaced just by the amount prescribed by the applied strain. In contrast, the shear modulus behaves as for nonaffine deformations, with additional displacements due to the structural disorder which induce a marked material softening to shear. The consequence is an anomalously large ratio of the bulk modulus to the shear modulus for disordered materials characterized by dense atomic packing, but not for random networks with point atoms. We explain this phenomenon with a microscopicmore » derivation of the elastic moduli of amorphous solids accounting for the interplay of nonaffinity and short-range particle correlations due to excluded volume. Short-range order is responsible for a reduction of the nonaffinity which is much stronger under compression, where the geometric coupling between nonaffinity and the deformation field is strong, whilst under shear this coupling is weak. Predictions of the Poisson ratio based on this model allow us to rationalize the trends as a function of coordination and atomic packing observed with many amorphous materials.« less

Effects of dispersed particulates on the rheology of water ice at planetary conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Durham, William B.; Kirby, Stephen H.; Stern, Laura A.

1992-01-01

Effects of the initial grain size and the hard particulate impurities on the transient and the steady state flows of water ice I were investigated under laboratory conditions selected as appropriate for simulating those of the surfaces and interiors of large moons. The samples were molded with particulate volume fraction, phi, of 0.001 to 0.56 and particle sizes of 1 to 150 microns; deformation experiments were conducted at constant shortening rates of 4.4 x 10 exp -7 to 4.9 x 10 exp -4 per sec at pressures of 50 and 100 MPa and temperatures 77 to 223 K. The results obtained suggest that viscous drag occurs in the ice as it flows around hard particulates. Mixed-phase ice was found to be tougher than pure ice, extending the range of bulk plastic deformation vs. faulting to lower temperatures and higher strain rates. It is suggested that bulk planetary compositions of ice + rock (phi = 0.4-0.5) are roughly 2 orders of magnitude more viscous than pure ice, leading to thermal instability inside giant icy moons and possibly explaining the retention of crater topography on icy planetary surfaces.

High-speed data duplication/data distribution: An adjunct to the mass storage equation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howard, Kevin

1993-01-01

The term 'mass storage' invokes the image of large on-site disk and tape farms which contain huge quantities of low- to medium-access data. Although the cost of such bulk storage is recognized, the cost of the bulk distribution of this data rarely is given much attention. Mass data distribution becomes an even more acute problem if the bulk data is part of a national or international system. If the bulk data distribution is to travel from one large data center to another large data center then fiber-optic cables or the use of satellite channels is feasible. However, if the distribution must be disseminated from a central site to a number of much smaller, and, perhaps varying sites, then cost prohibits the use of fiber-optic cable or satellite communication. Given these cost constraints much of the bulk distribution of data will continue to be disseminated via inexpensive magnetic tape using the various next day postal service options. For non-transmitted bulk data, our working hypotheses are that the desired duplication efficiency of the total bulk data should be established before selecting any particular data duplication system; and, that the data duplication algorithm should be determined before any bulk data duplication method is selected.

Strain and Ni substitution induced ferromagnetism in LaCoO3 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Ashok; Kumar, Vinod; Kumar, Rajesh; Kumar, Ravi

2018-05-01

We have grown epitaxial strained films of LaCoO3 and LaCo0.7Ni0.3O3 on LaAlO3 (100) substrate via pulsed laser deposition. Superconducting quantum interference device magnetization measurements show that, unlike its bulk counterpart, the ground state of the strained LaCoO3 on LAO is ferromagnetic. The saturation magnetization has been found increase strongly from a value of 118 emu/cm3 to 350 emu/ cm3 for Ni substituted thin film. Present study reveals that strain can stabilize FM order in these thin films down to low temperature, which can further be tuned to higher saturation magnetization with the Ni substitution.

Picosecond x-ray strain rosette reveals direct laser excitation of coherent transverse acoustic phonons

PubMed Central

Lee, Sooheyong; Williams, G. Jackson; Campana, Maria I.; Walko, Donald A.; Landahl, Eric C.

2016-01-01

Using a strain-rosette, we demonstrate the existence of transverse strain using time-resolved x-ray diffraction from multiple Bragg reflections in laser-excited bulk gallium arsenide. We find that anisotropic strain is responsible for a considerable fraction of the total lattice motion at early times before thermal equilibrium is achieved. Our measurements are described by a new model where the Poisson ratio drives transverse motion, resulting in the creation of shear waves without the need for an indirect process such as mode conversion at an interface. Using the same excitation geometry with the narrow-gap semiconductor indium antimonide, we detected coherent transverse acoustic oscillations at frequencies of several GHz. PMID:26751616

Isolation, molecular characterization and antimicrobial susceptibilities of isolates of Mycoplasma agalactiae from bulk tank milk in an endemic area of Spain.

PubMed

de Garnica, M L; Rosales, R S; Gonzalo, C; Santos, J A; Nicholas, R A J

2013-06-01

To isolate and characterize strains of Mycoplasma agalactiae from bulk tank and silo ewes' milk. Thirteen mycoplasma isolates were obtained from samples of sheep milk taken from bulk tank and large silos and identified as Myc. agalactiae by PCR-DGGE. The isolates were typed by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), SDS-PAGE and immunoblot. The in vitro activity of 13 antimicrobials of veterinary interest was tested against these isolates. Results showed that the most effective compounds against Myc. agalactiae in vitro were clindamycin, an antibiotic not previously described as a suitable contagious agalactia (CA) treatment, with Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) values of <0·12 μg ml(-1) , and quinolones, with MIC values <0·12-0·5 μg ml(-1) , which are used as standard treatments against CA. Based on the in vitro assay, clindamycin, quinolones, tylosin and tilmicosin would be appropriate antimicrobials for CA treatment. The isolates were mostly resistant to erythromycin, indicating that it would not be a suitable choice for therapy. The isolates showed common molecular and protein profiles by PFGE and SDS-PAGE, with minor differences observed by immunoblot analysis, suggesting a clonal relationship among them. This study demonstrated the importance of the appropriate selection of antimicrobials for treatment of CA. © [2013] Crown copyright. This article is published with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen's Printer for Scotland.

Revealing the Atomic Restructuring of Pt–Co Nanoparticles

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

Xin, Huolin L.; Alayoglu, Selim; Tao, Runzhe

2014-06-11

We studied Pt-Co bimetallic nanoparticles during oxidation in O2 and reduction in H2 atmospheres using an aberration corrected environmental transmission electron microscope. During oxidation Co migrates to the nanoparticle surface forming a strained epitaxial CoO film. It subsequently forms islands via strain relaxation. The atomic restructuring is captured as a function of time. During reduction cobalt migrates back to the bulk, leaving a monolayer of platinum on the surface.

Molar cusp deformation evaluated by micro-CT and enamel crack formation to compare incremental and bulk-filling techniques.

PubMed

Oliveira, Laís Rani Sales; Braga, Stella Sueli Lourenço; Bicalho, Aline Arêdes; Ribeiro, Maria Tereza Hordones; Price, Richard Bengt; Soares, Carlos José

2018-07-01

To describe a method of measuring the molar cusp deformation using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), the propagation of enamel cracks using transillumination, and the effects of hygroscopic expansion after incremental and bulk-filling resin composite restorations. Twenty human molars received standardized Class II mesio-occlusal-distal cavity preparations. They were restored with either a bulk-fill resin composite, X-tra fil (XTRA), or a conventional resin composite, Filtek Z100 (Z100). The resin composites were tested for post-gel shrinkage using a strain gauge method. Cusp deformation (CD) was evaluated using the images obtained using a micro-CT protocol and using a strain-gauge method. Enamel cracks were detected using transillumination. The post-gel shrinkage of Z100 was higher than XTRA (P < 0.001). The amount of cusp deformation produced using Z100 was higher compared to XTRA, irrespective of the measurement method used (P < 0.001). The thinner lingual cusp always had a higher CD than the buccal cusp, irrespective of the measurement method (P < 0.001). A positive correlation (r = 0.78) was found between cusp deformation measured by micro-CT or by the strain-gauge method. After hygroscopic expansion of the resin composite, the cusp displacement recovered around 85% (P < 0.001). After restoration, Z100 produced more cracks than XTRA (P = 0.012). Micro-CT was an effective method for evaluating the cusp deformation. Transillumination was effective for detecting enamel cracks. There were fewer negative effects of polymerization shrinkage in bulk-fill resin restorations using XTRA than for the conventional incremental filling technique using conventional composite resin Z100. Shrinkage and cusp deformation are directly related to the formation of enamel cracks. Cusp deformation and crack propagation may increase the risk of tooth fracture. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Direct synchrotron x-ray measurements of local strain fields in elastically and plastically bent metallic glasses

DOE PAGES

Wu, Yuan; Stoica, Alexandru Dan; Ren, Yang; ...

2015-09-03

In situ high-energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction was conducted on elastically and plastically bent bulk metallic glass (BMG) thin plates, from which distinct local elastic strain fields were mapped spatially. These directly measured residual strain fields can be nicely interpreted by our stress analysis, and also validate a previously proposed indirect residual-stress-measurement method by relating nanoindentation hardness to residual stresses. Local shear strain variations on the cross sections of these thin plates were found in the plastically bent BMG, which however cannot be determined from the indirect indentation method. As a result, this study has important implications in designing and manipulatingmore » internal strain fields in BMGs for the purpose of ductility enhancement.« less

Two-Dimensional Large Gap Topological Insulators with Tunable Rashba Spin-Orbit Coupling in Group-IV films

PubMed Central

Zhang, Shou-juan; Ji, Wei-xiao; Zhang, Chang-wen; Li, Ping; Wang, Pei-ji

2017-01-01

The coexistence of nontrivial topology and giant Rashba splitting, however, has rare been observed in two-dimensional (2D) films, limiting severely its potential applications at room temperature. Here, we through first-principles calculations to propose a series of inversion-asymmetric group-IV films, ABZ2 (A ≠ B = Si, Ge, Sn, Pb; Z = F, Cl, Br), whose stability are confirmed by phonon spectrum calculations. The analyses of electronic structures reveal that they are intrinsic 2D TIs with a bulk gap as large as 0.74 eV, except for GeSiF2, SnSiCl2, GeSiCl2 and GeSiBr2 monolayers which can transform from normal to topological phases under appropriate tensile strain of 4, 4, 5, and 4%, respectively. The nontrivial topology is identified by Z2 topological invariant together with helical edge states, as well as the berry curvature of these systems. Another prominent intriguing feature is the giant Rashba spin splitting with a magnitude reaching 0.15 eV, the largest value reported in 2D films so far. The tunability of Rashba SOC and band topology can be realized through achievable compressive/tensile strains (−4 ~ 6%). Also, the BaTe semiconductor is an ideal substrate for growing ABZ2 films without destroying their nontrivial topology. PMID:28368035

Atomistic clustering-ordering and high-strain deformation of an Al0.1CrCoFeNi high-entropy alloy

PubMed Central

Sharma, Aayush; Singh, Prashant; Johnson, Duane D.; Liaw, Peter K.; Balasubramanian, Ganesh

2016-01-01

Computational investigations of structural, chemical, and deformation behavior in high-entropy alloys (HEAs), which possess notable mechanical strength, have been limited due to the absence of applicable force fields. To extend investigations, we propose a set of intermolecular potential parameters for a quinary Al-Cr-Co-Fe-Ni alloy, using the available ternary Embedded Atom Method and Lennard-Jones potential in classical molecular-dynamics simulations. The simulation results are validated by a comparison to first-principles Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker (KKR) - Coherent Potential Approximation (CPA) [KKR-CPA] calculations for the HEA structural properties (lattice constants and bulk moduli), relative stability, pair probabilities, and high-temperature short-range ordering. The simulation (MD)-derived properties are in quantitative agreement with KKR-CPA calculations (first-principles) and experiments. We study AlxCrCoFeNi for Al ranging from 0 ≤ x ≤2 mole fractions, and find that the HEA shows large chemical clustering over a wide temperature range for x < 0.5. At various temperatures high-strain compression promotes atomistic rearrangements in Al0.1CrCoFeNi, resulting in a clustering-to-ordering transition that is absent for tensile loading. Large fluctuations under stress, and at higher temperatures, are attributed to the thermo-plastic instability in Al0.1CrCoFeNi. PMID:27498807

Atomistic clustering-ordering and high-strain deformation of an Al 0.1CrCoFeNi high-entropy alloy

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

Sharma, Aayush; Singh, Prashant; Johnson, Duane D.

2016-08-08

Here, computational investigations of structural, chemical, and deformation behavior in high-entropy alloys (HEAs), which possess notable mechanical strength, have been limited due to the absence of applicable force fields. To extend investigations, we propose a set of intermolecular potential parameters for a quinary Al-Cr-Co-Fe-Ni alloy, using the available ternary Embedded Atom Method and Lennard-Jones potential in classical molecular-dynamics simulations. The simulation results are validated by a comparison to first-principles Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker (KKR) - Coherent Potential Approximation (CPA) [KKR-CPA] calculations for the HEA structural properties (lattice constants and bulk moduli), relative stability, pair probabilities, and high-temperature short-range ordering. The simulation (MD)-derived propertiesmore » are in quantitative agreement with KKR-CPA calculations (first-principles) and experiments. We study Al xCrCoFeNi for Al ranging from 0 ≤ x ≤2 mole fractions, and find that the HEA shows large chemical clustering over a wide temperature range for x < 0.5. At various temperatures high-strain compression promotes atomistic rearrangements in Al 0.1CrCoFeNi, resulting in a clustering-to-ordering transition that is absent for tensile loading. Large fluctuations under stress, and at higher temperatures, are attributed to the thermo-plastic instability in Al 0.1CrCoFeNi.« less

Flexoelectricity in ATiO3 (A = Sr, Ba, Pb) perovskite oxide superlattices from density functional theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plymill, Austin; Xu, Haixuan

2018-04-01

Flexoelectric coefficients for several bulk and superlattice perovskite systems are determined using a direct approach from first principles density functional theory calculations. A strong enhancement in the longitudinal flexoelectric coefficient has been observed in the 1SrTiO3/1PbTiO3 superlattice with alternating single atomic layers of SrTiO3 and PbTiO3. It was found that atomistic displacement, charge response under strain, and interfaces affect the flexoelectric properties of perovskite superlattice systems. These factors can be used to tune this effect in dielectrics. It was further found that the calculated Born effective charge for an ion under the influence of strain can differ significantly from the bulk value. These insights can be used to help search for more effective flexoelectric materials to be implemented in electromechanical devices.

The viscoelastic behavior of notched glassy polymers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crook, R. A.; Letton, Alan

1993-01-01

In the bulk, glassy polymers exhibit a nonlinear viscoelastic response during deformation. Stress or strain induced damage (i.e. crazing, microshear banding) results in the production of nonrecoverable work and observed nonlinearity. Stress or strain dependent shift factors have been used to mathematically model the mechanical behavior of these polymers. Glassy polymers that have been notched, may exhibit very different load displacement response compared to the same material under bulk deformation. If a sharp notch is introduced into the body then loaded, the load displacement trace may appear to be single-valued in the absence of viscoelasticity and crack growth. This suggests the volume of damaged material is small compared to the overall dimensions of the specimen. The ability to produce a single-valued load-load-line displacement trace through the use of the Correspondence Principle may prove to be useful for fracture of viscoelastic materials.

High-strain-rate deformation of granular silicon carbide

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

Shih, C.J.; Meyers, M.A.; Nesterenko, V.F.

1998-07-01

Silicon carbide powders with three particle size distributions (average sizes of 0.4, 3 and 50 {micro}m) were subjected to strain-controlled, high-strain-rate deformation ({dot {var_epsilon}} {approx} 3 {times} 10{sup 4}/s) in a cylindrical geometry which imposed simultaneous compressive stresses. The experiments involved two explosive stages to (a) densify the powder and to (b) subject the densified granules to large deformation. The powder, with initial density of 33--59% of theoretical density, was densified to densities between 73 and 94% of theoretical density in the first stage. The densified powders were subjected to a global effective strain of {approx}{minus}0.27 in the second stage.more » Their response to be imposed constraints occurred through both homogeneous deformation (82--100%) and shear localization (0--18%), depending on the particle size. In the coarse powder (50 {micro}m), the shear localization process was primarily due to particle break-up (comminution) and rearrangement of the comminuted particles, through a similar mechanism to the bulk and prefractured SiC (Shih, C.J., Nesterenko, V.F. and Meyers, M.A., Journal of Applied Physics, 1998, 83, 4660). Comminution was observed in the medium powder (3 {micro}m), but was never seen in the fine powder (0.4 {micro}m). In medium and fine granular SiC, the shear localization at sufficiently high displacement (>150 {micro}m) leads to the formation of a thin layer (5--20 {micro}m) of well-bonded material. Calculated temperatures in the centers of the bands are up to 2300 C (using an assumed shear strength of 2 GPa and linear thermal softening), which explain the bonding. An analytical model is developed that correctly predicts break-up of large particles and plastic deformation of the smaller ones. It is based on the Griffith fracture criterion and Weibull distribution of strength, which quantitatively express the fact that the fracture is generated by flaws the size of which is limited by the particle size.« less

A Solid-State Intrinsically Stretchable Polymer Solar Cell.

PubMed

Li, Lu; Liang, Jiajie; Gao, Huier; Li, Ying; Niu, Xiaofan; Zhu, Xiaodan; Xiong, Yan; Pei, Qibing

2017-11-22

An organic solar cell based on a bulk heterojunction of a conjugated polymer and a methanofullerene PC 61 BM or PC 71 BM exhibits a complex morphology that controls both its photovoltaic and mechanical compliance (flexibility and stretchability). Here, the donor-acceptor blend of poly(thieno[3,4-b]-thiophene/benzodithiophene) (PTB7) and PC 71 BM containing a small amount of diiodooctane (DIO) in the spin-casting solution is reported to exhibit elastic deformability. The blend comprises nanometer-size, nanocrystalline grains that are relatively uniformly distributed. Large external deformation is accommodated by relative sliding between the grains. Reorientation of the nanocrystallites and the global reorientation of the PTB7 polymer chain were observed along the stretching direction up to 100% strain, which was reversible as the blend was allowed to relax to 0% strain. The polymer solar cell based on PTB7:PC 71 BM:DIO with such reversible morphological changes exhibited a rubbery elasticity at room temperature. The device could be stretched up to 100% strain, and the power-conversion efficiency shows a slight increase up to 30% strain and a global increase of power generation as the photoactive area increases with strain. Solar cells were fabricated employing a layer of the PTB7:PC 71 BM:DIO blend sandwiched between a pair of stretchable transparent electrodes, each comprising a stack of a silver nanowire percolation network and a single-wall carbon nanotube network embedded in the surface of a poly(urethane acylate) elastomer film. The solar cells were semitransparent and could be stretched like a rubbery film by as much as 100% strain. The measured power-conversion efficiency was 3.48%, which was increased to 3.67% after one cycle of stretching to 50% strain and lowered to 2.99% after 100 stretching cycles. The total power generation from the cells was significantly increased, thanks to the expanded active area as the cells were stretched.

Advances in cryogenic engineering. Volume 27 - Proceedings of the Cryogenic Engineering Conference, San Diego, CA, August 11-14, 1981

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fast, R. W.

Applications of superconductivity are considered, taking into account MHD and fusion, generators, transformers, transmission lines, magnets for physics, cryogenic techniques, electrtronics, and aspects of magnet stability. Advances related to heat transfer in He I are discussed along with subjects related to theat transfer in He II, refrigeration of superconducting systems, refrigeration and liquefaction, dilution and magnetic refrigerators, refrigerators for space applications, mass transfer and flow phenomena, and the properties of fluids. Developments related to cryogenic applications are also explored, giving attention to bulk storage and transfer of cryogenic fluids, liquefied natural gas operations, space science and technology, and cryopumping. Topics related to cryogenic instrumentation and controls include the production and use of high grade silicon diode temperature sensors, the choice of strain gages for use in a large superconducting alternator, microprocessor control of cryogenic pressure, and instrumentation, data acquisition and reduction for a large spaceborne helium dewar. For individual items see A83-43221 to A83-43250

A scalable double-barcode sequencing platform for characterization of dynamic protein-protein interactions.

PubMed

Schlecht, Ulrich; Liu, Zhimin; Blundell, Jamie R; St Onge, Robert P; Levy, Sasha F

2017-05-25

Several large-scale efforts have systematically catalogued protein-protein interactions (PPIs) of a cell in a single environment. However, little is known about how the protein interactome changes across environmental perturbations. Current technologies, which assay one PPI at a time, are too low throughput to make it practical to study protein interactome dynamics. Here, we develop a highly parallel protein-protein interaction sequencing (PPiSeq) platform that uses a novel double barcoding system in conjunction with the dihydrofolate reductase protein-fragment complementation assay in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. PPiSeq detects PPIs at a rate that is on par with current assays and, in contrast with current methods, quantitatively scores PPIs with enough accuracy and sensitivity to detect changes across environments. Both PPI scoring and the bulk of strain construction can be performed with cell pools, making the assay scalable and easily reproduced across environments. PPiSeq is therefore a powerful new tool for large-scale investigations of dynamic PPIs.

Giant topological nontrivial band gaps in chloridized gallium bismuthide.

PubMed

Li, Linyang; Zhang, Xiaoming; Chen, Xin; Zhao, Mingwen

2015-02-11

Quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect is promising for achieving dissipationless transport devices but presently is achieved only at extremely low temperature. Searching for the large-gap QSH insulators with strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is the key to increase the operating temperature. We demonstrate theoretically that this can be solved in the chloridized gallium bismuthide (GaBiCl2) monolayer, which has nontrivial gaps of 0.95 eV at the Γ point, and 0.65 eV for bulk, as well as gapless edge states in the nanoribbon structures. The nontrivial gaps due to the band inversion and SOC are robust against external strain. The realization of the GaBiCl2 monolayer will be beneficial for achieving QSH effect and related applications at high temperatures.

Fabrication and investigation of effect of core size in heterostructure PbS/CdS core/shell nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, D.; Hussain, A. M. P.

2018-04-01

PbS/CdS core/shell (CS) nanoparticles (NPs) were fabricated with three different concentrations of PbS core and CdS shell. Formation of core/shell heterostructure was confirmed from X-ray diffraction studies. The diffraction patterns exhibited formation of cubic phase and polycrystalline core/shell nanostructure. The crystalline sizes calculated from Williamson-Hall plot exhibited increase with molar concentration of precursors with decrease in strain. High resolution electron microscopy studies also confirm the formation of core/shell structure with particle size around 10 nm. A large blue-shift for PbS core compared to its bulk and small red-shift for the PbS/CdS core/shell as compared to the core is being observed in absorption spectra.

Multiple charge density wave states at the surface of TbT e 3

DOE PAGES

Fu, Ling; Kraft, Aaron M.; Sharma, Bishnu; ...

2016-11-01

We studied TbTe 3 using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) in the temperature range of 298–355 K. Our measurements detect a unidirectional charge density wave (CDW) state in the surface Te layer with a wave vector consistent with that of the bulk q CDW = 0.30 ± 0.01c*. However, unlike previous STM measurements, and differing from measurements probing the bulk, we detect two perpendicular orientations for the unidirectional CDW with no directional preference for the in-plane crystal axes (a or c axis) and no noticeable difference in wave vector magnitude. In addition, we find regions in which the bidirectional CDW statesmore » coexist. We propose that observation of two unidirectional CDW states indicates a decoupling of the surface Te layer from the rare-earth block layer below, and that strain variations in the Te surface layer drive the local CDW direction to the specific unidirectional or, in rare occurrences, bidirectional CDW orders observed. This indicates that similar driving mechanisms for CDW formation in the bulk, where anisotropic lattice strain energy is important, are at play at the surface. Furthermore, the wave vectors for the bidirectional order we observe differ from those theoretically predicted for checkerboard order competing with stripe order in a Fermi-surface nesting scenario, suggesting that factors beyond Fermi-surface nesting drive CDW order in TbTe 3. As a result, our temperature-dependent measurements provide evidence for localized CDW formation above the bulk transition temperature T CDW.« less

Atomic Resolution Imaging of Nanoscale Chemical Expansion in PrxCe1-xO2-δ during In Situ Heating.

PubMed

Swallow, Jessica G; Lee, Ja Kyung; Defferriere, Thomas; Hughes, Gareth M; Raja, Shilpa N; Tuller, Harry L; Warner, Jamie H; Van Vliet, Krystyn J

2018-02-27

Thin film nonstoichiometric oxides enable many high-temperature applications including solid oxide fuel cells, actuators, and catalysis. Large concentrations of point defects (particularly, oxygen vacancies) enable fast ionic conductivity or gas exchange kinetics in these materials but also manifest as coupling between lattice volume and chemical composition. This chemical expansion may be either detrimental or useful, especially in thin film devices that may exhibit enhanced performance through strain engineering or decreased operating temperatures. However, thin film nonstoichiometric oxides can differ from bulk counterparts in terms of operando defect concentrations, transport properties, and mechanical properties. Here, we present an in situ investigation of atomic-scale chemical expansion in Pr x Ce 1-x O 2-δ (PCO), a mixed ionic-electronic conducting oxide relevant to electrochemical energy conversion and high-temperature actuation. Through a combination of electron energy loss spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy with in situ heating, we characterized chemical strains and changes in oxidation state in cross sections of PCO films grown on yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) at temperatures reaching 650 °C. We quantified, both statically and dynamically, the nanoscale chemical expansion induced by changes in PCO redox state as a function of position and direction relative to the film-substrate interface. Additionally, we observed dislocations at the film-substrate interface, as well as reduced cation localization to threading defects within PCO films. These results illustrate several key aspects of atomic-scale structure and mechanical deformation in nonstoichiometric oxide films that clarify distinctions between films and bulk counterparts and that hold several implications for operando chemical expansion or "breathing" of such oxide films.

Crystallographic texture of straight-rolled ?-uranium foils via neutron and X-ray diffraction

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

Einhorn, J. R.; Steiner, M. A.; Vogel, S. C.

The texture of recrystallized straight-rolled ?-uranium foils, a component in prospective irradiation target designs for medical isotope production, has been measured by neutron diffraction, as well as X-ray diffraction using both Cu and Mo sources. Variations in the penetration depth of neutron and X-ray radiation allow for determination of both the bulk and surface textures. The bulk ?-uranium foil texture is similar to the warm straight-rolled plate texture, with the addition of a notable splitting of the (001) poles along the transverse direction. The surface texture of the foils is similar to the bulk, with an additional (001) texture componentmore » that is oriented between the rolling and normal directions. Differences between the surface and bulk textures are expected to arise from shear forces during the rolling process and the influence that distinct strain histories have on subsequent texture evolution during recrystallization.« less

Crystallographic texture of straight-rolled ?-uranium foils via neutron and X-ray diffraction

DOE PAGES

Einhorn, J. R.; Steiner, M. A.; Vogel, S. C.; ...

2017-05-25

The texture of recrystallized straight-rolled ?-uranium foils, a component in prospective irradiation target designs for medical isotope production, has been measured by neutron diffraction, as well as X-ray diffraction using both Cu and Mo sources. Variations in the penetration depth of neutron and X-ray radiation allow for determination of both the bulk and surface textures. The bulk ?-uranium foil texture is similar to the warm straight-rolled plate texture, with the addition of a notable splitting of the (001) poles along the transverse direction. The surface texture of the foils is similar to the bulk, with an additional (001) texture componentmore » that is oriented between the rolling and normal directions. Differences between the surface and bulk textures are expected to arise from shear forces during the rolling process and the influence that distinct strain histories have on subsequent texture evolution during recrystallization.« less

Engineering CRISPR interference system in Klebsiella pneumoniae for attenuating lactic acid synthesis.

PubMed

Wang, Jingxuan; Zhao, Peng; Li, Ying; Xu, Lida; Tian, Pingfang

2018-04-05

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a promising industrial species for bioproduction of bulk chemicals such as 1,3-propanediol, 2,3-butanediol and 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP). However, lactic acid is a troublesome by-product when optimizing for 3-HP production. Therefore, it is highly desirable to minimize lactic acid. Here, we show that lactic acid synthesis can be largely blocked by an engineered CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) system in K. pneumoniae. EGFP was recruited as a reporter of this CRISPRi system. Fluorescence assay of this CRISPRi system showed that enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) expression level was repressed by 85-90%. To further test this CRISPRi system, guide RNAs were designed to individually or simultaneously target four lactate-producing enzyme genes. Results showed that all lactate-producing enzyme genes were significantly repressed. Notably, D-lactate dehydrogenase (ldhA) was shown to be the most influential enzyme for lactic acid formation in micro-aerobic conditions, as inhibiting ldhA alone led to lactic acid level similar to simultaneously repressing four genes. In shake flask cultivation, the strain coexpressing puuC (an aldehyde dehydrogenase catalyzing 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde to 3-HP) and dCas9-sgRNA inhibiting ldhA produced 1.37-fold 3-HP relative to the reference strain. Furthermore, in bioreactor cultivation, this CRISPRi strain inhibiting ldhA produced 36.7 g/L 3-HP, but only generated 1 g/L lactic acid. Clearly, this engineered CRISPRi system largely simplified downstream separation of 3-HP from its isomer lactic acid, an extreme challenge for 3-HP bioprocess. This study offers a deep understanding of lactic acid metabolism in diverse species, and we believe that this CRISPRi system will facilitate biomanufacturing and functional genome studies of K. pneumoniae or beyond.

Separation of Diamagnetic and Paramagnetic Fabrics Reveals Strain Directions in Carbonate Rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Issachar, R.; Levi, T.; Marco, S.; Weinberger, R.

2018-03-01

We present a new procedure for separating magnetic fabrics in coccolith-bearing chalk samples, demonstrated in the case studies of three sites located within the Dead Sea Fault (DSF) plate boundary. The separation is achieved by combining measurements of room temperature and low-temperature anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (RT-AMS and LT-AMS, respectively) with anisotropy of anhysteretic remanence magnetization (AARM). The LT-AMS, measured at 77 K, enhances the fabric of paramagnetic clay minerals. The AARM represents the fabric of ferromagnetic Fe oxides. By subtracting the paramagnetic and ferromagnetic fabrics from the RT-AMS, the diamagnetic fabric is separated. In the studied samples, we found that the ferromagnetic contribution to the bulk magnetic fabric is negligible and could be excluded from the subtraction procedure. Our analysis indicates that in chalks with a negligible ferromagnetic contribution, diamagnetic fabric predominates the rock bulk magnetic fabric, if the mean susceptibility is <-6 × 10-6 SI, whereas with a mean susceptibility >11 × 10-6 SI, paramagnetic fabric predominates. In the studied rocks, the paramagnetic clay minerals preserve the original depositional fabric, whereas the diamagnetic minerals show a tectonic fabric. We propose a mechanism by which coccolith rotation under tectonic strain contributes to the development of the diamagnetic fabric parallel to the shortening direction. We infer that the diamagnetic fabrics of the studied rocks indicate strain regime of approximately N-S horizontal shortening near strands of the DSF system. This suggests a deflection of the regional principal strain axes near the DSF. The diamagnetic fabric is more sensitive to tectonic strain than paramagnetic fabric in chalks and provides a valuable strain indicator near major faults.

Addition to thermized milk of Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris M104, a wild, novel nisin a-producing strain, replaces the natural antilisterial activity of the autochthonous raw milk microbiota reduced by thermization.

PubMed

Lianou, Alexandra; Samelis, John

2014-08-01

Recent research has shown that mild milk thermization treatments routinely used in traditional Greek cheese production are efficient to inactivate Listeria monocytogenes and other pathogenic or undesirable bacteria, but they also inactivate a great part of the autochthonous antagonistic microbiota of raw milk. Therefore, in this study, the antilisterial activity of raw or thermized (63°C, 30 s) milk in the presence or absence of Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris M104, a wild, novel, nisin A-producing (Nis-A+) raw milk isolate, was assessed. Bulk milk samples were taken from a local cheese plant before or after thermization and were inoculated with a five-strain cocktail of L. monocytogenes (approximately 4 log CFU/ml) or with the cocktail, as above, plus the Nis-A+ strain (approximately 6 log CFU/ml) as a bioprotective culture. Heat-sterilized (121°C, 5 min) raw milk inoculated with L. monocytogenes was used as a control treatment. All milk samples were incubated at 37°C for 6 h and then at 18°C for an additional 66 h. L. monocytogenes grew abundantly (>8 log CFU/ml) in heat-sterilized milk, whereas its growth was completely inhibited in all raw milk samples. Conversely, in thermized milk, L. monocytogenes increased by 2 log CFU/ml in the absence of strain M104, whereas its growth was completely inhibited in the presence of strain M104. Furthermore, nisin activity was detected only in milk samples inoculated with strain M104. Thus, postthermal supplementation of thermized bulk milk with bioprotective L. lactis subsp. cremoris cultures replaces the natural antilisterial activity of raw milk reduced by thermization.

Magnetic orders of LaTiO3 under epitaxial strain: A first-principles study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weng, Yakui; Huang, Xin; Tang, Yankun; Dong, Shuai

2014-05-01

Perovskite LaTiO3 bulk is a typical Mott-insulator with G-type antiferromagnetic order. In this work, the biaxial strain effects on the ground magnetic order of LaTiO3 films grown on various substrates have been studied. For the compressive strain, LaTiO3 films grown on LaAlO3, LaGaO3, and SrTiO3 substrates undergo a phase transition from the original G-type antiferromagnet to A-type antiferromagnet. The underlying physical mechanisms are the lattice distortions tunned by strain. While for the tensile strain, the BaTiO3 and LaScO3 substrates have been tested, which show a tendency to transit the LaTiO3 to the C-type antiferromagnet. Furthermore, our calculations find that the magnetic transitions under epitaxial strain do not change the insulating fact of LaTiO3.

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

Lee, Jaekwang; Huang, Jingsong; Sumpter, Bobby G.

Compared with their bulk counterparts, 2D materials can sustain much higher elastic strain at which optical quantities such as bandgaps and absorption spectra governing optoelectronic device performance can be modified with relative ease. Using first-principles density functional theory and quasiparticle GW calculations, we demonstrate how uniaxial tensile strain can be utilized to optimize the electronic and optical properties of transition metal dichalcogenide lateral (in-plane) heterostructures such as MoX 2/WX 2 (X = S, Se, Te). We find that these lateral-type heterostructures may facilitate efficient electron–hole separation for light detection/harvesting and preserve their type II characteristic up to 12% of uniaxialmore » strain. Based on the strain-dependent bandgap and band offset, we show that uniaxial tensile strain can significantly increase the power conversion efficiency of these lateral heterostructures. Our results suggest that these strain-engineered lateral heterostructures are promising for optimizing optoelectronic device performance by selectively tuning the energetics of the bandgap.« less

Effect of Biaxial Isothermal Quasi-Continuous Deformation on Structure and Shape Memory Properties of Ti-Ni Alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khmelevskaya, I.; Komarov, V.; Kawalla, R.; Prokoshkin, S.; Korpala, G.

2017-08-01

Severe plastic deformation (SPD) of Ti-50.0 at.% Ni alloy was carried out using the multi-axial deformation MaxStrain module of Gleeble system at 400, 370, 350 and 330 °C with accumulated true strains from e = 3.5 to 9.5. Kinetics of martensitic transformations was studied by DSC method, the structure features by x-ray diffraction and TEM. The recoverable strain was studied using a bending mode for strain inducing. A mixed nanocrystalline and nanosubgrained structure with average grain/subgrain size below 100 nm has been formed in a bulk sample as a result of SPD at as low as 330 °C. The resulting nanostructure provides an obvious advantage in the completely recoverable strain (9.3%) as compared to SPD at 350-400 °C (7-8%), and to reference treatment (2.5%). That correlates with Vickers hardness changes versus SPD strain.

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

Marana, Naiara L.; Albuquerque, Anderson R.; La Porta, Felipe A.

Periodic density functional theory calculations with the B3LYP hybrid functional and all-electron Gaussian basis set were performed to simulate the structural and electronic properties as well as the strain and formation energies of single-walled ZnO nanotubes (SWZnONTs) and Carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with different chiralities as functions of their diameters. For all SWZnONTs, the band gap, strain energy, and formation energy converge to ~4.5 eV, 0.0 eV/atom, and 0.40 eV/atom, respectively. This result suggests that the nanotubes are formed more easily from the surface than from the bulk. For SWCNTs, the strain energy is always positive, while the formation energy ismore » negative for armchair and zigzag nanotubes, therefore suggesting that these types of nanotubes can be preferentially formed from the bulk. The electronic properties of SWCNTs depend on the chirality; all armchair nanotubes are metallic, while zigzag and chiral nanotubes can be metallic or semiconducting, depending on the n and m vectors. - Graphical abstract: DFT/B3LYP were performed to simulate the structural and electronic properties as well as the strain and formation energies of SWZnONTs and SWCNTs with different chiralities as functions of their diameters. - Highlights: • The energies of SWZnONTs converge for chirality with diameters up 20 Å. • SWCNTs electronic properties depend on the chirality. • The properties of SWZnONTs are very similar to those of monolayer surface.« less

The Bulk Nanocrystalline zn Produced by Mechanical Attrition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, X. K.; Zhao, K. Y.; Li, C. J.; Tao, J. M.; Chan, T. L.; Koch, C. C.

The purpose of experiment was to produce bulk nanocrystalline Zn by mechanical attrition. The bulk nanocrystalline Zn produced by mechanical attrition was studied. The microstructural evolution during cryomilling and subsequent room temperature milling was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). In this paper, Nanocrystalline Zn was produced by insitu consolidation of Zn elemental powder using mechanical attrition at liquid nitrogen and room temperature. For the samples studied, the longest elongation of 65% and highest stress of 200 MPa is obtained in nanocrystalline Zn during tensile testing at the condition of strain rate (10-3 sec-1) and 20°C which is equal to 0.43 Tm (Tm is the melting temperature of pure Zn).

Can standard cosmological models explain the observed Abell cluster bulk flow?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strauss, Michael A.; Cen, Renyue; Ostriker, Jeremiah P.; Laure, Tod R.; Postman, Marc

1995-01-01

Lauer and Postman (LP) observed that all Abell clusters with redshifts less than 15,000 km/s appear to be participating in a bulk flow of 689 km/s with respect to the cosmic microwave background. We find this result difficult to reconcile with all popular models for large-scale structure formation that assume Gaussian initial conditions. This conclusion is based on Monte Carlo realizations of the LP data, drawn from large particle-mesh N-body simulations for six different models of the initial power spectrum (standard, tilted, and Omega(sub 0) = 0.3 cold dark matter, and two variants of the primordial baryon isocurvature model). We have taken special care to treat properly the longest-wavelength components of the power spectra. The simulations are sampled, 'observed,' and analyzed as identically as possible to the LP cluster sample. Large-scale bulk flows as measured from clusters in the simulations are in excellent agreement with those measured from the grid: the clusters do not exhibit any strong velocity bias on large scales. Bulk flows with amplitude as large as that reported by LP are not uncommon in the Monte Carlo data stes; the distribution of measured bulk flows before error bias subtraction is rougly Maxwellian, with a peak around 400 km/s. However the chi squared of the observed bulk flow, taking into account the anisotropy of the error ellipsoid, is much more difficult to match in the simulations. The models examined are ruled out at confidence levels between 94% and 98%.

Probing the Band Structure of Ultrathin MoTe2 via Strain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aslan, Burak; Datye, Isha; Kuo, Hsueh-Hui; Mleczko, Michal; Fisher, Ian; Pop, Eric; Heinz, Tony

Molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe2) is a semiconducting layered group VI transition metal dichalcogenide with an optical band gap of 1.1 and 0.9 eV in the monolayer and bulk, respectively. The bulk crystal possesses an indirect gap whereas the monolayer has a direct one. It is still under debate whether the direct-to-indirect gap crossover occurs at the monolayer or bilayer limit at room temperature, resulting from the fact that the two gaps are very close to one another in ultrathin crystals. We take advantage of this closeness by tuning the two gaps with in-plane tensile strain. In particular, we employ photoluminescence and absorption spectroscopy to probe the near-band-edge optical transitions and study their line-shapes to distinguish the direct and indirect gaps in few-layer MoTe2. We observe that the applied strain redshifts the direct and indirect gaps at different rates and strongly affects the spectral widths of the optical transitions. Our observations help us understand what contributes to the broadening of the A exciton peak in ultrathin MoTe2 and how the direct-to-indirect gap crossover occurs with decreasing thickness.

Picosecond x-ray strain rosette reveals direct laser excitation of coherent transverse acoustic phonons

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

Lee, Sooheyong; Williams, G. Jackson; Campana, Maria I.

Using a strain-rosette, we demonstrate the existence of transverse strain using time-resolved x-ray diffraction from multiple Bragg reflections in laser-excited bulk gallium arsenide. We find that anisotropic strain is responsible for a considerable fraction of the total lattice motion at early times before thermal equilibrium is achieved. Our measurements are described by a new model where the Poisson ratio drives transverse motion, resulting in the creation of shear waves without the need for an indirect process such as mode conversion at an interface. Finally, using the same excitation geometry with the narrow-gap semiconductor indium antimonide, we detected coherent transverse acousticmore » oscillations at frequencies of several GHz.« less

Picosecond x-ray strain rosette reveals direct laser excitation of coherent transverse acoustic phonons

DOE PAGES

Lee, Sooheyong; Williams, G. Jackson; Campana, Maria I.; ...

2016-01-11

Using a strain-rosette, we demonstrate the existence of transverse strain using time-resolved x-ray diffraction from multiple Bragg reflections in laser-excited bulk gallium arsenide. We find that anisotropic strain is responsible for a considerable fraction of the total lattice motion at early times before thermal equilibrium is achieved. Our measurements are described by a new model where the Poisson ratio drives transverse motion, resulting in the creation of shear waves without the need for an indirect process such as mode conversion at an interface. Finally, using the same excitation geometry with the narrow-gap semiconductor indium antimonide, we detected coherent transverse acousticmore » oscillations at frequencies of several GHz.« less

Tunable magnetic states on the zigzag edges of hydrogenated and halogenated group-IV nanoribbons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chuang, Feng-Chuan; Wang, Tzu-Cheng; Hsu, Chia-Hsiu; Huang, Zhi-Quan; Su, Wan-Sheng; Guo, Guang-Yu

The magnetic and electronic properties of hydrogenated and halogenated group-IV zigzag nanoribbons (ZNRs) are investigated by first-principles density functional calculations. Fascinatingly, we find that all the ZNRs have magnetic edges with a rich variety of electronic and magnetic properties tunable by selecting the parent and passivating elements as well as controlling the magnetization direction and external strain. In particular, the electric property of the edge band structure can be tuned from the conducting to insulating with a band gap up to 0.7 eV, depending on the parent and passivating elements as well as the applied strain, magnetic configuration and magnetization orientation. The last controllability would allow us to develop magnetic on-off nano-switches. Furthermore, ZNRs such as SiI, Ge, GeI and SnH, have fully spin-polarized metallic edge states and thus are promising materials for spintronics. The calculated magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy can be as large as 9 meV/edge-site, being 2000 time greater than that of bulk Ni and Fe ( 5 μeV/atom), and thus has great potential for high density magneto-electric data-storage devices. Finally, the calculated exchange coupling strength and thus magnetic transition temperature increases as the applied strain goes from -5 % to 5 %. Our findings thus show that these ZNRs would have exciting applications in next-generation electronic and spintronic nano-devices.

Efficient bulk-loading of gridfiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leutenegger, Scott T.; Nicol, David M.

1994-01-01

This paper considers the problem of bulk-loading large data sets for the gridfile multiattribute indexing technique. We propose a rectilinear partitioning algorithm that heuristically seeks to minimize the size of the gridfile needed to ensure no bucket overflows. Empirical studies on both synthetic data sets and on data sets drawn from computational fluid dynamics applications demonstrate that our algorithm is very efficient, and is able to handle large data sets. In addition, we present an algorithm for bulk-loading data sets too large to fit in main memory. Utilizing a sort of the entire data set it creates a gridfile without incurring any overflows.

Quantum oscillations in a topological insulator Bi2Te2Se with large bulk resistivity (6 Ω cm)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, Jun; Petersen, A. C.; Qu, Dongxia; Hor, Y. S.; Cava, R. J.; Ong, N. P.

2012-02-01

We report the observation of prominent Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in a Topological Insulator, Bi2Te2Se, with large bulk resistivity (6 Ω cm at 4 K). By fitting the SdH oscillations, we infer a large metallicity parameter kFℓ=41, with a surface mobility (μs∼2800 cm2/V s) much larger than the bulk mobility (μb∼50 cm2/V s). The plot of the index fields Bν vs. filling factor ν shows a {1}/{2}-shift, consistent with massless, Dirac states.

Metal-Insulator Transitions in Epitaxial LaVO(3) and LaTiO(3) Films

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-08-01

epitaxial films of LaVO3 and LaTiO3 can exhibit metallicity though their bulk counterparts are Mott insulators. When LaTiO3 films are compressively...secondarily to interface electronic reconstruction at the LaTiO3 /SrTiO3 interface. However, when LaVO3 films are compressively strained on SrTiO3...ABSTRACT We have demonstrated that epitaxial films of LaVO3 and LaTiO3 can exhibit metallicity though their bulk counterparts are Mott insulators. When

Modeling deformation behavior of Cu-Zr-Al bulk metallic glass matrix composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pauly, S.; Liu, G.; Wang, G.; Das, J.; Kim, K. B.; Kühn, U.; Kim, D. H.; Eckert, J.

2009-09-01

In the present work we prepared an in situ Cu47.5Zr47.5Al5 bulk metallic glass matrix composite derived from the shape memory alloy CuZr. We use a strength model, which considers percolation and a three-microstructural-element body approach, to understand the effect of the crystalline phase on the yield stress and the fracture strain under compressive loading, respectively. The intrinsic work-hardenability due to the martensitic transformation of the crystalline phase causes significant work hardening also of the composite material.

Probing elastically or plastically induced structural heterogeneities in bulk metallic glasses by nanoindentation pop-in tests

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

Liu, Tingkun; Gao, Yanfei; Bei, Hongbin

Shear banding dynamics in bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) is manifested by the spatiotemporal evolution of strain fields which in turn depend on structural heterogeneities. The spacing of these heterogeneities, as a characteristic length scale, was determined from the analysis of nanoindentation pop-in tests using a stochastic model. Furthermore, the pre-stress by elastic bending and residual stress by plastic bending of BMG plates were found to dramatically decrease such spacings, thus increasing heterogeneity density and mechanically rejuvenating the glass structure.

Probing elastically or plastically induced structural heterogeneities in bulk metallic glasses by nanoindentation pop-in tests

DOE PAGES

Liu, Tingkun; Gao, Yanfei; Bei, Hongbin

2017-07-21

Shear banding dynamics in bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) is manifested by the spatiotemporal evolution of strain fields which in turn depend on structural heterogeneities. The spacing of these heterogeneities, as a characteristic length scale, was determined from the analysis of nanoindentation pop-in tests using a stochastic model. Furthermore, the pre-stress by elastic bending and residual stress by plastic bending of BMG plates were found to dramatically decrease such spacings, thus increasing heterogeneity density and mechanically rejuvenating the glass structure.

Material model measurements and predictions for a random pore poly(epsilon-caprolactone) scaffold.

PubMed

Quinn, T P; Oreskovic, T L; Landis, F A; Washburn, N R

2007-07-01

We investigated material models for a polymeric scaffold used for bone. The material was made by co-extruding poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL), a biodegradable polyester, and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO). The water soluble PEO was removed resulting in a porous scaffold. The stress-strain curve in compression was fit with a phenomenological model in hyperbolic form. This material model will be useful for designers for quasi-static analysis as it provides a simple form that can easily be used in finite element models. The ASTM D-1621 standard recommends using a secant modulus based on 10% strain. The resulting modulus has a smaller scatter in its value compared with the coefficients of the hyperbolic model, and it is therefore easier to compare differences in material processing and ensure quality of the scaffold. A prediction of the small-strain elastic modulus was constructed from images of the microstructure. Each pixel of the micrographs was represented with a brick finite element and assigned the Young's modulus of bulk PCL or a value of 0 for a pore. A compressive strain was imposed on the model and the resulting stresses were calculated. The elastic constants of the scaffold were then computed with Hooke's law for a linear-elastic isotropic material. The model was able to predict the small-strain elastic modulus measured in the experiments to within one standard deviation. Thus, by knowing the microstructure of the scaffold, its bulk properties can be predicted from the material properties of the constituents. Copyright 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Characterization of the Fault Core and Damage Zone of the Borrego Fault, 2010 M7.2 Rupture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorsey, M. T.; Rockwell, T. K.; Girty, G.; Ostermeijer, G.; Mitchell, T. M.; Fletcher, J. M.

2017-12-01

We collected a continuous sample of the fault core and 23 samples of the damage zone out to 52 m across the rupture trace of the 2010 M7.2 El Mayor-Cucapa earthquake to characterize the physical damage and chemical transformations associated with this active seismic source. In addition to quantifying fracture intensity from macroscopic analysis, we cut a continuous thin section through the fault core and from various samples in the damage zone, and ran each sample for XRD analyses for clay mineralogy, XRF for bulk geochemical analyses, and bulk and grain density from which porosity and volumetric strain were derived. The parent rock is a hydrothermally-altered biotite tonalite, with biotite partially altered to chlorite. The presence of epidote with chlorite suggests that these rocks were subjected to relatively high temperatures of 300-400° C. Adjacent to the outermost damage zone is a chaotic breccia zone with distinct chemical and physical characteristics, indicating possible connection to an ancestral fault to the southwest. The damage zone consists of an outer zone of protocataclasite, which grades inward towards mesocataclasite with seams of ultracataclasite. The fault core is anomalous in that it is largely composed of a sliver of marble that has been translated along the fault, so direct comparison with the damage zone is impaired. From collected data, we observe that chloritization increases into the breccia and damage zones, as does the presence of illite. Porosity reaches maximum values in the damage zone adjacent to the core, and closely follows trends in fracture intensity. Statistically significant gains in Mg, Na, K, Mn, and total bulk mass occurred within the inner damage zone, with losses of Ca and P mass, which led to the formation of chlorite and albite. The outer damage zone displays gains in Mg and Na mass with losses in Ca and P mass. The breccia zone shows gains in mass of Mg and Mn and loss in total bulk mass. A gain in LOI in both the breccia and damage zones is attributed to formation of clay. Volumetric strain tracks porosity, as expected, and increases towards the core. Notably, damage appears to be superposed on chemical alterations, which supports the idea that much of the hydrothermal alteration occurred at depth followed by brecciation and cataclasis once the fault zone rocks were exhumed closer to the surface.

Atomic Scale Control of Competing Electronic Phases in Ultrathin Correlated Oxides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Kyle

2015-03-01

Ultrathin epitaxial thin films offer a number of unique advantages for engineering the electronic properties of correlated transition metal oxides. For example, atomically thin films can be synthesized to artificially confine electrons in two dimensions. Furthermore, using a substrate with a mismatched lattice constant can impose large biaxial strains of larger than 3% (Δa / a), much larger than can achieved in bulk single crystals. Since these dimensionally confined or strained systems may necessarily be less than a few unit cells thick, investigating their properties and electronic structure can be particularly challenging. We employ a combination of reactive oxide molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) to investigate how dimensional confinement and epitaxial strain can be used to manipulate electronic properties and structure in correlated transition metal oxide thin films. We describe some of our recent work manipulating and studying the electronic structure of ultrathin LaNiO3 through a thickness-driven metal-insulator transition between three and two unit cells (Nature Nanotechnology 9, 443, 2014), where coherent Fermi liquid-like quasiparticles are suppressed at the metal-insulator transition observed in transport. We also will describe some recent unpublished work using epitaxial strain to drive a Lifshitz transition in atomically thin films of the spin-triplet ruthenate superconductor Sr2RuO4, where we also can dramatically alter the quasiparticle scattering rates and drive the system towards non-Fermi liquid behavior near the critical point (B. Burganov, C. Adamo, in preparation). Funding provided by the Office of Naval Research and Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

High temperature static strain gage development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hulse, C. O.; Bailey, R. S.; Grant, H. P.; Anderson, W. L.; Przybyszewski, J. S.

1991-01-01

Final results are presented from a program to develop a thin film static strain gage for use on the blades and vanes of running, test stand gas turbine engines with goals of an 3 x 3 mm gage area and total errors of less than 10 pct. of + or - 2,000 microstrain after 50 hrs at 1250 K. Pd containing 13 Wt. pct. Cr was previously identified as a new strain sensor alloy that appeared to be potentially usable to 1250 K. Subsequently, it was discovered, in contrast with its behavior in bulk, that Pd-13Cr suffered from oxidation attack when prepared as a 4.5 micron thick thin film. Continuing problems with electrical leakage to the substrate and the inability of sputtered alumina overcoats to prevent oxidation led to the discovery that sputtered alumina contains appreciable amounts of entrapped argon. After the argon has been exsolved by heating to elevated temperatures, the alumina films undergo a linear shrinkage of about 2 pct. resulting in formation of cracks. These problems can be largely overcome by sputtering the alumina with the substrate heated to 870 K. With 2 micron thick hot sputtered alumina insulation and overcoat films, total 50 hr drifts of about 100 microstrain (2 tests) and about 500 microstrain (1 test) were observed at 1000 and 1100 K, respectively. Results of tests on complete strain gage systems on constant moment bend bars with Pd temperature compensation grids revealed that oxidation of the Pd grid was a major problem even when the grid was overcoated with a hot or cold sputtered alumina overcoat.

FIBER BRAGG GRATING SENSORS FOR LOCALIZED STRAIN MEASUREMENTS AT LOW TEMPERATURE AND IN HIGH MAGNETIC FIELD

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

Ramalingam, Rajinikumar

2010-04-09

Study of magnetostrictive effects in the bulk superconductors is very essential and can give more knowledge about the effects like namely, flux pinning induced strain, pincushion distortions in the magnets and so on. Currently used electro mechanical sensors are magnetic field dependent and can only give the global stress/strain information but not the local stress/strains. But the information like radius position dependent strain and characterisation of shape distortion in non cylindrical magnets are interesting. Wavelength encoded multiplexed fiber Bragg Grating sensors inscribed in one fiber gives the possibility to measure magentostrictive effects spatially resolved in low temperature and high magneticmore » field. This paper specifies the design and technology requirements to adapt FBG sensors for such an application. Also reports the experiments demonstrate the properties of glass FBG at low temperature (4.2 K) and the results of strain measurement at 4.2 K/8 T. The sensor exhibits a linear wavelength change for the strain change.« less

Strain-engineered optoelectronic properties of 2D transition metal dichalcogenide lateral heterostructures

DOE PAGES

Lee, Jaekwang; Huang, Jingsong; Sumpter, Bobby G.; ...

2017-02-17

Compared with their bulk counterparts, 2D materials can sustain much higher elastic strain at which optical quantities such as bandgaps and absorption spectra governing optoelectronic device performance can be modified with relative ease. Using first-principles density functional theory and quasiparticle GW calculations, we demonstrate how uniaxial tensile strain can be utilized to optimize the electronic and optical properties of transition metal dichalcogenide lateral (in-plane) heterostructures such as MoX 2/WX 2 (X = S, Se, Te). We find that these lateral-type heterostructures may facilitate efficient electron–hole separation for light detection/harvesting and preserve their type II characteristic up to 12% of uniaxialmore » strain. Based on the strain-dependent bandgap and band offset, we show that uniaxial tensile strain can significantly increase the power conversion efficiency of these lateral heterostructures. Our results suggest that these strain-engineered lateral heterostructures are promising for optimizing optoelectronic device performance by selectively tuning the energetics of the bandgap.« less

Prevalence of virulent Yersinia enterocolitica in bulk raw milk and retail cheese in northern-west of Iran.

PubMed

Hanifian, Shahram; Khani, Sajjad

2012-04-02

To determine the prevalence of virulent Yersinia enterocolitica, 554 samples consisting of 354 bulk raw milks and 200 traditional cheeses were collected from different parts of Eastern-Azerbaijan province, during a 23-month period from 2008 to 2010. The occurrence of virulent strains of Y. enterocolitica in samples enriched in peptone sorbitol bile broth (PSBB) was evaluated via the detection of attachment invasion locus (ail) gene by PCR. The viability of virulent Y. enterocolitica in the PCR-positive samples was tested using conventional culture method and the isolates were confirmed by the second-phase ail-PCR. According to the results, 8.66% of total samples including 7.62% of bulk raw milks and 10.5% of raw milk cheeses were found ail-positive by PCR method; subsequently Y. enterocolitica was isolated by the culture method and confirmed by the second phase ail-PCR in 2.88% of total samples including 2.26% of raw milks and 4% of cheese samples. It was concluded that, a sample enrichment followed by ail-PCR was more sensitive and robust to detect and distinguish the virulent strains of Y. enterocolitica compared to the conventional culture method. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

No adverse effects of transgenic maize on population dynamics of endophytic Bacillus subtilis strain B916-gfp.

PubMed

Sun, Chongsi; Geng, Lili; Wang, Meiling; Shao, Gaoxiang; Liu, Yongfeng; Shu, Changlong; Zhang, Jie

2017-02-01

Endophytic bacterial communities play a key role in promoting plant growth and combating plant diseases. However, little is known about their population dynamics in plant tissues and bulk soil, especially in transgenic crops. This study investigated the colonization of transgenic maize harboring the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cry1Ah gene by Bacillus subtilis strain B916-gfp present in plant tissues and soil. Bt and nontransgenic maize were inoculated with B916-gfp by seed soaking, or root irrigation under both laboratory greenhouse and field conditions. During the growing season, B916-gfp colonized transgenic as well as nontransgenic plants by both inoculation methods. No differences were observed in B916-gfp population size between transgenic and nontransgenic plants, except at one or two time points in the roots and stems that did not persist over the examination period. Furthermore, planting transgenic maize did not affect the number of B916-gfp in bulk soil in either laboratory or field trials. These results indicate that transgenic modification of maize with the cry1Ah gene has no influence on colonization by the endophytic bacteria B916-gfp present in the plant and in bulk soil. © 2016 The Authors. MicrobiologyOpenpublished by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Methodologies in determining mechanical properties of thin films using nanoindentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Seung Min Jane

Thin films are critical components of microelectronic and MEMS devices, and evaluating their mechanical properties is of current interest. As the dimensions of the devices become smaller and smaller, however, understanding the mechanical properties of materials at sub-micron length scales becomes more challenging. The conventional methods for evaluating strengths of materials in bulk form cannot be applied, and new methodologies are required for accurately evaluating mechanical properties of thin films. In this work, development of methodologies using the nanoindenter was pursued in three parts: (1) creation of a new method for extracting thin film hardness, (2) use of combinatorial methods for determining compositions with desired mechanical properties, and (3) use of microcompression testing of sub-micron sized pillars to understand plasticity in Al-Sc multilayers. The existing nanoindentation hardness model by Oliver & Pharr is unable to accurately determine the hardness of thin films on substrates with an elastic mismatch. Thus, a new method of analysis for extracting thin film hardness from film/substrate systems, that eliminates the effect of elastic mismatch of the underlying substrate, surface roughness, and also pile-up/sink-in, is needed. Such a method was developed in the first part of this study. The feasibility of using the nanoindentation hardness together with combinatorial methods to efficiently scan through mechanical properties of Ti-Al metallic alloys was examined in the second part of this study. The combinatorial approach provides an efficient method that can be used to determine alloy compositions that might merit further exploration and development as bulk materials. Finally, the mechanical properties of Al-Al3Sc multilayers with bilayer periods ranging from 6-100 nm were examined using microcompression. The sub-micron sized pillars were prepared using the focused ion beam (FIB) and compression tested with the flat tip of the nanoindenter. The measured yield strengths show the trend of increasing strength with decreasing bilayer period, and agree with the nanoindentation hardness results using the suitable Tabor correction factor. Strain softening was observed at large strains, and a new model for the true stress and true strain was developed to account for the inhomogeneous deformation geometry.

A bulk viscosity approach for shock capturing on unstructured grids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shoeybi, Mohammad; Larsson, Nils Johan; Ham, Frank; Moin, Parviz

2008-11-01

The bulk viscosity approach for shock capturing (Cook and Cabot, JCP, 2005) augments the bulk part of the viscous stress tensor. The intention is to capture shock waves without dissipating turbulent structures. The present work extends and modifies this method for unstructured grids. We propose a method that properly scales the bulk viscosity with the grid spacing normal to the shock for unstructured grid for which the shock is not necessarily aligned with the grid. The magnitude of the strain rate tensor used in the original formulation is replaced with the dilatation, which appears to be more appropriate in the vortical turbulent flow regions (Mani et al., 2008). The original form of the model is found to have an impact on dilatational motions away form the shock wave, which is eliminated by a proposed localization of the bulk viscosity. Finally, to allow for grid adaptation around shock waves, an explicit/implicit time advancement scheme has been developed that adaptively identifies the stiff regions. The full method has been verified with several test cases, including 2D shock-vorticity entropy interaction, homogenous isotropic turbulence, and turbulent flow over a cylinder.

Causes and consequences of the great strength variability among soft Nankai accretionary prism sediments from offshore SW-Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stipp, Michael; Schumann, Kai; Leiss, Bernd; Ullemeyer, Klaus

2014-05-01

The Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiment of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) is the very first attempt to drill into the seismogenic part of a subduction zone. Offshore SW-Japan the oceanic Philippine sea plate is subducted beneath the continental Eurasian plate causing earthquakes of magnitude 8.0 to 8.5 and related tsunamis with a recurrence rate of 80-100 years. For the tsunamigenic potential of the forearc slope and accreted sediments their mechanical strength, composition and fabrics have been investigated. 19 drill core samples of IODP Expeditions 315, 316 and 333 were experimentally deformed in a triaxial cell under consolidated and undrained conditions at confining pressures of 400-1000 kPa, room temperature, axial shortening rates of 0.01-9.0 mm/min, and up to an axial strain of ˜64% (Stipp et al., 2013). With respect to the mechanical behavior, two distinct sample groups could be distinguished. Weak samples from the upper and middle forearc slope of the accretionary prism show a deviatoric peak stress after only a few percent strain (< 10%) and a continuous stress decrease after a maximum combined with a continuous increase in pore pressure. Strong samples from the accretionary prism toe display a constant residual stress at maximum level or even a continuous stress increase together with a decrease in pore pressure towards high strain (Stipp et al., 2013). Synchrotron texture and composition analysis of the experimentally deformed and undeformed samples using the Rietveld refinement program MAUD indicates an increasing strength of the illite and kaolinite textures with increasing depth down to 523 m below sea floor corresponding to a preferred mineral alignment due to compaction. Experimentally deformed samples have generally stronger textures than related undeformed core samples and they show also increasing strength of the illite and kaolinite textures with increasing axial strain. Mechanically weak samples have a bulk clay plus calcite content of 31-65 vol.-% and most of their illite, kaolinite, smectite and calcite [001]-pole figures have maxima >1.5 mrd. Strong samples which were deformed to approximately the same amount of strain (up to 40%) have no calcite and a bulk clay content of 24-36 vol.-%. Illite, kaolinite and smectite [001]-pole figure maxima are mostly <1.5 mrd, except for one sample which was deformed to a considerably higher strain (64%). The higher clay and calcite content and the stronger textures of the mechanically weak samples can be related to a collapsing pore space of the originally flocculated clay aggregates. This process is insignificant in the strong samples from the prism toe, for which deformation would tend to involve large rock volumes and lead to strain dissipation. The weak samples from the forearc slope which become even weaker with increasing strain may provoke mechanical runaway situations allowing for earthquake rupture, surface breakage and tsunami generation. Stipp, M., Rolfs, M., Kitamura, Y., Behrmann, J.H., Schumann, K., Schulte-Kortnack, D. and Feeser, V. 2013. G-Cubed 14/11, doi: 10.1002/ggge.20290.

Synthetic lead bromapatite: X-ray structure at ambient pressure and compressibility up to about 20 GPa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xi; Fleet, Michael E.; Shieh, Sean R.; He, Qiang

2011-05-01

Lead bromapatite [Pb10(PO4)6Br2] has been synthesized via solid-state reaction at pressures up to 1.0 GPa, and its structure determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction at ambient temperature and pressure. The large bromide anion is accommodated in the c-axis channel by lateral displacements of structural elements, particularly of Pb2 cations and PO4 tetrahedra. The compressibility of bromapatite was also investigated up to about 20.7 GPa at ambient temperature, using a diamond-anvil cell and synchrotron X-ray radiation. The compressibility of lead bromapatite is significantly different from that of lead fluorapatite. The pressure-volume data of lead bromapatite ( P < 10 GPa) fitted to the third-order Birch-Murnaghan equation yield an isothermal bulk modulus ( K T ) of 49.8(16) GPa and first pressure derivative ( KT^' } ) of 10.1(10). If KT^' } is fixed at 4, the derived K T is 60.8(11) GPa. The relative difference of the bulk moduli of these two lead apatites is thus about 12%, which is about two times the relative difference of the bulk moduli (~5%) of the calcium apatites fluorapatite [Ca10(PO4)6F2], chlorapatite [Ca10(PO4)6Cl2] and hydroxylapatite [Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2]. Another interesting feature apparently related to the replacement of F by Br in lead apatite is the switch in the principle axes of the strain ellipsoid: the c-axis is less compressible than the a-axis in lead bromapatite but more compressible in lead fluorapatite.

Modulation of magnetic interaction in Bismuth ferrite through strain and spin cycloid engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yadav, Rama Shanker; Reshi, Hilal Ahmad; Pillai, Shreeja; Rana, D. S.; Shelke, Vilas

2016-12-01

Bismuth ferrite, a widely studied room temperature multiferroic, provides new horizons of multifunctional behavior in phase transited bulk and thin film forms. Bismuth ferrite thin films were deposited on lattice mismatched LaAlO3 substrate using pulsed laser deposition technique. X-ray diffraction confirmed nearly tetragonal (T-type) phase of thin film involving role of substrate induced strain. The film thickness of 56 nm was determined by X-ray reflectivity measurement. The perfect coherence and epitaxial nature of T- type film was observed through reciprocal space mapping. The room temperature Raman measurement of T-type bismuth ferrite thin film also verified phase transition with appearance of only few modes. In parallel, concomitant La and Al substituted Bi1-xLaxFe0.95Al0.05O3 (x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3) bulk samples were synthesized using solid state reaction method. A structural phase transition into orthorhombic (Pnma) phase at x = 0.3 was observed. The structural distortion at x = 0.1, 0.2 and phase transition at x = 0.3 substituted samples were also confirmed by changes in Raman active modes. The remnant magnetization moment of 0.199 emu/gm and 0.28 emu/gm were observed for x = 0.2 and 0.3 bulk sample respectively. The T-type bismuth ferrite thin film also showed high remnant magnetization of around 20emu/cc. The parallelism in magnetic behavior between T-type thin film and concomitant La and Al substituted bulk samples is indication of modulation, frustration and break in continuity of spiral spin cycloid.

Micro-Raman spectroscopic identification of bacterial cells of the genus Staphylococcus and dependence on their cultivation conditions.

PubMed

Harz, M; Rösch, P; Peschke, K-D; Ronneberger, O; Burkhardt, H; Popp, J

2005-11-01

Microbial contamination is not only a medical problem, but also plays a large role in pharmaceutical clean room production and food processing technology. Therefore many techniques were developed to achieve differentiation and identification of microorganisms. Among these methods vibrational spectroscopic techniques (IR, Raman and SERS) are useful tools because of their rapidity and sensitivity. Recently we have shown that micro-Raman spectroscopy in combination with a support vector machine is an extremely capable approach for a fast and reliable, non-destructive online identification of single bacteria belonging to different genera. In order to simulate different environmental conditions we analyzed in this contribution different Staphylococcus strains with varying cultivation conditions in order to evaluate our method with a reliable dataset. First, micro-Raman spectra of the bulk material and single bacterial cells that were grown under the same conditions were recorded and used separately for a distinct chemotaxonomic classification of the strains. Furthermore Raman spectra were recorded from single bacterial cells that were cultured under various conditions to study the influence of cultivation on the discrimination ability. This dataset was analyzed both with a hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and a support vector machine (SVM).

Strain dependence of perfluorinated polymer optical fiber Bragg grating measured at different wavelengths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishikawa, Ryo; Lee, Heeyoung; Lacraz, Amédée; Theodosiou, Antreas; Kalli, Kyriacos; Mizuno, Yosuke; Nakamura, Kentaro

2018-03-01

We measure the strain dependence of multiple Bragg wavelengths (corresponding to different diffraction orders) of a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) inscribed in a perfluorinated graded-index polymer optical fiber (PFGI-POF) in the wavelength range up to 1550 nm. On the basis of this result, we show that the fractional sensitivity, which has been conventionally used as a wavelength-independent index for fair comparison of the FBG performance measured at different wavelengths, is dependent on wavelength in this range. The reason for this behavior seems to originate from the non-negligible wavelength dependence of refractive index and its strain-dependence coefficient. Using the wavelength dependence of the refractive index already reported for bulk, we deduce the wavelength dependence of the strain coefficient of the refractive index. This information will be a useful archive in implementing PFGI-POF-based strain sensors based on not only FBGs but also Brillouin scattering in the future.

Effects of patterning induced stress relaxation in strained SOI/SiGe layers and substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hermann, P.; Hecker, M.; Renn, F.; Rölke, M.; Kolanek, K.; Rinderknecht, J.; Eng, L. M.

2011-06-01

Local stress fields in strained silicon structures important for CMOS technology are essentially related to size effects and properties of involved materials. In the present investigation, Raman spectroscopy was utilized to analyze the stress distribution within strained silicon (sSi) and silicon-germanium (SiGe) island structures. As a result of the structuring of initially unpatterned strained films, a size-dependent relaxation of the intrinsic film stresses was obtained in agreement with model calculations. This changed stress state in the features also results in the appearance of opposing stresses in the substrate underneath the islands. Even for strained island structures on top of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers, corresponding stresses in the silicon substrate underneath the oxide were detected. Within structures, the stress relaxation is more pronounced for islands on SOI substrates as compared to those on bulk silicon substrates.

Strain-induced oxygen vacancies in ultrathin epitaxial CaMnO3 films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandrasena, Ravini; Yang, Weibing; Lei, Qingyu; Delgado-Jaime, Mario; de Groot, Frank; Arenholz, Elke; Kobayashi, Keisuke; Aschauer, Ulrich; Spaldin, Nicola; Xi, Xiaoxing; Gray, Alexander

Dynamic control of strain-induced ionic defects in transition-metal oxides is considered to be an exciting new avenue towards creating materials with novel electronic, magnetic and structural properties. Here we use atomic layer-by-layer laser molecular beam epitaxy to synthesize high-quality ultrathin single-crystalline CaMnO3 films with systematically varying coherent tensile strain. We then utilize a combination of high-resolution soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy and bulk-sensitive hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy in conjunction with first-principles theory and core-hole multiplet calculations to establish a direct link between the coherent in-plane strain and the oxygen-vacancy content. We show that the oxygen vacancies are highly mobile, which necessitates an in-situ-grown capping layer in order to preserve the original strain-induced oxygen-vacancy content. Our findings open the door for designing and controlling new ionically active properties in strongly-correlated transition-metal oxides.

Real-time Monitoring Of Damage Evolution In Aerospace Materials Using Nonlinear Acoustics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matikas, T. E.; Paipetis, A.; Kostopoulos, V.

2008-06-01

This work deals with the development of a novel non-destructive technique based on nonlinear acoustics, enabling real-time monitoring of material degradation in aerospace structures. When a sinusoidal ultrasonic wave of a given frequency and of sufficient amplitude is introduced into a nonlinear or an-harmonic solid, the fundamental wave distorts as it propagates, so that the second and higher harmonics of the fundamental frequency are generated. The measurement of the amplitude of these harmonics provides information on the coefficient of the second and higher order terms of the stress-strain relation for a nonlinear solid. It is demonstrated here that the material bulk nonlinear parameter for titanium alloy samples at different fatigue levels exhibits large changes compared to linear ultrasonic parameters such as velocity and attenuation. However, the use of bulk ultrasonic waves has serious disadvantages for the health monitoring of aerospace structures since it requires the placement of ultrasonic transducers on two, perfectly parallel, opposite sides of the samples. Such a setup is hardly feasible in real field conditions. For this reason, surface acoustic waves (SAW) were used in this study enabling the in-situ characterization of fatigue damage. The experimental setup for measuring the material nonlinear parameter using SAW was realised and the feasibility of the technique for health monitoring of aerospace structures was evaluated.

The upper critical field of filamentary Nb3Sn conductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Godeke, A.; Jewell, M. C.; Fischer, C. M.; Squitieri, A. A.; Lee, P. J.; Larbalestier, D. C.

2005-05-01

We have examined the upper critical field of a large and representative set of present multifilamentary Nb3Sn wires and one bulk sample over a temperature range from 1.4 K up to the zero-field critical temperature. Since all present wires use a solid-state diffusion reaction to form the A15 layers, inhomogeneities with respect to Sn content are inevitable, in contrast to some previously studied homogeneous samples. Our study emphasizes the effects that these inevitable inhomogeneities have on the field-temperature phase boundary. The property inhomogeneities are extracted from field-dependent resistive transitions which we find broaden with increasing inhomogeneity. The upper 90%-99% of the transitions clearly separates alloyed and binary wires but a pure, Cu-free binary bulk sample also exhibits a zero-temperature critical field that is comparable to the ternary wires. The highest μ0Hc2 detected in the ternary wires are remarkably constant: The highest zero-temperature upper critical fields and zero-field critical temperatures fall within 29.5±0.3 and 17.8±0.3K, respectively, independent of the wire layout. The complete field-temperature phase boundary can be described very well with the relatively simple Maki-DeGennes model using a two-parameter fit, independent of composition, strain state, sample layout, or applied critical state criterion.

Compression and Instrumented Indentation Measurements on Biomimetic Polymers

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-01

styrene- isoprene triblock copolymer gels are tested and compared using both macro-scale and micro-scale measurements. A methodology is presented to...at stress states and strain rates not available to bulk measurement equipment. In this work, a ballistic gelatin and two styrene- isoprene triblock

Highly stretchable miniature strain sensor for large dynamic strain measurement

DOE PAGES

Song, Bo; Yao, Shurong; Nie, Xu; ...

2016-01-01

In this paper, a new type of highly stretchable strain sensor was developed to measure large strains. The sensor was based on the piezo-resistive response of carbon nanotube (CNT)/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite thin films. The piezo-resistive response of CNT composite gives accurate strain measurement with high frequency response, while the ultra-soft PDMS matrix provides high flexibility and ductility for large strain measurement. Experimental results show that the CNT/PDMS sensor measures large strains (up to 8 %) with an excellent linearity and a fast frequency response. The new miniature strain sensor also exhibits much higher sensitivities than the conventional foil strain gages,more » as its gauge factor is 500 times of that of the conventional foil strain gages.« less

A Tissue-Specific Approach to the Analysis of Metabolic Changes in Caenorhabditis elegans

PubMed Central

Pujol, Claire; Ipsen, Sabine; Brodesser, Susanne; Mourier, Arnaud; Tolnay, Markus; Frank, Stephan; Trifunović, Aleksandra

2011-01-01

The majority of metabolic principles are evolutionarily conserved from nematodes to humans. Caenorhabditis elegans has widely accelerated the discovery of new genes important to maintain organismic metabolic homeostasis. Various methods exist to assess the metabolic state in worms, yet they often require large animal numbers and tend to be performed as bulk analyses of whole worm homogenates, thereby largely precluding a detailed studies of metabolic changes in specific worm tissues. Here, we have adapted well-established histochemical methods for the use on C. elegans fresh frozen sections and demonstrate their validity for analyses of morphological and metabolic changes on tissue level in wild type and various mutant strains. We show how the worm presents on hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained sections and demonstrate their usefulness in monitoring and the identification of morphological abnormalities. In addition, we demonstrate how Oil-Red-O staining on frozen worm cross-sections permits quantification of lipid storage, avoiding the artifact-prone fixation and permeabilization procedures of traditional whole-mount protocols. We also adjusted standard enzymatic stains for respiratory chain subunits (NADH, SDH, and COX) to monitor metabolic states of various C. elegans tissues. In summary, the protocols presented here provide technical guidance to obtain robust, reproducible and quantifiable tissue-specific data on worm morphology as well as carbohydrate, lipid and mitochondrial energy metabolism that cannot be obtained through traditional biochemical bulk analyses of worm homogenates. Furthermore, analysis of worm cross-sections overcomes the common problem with quantification in three-dimensional whole-mount specimens. PMID:22162770

Two-dimensional topological insulators with large bulk energy gap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Z. Q.; Jia, Jin-Feng; Qian, Dong

2016-11-01

Two-dimensional (2D) topological insulators (TIs, or quantum spin Hall insulators) are special insulators that possess bulk 2D electronic energy gap and time-reversal symmetry protected one-dimensional (1D) edge state. Carriers in the edge state have the property of spin-momentum locking, enabling dissipation-free conduction along the 1D edge. The existence of 2D TIs was confirmed by experiments in semiconductor quantum wells. However, the 2D bulk gaps in those quantum wells are extremely small, greatly limiting potential application in future electronics and spintronics. Despite this limitation, 2D TIs with a large bulk gap attracted plenty of interest. In this paper, recent progress in searching for TIs with a large bulk gap is reviewed briefly. We start by introducing some theoretical predictions of these new materials and then discuss some recent important achievements in crystal growth and characterization. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. U1632272, 11574201, and 11521404). D. Q. acknowledges support from the Changjiang Scholars Program, China and the Program for Professor of Special Appointment (Eastern Scholar), China.

Wave propagation in piezoelectric layered structures of film bulk acoustic resonators.

PubMed

Zhu, Feng; Qian, Zheng-Hua; Wang, Bin

2016-04-01

In this paper, we studied the wave propagation in a piezoelectric layered plate consisting of a piezoelectric thin film on an electroded elastic substrate with or without a driving electrode. Both plane-strain and anti-plane waves were taken into account for the sake of completeness. Numerical results on dispersion relations, cut-off frequencies and vibration distributions of selected modes were given. The effects of mass ratio of driving electrode layer to film layer on the dispersion curve patterns and cut-off frequencies of the plane-strain waves were discussed in detail. Results show that the mass ratio does not change the trend of dispersion curves but larger mass ratio lowers corresponding frequency at a fixed wave number and may extend the frequency range for energy trapping. Those results are of fundamental importance and can be used as a reference to develop effective two-dimensional plate equations for structural analysis and design of film bulk acoustic resonators. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tuned critical avalanche scaling in bulk metallic glasses

DOE PAGES

Antonaglia, James; Xie, Xie; Schwarz, Gregory; ...

2014-03-17

In this study, ingots of the bulk metallic glass (BMG), Zr 64.13Cu 15.75Ni 10.12Al 10 in atomic percent (at. %), are compressed at slow strain rates. The deformation behavior is characterized by discrete, jerky stress-drop bursts (serrations). Here we present a quantitative theory for the serration behavior of BMGs, which is a critical issue for the understanding of the deformation characteristics of BMGs. The mean-field interaction model predicts the scaling behavior of the distribution, D(S), of avalanche sizes, S, in the experiments. D(S) follows a power law multiplied by an exponentially-decaying scaling function. The size of the largest observed avalanchemore » depends on experimental tuning-parameters, such as either imposed strain rate or stress. Similar to crystalline materials, the plasticity of BMGs reflects tuned criticality showing remarkable quantitative agreement with the slip statistics of slowly-compressed nanocrystals. The results imply that material-evaluation methods based on slip statistics apply to both crystalline and BMG materials.« less

Constitutive modeling of intrinsic and oxygen-contaminated silicon monocrystals in easy glide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cochard, J.; Yonenaga, I.; Gouttebroze, S.; M'Hamdi, M.; Zhang, Z. L.

2010-11-01

We generalize in this work the constitutive model for silicon crystals of Alexander and Haasen. Strain-rate and temperature dependency of the mechanical behavior of intrinsic crystals are correctly accounted for into stage I of hardening. We show that the steady-state of deformation in stage I is very well reproduced in a wide range of temperature and strain rate. The case of extrinsic crystals containing high levels of dissolved oxygen is examined. The introduction of an effective density of mobile dislocations dependent on the unlocking stress created by oxygen atoms gathered at the dislocation cores is combined to an alteration of the dislocation multiplication rate, due to pinning of the dislocation line by oxygen atoms. This increases the upper yield stress with the bulk oxygen concentration in agreement with experimental observations. The fraction of effectively mobile dislocations is found to decay exponentially with the unlocking stress. Finally, the influence of oxygen migration back onto the dislocations from the bulk on the stress distribution in silicon bars is investigated.

Constitutive models for a poly(e-caprolactone) scaffold.

PubMed

Quinn, T P; Oreskovic, T L; McCowan, C N; Washburn, N R

2004-01-01

We investigate material models for a porous, polymeric scaffold used for bone. The material was made by co-extruding poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL), a biodegradable polyester, and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO). The water soluble PEO was removed resulting in a porous scaffold. The stress-strain curve in compression was fit with a phenomenological model in hyperbolic form. This material model will be useful for designers for quasi-static analysis as it provides a simple form that can easily be used in finite element models. The ASTM D-1621 standard recommends using a secant modulus based on 10% strain. The resulting modulus has a smaller scatter in its value compared to the coefficients of the hyperbolic model, and it is therefore easier to compare material processing differences and ensure quality of the scaffold. A third material model was constructed from images of the microstructure. Each pixel of the micrographs was represented with a brick finite element and assigned the Young's modulus of bulk PCL or a value of 0 for a pore. A compressive strain was imposed on the model and the resulting stresses were calculated. The elastic constants of the scaffold were then computed using Hooke's law for a linear-elastic isotropic material. The model was able to predict the small strain Young's modulus measured in the experiments to within one standard deviation. Thus, by knowing the microstructure of the scaffold, its bulk properties can be predicted from the material properties of the constituents.

Effects of strain on phonon interactions and phase nucleation in several semiconductor and nano particle systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tallman, Robert E.

Raman scattering is utilized to explore the effects of applied pressure and strain on anharmonic phonon interactions and nucleation of structural transitions in several bulk and nanoparticle semiconductor systems. The systems investigated are bulk ZnS and ZnSe in several isotopic compositions, InP/CdS core/shell nanoparticles exhibiting confined and surface optical Raman modes, and amorphous selenium films undergoing photo-induced crystallization. The anharmonic decay of long-wavelength optical modes into two-phonon acoustic combinations modes is studied in 64Zn32S, 64Zn34S, natZnatS bulk crystals by measuring the TO(Gamma) Raman line-shape as a function of applied hydrostatic pressure. The experiments are carried out at room temperature and 16K for pressures up to 150 kbars using diamond-anvil cells. The most striking effects occur in 68Zn32S where the TO(Gamma) peak narrows by a factor of 10 and increases in intensity at pressures for which the TO(Gamma) frequency has been tuned into a gap in the two-phonon density of states (DOS). In all the isotopic compositions, the observed phonon decay processes can be adequately explained by a second order perturbation treatment of the anharmonic coupling between TO(Gamma) and TA + LA combinations at various critical points, combined with an adiabatic bond-charge model for the phonon DOS and the known mode Gruneisen parameters. Bulk ZnSe crystals exhibit very different behavior. Here we find that anharmonic decay alone can not explain the excessive (˜ 60 cm-1 ) broadening in the TO(Gamma) Raman peak observed as the pressure approaches to within 50kbar of the ZB -> B1 phase transition (at P ˜ 137 kbar). Rather the broadening appears to arise from antecedent nucleation of structural changes within nanoscopic domains, with the mechanism for line-shape changes being mode mixing via localization and disorder instead of anharmonicity. To sort out these contributions, pressure experiments on natural ZnSe and on isotopically pure 68Zn76Se are compared. Again we use an appropriate bond-charge model to obtain the phonon DOS. It is concluded that the antecedent nucleation mechanism is much more important in ZnSe than in ZnS. In order to further investigate interactions of vibrational modes in spatially confined systems, pressure-Raman experiments are carried out on InP/CdS core/shell nanoparticles. This system differs from most other core/shell nanoparticles systems, in that the near degeneracy of the bulk InP TO(Gamma) and CdS LO(Gamma) phonons leads to possible cross-interface mode coupling. Different confined and surface (or interface) optical modes are studied as a function of pressure up 65 kbar at 373 and 230 K. The results are compared with the predictions of dielectric continuum theory using a phenomenological macroscopic approach (PMA) to include the pressure dependence. Three different pressure media are employed, and the effects on the surface modes of their different static dielectric constants are investigated. The pressure-shifts of the observed confined and surface modes are well accounted for without the need to include cross-interface coupling. We conclude that the conventional boundary condition, of vanishing phonon amplitude at the heterointerface, remains valid in the InP/CdS nanoparticle system, in spite of the near degeneracy of the bulk optical phonons. Photo-induced crystallization in amorphous selenium (a-Se) was also explored in this dissertation, as another example of a nanoscopic nucleation process influenced by strain, in this case internal strain. In order to observe photo-crystallization, the Raman spectra of commercial a-Se films used as targets in high-gain avalanche rushing photodetectors (HARP) cameras was studied at temperatures in the range 260 - 330 K. We find a rich temperature behavior that reflects the competition of changes in viscosity and strain, and defines four distinct regimes. These results are in qualitative accord with a theory by R.B.Stephens treating the effects of local strain on the secondary growth of crystalline nuclei in a-Se. We were able to conclude that the growth of trigonal selenium is driven by local strain, and that the relaxation of this strain field around the glass transition temperature suppresses crystalline growth until thermally assisted processes accelerate the photo-crystallization at higher temperatures. The observed nucleation kinetics was also found to be relevant to understanding the formation of blemishes in the output images of advanced HARP video cameras.

Deformation and relaxation of an incompressible viscoelastic body with surface viscoelasticity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Liping; Yu, Miao; Lin, Hao; Foty, Ramsey

2017-01-01

Measuring mechanical properties of cells or cell aggregates has proven to be an involved process due to their geometrical and structural complexity. Past measurements are based on material models that completely neglect the elasticity of either the surface membrane or the interior bulk. In this work, we consider general material models to account for both surface and bulk viscoelasticity. The boundary value problems are formulated for deformations and relaxations of a closed viscoelastic surface coupled with viscoelastic media inside and outside of the surface. The linearized surface elasticity models are derived for the constant surface tension model and the Helfrich-Canham bending model for coupling with the bulk viscoelasticity. For quasi-spherical surfaces, explicit solutions are obtained for the deformation, stress-strain and relaxation behaviors under a variety of loading conditions. These solutions can be applied to extract the intrinsic surface and bulk viscoelastic properties of biological cells or cell aggregates in the indentation, electro-deformation and relaxation experiments.

Worms under Pressure: Bulk Mechanical Properties of C. elegans Are Independent of the Cuticle

PubMed Central

Gilpin, William; Uppaluri, Sravanti; Brangwynne, Clifford P.

2015-01-01

The mechanical properties of cells and tissues play a well-known role in physiology and disease. The model organism Caenorhabditis elegans exhibits mechanical properties that are still poorly understood, but are thought to be dominated by its collagen-rich outer cuticle. To our knowledge, we use a novel microfluidic technique to reveal that the worm responds linearly to low applied hydrostatic stress, exhibiting a volumetric compression with a bulk modulus, κ = 140 ± 20 kPa; applying negative pressures leads to volumetric expansion of the worm, with a similar bulk modulus. Surprisingly, however, we find that a variety of collagen mutants and pharmacological perturbations targeting the cuticle do not impact the bulk modulus. Moreover, the worm exhibits dramatic stiffening at higher stresses—behavior that is also independent of the cuticle. The stress-strain curves for all conditions can be scaled onto a master equation, suggesting that C. elegans exhibits a universal elastic response dominated by the mechanics of pressurized internal organs. PMID:25902429

Inhomogeneities and superconductivity in poly-phase Fe-Se-Te systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartwig, S.; Schäfer, N.; Schulze, M.; Landsgesell, S.; Abou-Ras, D.; Blum, Ch. G. F.; Wurmehl, S.; Sokolowski, A.; Büchner, B.; Prokeš, K.

2018-02-01

The impact of synthesis conditions, post-preparation heating procedure, aging and influence of pressure on the superconducting properties of FeSe0.4Te0.6 crystals is reported. Two FeSe0.4Te0.6 single crystals were used in the study, prepared from stoichiometric melt but cooled down with very different cooling rates, and investigated using magnetic bulk and electrical-resistivity methods. The fast-cooled crystal contains large inclusions of Fe3Se2.1Te1.8 and exhibits bulk superconductivity in its as-prepared state, while the other is homogeneous and shows only traces of superconductivity. AC susceptibility measurements under hydrostatic pressure show that the superconducting transition temperature of the inhomogeneous crystal increases from 12.3 K at ambient pressure to Tsc = 17.9 K at 9 kbar. On the other hand, neither pressure nor mechanically-induced stress is sufficient to induce superconductivity in the homogeneous crystal. However, an additional heat treatment at 673 K followed by fast cooling down and/or long-term aging at ambient conditions leads to the appearance of bulk superconductivity also in the latter sample. This sample remains homogeneous on a scale down to few μm but shows an additional magnetic phase transition around 130 K suggesting that it must be inhomogeneous. For comparison also Fe3Se2.1Te1.8 polycrystals have been prepared and their magnetic properties have been studied. It appears that this phase is not superconducting by itself. It is concluded that nano-scale inhomogeneities that appear in the FeSexTe1-x system due to a spinodal decomposition in the solid state are necessary for bulk superconductivity, possibly due to minor changes in the crystal structure and microstructure. Macroscopic inclusions quenched by fast cooling from high temperatures lead obviously to strain and hence variations in the lattice constants, an effect that is further supported by application of pressure/stress.

Carbon and hydrogen isotope fractionation during aerobic biodegradation of quinoline and 3-methylquinoline.

PubMed

Cui, Mingchao; Zhang, Wenbing; Fang, Jun; Liang, Qianqiong; Liu, Dongxuan

2017-08-01

Compound-specific isotope analysis has been used extensively to investigate the biodegradation of various organic pollutants. To date, little isotope fractionation information is available for the biodegradation of quinolinic compounds. In this study, we report on the carbon and hydrogen isotope fractionation during quinoline and 3-methylquinoline aerobic microbial degradation by a Comamonas sp. strain Q10. Degradation of quinoline and 3-methylquinoline was accompanied by isotope fractionation. Large hydrogen and small carbon isotope fractionation was observed for quinoline while minor carbon and hydrogen isotope fractionation effects occurred for 3-methylquinoline. Bulk carbon and hydrogen enrichment factors (ε bulk ) for quinoline biodegradation were -1.2 ± 0.1 and -38 ± 1‰, respectively, while -0.7 ± 0.1 and -5 ± 1‰ for 3-methylquinoline, respectively. This reveals a potential advantage for employing quinoline as the model compound and hydrogen isotope analysis for assessing aerobic biodegradation of quinolinic compounds. The apparent kinetic isotope effects (AKIE C ) values of carbon were 1.008 ± 0.0005 for quinoline and 1.0048 ± 0.0005 for 3-methylquinoline while AKIE H values of hydrogen of 1.264 ± 0.011 for quinoline and 1.0356 ± 0.0103 for 3-methylquinoline were obtained. The combined evaluation of carbon and hydrogen isotope fractionation yields Λ values (Λ = Δδ 2 H/Δδ 13 C ≈ εH bulk /εC bulk ) of 29 ± 2 for quinoline and 8 ± 2 for 3-methylquinoline. The results indicate that the substrate specificity may have a significant influence on the isotope fractionation for the biodegradation of quinolinic compounds. The substrate-specific isotope enrichment factors would be important for assessing the behavior and fate of quinolinic compounds in the environment.

Retaining large and adjustable elastic strains of kilogram-scale Nb nanowires [Better Superconductor by Elastic Strain Engineering: Kilogram-scale Free-Standing Niobium Metal Composite with Large Retained Elastic Strains

DOE PAGES

Hao, Shijie; Cui, Lishan; Wang, Hua; ...

2016-02-10

Crystals held at ultrahigh elastic strains and stresses may exhibit exceptional physical and chemical properties. Individual metallic nanowires can sustain ultra-large elastic strains of 4-7%. However, retaining elastic strains of such magnitude in kilogram-scale nanowires is challenging. Here, we find that under active load, ~5.6% elastic strain can be achieved in Nb nanowires in a composite material. Moreover, large tensile (2.8%) and compressive (-2.4%) elastic strains can be retained in kilogram-scale Nb nanowires when the composite is unloaded to a free-standing condition. It is then demonstrated that the retained tensile elastic strains of Nb nanowires significantly increase their superconducting transitionmore » temperature and critical magnetic fields, corroborating ab initio calculations based on BCS theory. This free-standing nanocomposite design paradigm opens new avenues for retaining ultra-large elastic strains in great quantities of nanowires and elastic-strain-engineering at industrial scale.« less

Structural and Optical Characteristics of Metamorphic Bulk InAsSb

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-01-01

0.815 0.820 0.825 InAsSb 5 /a ⊥ ( Å ) 3√2/a|| (Å) 0.25 0.40 0.75 1.3 1.5 1.8 2.2 hkl = 335 GaSb Structural and Optical Characteristics of Metamorphic...Conduction- and Valence- Band Energies in Bulk InAs1−xSbx and Type II InAs1−xSbx/InAs Strained-Layer Superlattices”, J. of Electron. Mater., 42, 918...0188 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) - UU UU UU UU Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. Structural and Optical Characteristics of

Carbon nanotube thin film strain sensor models assembled using nano- and micro-scale imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Bo Mi; Loh, Kenneth J.; Yang, Yuan-Sen

2017-07-01

Nanomaterial-based thin films, particularly those based on carbon nanotubes (CNT), have brought forth tremendous opportunities for designing next-generation strain sensors. However, their strain sensing properties can vary depending on fabrication method, post-processing treatment, and types of CNTs and polymers employed. The objective of this study was to derive a CNT-based thin film strain sensor model using inputs from nano-/micro-scale experimental measurements of nanotube physical properties. This study began with fabricating ultra-low-concentration CNT-polymer thin films, followed by imaging them using atomic force microscopy. Image processing was employed for characterizing CNT dispersed shapes, lengths, and other physical attributes, and results were used for building five different types of thin film percolation-based models. Numerical simulations were conducted to assess how the morphology of dispersed CNTs in its 2D matrix affected bulk film electrical and electromechanical (strain sensing) properties. The simulation results showed that CNT morphology had a significant impact on strain sensing performance.

Strain effect on the magnetic and transport properties of LaCoO3 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Y.; Peng, S. J.; Wang, D. J.; Wu, K. M.; Wang, S. H.

2018-05-01

LaCoO3 (LCO) has attracted much attention due to the unique magnetic transition and spin transition of Co3+ ions. Epitaxial LCO film exhibits an unexpected ferromagnetism, in contrast to the non-magnetism of bulk LCO. An in-depth study on the property of strained LCO film is of great importance. We have fabricated 30 nm LCO films on various substrates and studied the magnetic and transport properties of films in different strain states (compressed strain for LCO/LaAlO3, tensile strain for LCO/(LaAlO3)0.3(Sr2TaAlO6)0.35, SrTiO3). The in-plane tensiled LCO films exhibit ferromagnetic ground state at 5K and magnetic transition with TC around 85K, while compressed LCO/LaAlO3 film has a negligibly small moment signal. Our results reveal that in-plane tensile strain and tetragonal distortion are much more favorable for stabilizing the FM order in LCO films.

Flexible surface acoustic wave strain sensor based on single crystalline LiNbO3 thin film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Hongsheng; Dong, Shurong; Xuan, Weipeng; Farooq, Umar; Huang, Shuyi; Li, Menglu; Wu, Ting; Jin, Hao; Wang, Xiaozhi; Luo, Jikui

2018-02-01

A flexible surface acoustic wave (SAW) strain sensor in the frequency range of 162-325 MHz was developed based on a single crystalline LiNbO3 thin film with dual resonance modes, namely, the Rayleigh mode and the thickness shear mode (TSM). This SAW sensor could handle a wide strain range up to ±3500 μɛ owing to its excellent flexibility, which is nearly six times the detecting range of bulk piezoelectric substrate based SAW strain sensors. The sensor exhibited a high sensitivity of 193 Hz/ μɛ with a maximum hysteresis less than 1.5%. The temperature coefficients of frequency, for Rayleigh and TSM modes, were -85 and -59 ppm/ °C , respectively. No visible deterioration was observed after cyclic bending for hundreds of times, showing its desirable stability and reliability. By utilizing the dual modes, the strain sensor with a self-temperature calibrated capability can be achieved. The results demonstrate that the sensor is an excellent candidate for strain sensing.

Lattice strains and load partitioning in bovine trabecular bone.

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

Akhtar, R.; Daymond, M. R.; Almer, J. D.

2012-02-01

Microdamage and failure mechanisms have been well characterized in bovine trabecular bone. However, little is known about how elastic strains develop in the apatite crystals of the trabecular struts and their relationship with different deformation mechanisms. In this study, wide-angle high-energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction has been used to determine bulk elastic strains under in situ compression. Dehydrated bone is compared to hydrated bone in terms of their response to load. During compression, load is initially borne by trabeculae aligned parallel to loading direction with non-parallel trabeculae deforming by bending. Ineffective load partitioning is noted in dehydrated bone whereas hydrated bonemore » behaves like a plastically yielding foam« less

Bulk Nonlinear Elastic Strain Waves in a Bilayer Coaxial Cylindrical Rod

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gula, I. A.; Samsonov, A. M.

2017-12-01

The problem of the propagation of long nonlinear elastic strain waves in a bilayer coaxial cylindrical rod with an ideal contact between the layers has been considered. Expressions for transverse displacements through longitudinal displacements have been derived. The former satisfies free boundary conditions and continuity conditions for displacements and stresses at the interlayer interface with the desired accuracy. It has been shown how these expressions generalize the well-known plane-section and Love hypotheses for an isotropic homogeneous rod. An equation for the propagation of a nonlinearly elastic strain longitudinal wave has been derived, and its particular solution in the form of a solitary traveling wave has been studied.

Vibrational and optical properties of MoS2: From monolayer to bulk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molina-Sánchez, Alejandro; Hummer, Kerstin; Wirtz, Ludger

2015-12-01

Molybdenum disulfide, MoS2, has recently gained considerable attention as a layered material where neighboring layers are only weakly interacting and can easily slide against each other. Therefore, mechanical exfoliation allows the fabrication of single and multi-layers and opens the possibility to generate atomically thin crystals with outstanding properties. In contrast to graphene, it has an optical gap of ~1.9 eV. This makes it a prominent candidate for transistor and opto-electronic applications. Single-layer MoS2 exhibits remarkably different physical properties compared to bulk MoS2 due to the absence of interlayer hybridization. For instance, while the band gap of bulk and multi-layer MoS2 is indirect, it becomes direct with decreasing number of layers. In this review, we analyze from a theoretical point of view the electronic, optical, and vibrational properties of single-layer, few-layer and bulk MoS2. In particular, we focus on the effects of spin-orbit interaction, number of layers, and applied tensile strain on the vibrational and optical properties. We examine the results obtained by different methodologies, mainly ab initio approaches. We also discuss which approximations are suitable for MoS2 and layered materials. The effect of external strain on the band gap of single-layer MoS2 and the crossover from indirect to direct band gap is investigated. We analyze the excitonic effects on the absorption spectra. The main features, such as the double peak at the absorption threshold and the high-energy exciton are presented. Furthermore, we report on the the phonon dispersion relations of single-layer, few-layer and bulk MoS2. Based on the latter, we explain the behavior of the Raman-active A1g and E2g1 modes as a function of the number of layers. Finally, we compare theoretical and experimental results of Raman, photoluminescence, and optical-absorption spectroscopy.

Computational Study of Uniaxial Deformations in Silica Aerogel Using a Coarse-Grained Model.

PubMed

Ferreiro-Rangel, Carlos A; Gelb, Lev D

2015-07-09

Simulations of a flexible coarse-grained model are used to study silica aerogels. This model, introduced in a previous study (J. Phys. Chem. C 2007, 111, 15792), consists of spherical particles which interact through weak nonbonded forces and strong interparticle bonds that may form and break during the simulations. Small-deformation simulations are used to determine the elastic moduli of a wide range of material models, and large-deformation simulations are used to probe structural evolution and plastic deformation. Uniaxial deformation at constant transverse pressure is simulated using two methods: a hybrid Monte Carlo approach combining molecular dynamics for the motion of individual particles and stochastic moves for transverse stress equilibration, and isothermal molecular dynamics simulations at fixed Poisson ratio. Reasonable agreement on elastic moduli is obtained except at very low densities. The model aerogels exhibit Poisson ratios between 0.17 and 0.24, with higher-density gels clustered around 0.20, and Young's moduli that vary with aerogel density according to a power-law dependence with an exponent near 3.0. These results are in agreement with reported experimental values. The models are shown to satisfy the expected homogeneous isotropic linear-elastic relationship between bulk and Young's moduli at higher densities, but there are systematic deviations at the lowest densities. Simulations of large compressive and tensile strains indicate that these materials display a ductile-to-brittle transition as the density is increased, and that the tensile strength varies with density according to a power law, with an exponent in reasonable agreement with experiment. Auxetic behavior is observed at large tensile strains in some models. Finally, at maximum tensile stress very few broken bonds are found in the materials, in accord with the theory that only a small fraction of the material structure is actually load-bearing.

Strain effect on magnetic property of antiferromagnetic insulator SmFeO3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuroda, M.; Tanahashi, N.; Hajiri, T.; Ueda, K.; Asano, H.

2018-05-01

Thin films and heterostructures of antiferromagnetic insulator SmFeO3 were fabricated on LaAlO3 (001) substrates by magnetron sputtering, and their structural, magnetic properties were investigated. It was found that epitaxially strained thin films showed a pronounced magnetic anisotropy with the enhanced magnetization up to 65 emu/cc, which is approximately ten times larger than the bulk value. The observed enhancement of magnetization was considered to be due to the lattice distortion and the non-collinear antiferromagnetic spin ordering of SmFeO3.

The Special Features of the Deformation Behavior of an Ultrafine-Grained Aluminum Alloy of the Al-Mg-Li System at Room Temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naydenkin, E. V.; Mishin, I. P.; Ivanov, K. V.

2015-04-01

The special features of the deformation behavior of an ultrafine-grained aluminum alloy produced by severe plastic deformation are investigated. Unlike ultrafine-grained pure aluminum, the second-phase particles precipitated in the bulk and at the grain boundaries of the alloy are shown to hinder the development of grain boundary sliding and plastic strain localization. This increases the length of the strain hardening stage and uniformity of elongation of a heterogeneous aluminum alloy specimen as compared to pure aluminum.

Stability analysis of nanoscale surface patterns in stressed solids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kostyrko, Sergey A.; Shuvalov, Gleb M.

2018-05-01

Here, we use the theory of surface elasticity to extend the morphological instability analysis of stressed solids developed in the works of Asaro, Tiller, Grinfeld, Srolovitz and many others. Within the framework of Gurtin-Murdoch model, the surface phase is assumed to be a negligibly thin layer with the elastic properties which differ from those of the bulk material. We consider the mass transport mechanism driven by the variation of surface and bulk energy along undulated surface of stressed solid. The linearized surface evolution equation is derived in the case of plane strain conditions and describes the amplitude change of surface perturbations with time. A parametric analysis of this equation leads to the definition of critical conditions which depend on undulation wavelength, residual surface stress, applied loading, surface and bulk elastic constants and predict the surface morphological stability.

Competitive adsorption in model charged protein mixtures: Equilibrium isotherms and kinetics behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, F.; Szleifer, I.

2003-07-01

The competitive adsorption of proteins of different sizes and charges is studied using a molecular theory. The theory enables the study of charged systems explicitly including the size, shape, and charge distributions in all the molecular species in the mixture. Thus, this approach goes beyond the commonly used Poisson-Boltzmann approximation. The adsorption isotherms of the protein mixtures are studied for mixtures of two proteins of different size and charge. The amount of proteins adsorbed and the fraction of each protein is calculated as a function of the bulk composition of the solution and the amount of salt in the system. It is found that the total amount of proteins adsorbed is a monotonically decreasing function of the fraction of large proteins on the bulk solution and for fixed protein composition of the salt concentration. However, the composition of the adsorbed layer is a complicated function of the bulk composition and solution ionic strength. The structure of the adsorb layer depends upon the bulk composition and salt concentration. In general, there are multilayers adsorbed due to the long-range character of the electrostatic interactions. When the composition of large proteins in bulk is in very large excess it is found that the structure of the adsorb multilayer is such that the layer in contact with the surface is composed by a mixture of large and small proteins. However, the second and third layers are almost exclusively composed of large proteins. The theory is also generalized to study the time-dependent adsorption. The approach is based on separation of time scales into fast modes for the ions from the salt and the solvent and slow for the proteins. The dynamic equations are written for the slow modes, while the fast ones are obtained from the condition of equilibrium constrained to the distribution of proteins given by the slow modes. Two different processes are presented: the adsorption from a homogeneous solution to a charged surface at low salt concentration, and large excess of the large proteins in bulk. The second process is the kinetics of structural and adsorption change by changing the salt concentration of the bulk solution from low to high. The first process shows a large overshoot of the large proteins on the surface due to their excess in solution, followed by a surface replacement by the smaller molecules. The second process shows a very fast desorption of the large proteins followed by adsorption at latter stages. This process is found to be driven by large electrostatic repulsions induced by the fast ions from the salt approaching the surface. The relevance of the theoretical predictions to experimental system and possible directions for improvements of the theory are discussed.

Strain tuning of electronic properties of various dimension elemental tellurium with broken screw symmetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Xiong-Xiong; Feng, Ye-Xin; Liao, Lei; Chen, Qin-Jun; Wang, Dan; Tang, Li-Ming; Chen, Keqiu

2018-03-01

We present a systematical study of atomic structures and electronic properties of various dimension tellurium (Te) with broken intrinsical screw symmetry by applying reasonable strain. It is demonstrated that (i) bulk trigonal Te has degenerate Weyl nodes around the H point near the Fermi energy, and this degeneracy will be broken by introducing the selenium (Se) atom through creating the inner unsymmetrical strain, instead of external shear strain. (ii) 2D structures of tetragonal Te (t-Te) and 1T-MoS2-like Te (1T-Te) show direct and indirect band gap, respectively. Under the uniform biaxial compressive (BC) strain, monolayer of t-Te shows the direct-to-indirect band gap transition, while 1T-Te monolayer has a band gap transition firstly from indirect to direct and then from direct to indirect. Their effective masses of hole and electron can be effectively tuned by BC strain. (iii) One-dimensional (1D) structures of single helix, triangular Te and hexagonal Te nanowires display the obvious quantum confinement effect on the band structure and different sensitivity to the effect of uniaxial compressive strain.

Compressive buckling of a rectangular nanoplate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bochkarev, A. O.

2018-05-01

This paper considers the constitutive relations of the nanoplate theory with surface stresses taken into account according to the original or complete Gurtin-Murdoch (GM) model and according to the simplified strain-consistent GM model (which does not include any non-strain terms in the surface stress-strain relation). It is shown that the potential energy of a deformed nanoplate according to both GM models preserves the classical structure using the redefined elastic moduli (effective tangential and flexural elastic properties, which contain the characteristics of bulk phase and a surface). This allows to apply the known solutions and methods from macroplates to nanoplates. As example, it is shown that the critical load of the compressive buckling of a nanoplate according to the complete and strain-consistent GM models has the difference between two solutions no more than 1.5%.

Emission wavelength red-shift by using ;semi-bulk; InGaN buffer layer in InGaN/InGaN multiple-quantum-well

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alam, Saiful; Sundaram, Suresh; Li, Xin; El Gmili, Youssef; Elouneg-Jamroz, Miryam; Robin, Ivan Christophe; Patriarche, Gilles; Salvestrini, Jean-Paul; Voss, Paul L.; Ougazzaden, Abdallah

2017-12-01

We report an elongation of emission wavelength by inserting a ∼70 nm thick high quality semi-bulk (SB) InyGa1-yN buffer layer underneath the InxGa1-xN/InyGa1-yN (x > y) multi-quantum-well (MQW).While the MQW structure without the InGaN SB buffer is fully strained on the n-GaN template, the MQW structure with the buffer has ∼15% relaxation. This small relaxation along with slight compositional pulling induced well thickness increase of MQW is believed to be the reason for the red-shift of emission wavelength. In addition, the SB InGaN buffer acts as an electron reservoir and also helps to reduce the Quantum Confined Stark Effect (QCSE) and thus increase the emission intensity. In this way, by avoiding fully relaxed buffer induced material degradation, a longer emission wavelength can be achieved by just using InGaN SB buffer while keeping all other growth conditions the same as the reference structure. Thus, a reasonably thick fully strained or very little relaxed InGaN buffer, which is realized by ;semi-bulk; approach to maintain good InGaN material quality, can be beneficial for realizing LEDs, grown on top of this buffer, emitting in the blue to cyan to green regime without using excess indium (In).

Strain-Engineered Nanomembrane Substrates for Si/SiGe Heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sookchoo, Pornsatit

For Group IV materials, including silicon, germanium, and their alloys, although they are most widely used in the electronics industry, the development of photonic devices is hindered by indirect band gaps and large lattice mismatches. Thus, any heterostructures involving Si and Ge (4.17% lattice mismatch) are subject to plastic relaxation by dislocation formation in the heterolayers. These defects make many devices impossible and at minimum degrade the performance of those that are possible. Fabrication using elastic strain engineering in Si/SiGe nanomembranes (NMs) is an approach that is showing promise to overcome this limitation. A key advantage of such NM substrates over conventional bulk substrates is that they are relaxed elastically and therefore free of dislocations that occur in the conventional fabrication of SiGe substrates, which are transferred to the epilayers and roughen film interfaces. In this thesis, I use the strain engineering of NMs or NM stacks to fabricate substrates for the epitaxial growth of many repeating units of Si/SiGe heterostructure, known as a 'superlattice', by the elastic strain sharing of a few periods of the repeating unit of Si/SiGe heterolayers or a Si/SiGe/Si tri-layer structure. In both cases, the process begins with the epitaxial growth of Si/SiGe heterolayers on silicon-on-insulator (SOI), where each layer thickness is designed to stay below its kinetic critical thickness for the formation of dislocations. The heterostructure NMs are then released by etching of the SiO2 sacrificial layer in hydrofluoric acid. The resulting freestanding NMs are elastically relaxed by the sharing of strain between the heterolayers. The NMs can be bonded in-place to their host substrate or transferred to another host substrate for the subsequent growth of many periods of superlattice film. The magnitude of strain sharing in these freestanding NMs is influenced by their layer thicknesses and layer compositions. As illustrated in this dissertation, strain-engineering of such NMs can provide the enabling basis for improved Group IV optoelectronic devices.

Deformation of olivine under mantle conditions: An in situ high-pressure, high-temperature study using monochromatic synchrotron radiation

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

Hilairet, Nadège; Wang, Yanbin; Sanehira, Takeshi

2012-03-15

Polycrystalline samples of San Carlos olivine were deformed at high-pressure (2.8-7.8 GPa), high-temperature (1153 to 1670 K), and strain rates between 7.10{sup -6} and 3.10{sup -5} s{sup -1}, using the D-DIA apparatus. Stress and strain were measured in situ using monochromatic X-rays diffraction and imaging, respectively. Based on the evolution of lattice strains with total bulk strain and texture development, we identified three deformation regimes, one at confining pressures below 3-4 GPa, one above 4 GPa, both below 1600 K, and one involving growth of diffracting domains associated with mechanical softening above {approx}1600 K. The softening is interpreted as enhancedmore » grain boundary migration and recovery. Below 1600 K, elasto-plastic self-consistent analysis suggests that below 3-4 GPa, deformation in olivine occurs with large contribution from the so-called 'a-slip' system [100](010). Above {approx}4 GPa, the contribution of the a-slip decreases relative to that of the 'c-slip' [001](010). This conclusion is further supported by texture refinements. Thus for polycrystalline olivine, the evolution in slip systems found by previous studies may be progressive, starting from as low as 3-4 GPa and up to 8 GPa. During such a gradual change, activation volumes measured on polycrystalline olivine cannot be linked to a particular slip system straightforwardly. The quest for 'the' activation volume of olivine at high pressure should cease at the expense of detailed work on the flow mechanisms implied. Such evolution in slip systems should also affect the interpretation of seismic anisotropy data in terms of upper mantle flow between 120 and 300 km depth.« less

Identification of a Classical Mutant in the Industrial Host Aspergillus niger by Systems Genetics: LaeA Is Required for Citric Acid Production and Regulates the Formation of Some Secondary Metabolites

PubMed Central

Niu, Jing; Arentshorst, Mark; Nair, P. Deepa S.; Dai, Ziyu; Baker, Scott E.; Frisvad, Jens C.; Nielsen, Kristian F.; Punt, Peter J.; Ram, Arthur F.J.

2015-01-01

The asexual filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger is an important industrial cell factory for citric acid production. In this study, we genetically characterized a UV-generated A. niger mutant that was originally isolated as a nonacidifying mutant, which is a desirable trait for industrial enzyme production. Physiological analysis showed that this mutant did not secrete large amounts of citric acid and oxalic acid, thus explaining the nonacidifying phenotype. As traditional complementation approaches to characterize the mutant genotype were unsuccessful, we used bulk segregant analysis in combination with high-throughput genome sequencing to identify the mutation responsible for the nonacidifying phenotype. Since A. niger has no sexual cycle, parasexual genetics was used to generate haploid segregants derived from diploids by loss of whole chromosomes. We found that the nonacidifying phenotype was caused by a point mutation in the laeA gene. LaeA encodes a putative methyltransferase-domain protein, which we show here to be required for citric acid production in an A. niger lab strain (N402) and in other citric acid production strains. The unexpected link between LaeA and citric acid production could provide new insights into the transcriptional control mechanisms related to citric acid production in A. niger. Interestingly, the secondary metabolite profile of a ΔlaeA strain differed from the wild-type strain, showing both decreased and increased metabolite levels, indicating that LaeA is also involved in regulating the production of secondary metabolites. Finally, we show that our systems genetics approach is a powerful tool to identify trait mutations. PMID:26566947

Identification of a Classical Mutant in the Industrial Host Aspergillus niger by Systems Genetics: LaeA Is Required for Citric Acid Production and Regulates the Formation of Some Secondary Metabolites.

PubMed

Niu, Jing; Arentshorst, Mark; Nair, P Deepa S; Dai, Ziyu; Baker, Scott E; Frisvad, Jens C; Nielsen, Kristian F; Punt, Peter J; Ram, Arthur F J

2015-11-13

The asexual filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger is an important industrial cell factory for citric acid production. In this study, we genetically characterized a UV-generated A. niger mutant that was originally isolated as a nonacidifying mutant, which is a desirable trait for industrial enzyme production. Physiological analysis showed that this mutant did not secrete large amounts of citric acid and oxalic acid, thus explaining the nonacidifying phenotype. As traditional complementation approaches to characterize the mutant genotype were unsuccessful, we used bulk segregant analysis in combination with high-throughput genome sequencing to identify the mutation responsible for the nonacidifying phenotype. Since A. niger has no sexual cycle, parasexual genetics was used to generate haploid segregants derived from diploids by loss of whole chromosomes. We found that the nonacidifying phenotype was caused by a point mutation in the laeA gene. LaeA encodes a putative methyltransferase-domain protein, which we show here to be required for citric acid production in an A. niger lab strain (N402) and in other citric acid production strains. The unexpected link between LaeA and citric acid production could provide new insights into the transcriptional control mechanisms related to citric acid production in A. niger. Interestingly, the secondary metabolite profile of a ΔlaeA strain differed from the wild-type strain, showing both decreased and increased metabolite levels, indicating that LaeA is also involved in regulating the production of secondary metabolites. Finally, we show that our systems genetics approach is a powerful tool to identify trait mutations. Copyright © 2016 Niu et al.

Identification of a classical mutant in the industrial host Aspergillus niger by systems genetics: LaeA is required for citric acid production and regulates the formation of some secondary metabolites

DOE PAGES

Niu, Jing; Arentshorst, Mark; Nair, P. Deepa S.; ...

2015-11-13

The asexual filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger is an important industrial cell factory for citric acid production. In this study, we genetically characterized a UV-generated A. niger mutant that was originally isolated as a nonacidifying mutant, which is a desirable trait for industrial enzyme production. Physiological analysis showed that this mutant did not secrete large amounts of citric acid and oxalic acid, thus explaining the nonacidifying phenotype. As traditional complementation approaches to characterize the mutant genotype were unsuccessful, we used bulk segregant analysis in combination with high-throughput genome sequencing to identify the mutation responsible for the nonacidifying phenotype. Since A. nigermore » has no sexual cycle, parasexual genetics was used to generate haploid segregants derived from diploids by loss of whole chromosomes. We found that the nonacidifying phenotype was caused by a point mutation in the laeA gene. LaeA encodes a putative methyltransferase-domain protein, which we show here to be required for citric acid production in an A. niger lab strain (N402) and in other citric acid production strains. The unexpected link between LaeA and citric acid production could provide new insights into the transcriptional control mechanisms related to citric acid production in A. niger. Interestingly, the secondary metabolite profile of a Δ laeA strain differed from the wild-type strain, showing both decreased and increased metabolite levels, indicating that LaeA is also involved in regulating the production of secondary metabolites. As a result, we show that our systems genetics approach is a powerful tool to identify trait mutations.« less

Identification of a classical mutant in the industrial host Aspergillus niger by systems genetics: LaeA is required for citric acid production and regulates the formation of some secondary metabolites

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

Niu, Jing; Arentshorst, Mark; Nair, P. Deepa S.

The asexual filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger is an important industrial cell factory for citric acid production. In this study, we genetically characterized a UV-generated A. niger mutant that was originally isolated as a nonacidifying mutant, which is a desirable trait for industrial enzyme production. Physiological analysis showed that this mutant did not secrete large amounts of citric acid and oxalic acid, thus explaining the nonacidifying phenotype. As traditional complementation approaches to characterize the mutant genotype were unsuccessful, we used bulk segregant analysis in combination with high-throughput genome sequencing to identify the mutation responsible for the nonacidifying phenotype. Since A. nigermore » has no sexual cycle, parasexual genetics was used to generate haploid segregants derived from diploids by loss of whole chromosomes. We found that the nonacidifying phenotype was caused by a point mutation in the laeA gene. LaeA encodes a putative methyltransferase-domain protein, which we show here to be required for citric acid production in an A. niger lab strain (N402) and in other citric acid production strains. The unexpected link between LaeA and citric acid production could provide new insights into the transcriptional control mechanisms related to citric acid production in A. niger. Interestingly, the secondary metabolite profile of a Δ laeA strain differed from the wild-type strain, showing both decreased and increased metabolite levels, indicating that LaeA is also involved in regulating the production of secondary metabolites. As a result, we show that our systems genetics approach is a powerful tool to identify trait mutations.« less

In silico aided metabolic engineering of Klebsiella oxytoca and fermentation optimization for enhanced 2,3-butanediol production.

PubMed

Park, Jong Myoung; Song, Hyohak; Lee, Hee Jong; Seung, Doyoung

2013-09-01

Klebsiella oxytoca naturally produces a large amount of 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD), a promising bulk chemical with wide industrial applications, along with various byproducts. In this study, the in silico gene knockout simulation of K. oxytoca was carried out for 2,3-BD overproduction by inhibiting the formation of byproducts. The knockouts of ldhA and pflB genes were targeted with the criteria of maximization of 2,3-BD production and minimization of byproducts formation. The constructed K. oxytoca ΔldhA ΔpflB strain showed higher 2,3-BD yields and higher final concentrations than those obtained from the wild-type and ΔldhA strains. However, the simultaneous deletion of both genes caused about a 50 % reduction in 2,3-BD productivity compared with K. oxytoca ΔldhA strain. Based on previous studies and in silico investigation that the agitation speed during 2,3-BD fermentation strongly affected cell growth and 2,3-BD synthesis, the effect of agitation speed on 2,3-BD production was investigated from 150 to 450 rpm in 5-L bioreactors containing 3-L culture media. The highest 2,3-BD productivity (2.7 g/L/h) was obtained at 450 rpm in batch fermentation. Considering the inhibition of acetoin for 2,3-BD production, fed-batch fermentations were performed using K. oxytoca ΔldhA ΔpflB strain to enhance 2,3-BD production. Altering the agitation speed from 450 to 350 rpm at nearly 10 g/L of acetoin during the fed-batch fermentation allowed for the production of 113 g/L 2,3-BD, with a yield of 0.45 g/g, and for the production of 2.1 g/L/h of 2,3-BD.

Kinetic analysis of the non-isothermal crystallization process, magnetic and mechanical properties of FeCoBSiNb and FeCoBSiNbCu bulk metallic glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramasamy, Parthiban; Stoica, Mihai; Taghvaei, A. H.; Prashanth, K. G.; Ravi Kumar, Eckert, Jürgen

2016-02-01

The crystallization kinetics of [(Fe0.5Co0.5)0.75B0.2Si0.05]96Nb4 and {[(Fe0.5Co0.5)0.75B0.2Si0.05]0.96Nb0.04}99.5Cu0.5 bulk metallic glasses were evaluated using differential scanning calorimetry under non-isothermal condition. The fully glassy rods with diameters up to 2 mm were obtained by copper mold injection casting. Both glasses show good thermal stability, but the addition of only 0.5% Cu completely changes the crystallization behavior. The average activation energy required for crystallization decreases from 645 kJ/mol to 425 kJ/mol after Cu addition. Upon heating, the Cu-free alloy forms only the metastable Fe23B6 phase. In contrast, two well-separated exothermic events are observed for the Cu-added bulk glassy samples. First, the (Fe,Co) phase nucleates and then (Fe,Co)2B and/or (Fe,Co)3B crystallize from the remaining glassy matrix. The Cu-added alloy exhibits a lower coercivity and a higher magnetic saturation than the base alloy, both in as-cast as well as in annealed condition. Besides, the Cu-added glassy sample with 2 mm diameter exhibits a maximum compressive fracture strength of 3913 MPa together with a plastic strain of 0.6%, which is highest plastic strain ever reported for 2 mm diameter ferromagnetic bulk metallic glass sample. Although Cu addition improves the magnetic and mechanical properties of the glass, it affects the glass-forming ability of the base alloy.

Surface science analysis of GaAs photocathodes following sustained electron beam delivery

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

Carlos Hernandez-Garcia, Fay Hannon, Marcy Stutzman, V. Shutthanandan, Z. Zhu, M. Nandasri, S. V. Kuchibhatla, S. Thevuthasan, W. P. Hess

2012-06-01

Degradation of the photocathode materials employed in photoinjectors represents a challenge for sustained operation of nuclear physics accelerators and high power Free Electron Lasers (FEL). Photocathode quantum efficiency (QE) degradation is due to residual gasses in the electron source vacuum system being ionized and accelerated back to the photocathode. These investigations are a first attempt to characterize the nature of the photocathode degradation, and employ multiple surface and bulk analysis techniques to investigate damage mechanisms including sputtering of the Cs-oxidant surface monolayer, other surface chemistry effects, and ion implantation. Surface and bulk analysis studies were conducted on two GaAs photocathodes,more » which were removed from the JLab FEL DC photoemission gun after delivering electron beam, and two control samples. The analysis techniques include Helium Ion Microscopy (HIM), Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS). In addition, two high-polarization strained superlattice GaAs photocathode samples, one removed from the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) photoinjector and one unused, were also analyzed using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and SIMS. It was found that heat cleaning the FEL GaAs wafer introduces surface roughness, which seems to be reduced by prolonged use. The bulk GaAs samples retained a fairly well organized crystalline structure after delivering beam but shows evidence of Cs depletion on the surface. Within the precision of the SIMS and RBS measurements the data showed no indication of hydrogen implantation or lattice damage from ion back bombardment in the bulk GaAs wafers. In contrast, SIMS and TEM measurements of the strained superlattice photocathode show clear crystal damage in the wafer from ion back bombardment.« less

A High Strain-Rate Investigation of a Zr-Based Bulk Metallic Glass and an HTPB Polymer Composite

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-03-01

95 8. Lankford J. (1977) Compressive strength and microplasticity in polycrystalline alumina. Journal of Materials Science 12, 791-796. 9...Letters 45, 615-616. 59. Lankford J. (1977) Compressive strength and microplasticity in polycrystalline alumina. Journal of Materials Science 12, 791

Dynamics in a Water Interfacial Boundary Layer Investigated with IR Polarization-Selective Pump-Probe Experiments.

PubMed

Yuan, Rongfeng; Yan, Chang; Nishida, Jun; Fayer, Michael D

2017-05-04

The dynamics of water molecules near the surfactant interface in large Aerosol-OT reverse micelles (RMs) (w 0 = 16-25) was investigated with IR polarization-selective pump-probe experiments using the SeCN - anion as a vibrational probe. Linear absorption spectra of RMs (w 0 = 25-2) can be decomposed into the weighted sum of the SeCN - spectra in bulk water and the spectrum of the SeCN - anion interacting with the interfacial sulfonate head groups (w 0 = 1). The spectra of the large RMs, w 0 ≥ 16, are overwhelmingly dominated by the bulk water component. Anisotropy decays (orientational relaxation) of the anion for w 0 ≥ 16 displayed bulk water relaxation (1.4 and 4.5 ps) plus an additional slow decay with a time constant of ∼13 ps. The amplitude of the slow decay was too large to be associated with SeCN - in contact with the interface on the basis of the linear spectrum decomposition. The results indicate that the observed slow components arise from SeCN - in a water boundary layer, in which water molecules are perturbed by the interface but are not directly associated with it. This layer is the transition between water in direct contact with the interface and bulk water in the large RM cores. In the boundary layer, the water dynamics is slow compared to that in bulk water.

Nanometer-Scale Epitaxial Strain Release in Perovskite Heterostructures Using 'SrAlOx' Sliding Buffer Layers

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

Bell, Christopher

2011-08-11

We demonstrate the strain release of LaAlO{sub 3} epitaxial film on SrTiO{sub 3} (001) by inserting ultra-thin 'SrAlO{sub x}' buffer layers. Although SrAlO{sub x} is not a perovskite, nor stable as a single phase in bulk, epitaxy stabilizes the perovskite structure up to a thickness of 2 unit cells (uc). At a critical thickness of 3 uc of SrAlO{sub x}, the interlayer acts as a sliding buffer layer, and abruptly relieves the lattice mismatch between the LaAlO{sub 3} filmand the SrTiO{sub 3} substrate, while maintaining crystallinity. This technique may provide a general approach for strain relaxation of perovskite film farmore » below the thermodynamic critical thickness. A central issue in heteroepitaxial filmgrowth is the inevitable difference in lattice constants between the filmand substrate. Due to this lattice mismatch, thin film are subjected to microstructural strain, which can have a significan effect on the filmproperties. This challenge is especially prominent in the rapidly developing fiel of oxide electronics, where much interest is focused on incorporating the emergent physical properties of oxides in devices. Although strain can be used to great effect to engineer unusual ground states, it is often deleterious for bulk first-orde phase transitions, which are suppressed by the strain and symmetry constraints of the substrate. While there are some reports discussing the control of the lattice mismatch in oxides using thick buffer layers, the materials choice, lattice-tunable range, and control of misfit dislocations are still limited. In this Letter, we report the fabrication of strain-relaxed LaAlO{sub 3} (LAO) thin film on SrTiO{sub 3} (STO) (001) using very thin 'SrAlO{sub x}' (SAO) buffer layers. Whereas for 1 or 2 pseudo-perovskite unit cells (uc) of SAO, the subsequent LAO filmis strained to the substrate, at a critical thickness of 3 uc the SAO interlayer abruptly relieves the lattice mismatch between the LAO and the STO, although maintaining the relative crystalline orientation between the filmand the substrate. For 4 uc or greater, the perovskite epitaxial template is lost and the LAO filmis amorphous. These results suggest that metastable interlayers can be used for strain release on the nanometer scale.« less

POWTEX Neutron Diffractometer at FRM II - New Perspectives for In-Situ Rock Deformation Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walter, J. M.; Stipp, M.; Ullemeyer, K.; Klein, H.; Leiss, B.; Hansen, B. T.; Kuhs, W. F.

2012-04-01

In Geoscience quantitative texture analysis here defined as the quantitative analysis of the crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO), is a common tool for the investigation of fabric development in mono- and polyphase rocks, their deformation histories and kinematics. Bulk texture measurements also allow the quantitative characterisation of the anisotropic physical properties of rock materials. A routine tool to measure bulk sample volumes is neutron texture diffraction, as neutrons have large penetration capabilities of several cm in geological sample materials. The new POWTEX (POWder and TEXture) Diffractometer at the neutron research reactor FRM II in Garching, Germany is designed as a high-intensity diffractometer by groups from the RWTH Aachen, Forschungszentrum Jülich and the University of Göttingen. Complementary to existing neutron diffractometers (SKAT at Dubna, Russia; GEM at ISIS, UK; HIPPO at Los Alamos, USA; D20 at ILL, France; and the local STRESS-SPEC and SPODI at FRM II) the layout of POWTEX is focused on fast time-resolved experiments and the measurement of larger sample series as necessary for the study of large scale geological structures. POWTEX is a dedicated beam line for geoscientific research. Effective texture measurements without sample tilting and rotation are possible firstly by utilizing a range of neutron wavelengths simultaneously (Time-of-Flight technique) and secondly by the high detector coverage (9.8 sr) and a high flux (~1 - 107 n/cm2s) at the sample. Furthermore the instrument and the angular detector resolution is designed also for strong recrystallisation textures as well as for weak textures of polyphase rocks. These instrument characteristics allow in-situ time-resolved texture measurements during deformation experiments on rocksalt, ice and other materials as large sample environments will be implemented at POWTEX. The in-situ deformation apparatus is operated by a uniaxial spindle drive with a maximum axial load of 250 kN, which will be redesigned to minimize shadowing effects inside the cylindrical detector. The HT deformatione experiments will be carried out in uniaxial compression or extension and an upgrade to triaxial deformation conditions is envisaged. The load frame can alternatively be used for ice deformation by inserting a cryostat cell for temperatures down to 77 K with a triaxial apparatus allowing also simple shear experiments on ice. Strain rates range between 10-8 and 10-3 s-1 reaching to at least 50 % axial strain. The deformation apparatus is designed for continuous long-term deformation experiments and can be exchanged between in-situ and ex-situ placements during continuous operation inside and outside the neutron detector.

Large-scale ordering of nanoparticles using viscoelastic shear processing.

PubMed

Zhao, Qibin; Finlayson, Chris E; Snoswell, David R E; Haines, Andrew; Schäfer, Christian; Spahn, Peter; Hellmann, Goetz P; Petukhov, Andrei V; Herrmann, Lars; Burdet, Pierre; Midgley, Paul A; Butler, Simon; Mackley, Malcolm; Guo, Qixin; Baumberg, Jeremy J

2016-06-03

Despite the availability of elaborate varieties of nanoparticles, their assembly into regular superstructures and photonic materials remains challenging. Here we show how flexible films of stacked polymer nanoparticles can be directly assembled in a roll-to-roll process using a bending-induced oscillatory shear technique. For sub-micron spherical nanoparticles, this gives elastomeric photonic crystals termed polymer opals showing extremely strong tunable structural colour. With oscillatory strain amplitudes of 300%, crystallization initiates at the wall and develops quickly across the bulk within only five oscillations. The resulting structure of random hexagonal close-packed layers is improved by shearing bidirectionally, alternating between two in-plane directions. Our theoretical framework indicates how the reduction in shear viscosity with increasing order of each layer accounts for these results, even when diffusion is totally absent. This general principle of shear ordering in viscoelastic media opens the way to manufacturable photonic materials, and forms a generic tool for ordering nanoparticles.

Structural Properties of a Sheared Dense Emulsion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dutta, S. K.; Knowlton, E. D.; Blair, D. L.

2011-03-01

The flow of a compressed emulsion above its yield point can be described by a velocity profile in addition to a rearrangement of individual droplets on top of this time averaged motion. Using a confocal microscope, we have tracked the droplets of an oil-in-water emulsion as they are sheared in a rheometer. When the applied stress is large, the velocity profile shows a nearly affine deformation, while there is strong strain localization close to yield. The crossover between these two behaviors occurs at higher shear rates as the volume fraction of the droplets is increased. At shorter length scales, rearrangement events are heterogeneously distributed, reflecting the disordered packing of the emulsion droplets. This characterization is a step towards linking bulk viscoelastic properties to local structural relaxation as the system leaves the jammed state. This work is funded by the NSF through Grant DMR 0847490.

Orbital Engineering in Symmetry-Breaking Polar Heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Disa, Ankit S.; Kumah, Divine P.; Malashevich, Andrei; Chen, Hanghui; Arena, Dario A.; Specht, Eliot D.; Ismail-Beigi, Sohrab; Walker, F. J.; Ahn, Charles H.

2015-01-01

We experimentally demonstrate a novel approach to substantially modify orbital occupations and symmetries in electronically correlated oxides. In contrast to methods using strain or confinement, this orbital tuning is achieved by exploiting charge transfer and inversion symmetry breaking using atomically layered heterostructures. We illustrate the technique in the LaTiO3-LaNiO3-LaAlO3 system; a combination of x-ray absorption spectroscopy and ab initio theory reveals electron transfer and concomitant polar fields, resulting in a ˜50 % change in the occupation of Ni d orbitals. This change is sufficiently large to remove the orbital degeneracy of bulk LaNiO3 and creates an electronic configuration approaching a single-band Fermi surface. Furthermore, we theoretically show that such three-component heterostructuring is robust and tunable by choice of insulator in the heterostructure, providing a general method for engineering orbital configurations and designing novel electronic systems.

On high-resolution reciprocal-space mapping with a triple-crystal diffractometer for high-energy X-rays.

PubMed

Liss, K D; Royer, A; Tschentscher, T; Suortti, P; Williams, A P

1998-03-01

High-energy X-rav diffraction by means of triple-crystal techniques is a powerful tool for investigating dislocations and strain in bulk materials. Radiation with an energy typically higher than 80 keV combines the advantage of low attenuation with high resolution at large momentum transfers. The triple-crystal diffractometer at the High Energy Beamline of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility is described. It is shown how the transverse and longitudinal resolution depend on the choice of the crystal reflection, and how the orientation of a reciprocal-lattice distortion in an investigated sample towards the resolution element of the instrument can play an important role. This effect is demonstrated on a single crystal of silicon where a layer of macro pores reveals satellites around the Bragg reflection. The resulting longitudinal distortion can be investigated using the high transverse resolution of the instrument when choosing an appropriate reflection.

Large-scale ordering of nanoparticles using viscoelastic shear processing

PubMed Central

Zhao, Qibin; Finlayson, Chris E.; Snoswell, David R. E.; Haines, Andrew; Schäfer, Christian; Spahn, Peter; Hellmann, Goetz P.; Petukhov, Andrei V.; Herrmann, Lars; Burdet, Pierre; Midgley, Paul A.; Butler, Simon; Mackley, Malcolm; Guo, Qixin; Baumberg, Jeremy J.

2016-01-01

Despite the availability of elaborate varieties of nanoparticles, their assembly into regular superstructures and photonic materials remains challenging. Here we show how flexible films of stacked polymer nanoparticles can be directly assembled in a roll-to-roll process using a bending-induced oscillatory shear technique. For sub-micron spherical nanoparticles, this gives elastomeric photonic crystals termed polymer opals showing extremely strong tunable structural colour. With oscillatory strain amplitudes of 300%, crystallization initiates at the wall and develops quickly across the bulk within only five oscillations. The resulting structure of random hexagonal close-packed layers is improved by shearing bidirectionally, alternating between two in-plane directions. Our theoretical framework indicates how the reduction in shear viscosity with increasing order of each layer accounts for these results, even when diffusion is totally absent. This general principle of shear ordering in viscoelastic media opens the way to manufacturable photonic materials, and forms a generic tool for ordering nanoparticles. PMID:27255808

Subclinical breakdown with infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus infection in dairy herd of high health status.

PubMed

Pritchard, G C; Banks, M; Vernon, R E

2003-07-26

Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) virus infection was detected by an antibody ELISA in the bulk milk of a large closed dairy herd of high health status in an area of low cattle density in East Anglia. The herd was managed under high standards of biosecurity and was known to have been serologically free of IBR virus for the previous 13 years. Although over 70 per cent of the cows had seroconverted to IBR virus no clinical signs were observed apart from a slight bilateral watery ocular discharge in a few cows, and their performance and productivity were unaffected. The causal virus, which was isolated after it had been reactivated with corticosteroid, had the DNA profile of a bovine herpesvirus type 1 strain normally associated with clinically severe respiratory disease. In spite of extensive enquiries and seroepidemiological investigations the source of the infection was not determined.

Large-scale HTS bulks for magnetic application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Werfel, Frank N.; Floegel-Delor, Uta; Riedel, Thomas; Goebel, Bernd; Rothfeld, Rolf; Schirrmeister, Peter; Wippich, Dieter

2013-01-01

ATZ Company has constructed about 130 HTS magnet systems using high-Tc bulk magnets. A key feature in scaling-up is the fabrication of YBCO melts textured multi-seeded large bulks with three to eight seeds. Except of levitation, magnetization, trapped field and hysteresis, we review system engineering parameters of HTS magnetic linear and rotational bearings like compactness, cryogenics, power density, efficiency and robust construction. We examine mobile compact YBCO bulk magnet platforms cooled with LN2 and Stirling cryo-cooler for demonstrator use. Compact cryostats for Maglev train operation contain 24 pieces of 3-seed bulks and can levitate 2500-3000 N at 10 mm above a permanent magnet (PM) track. The effective magnetic distance of the thermally insulated bulks is 2 mm only; the stored 2.5 l LN2 allows more than 24 h operation without refilling. 34 HTS Maglev vacuum cryostats are manufactured tested and operate in Germany, China and Brazil. The magnetic levitation load to weight ratio is more than 15, and by group assembling the HTS cryostats under vehicles up to 5 t total loads levitated above a magnetic track is achieved.

Simulation of Strain Induced Pseudomagnetic Fields in Graphene Suspended on MEMS Chevron Actuators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vutukuru, Mounika; Christopher, Jason; Bishop, David; Swan, Anna

Graphene has been shown to withstand remarkable levels of mechanical strain an order of magnitude larger than bulk crystalline materials. This exceptional stretchability of graphene allows for the direct tuning of fundamental material properties, as well as for the investigation of novel physics such as generation of strain induced pseudomagnetic fields. However, current methods for strain such as polymer elongation or pressurized wells do not integrate well into devices. We propose microelectromechanical (MEMS) Chevron actuators as a reliable platform for applying strain to graphene. In addition to their advantageous controllable output force, low input power and ease of integration into existing technologies, MEMS allow for different strain orientations to optimize pseudomagnetic field generation in graphene. Here, we model nonuniform strain in suspended graphene on Chevron actuators using COMSOL Multiphysics. By simulating the deformation of the graphene geometry under the device actuation, we explore the pseudomagnetic field map induced by numerically calculating the components of the strain tensor. Our models provide the theoretical framework with which experimental analysis is compared, and optimize our MEMS designs for further exploration of novel physics in graphene. The authors would like to thank NSF DMR 1411008 for their support on this project.

Theoretical study of the composition pulling effect in InGaN metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy growth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inatomi, Yuya; Kangawa, Yoshihiro; Ito, Tomonori; Suski, Tadeusz; Kumagai, Yoshinao; Kakimoto, Koichi; Koukitu, Akinori

2017-07-01

The composition pulling effect in metalorganic vapor-phase InGaN epitaxy was theoretically investigated by thermodynamic analysis. The excess energies of biaxial-strained In x Ga1- x N were numerically calculated using empirical interatomic potentials considering different situations: (i) coherent growth on GaN(0001), (ii) coherent growth on In0.2Ga0.8N(0001), and (iii) bulk growth. Using the excess energies, the excess chemical potentials of InN and GaN alloys were computed. Our results show that compressive strain suppresses In incorporation, whereas tensile strain promotes it. Moreover, assuming chemical equilibrium, the relationship between the solid composition and the growth conditions was predicted. The results successfully reproduced the typical composition pulling effect.

Effects of Build Parameters on Additive Materials

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-10-30

orthotropic composite  laminates . Thermal expansion experiments show that FDM parts expand  15% less than bulk material. Heat transfer simulations are...Determining the Stress and Strain Relationships in a Quasi‐Isotropic  Laminate  . 161  6.4.16  Determining the stress and strain relationships in a 0/90 Ply... Laminate  .............. 172  6.4.17  Determining the stress and strain relationships in a 45/‐45  Laminate  ................ 178  6.4.18  Sub‐functions

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

Not Available

Nacre, also known as mother-of-pearl, is a biocomposite material that exhibits higher strength and fracture toughness than its component materials. It derives its strength from the brick-and-mortar layering of aragonite (CaCO{sub 3}) platelets and organic binder. It is believed that the protein binder helps redistribute the stress throughout all tablets for optimal mechanical performance. In this study, we attempt to measure the mechanical properties of aragonite within nacre and compare them to bulk aragonite and bulk nacre and understand the redistribution of stresses. Here we show that x-ray diffraction techniques are useful for isolating and measuring strain of crystallites withinmore » a composite material. Our results show that the apparent stiffness of aragonite varies with crystallographic directions and is higher than the stiffness of bulk nacre in all cases, meaning that aragonite tablets are exposed to less than the average bulk stress. The average force applied to the bulk sample is partitioned between the aragonite and the binder, so that the protein layer bears as much as 27.2% of the total applied force. Different crystallographic directions exhibit behaviors different than bulk aragonite or bulk nacre. These are related to texture of aragonite platelets (i.e. preferred orientations within nacre). By examining nacre, we can obtain a better understanding of the mechanical relationship between the ceramic and polymer in composite materials. We expect that x-ray diffraction will become the standard method for probing the mechanical properties of composite materials.« less

Quantum spin Hall insulator BiXH (XH = OH, SH) monolayers with a large bulk band gap.

PubMed

Hu, Xing-Kai; Lyu, Ji-Kai; Zhang, Chang-Wen; Wang, Pei-Ji; Ji, Wei-Xiao; Li, Ping

2018-05-16

A large bulk band gap is critical for the application of two-dimensional topological insulators (TIs) in spintronic devices operating at room temperature. On the basis of first-principles calculations, we predict BiXH (X = OH, SH) monolayers as TIs with an extraordinarily large bulk gap of 820 meV for BiOH and 850 meV for BiSH, and propose a tight-binding model considering spin-orbit coupling to describe the electronic properties of BiXH. These large gaps are entirely due to the strong spin-orbit interaction related to the pxy orbitals of the Bi atoms of the honeycomb lattice. The orbital filtering mechanism can be used to understand the topological properties of BiXH. The XH groups simply remove one branch of orbitals (pz of Bi) and reduce the trivial 6-band lattice into a 4-band, which is topologically non-trivial. The topological characteristics of BiXH monolayers are confirmed by nonzero topological invariant Z2 and a single pair of gapless helical edge states in the bulk gap. Owing to these features, the BiXH monolayers of the large-gap TIs are an ideal platform to realize many exotic phenomena and fabricate new quantum devices working at room temperature.

Competition between structural instabilities in strained ABO3 nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bousquet, E.

2010-03-01

In spite of their simple structure, the family of ABO3 compounds present a large variety of phase transitions involving polar and non polar distortions as well as magnetic orders. Here we will discuss the microscopic origin of these properties and how they are affected in nanostructures through the concept of structural instabilities. We will from the fact that the ferroelectric (FE) and the antiferrodistortive (AFD) instabilities are in competition at the bulk level and are strongly sensitive to pressure and strain. From these considerations we will describe the possibilities to tune this FE/AFD competition by playing with strain and interface engineering. To that end we will first consider the effect of epitaxial strain on BaTiO3, SrTiO3, PbTiO3 and CaTiO3 thin films. In all of these compounds, the epitaxial strain can strongly modify the phase diagrams giving rise to different pure or mixed FE/AFD ground states. We will also extend the discussion on magnetic perovskites like CaMnO3 and will present the different strategies to induce or tune multiferroic properties. Second we will focus on the interface effects as present in bicolor superlattices. As an example we will examine the case of PbTiO3/SrTiO3 superlattice and will show that it exhibits totally unique properties arising from unexpected FE/AFD couplings at the interface between the layers. We will then investigate to which extent similar types of FE/AFD couplings can be induced in other artificially layered systems. We will consider different bicolor superlattices obtained from the combination of PbTiO3, SrTiO3, CaTiO3 and BaTiO3 and discuss how the intrinsic tendency of these compounds to favor either the FE or the AFD instabilities shifts or even suppresses the FE/AFD coupling.

Surface adsorption of oppositely charged C14TAB-PAMPS mixtures at the air/water interface and the impact on foam film stability.

PubMed

Fauser, Heiko; von Klitzing, Regine; Campbell, Richard A

2015-01-08

We have studied the oppositely charged polyelectrolyte/surfactant mixture of poly(acrylamidomethylpropanesulfonate) sodium salt (PAMPS) and tetradecyl trimethylammonium bromide (C14TAB) using a combination of neutron reflectivity and ellipsometry measurements. The interfacial composition was determined using three different analysis methods involving the two techniques for the first time. The bulk surfactant concentration was fixed at a modest value while the bulk polyelectrolyte concentration was varied over a wide range. We reveal complex changes in the surface adsorption behavior. Mixtures with low bulk PAMPS concentrations result in the components interacting synergistically in charge neutral layers at the air/water interface. At the bulk composition where PAMPS and C14TAB are mixed in an equimolar charge ratio in the bulk, we observe a dramatic drop in the surfactant surface excess to leave a large excess of polyelectrolyte at the interface, which we infer to have loops in its interfacial structure. Further increase of the bulk PAMPS concentration leads to a more pronounced depletion of material from the surface. Mixtures containing a large excess of PAMPS in the bulk showed enhanced adsorption, which is attributed to the large increase in total ionic strength of the system and screening of the surfactant headgroup charges. The data are compared to our former results on PAMPS/C14TAB mixtures [Kristen et al. J. Phys. Chem. B, 2009, 23, 7986]. A peak in the surface tension is rationalized in terms of the changing surface adsorption and, unlike in more concentrated systems, is unrelated to bulk precipitation. Also, a comparison between the determined interfacial composition with zeta potential and foam film stability data shows that the highest film stability occurs when there is enhanced synergistic adsorption of both components at the interface due to charge screening when the total ionic strength of the system is highest. The additional contribution to the foam stability of the negatively charged polyelectrolyte within the film bulk is also discussed.

Steps Towards Understanding Large-scale Deformation of Gas Hydrate-bearing Sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, S.; Deusner, C.; Haeckel, M.; Kossel, E.

2016-12-01

Marine sediments bearing gas hydrates are typically characterized by heterogeneity in the gas hydrate distribution and anisotropy in the sediment-gas hydrate fabric properties. Gas hydrates also contribute to the strength and stiffness of the marine sediment, and any disturbance in the thermodynamic stability of the gas hydrates is likely to affect the geomechanical stability of the sediment. Understanding mechanisms and triggers of large-strain deformation and failure of marine gas hydrate-bearing sediments is an area of extensive research, particularly in the context of marine slope-stability and industrial gas production. The ultimate objective is to predict severe deformation events such as regional-scale slope failure or excessive sand production by using numerical simulation tools. The development of such tools essentially requires a careful analysis of thermo-hydro-chemo-mechanical behavior of gas hydrate-bearing sediments at lab-scale, and its stepwise integration into reservoir-scale simulators through definition of effective variables, use of suitable constitutive relations, and application of scaling laws. One of the focus areas of our research is to understand the bulk coupled behavior of marine gas hydrate systems with contributions from micro-scale characteristics, transport-reaction dynamics, and structural heterogeneity through experimental flow-through studies using high-pressure triaxial test systems and advanced tomographical tools (CT, ERT, MRI). We combine these studies to develop mathematical model and numerical simulation tools which could be used to predict the coupled hydro-geomechanical behavior of marine gas hydrate reservoirs in a large-strain framework. Here we will present some of our recent results from closely co-ordinated experimental and numerical simulation studies with an objective to capture the large-deformation behavior relevant to different gas production scenarios. We will also report on a variety of mechanically relevant test scenarios focusing on effects of dynamic changes in gas hydrate saturation, highly uneven gas hydrate distributions, focused fluid migration and gas hydrate production through depressurization and CO2 injection.

Structural short-range order of the β-Ti phase in bulk Ti-Fe-(Sn) nanoeutectic composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, J.; Eckert, J.; Theissmann, R.

2006-12-01

The authors report lattice distortion and "ω-like" structural short-range order (SRO) of the β-Ti phase in a Ti-Fe-(Sn) bulk nanoeutectic composite prepared by slow cooling from the melt. The nanoeuetctic phases are chemically homogeneous, but the addition of Sn releases the local lattice strain, modifies the structural SRO, and prevents the formation of stacking faults in the body centered cubic (bcc) β-Ti phase resulting in improved plastic deformability. The elastic properties and the structural SRO of the β-Ti phase are proposed to be important parameters for developing advanced high strength, ductile Ti-base nanocomposite alloys.

Shock-wave structure for a polyatomic gas with large bulk viscosity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kosuge, Shingo; Aoki, Kazuo

2018-02-01

The structure of a standing plane shock wave in a polyatomic gas is investigated on the basis of kinetic theory, with special interest in gases with large bulk viscosities, such as CO2 gas. The ellipsoidal statistical model for a polyatomic gas is employed. First, the shock structure is computed numerically for various upstream Mach numbers and for various (large) values of the ratio of the bulk viscosity to the shear viscosity, and different types of profiles, such as the double-layer structure consisting of a thin upstream layer with a steep change and a much thicker downstream layer with a mild change, are obtained. Then, an asymptotic analysis for large values of the ratio is carried out, and an analytical solution that describes the different types of profiles obtained by the numerical analysis, such as the double-layer structure, correctly is obtained.

Intragranular twinning, detwinning, and twinning-like lattice reorientation in magnesium alloys

DOE PAGES

Wu, Wei; Gao, Yanfei; Oak Ridge National Lab.; ...

2016-09-11

We present that deformation twinning plays a critical role on improving metals or alloys ductility, especially for hexagonal close-packed materials with low symmetry crystal structure. A rolled Mg alloy was selected as a model system to investigate the extension twinning behaviors and characteristics of parent-twin interactions by nondestructive in situ 3D synchrotron X-ray microbeam diffraction. Besides twinning- detwinning process, the twinning-like lattice reorientation process was captured within an individual grain inside a bulk material during the strain reversal. The distributions of parent, twin, and reorientated grains and sub-micron level strain variation across the twin boundary are revealed. A theoretical calculationmore » of the lattice strain confirms that the internal strain distribution in parent and twinned grains correlates with the experimental setup, grain orientation of parent, twin, and surrounding grains, as well as the strain path changes. In conclusion, the study suggests a novel deformation mechanism within the hexagonal close-packed structure that cannot be determined from surface-based characterization methods.« less

Visualizing the Histotripsy Process: Bubble Cloud-Cancer Cell Interactions in a Tissue-Mimicking Environment.

PubMed

Vlaisavljevich, Eli; Maxwell, Adam; Mancia, Lauren; Johnsen, Eric; Cain, Charles; Xu, Zhen

2016-10-01

Histotripsy is a non-invasive ultrasonic ablation method that uses cavitation to mechanically fractionate tissue into acellular debris. With a sufficient number of pulses, histotripsy can completely fractionate tissue into a liquid-appearing homogenate with no cellular structures. The location, shape and size of lesion formation closely match those of the cavitation cloud. Previous work has led to the hypothesis that the rapid expansion and collapse of histotripsy bubbles fractionate tissue by inducing large stress and strain on the tissue structures immediately adjacent to the bubbles. In the work described here, the histotripsy bulk tissue fractionation process is visualized at the cellular level for the first time using a custom-built 2-MHz transducer incorporated into a microscope stage. A layer of breast cancer cells were cultured within an optically transparent fibrin-based gel phantom to mimic cells inside a 3-D extracellular matrix. To test the hypothesis, the cellular response to single and multiple histotripsy pulses was investigated using high-speed optical imaging. Bubbles were always generated in the extracellular space, and significant cell displacement/deformation was observed for cells directly adjacent to the bubble during both bubble expansion and collapse. The largest displacements were observed during collapse for cells immediately adjacent to the bubble, with cells moving more than 150-300 μm in less than 100 μs. Cells often underwent multiple large deformations (>150% strain) over multiple pulses, resulting in the bisection of cells multiple times before complete removal. To provide theoretical support to the experimental observations, a numerical simulation was conducted using a single-bubble model, which indicated that histotripsy exerts the largest strains and cell displacements in the regions immediately adjacent to the bubble. The experimental and simulation results support our hypothesis, which helps to explain the formation of the sharp lesions formed in histotripsy therapy localized to the regions directly exposed to the bubbles. Copyright © 2016 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Numerical and experimental analysis of inhomogeneities in SMA wires induced by thermal boundary conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furst, Stephen J.; Crews, John H.; Seelecke, Stefan

2012-11-01

Published data on NiTi wire tensile tests display a surprising variety of results even though the same material has been studied. Hysteresis shapes can be observed that range from box- to cigar-like. In some cases, the variation may be the result of different post-fabrication treatment, such as annealing or cold working procedures. However, oftentimes local data are generated from average stress/strain concepts on the basis of global force and end displacement measurements. It is well known among experimentalists that this has a smoothening effect on data, but there is an additional, less well-known mechanism at work as well. This effect is due to thermomechanical coupling and the thermal boundary condition at the ends of the wires, and it manifests itself in a strong data dependence on the length of the employed specimen. This paper illustrates the effects of a thermal boundary layer in a 1D wire by means of an experimental study combined with a simulation based on the fully coupled momentum and energy balance equations. The system is modeled using COMSOL FEA software to simulate the distribution of strain, temperature, resistivity, and phase fractions. The local behavior is then integrated over the length of the wire to predict the expected behavior of the bulk wire as observed at its endpoints. Then, simulations are compared with results from a tensile test of a 100 mum diameter Dynalloy Flexinol wire between two large, steel clamps. Each step of the tensile test experiment is carefully controlled and then simulated via the boundary and initial conditions of the model. The simulated and experimental results show how the thermal boundary layer affects different length SMA wires and how the inhomogeneity prevents transition to austenite at the wire endpoints. Accordingly, shorter wires tend to be softer (more martensitic) than longer wires and exhibit a large reduction in recoverable strain because a larger percentage of their total length is impacted by the thermal boundary.

Accurate Critical Stress Intensity Factor Griffith Crack Theory Measurements by Numerical Techniques

PubMed Central

Petersen, Richard C.

2014-01-01

Critical stress intensity factor (KIc) has been an approximation for fracture toughness using only load-cell measurements. However, artificial man-made cracks several orders of magnitude longer and wider than natural flaws have required a correction factor term (Y) that can be up to about 3 times the recorded experimental value [1-3]. In fact, over 30 years ago a National Academy of Sciences advisory board stated that empirical KIc testing was of serious concern and further requested that an accurate bulk fracture toughness method be found [4]. Now that fracture toughness can be calculated accurately by numerical integration from the load/deflection curve as resilience, work of fracture (WOF) and strain energy release (SIc) [5, 6], KIc appears to be unnecessary. However, the large body of previous KIc experimental test results found in the literature offer the opportunity for continued meta analysis with other more practical and accurate fracture toughness results using energy methods and numerical integration. Therefore, KIc is derived from the classical Griffith Crack Theory [6] to include SIc as a more accurate term for strain energy release rate (𝒢Ic), along with crack surface energy (γ), crack length (a), modulus (E), applied stress (σ), Y, crack-tip plastic zone defect region (rp) and yield strength (σys) that can all be determined from load and deflection data. Polymer matrix discontinuous quartz fiber-reinforced composites to accentuate toughness differences were prepared for flexural mechanical testing comprising of 3 mm fibers at different volume percentages from 0-54.0 vol% and at 28.2 vol% with different fiber lengths from 0.0-6.0 mm. Results provided a new correction factor and regression analyses between several numerical integration fracture toughness test methods to support KIc results. Further, bulk KIc accurate experimental values are compared with empirical test results found in literature. Also, several fracture toughness mechanisms are discussed especially for fiber-reinforced composites. PMID:25620817

Thermodynamic and structural properties of hcp bulk and nano-precipitated Ag-Al.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zarkevich, Nikolai; Johnson, Duane; Smirnov, Andrei

2002-03-01

We study the short- and long- range chemical ordering in hcp bulk Ag_2Al using the Monte Carlo method based on a Hamiltonian constructed via structural formation energies from ab initio electronic-structure calculations. We find that the ground-state structure and thermodynamic properties of bulk Ag_2Al is that determined from the X-ray experimental data. We also address the influence of the interface, coherency strain, and off-stoichiometric disorder on the structure of metastable γ' nano-precipitates in fcc Al matrix. We show that γ' precipitates are off-stoichiometric and provide a new Al-rich structure that reproduces the observed TEM image. We acknowledge our support in part by an ALCOA Foundation Grant, the U.S. Department of Energy through the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory at UIUC under grant DEFG02-91ER45439, and the UIUC Materials Computation Center under National Science Foundation grant DMR-9976550.

Experimental research on friction coefficient between grain bulk and bamboo clappers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Gan; Sun, Ping; Zhao, Yanqi; Yin, Lingfeng; Zhuang, Hong

2017-12-01

A silo is an important piece of storage equipment, especially in the grain industry. The internal friction angle and the friction coefficient between the grain and the silo wall are the main parameters needed for calculating the lateral pressure of the silo wall. Bamboo is used in silo walls, but there are no provisions about the friction coefficient between bulk grain and bamboo clappers in existing codes. In this paper, the material of the silo wall is bamboo. The internal friction of five types of grain and the friction coefficient between the grain and the bamboo clappers were measured with an equal-strain direct shear apparatus. By comparing the experimental result values with the code values, the friction coefficient between the grain bulk and bamboo clappers is lower than that between grain and steel wall and that between grain and concrete wall. The differences in value are 0.21 and 0.09, respectively.

Computational Modeling of Interfacial Behaviors in Nanocomposite Materials

PubMed Central

Lin, Liqiang; Wang, Xiaodu; Zeng, Xiaowei

2017-01-01

Towards understanding the bulk material response in nanocomposites, an interfacial zone model was proposed to define a variety of material interface behaviors (e.g. brittle, ductile, rubber-like, elastic-perfectly plastic behavior etc.). It also has the capability to predict bulk material response though independently control of the interface properties (e.g. stiffness, strength, toughness). The mechanical response of granular nanocomposite (i.e. nacre) was investigated through modeling the “relatively soft” organic interface as an interfacial zone among “hard” mineral tablets and simulation results were compared with experimental measurements of stress-strain curves in tension and compression tests. Through modeling varies material interfaces, we found out that the bulk material response of granular nanocomposite was regulated by the interfacial behaviors. This interfacial zone model provides a possible numerical tool for qualitatively understanding of structure-property relationships through material interface design. PMID:28983123

Anaerobic Fermentation for Production of Carboxylic Acids as Bulk Chemicals from Renewable Biomass.

PubMed

Wang, Jufang; Lin, Meng; Xu, Mengmeng; Yang, Shang-Tian

Biomass represents an abundant carbon-neutral renewable resource which can be converted to bulk chemicals to replace petrochemicals. Carboxylic acids have wide applications in the chemical, food, and pharmaceutical industries. This chapter provides an overview of recent advances and challenges in the industrial production of various types of carboxylic acids, including short-chain fatty acids (acetic, propionic, butyric), hydroxy acids (lactic, 3-hydroxypropionic), dicarboxylic acids (succinic, malic, fumaric, itaconic, adipic, muconic, glucaric), and others (acrylic, citric, gluconic, pyruvic) by anaerobic fermentation. For economic production of these carboxylic acids as bulk chemicals, the fermentation process must have a sufficiently high product titer, productivity and yield, and low impurity acid byproducts to compete with their petrochemical counterparts. System metabolic engineering offers the tools needed to develop novel strains that can meet these process requirements for converting biomass feedstock to the desirable product.

Characterization of LiMn 2O 4 cathodes by electrochemical strain microscopy

DOE PAGES

Alikin, D. O.; Ievlev, A. V.; Luchkin, S. Yu.; ...

2016-03-15

Electrochemical strain microscopy (ESM) is a scanning probe microscopy(SPM) method in which the local electrodiffusion is probed via application of AC voltage to the SPM tip and registration of resulting electrochemical strain. In this study, we implemented ESM to measure local strain in bulk LiMn 2O 4 cathodes of a commercial Li-battery in different states of charge to investigate distribution of Li-ion mobility and concentration. Ramped AC ESM imaging and voltage spectroscopy were used to find the most reliable regime of measurements allowing separating and diminishing different contributions to ESM. This is not a trivial task due to complex geometrymore » of the sample and various obstacles resulting in less predictable contributions of different origins into ESM response: electrostatic tip–surface interactions, charge injection, electrostriction, and flexoelectricity. Finally, understanding and control of these contributions is an important step towards quantitative interpretation of ESM data.« less

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

Ren, Jingli; Chen, Cun; Wang, Gang

This study explores the temporal scaling behavior induced shear-branching structure in response to variant temperatures and strain rates during plastic deformation of Zr-based bulk metallic glass (BMG). The data analysis based on the compression tests suggests that there are two states of shear-branching structures: the fractal structure with a long-range order at an intermediate temperature of 223 K and a larger strain rate of 2.5 × 10 –2 s –1; the disordered structure dominated at other temperature and strain rate. It can be deduced from the percolation theory that the compressive ductility, ec, can reach the maximum value at themore » intermediate temperature. Furthermore, a dynamical model involving temperature is given for depicting the shear-sliding process, reflecting the plastic deformation has fractal structure at the temperature of 223 K and strain rate of 2.5 × 10 –2 s –1.« less

Substrate-mediated strain effect on the role of thermal heating and electric field on metal-insulator transition in vanadium dioxide nanobeams.

PubMed

Kim, Min-Woo; Jung, Wan-Gil; Hyun-Cho; Bae, Tae-Sung; Chang, Sung-Jin; Jang, Ja-Soon; Hong, Woong-Ki; Kim, Bong-Joong

2015-06-04

Single-crystalline vanadium dioxide (VO2) nanostructures have recently attracted great attention because of their single domain metal-insulator transition (MIT) nature that differs from a bulk sample. The VO2 nanostructures can also provide new opportunities to explore, understand, and ultimately engineer MIT properties for applications of novel functional devices. Importantly, the MIT properties of the VO2 nanostructures are significantly affected by stoichiometry, doping, size effect, defects, and in particular, strain. Here, we report the effect of substrate-mediated strain on the correlative role of thermal heating and electric field on the MIT in the VO2 nanobeams by altering the strength of the substrate attachment. Our study may provide helpful information on controlling the properties of VO2 nanobeam for the device applications by changing temperature and voltage with a properly engineered strain.

Substrate-mediated strain effect on the role of thermal heating and electric field on metal-insulator transition in vanadium dioxide nanobeams

PubMed Central

Kim, Min-Woo; Jung, Wan-Gil; Hyun-Cho; Bae, Tae-Sung; Chang, Sung-Jin; Jang, Ja-Soon; Hong, Woong-Ki; Kim, Bong-Joong

2015-01-01

Single-crystalline vanadium dioxide (VO2) nanostructures have recently attracted great attention because of their single domain metal-insulator transition (MIT) nature that differs from a bulk sample. The VO2 nanostructures can also provide new opportunities to explore, understand, and ultimately engineer MIT properties for applications of novel functional devices. Importantly, the MIT properties of the VO2 nanostructures are significantly affected by stoichiometry, doping, size effect, defects, and in particular, strain. Here, we report the effect of substrate-mediated strain on the correlative role of thermal heating and electric field on the MIT in the VO2 nanobeams by altering the strength of the substrate attachment. Our study may provide helpful information on controlling the properties of VO2 nanobeam for the device applications by changing temperature and voltage with a properly engineered strain. PMID:26040637

Size effects and strain localization in atomic-scale cleavage modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elsner, B. A. M.; Müller, S.

2015-09-01

In this work, we study the adhesion and decohesion of Cu(1 0 0) surfaces using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. An upper stress to surface decohesion is obtained via the universal binding energy relation (UBER), but the model is limited to rigid separation of bulk-terminated surfaces. When structural relaxations are included, an unphysical size effect arises if decohesion is considered to occur as soon as the strain energy equals the energy of the newly formed surfaces. We employ the nudged elastic band (NEB) method to show that this size effect is opposed by a size-dependency of the energy barriers involved in the transition. Further, we find that the transition occurs via a localization of bond strain in the vicinity of the cleavage plane, which resembles the strain localization at the tip of a sharp crack that is predicted by linear elastic fracture mechanics.

Artificial gravity field, astrophysical analogues, and topological phase transitions in strained topological semimetals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Zhiming; Guan, Shan; Yao, Yugui; Yang, Shengyuan

Effective gravity and gauge fields are emergent properties intrinsic for low-energy quasiparticles in topological semimetals. Here, taking two Dirac semimetals as examples, we demonstrate that applied lattice strain can generate warped spacetime, with fascinating analogues in astrophysics. Particularly, we study the possibility of simulating black-hole/white-hole event horizons and gravitational lensing effect. Furthermore, we discover strain-induced topological phase transitions, both in the bulk materials and in their thin films. Especially in thin films, the transition between the quantum spin Hall and the trivial insulating phases can be achieved by a small strain, naturally leading to the proposition of a novel piezo-topological transistor device. Our result not only bridges multiple disciplines, revealing topological semimetals as a unique table-top platform for exploring interesting phenomena in astrophysics and general relativity; it also suggests realistic materials and methods to achieve controlled topological phase transitions with great potential for device applications.

Intergrannular strain evolution in a zircaloy-4 alloy with Widmanstatten microstructure

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

Clausen, Bjorn; Vogel, Sven C; Garlea, Eena

2009-01-01

A Zircaloy-4 alloy with Widmanstatten-Basketweave microstructure and random texture has been used to study the deformation systems responsible for the polycrystalline plasticity at the grain level. The evolution of internal strain and bulk texture is investigated using neutron diffraction and an elasto-plastic self-consistent (EPSC) modeling scheme. The macroscopic stress-strain behavior and intergranular (hkil-specific) strain development, parallel and perpendicular to the loading direction, were measured in-situ during uniaxial tensile loading. Then, the EPSC model was employed to simulate the experimental results. This modeling scheme accounts for the thermal anisotropy; elastic-plastic properties of the constituent grains; and activation, reorientation, and stress relaxationmore » associated with twinning. The agreement between the experiment and the model will be discussed as well as the critical resolved shear stresses (CRSS) and the hardening coefficients obtained from the model.« less

Size effects and strain localization in atomic-scale cleavage modeling.

PubMed

Elsner, B A M; Müller, S

2015-09-04

In this work, we study the adhesion and decohesion of Cu(1 0 0) surfaces using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. An upper stress to surface decohesion is obtained via the universal binding energy relation (UBER), but the model is limited to rigid separation of bulk-terminated surfaces. When structural relaxations are included, an unphysical size effect arises if decohesion is considered to occur as soon as the strain energy equals the energy of the newly formed surfaces. We employ the nudged elastic band (NEB) method to show that this size effect is opposed by a size-dependency of the energy barriers involved in the transition. Further, we find that the transition occurs via a localization of bond strain in the vicinity of the cleavage plane, which resembles the strain localization at the tip of a sharp crack that is predicted by linear elastic fracture mechanics.

The effect of artificial bulk viscosity in simulations of forced compressible turbulence

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

Campos, A.; Morgan, B.

The use of an artificial bulk viscosity for shock stabilization is a common approach employed in turbulence simulations with high-order numerics. The effect of the artificial bulk viscosity is analyzed in the context of large eddy simulations by using as a test case simulations of linearly-forced compressible homogeneous turbulence (Petersen and Livescu, 2010 [12]). This case is unique in that it allows for the specification of a priori target values for total dissipation and ratio of solenoidal to dilatational dissipation. A comparison between these target values and the true predicted levels of dissipation is thus used to investigate the performancemore » of the artificial bulk viscosity. Results show that the artificial bulk viscosity is effective at achieving stable solutions, but also leads to large values of artificial dissipation that outweigh the physical dissipation caused by fluid viscosity. An alternate approach, which employs the artificial thermal conductivity only, shows that the dissipation of dilatational modes is entirely due to the fluid viscosity. However, this method leads to unwanted Gibbs oscillations around the shocklets. The use of shock sensors that further localize the artificial bulk viscosity did not reduce the amount of artificial dissipation introduced by the artificial bulk viscosity. Finally, an improved forcing function that explicitly accounts for the role of the artificial bulk viscosity in the budget of turbulent kinetic energy was explored.« less

The effect of artificial bulk viscosity in simulations of forced compressible turbulence

DOE PAGES

Campos, A.; Morgan, B.

2018-05-17

The use of an artificial bulk viscosity for shock stabilization is a common approach employed in turbulence simulations with high-order numerics. The effect of the artificial bulk viscosity is analyzed in the context of large eddy simulations by using as a test case simulations of linearly-forced compressible homogeneous turbulence (Petersen and Livescu, 2010 [12]). This case is unique in that it allows for the specification of a priori target values for total dissipation and ratio of solenoidal to dilatational dissipation. A comparison between these target values and the true predicted levels of dissipation is thus used to investigate the performancemore » of the artificial bulk viscosity. Results show that the artificial bulk viscosity is effective at achieving stable solutions, but also leads to large values of artificial dissipation that outweigh the physical dissipation caused by fluid viscosity. An alternate approach, which employs the artificial thermal conductivity only, shows that the dissipation of dilatational modes is entirely due to the fluid viscosity. However, this method leads to unwanted Gibbs oscillations around the shocklets. The use of shock sensors that further localize the artificial bulk viscosity did not reduce the amount of artificial dissipation introduced by the artificial bulk viscosity. Finally, an improved forcing function that explicitly accounts for the role of the artificial bulk viscosity in the budget of turbulent kinetic energy was explored.« less

Evidence for Bulk Ripplocations in Layered Solids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gruber, Jacob; Lang, Andrew C.; Griggs, Justin; Taheri, Mitra L.; Tucker, Garritt J.; Barsoum, Michel W.

2016-09-01

Plastically anisotropic/layered solids are ubiquitous in nature and understanding how they deform is crucial in geology, nuclear engineering, microelectronics, among other fields. Recently, a new defect termed a ripplocation-best described as an atomic scale ripple-was proposed to explain deformation in two-dimensional solids. Herein, we leverage atomistic simulations of graphite to extend the ripplocation idea to bulk layered solids, and confirm that it is essentially a buckling phenomenon. In contrast to dislocations, bulk ripplocations have no Burgers vector and no polarity. In graphite, ripplocations are attracted to other ripplocations, both within the same, and on adjacent layers, the latter resulting in kink boundaries. Furthermore, we present transmission electron microscopy evidence consistent with the existence of bulk ripplocations in Ti3SiC2. Ripplocations are a topological imperative, as they allow atomic layers to glide relative to each other without breaking the in-plane bonds. A more complete understanding of their mechanics and behavior is critically important, and could profoundly influence our current understanding of how graphite, layered silicates, the MAX phases, and many other plastically anisotropic/layered solids, deform and accommodate strain.

Experimental investigation of inhomogeneities, nanoscopic phase separation, and magnetism in arc melted Fe-Cu metals with equal atomic ratio of the constituents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassnain Jaffari, G.; Aftab, M.; Anjum, D. H.; Cha, Dongkyu; Poirier, Gerald; Ismat Shah, S.

2015-12-01

Composition gradient and phase separation at the nanoscale have been investigated for arc-melted and solidified with equiatomic Fe-Cu. Diffraction studies revealed that Fe and Cu exhibited phase separation with no trace of any mixing. Microscopy studies revealed that immiscible Fe-Cu form dense bulk nanocomposite. The spatial distribution of Fe and Cu showed existence of two distinct regions, i.e., Fe-rich and Cu-rich regions. Fe-rich regions have Cu precipitates of various sizes and different shapes, with Fe forming meshes or channels greater than 100 nm in size. On the other hand, the matrix of Cu-rich regions formed strips with fine strands of nanosized Fe. Macromagnetic response of the system showed ferromagnetic behavior with a magnetic moment being equal to about 2.13 μB/ Fe atom and a bulk like negligible value of coercivity over the temperature range of 5-300 K. Anisotropy constant has been calculated from various laws of approach to saturation, and its value is extracted to be equal to 1350 J/m3. Inhomogeneous strain within the Cu and Fe crystallites has been calculated for the (unannealed) sample solidified after arc-melting. Annealed sample also exhibited local inhomogeneity with removal of inhomogeneous strain and no appreciable change in magnetic character. However, for the annealed sample phase separated Fe exhibited homogenous strain.

Magnetic properties of strained multiferroic CoC r2O4 : A soft x-ray study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Windsor, Y. W.; Piamonteze, C.; Ramakrishnan, M.; Scaramucci, A.; Rettig, L.; Huever, J. A.; Bothschafter, E. M.; Bingham, N. S.; Alberca, A.; Avula, S. R. V.; Noheda, B.; Staub, U.

2017-06-01

Using resonant soft x-ray techniques we follow the magnetic behavior of a strained epitaxial film of CoC r2O4 , a type-II multiferroic. The film is [110] oriented, such that both the ferroelectric and ferromagnetic moments can coexist in-plane. X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) is used in scattering and in transmission modes to probe the magnetization of Co and Cr separately. The transmission measurements utilized x-ray excited optical luminescence from the substrate. Resonant soft x-ray diffraction (RXD) was used to study the magnetic order of the low temperature phase. The XMCD signals of Co and Cr appear at the same ordering temperature TC≈90 K , and are always opposite in sign. The coercive field of the Co and of Cr moments is the same, and is approximately two orders of magnitude higher than in bulk. Through sum rules analysis an enlarged C o2 + orbital moment (mL) is found, which can explain this hardening. The RXD signal of the (q q 0) reflection appears below TS, the same ordering temperature as the conical magnetic structure in bulk, indicating that this phase remains multiferroic under strain. To describe the azimuthal dependence of this reflection, a slight modification is required to the spin model proposed by the conventional Lyons-Kaplan-Dwight-Menyuk theory for magnetic spinels.

Infection with a Shoot-Specific Fungal Endophyte (Epichloë) Alters Tall Fescue Soil Microbial Communities.

PubMed

Rojas, Xavier; Guo, Jingqi; Leff, Jonathan W; McNear, David H; Fierer, Noah; McCulley, Rebecca L

2016-07-01

Tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus) is a widespread grass that can form a symbiotic relationship with a shoot-specific fungal endophyte (Epichloë coenophiala). While the effects of fungal endophyte infection on fescue physiology and ecology have been relatively well studied, less attention has been given to how this relationship may impact the soil microbial community. We used high-throughput DNA sequencing and phospholipid fatty acid analysis to determine the structure and biomass of microbial communities in both bulk and rhizosphere soils from tall fescue stands that were either uninfected with E. coenophiala or were infected with the common toxic strain or one of several novel strains of the endophyte. We found that rhizosphere and bulk soils harbored distinct microbial communities. Endophyte presence, regardless of strain, significantly influenced soil fungal communities, but endophyte effects were less pronounced in prokaryotic communities. E. coenophiala presence did not change total fungal biomass but caused a shift in soil and rhizosphere fungal community composition, increasing the relative abundance of taxa within the Glomeromycota phylum and decreasing the relative abundance of genera in the Ascomycota phylum, including Lecanicillium, Volutella, Lipomyces, Pochonia, and Rhizoctonia. Our data suggests that tripartite interactions exist between the shoot endophyte E. coenophiala, tall fescue, and soil fungi that may have important implications for the functioning of soils, such as carbon storage, in fescue-dominated grasslands.

Monitoring Tensile Fatigue of Superelastic NiTi Wire in Liquids by Electrochemical Potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Racek, Jan; Stora, Marc; Šittner, Petr; Heller, Luděk; Kopeček, Jaromir; Petrenec, Martin

2015-06-01

Fatigue of superelastic NiTi wires was investigated by cyclic tension in simulated biofluid. The state of the surface of the fatigued NiTi wire was monitored by following the evolution of the electrochemical open circuit potential (OCP) together with macroscopic stresses and strains. The ceramic TiO2 oxide layer on the NiTi wire surface cannot withstand the large transformation strain and fractures in the first cycle. Based on the analysis of the results of in situ OCP experiments and SEM observation of cracks, it is claimed that the cycled wire surface develops mechanochemical reactions at the NiTi/liquid interface leading to cumulative generation of hydrogen, uptake of the hydrogen by the NiTi matrix, local loss of the matrix strength, crack transfer into the NiTi matrix, accelerated crack growth, and ultimately to the brittle fracture of the wire. Fatigue degradation is thus claimed to originate from the mechanochemical processes occurring at the excessively deforming surface not from the accumulation of defects due to energy dissipative bulk deformation processes. Ironically, combination of the two exciting properties of NiTi—superelasticity due to martensitic transformation and biocompatibility due to the protective TiO2 surface oxide layer—leads to excessive fatigue damage during cyclic mechanical loading in biofluids.

Tunable magnetic states on the zigzag edges of hydrogenated and halogenated group-IV nanoribbons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Tzu-Cheng; Hsu, Chia-Hsiu; Huang, Zhi-Quan; Chuang, Feng-Chuan; Su, Wan-Sheng; Guo, Guang-Yu

2016-12-01

The magnetic and electronic properties of hydrogenated and halogenated group-IV zigzag nanoribbons (ZNRs) are investigated by first-principles density functional calculations. Fascinatingly, we find that all the ZNRs have magnetic edges with a rich variety of electronic and magnetic properties tunable by selecting the parent and passivating elements as well as controlling the magnetization direction and external strain. In particular, the electric property of the edge band structure can be tuned from the conducting to insulating with a band gap up to 0.7 eV. The last controllability would allow us to develop magnetic on-off nano-switches. Furthermore, ZNRs such as SiI, Ge, GeI and SnH, have fully spin-polarized metallic edge states and thus are promising materials for spintronics. The calculated magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy can be as large as ~9 meV/edge-site, being 2×103 time greater than that of bulk Ni and Fe (~5 μeV/atom), and thus has great potential for high density magneto-electric data-storage devices. Finally, the calculated exchange coupling strength and thus magnetic transition temperature increases as the applied strain goes from -5% to 5%. Our findings thus show that these ZNRs would have exciting applications in next-generation electronic and spintronic nano-devices.

Should bulk cloudwater or fogwater samples obey Henry's law?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandis, Spyros N.; Seinfeld, John H.

1991-06-01

Mixing of droplets with different pH that are individually in Henry's law equilibrium with the surrounding atmosphere always results in a bulk mixture that is supersaturated with weak acids like S(IV) and HCOOH, and bases like NH3 with respect to the original atmosphere. High supersaturations result only when the pH of the bulk droplet mixture exceeds the pKa of the species, in which pH range large pH differences among droplets of different sizes lead to large deviations from Henry's law for the bulk mixture. The deviation is shown to depend on the ratio of the arithmetic mean to the harmonic mean of the hydrogen ion concentrations of the droplets with the liquid water content used as weighting factor in the calculation of the means. The theory developed can explain observed discrepancies from Henry's law in atmospheric samples and also other observed phenomena like the reported increase of pH values of bulk aqueous samples during storage.

A longitudinal survey of anti-Ostertagia ostertagi antibody levels in individual and bulk tank milk in two dairy herds in Normandy.

PubMed

Charlier, Johannes; Camuset, Philippe; Claerebout, Edwin; Courtay, Bruno; Vercruysse, Jozef

2007-10-01

The Ostertagia-specific antibody levels in milk were monitored in 2 dairy herds to investigate seasonal variations and the relationship between individual and bulk tank milk antibody levels. Bulk tank and individual milk samples from all lactating animals were collected over a 1-year period at weekly and monthly intervals, respectively. The Ostertagia-specific antibody levels were measured with an indirect ELISA and the test results were expressed as optical density ratios (ODR). A clear seasonal pattern that followed the expected intake of infectious larvae was observed in the individual and bulk tank milk antibody levels of both herds. Within each herd, there was a large variation in the individual ODRs. This variation remained large when the distribution of individual ODRs was plotted according to high and low bulk tank milk ODR categories. The results suggest that the effect of seasonal variations on cut-off levels that predict production responses after anthelmintic control, needs to be assessed.

Procedures for experimental measurement and theoretical analysis of large plastic deformations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morris, R. E.

1974-01-01

Theoretical equations are derived and analytical procedures are presented for the interpretation of experimental measurements of large plastic strains in the surface of a plate. Orthogonal gage lengths established on the metal surface are measured before and after deformation. The change in orthogonality after deformation is also measured. Equations yield the principal strains, deviatoric stresses in the absence of surface friction forces, true stresses if the stress normal to the surface is known, and the orientation angle between the deformed gage line and the principal stress-strain axes. Errors in the measurement of nominal strains greater than 3 percent are within engineering accuracy. Applications suggested for this strain measurement system include the large-strain-stress analysis of impact test models, burst tests of spherical or cylindrical pressure vessels, and to augment small-strain instrumentation tests where large strains are anticipated.

Development of potential breeder-friendly markers for the I gene using bulked segregant analysis and whole-genome sequencig

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) and its related necrotic species Bean common mosaic necrosis virus (BCMNV), are the most prevalent potyviruses in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). The dominant I gene confers immunity or temperature-dependent hypersensitive response to most strains of BCMV, and tempe...

Modified Alternan: A Novel Microbial Gum with Potential as a Low-Viscosity Bulking Agent

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Alternan is a microbial gum produced by rare strains of the GRAS lactic acid bacterium, Leuconostoc mesenteroides. The unique alternating alpha-(1,6) and alpha-(1,3) linkage pattern of this glucan imparts high solubility and resistance to most digestive enzymes. Previously, we invented a bioconver...

Origin of Reversible Photoinduced Phase Separation in Hybrid Perovskites.

PubMed

Bischak, Connor G; Hetherington, Craig L; Wu, Hao; Aloni, Shaul; Ogletree, D Frank; Limmer, David T; Ginsberg, Naomi S

2017-02-08

The distinct physical properties of hybrid organic-inorganic materials can lead to unexpected nonequilibrium phenomena that are difficult to characterize due to the broad range of length and time scales involved. For instance, mixed halide hybrid perovskites are promising materials for optoelectronics, yet bulk measurements suggest the halides reversibly phase separate upon photoexcitation. By combining nanoscale imaging and multiscale modeling, we find that the nature of halide demixing in these materials is distinct from macroscopic phase separation. We propose that the localized strain induced by a single photoexcited charge interacting with the soft, ionic lattice is sufficient to promote halide phase separation and nucleate a light-stabilized, low-bandgap, ∼8 nm iodide-rich cluster. The limited extent of this polaron is essential to promote demixing because by contrast bulk strain would simply be relaxed. Photoinduced phase separation is therefore a consequence of the unique electromechanical properties of this hybrid class of materials. Exploiting photoinduced phase separation and other nonequilibrium phenomena in hybrid materials more generally could expand applications in sensing, switching, memory, and energy storage.

Stress remagnetization in pyrrhotite-calcite synthetic aggregates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robion, Philippe; Borradaile, Graham J.

2001-01-01

Stress-induced remagnetization has been applied to multidomain pyrrhotite-calcite synthetic aggregates in a triaxial rig. Experimental deformation used 150MPa confining pressure, a constant strain rate of 10-5 s-1 and applied differential stresses of up to 70MPa. New components of magnetization, parallel to the direction of the pressure vessel field, were added to the pre-deformational magnetization. The intensity of remagnetization (M'-M0) increases with the intensity of the applied differential stress and affects the coercivity fraction below 15mT. Bulk shortening is less than 8 per cent, thus grain rotation cannot explain selective remagnetization of the low-coercivity fraction. Remagnetization is thus attributed to deformational viscous remanent magnetization (DVRM). It is observed that high-coercivity (>15mT) grains do not remagnetize. There is, however, slight progressive rotation of pre-deformational magnetization with increasing strain up to 8 per cent of bulk shortening. The lack of piezoremanent magnetization in the high-coercivity range may be due to defects introduced in pyrrhotite during sample preparation. Experiments using synthetic pyrrhotite, expected to show low dislocation densities, would be necessary to test this effect.

Thermoplastic deformation of ferromagnetic CoFe-based bulk metallic glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Chenguang; Hu, Renchao; Man, Qikui; Chang, Chuntao; Wang, Xinmin

2017-12-01

The superplastic deformation behavior of the ferromagnetic Co31Fe31Nb8B30 bulk metallic glass (BMG) in the supercooled liquid region was investigated. At a given temperature, the BMG exhibits a Newtonian behavior at low strain rates but a non-Newtonian behavior at high strain rates. The high thermal stability of this glassy alloy system offers an enough processing window to thermoplastic forming (TPF), and the strong processing ability was examined by simple micro-replication experiments. It is demonstrated that the TPF formability on length scales ranging down to nanometers can be achieved in the selected experimental condition. Based on the analysis of deformation behavior, the nearly full density sample (i.e. nearly 100%), was produced from water-atomized glassy powders and consolidated by the hot-pressing technique. The sample exhibits good soft-magnetic and mechanical properties, i.e., low coercive force of 0.43 Oe, high initial permeability of 4100 and high Vickers hardness 1398. These results suggest that the hot-pressing process opens up possibilities for the commercial exploitation of BMGs in engineering applications.

Molecular dynamics simulation of shock induced ejection on fused silica surface

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

Su, Rui; Xiang, Meizhen; Jiang, Shengli

2014-05-21

Shock response and surface ejection behaviors of fused silica are studied by using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics combining with the Tersoff potential. First, bulk structure and Hugoniot curves of fused silica are calculated and compared with experimental results. Then, the dynamical process of surface ejection behavior is simulated under different loading velocities ranging from 3.5 to 5.0 km∕s, corresponding to shock wave velocities from 7.1 to 8.8 km∕s. The local atomistic shear strain parameter is used to describe the local plastic deformation under conditions of shock compression or releasing. Our result shows that the shear strain is localized in the bottom area ofmore » groove under the shock compression. Surface ejection is observed when the loading velocity exceeds 4.0 km∕s. Meanwhile, the temperature of the micro-jet is ∼5574.7 K, which is close to experiment measurement. Several kinds of structural defects including non-bridging oxygen are found in the bulk area of the sample after ejection.« less

Self-adapted and tunable graphene strain sensors for detecting both subtle and large human motions.

PubMed

Tao, Lu-Qi; Wang, Dan-Yang; Tian, He; Ju, Zhen-Yi; Liu, Ying; Pang, Yu; Chen, Yuan-Quan; Yang, Yi; Ren, Tian-Ling

2017-06-22

Conventional strain sensors rarely have both a high gauge factor and a large strain range simultaneously, so they can only be used in specific situations where only a high sensitivity or a large strain range is required. However, for detecting human motions that include both subtle and large motions, these strain sensors can't meet the diverse demands simultaneously. Here, we come up with laser patterned graphene strain sensors with self-adapted and tunable performance for the first time. A series of strain sensors with either an ultrahigh gauge factor or a preferable strain range can be fabricated simultaneously via one-step laser patterning, and are suitable for detecting all human motions. The strain sensors have a GF of up to 457 with a strain range of 35%, or have a strain range of up to 100% with a GF of 268. Most importantly, the performance of the strain sensors can be easily tuned by adjusting the patterns of the graphene, so that the sensors can meet diverse demands in both subtle and large motion situations. The graphene strain sensors show significant potential in applications such as wearable electronics, health monitoring and intelligent robots. Furthermore, the facile, fast and low-cost fabrication method will make them possible and practical to be used for commercial applications in the future.

Multidirection Piezoelectricity in Mono- and Multilayered Hexagonal α-In2Se3.

PubMed

Xue, Fei; Zhang, Junwei; Hu, Weijin; Hsu, Wei-Ting; Han, Ali; Leung, Siu-Fung; Huang, Jing-Kai; Wan, Yi; Liu, Shuhai; Zhang, Junli; He, Jr-Hau; Chang, Wen-Hao; Wang, Zhong Lin; Zhang, Xixiang; Li, Lain-Jong

2018-05-22

Piezoelectric materials have been widely used for sensors, actuators, electronics, and energy conversion. Two-dimensional (2D) ultrathin semiconductors, such as monolayer h-BN and MoS 2 with their atom-level geometry, are currently emerging as new and attractive members of the piezoelectric family. However, their piezoelectric polarization is commonly limited to the in-plane direction of odd-number ultrathin layers, largely restricting their application in integrated nanoelectromechanical systems. Recently, theoretical calculations have predicted the existence of out-of-plane and in-plane piezoelectricity in monolayer α-In 2 Se 3 . Here, we experimentally report the coexistence of out-of-plane and in-plane piezoelectricity in monolayer to bulk α-In 2 Se 3 , attributed to their noncentrosymmetry originating from the hexagonal stacking. Specifically, the corresponding d 33 piezoelectric coefficient of α-In 2 Se 3 increases from 0.34 pm/V (monolayer) to 5.6 pm/V (bulk) without any odd-even effect. In addition, we also demonstrate a type of α-In 2 Se 3 -based flexible piezoelectric nanogenerator as an energy-harvesting cell and electronic skin. The out-of-plane and in-plane piezoelectricity in α-In 2 Se 3 flakes offers an opportunity to enable both directional and nondirectional piezoelectric devices to be applicable for self-powered systems and adaptive and strain-tunable electronics/optoelectronics.

Piezoelectric coefficients of bulk 3R transition metal dichalcogenides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konabe, Satoru; Yamamoto, Takahiro

2017-09-01

The piezoelectric properties of bulk transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) with a 3R structure were investigated using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory combined with the Berry phase treatment. Values for the elastic constant Cijkl , the piezoelectric coefficient eijk , and the piezoelectric coefficient dijk are given for bulk 3R-TMDCs (MoS2, MoSe2, WS2, and WSe2). The piezoelectric coefficients of bulk 3R-TMDCs are shown to be sufficiently large or comparable to those of conventional bulk piezoelectric materials such as α-quartz, wurtzite GaN, and wurtzite AlN.

Development of a Bulk-Format System to Harvest, Handle, Store, and Deliver High-Tonnage Low-Moisture Switchgrass Feedstock

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

Womac, Alvin; Groothuis, Mitch; Westover, Tyler

2013-09-24

This project evaluates and compares comprehensive feedstock logistics systems (FLS), where a FLS is defined to comprehensively span from biomass material standing in a field to conveyance of a uniform, industrial-milled product into the throat of a biomass conversion facility (BCF). Elements of the bulk-format FLS evaluated in this project include: field-standing switchgrass dry chopped into bulk format on the farm, hauled (either loose or bulk compacted) to storage, stored with confining overburden in a protective facility, reclaimed and conveyed to bulk-format discharge, bulk compacted into an ejector trailer, and conveyed as bulk flow into the BCF. In this FLSmore » evaluation, bulk storage bins served as a controlled and sensored proxy for large commercial stacks protected from moisture with a membrane cover.« less

Exploration and engineering of physical properties in high-quality Sr2CrReO6 epitaxial films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lucy, Jeremy Matthew

Double perovskites have proven to be highly interesting materials, particularly in the past two decades, with many materials in this family exhibiting strong correlations. These materials are some of many novel complex oxides with potential spintronics application. Sr2CrReO6, in particular, is a double perovskite with one of the highest Curie temperatures of its class (> 620 K in bulk and ~510-600 K in thin films), as well as high spin polarization, ferrimagnetic behavior, and semiconducting properties. This dissertation covers recent work in exploring and tuning physical properties in epitaxial films of Sr2CrReO6. It starts by providing a background for the field of spintronics and double perovskites, bulk and thin film synthesis of Sr2CrReO6, and standard and specialized characterization techniques utilized in both university and national laboratories, and then provides reports of work on Sr2CrReO6 epitaxial films. Examples of exploration and engineering of properties of Sr2CrReO 6 include: (1) tuning of electrical resistivity, such as at T= 7 K by a factor of 18,000%, via control of oxygen partial pressure during film growth; (2) enhancement of interfacial double perovskite ordering, demonstrated with high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy, via the use of double perovskite buffer layer substrates; (3) measurement of magnetization suppression near film/substrate interfaces via polarized neutron reflectometry, which reveals a reduction of thickness (from 5.6 nm to 3.6 nm) of the magnetically suppressed interface region due to buffer layer enhancement; (4) strain tunability of atomic spin and orbital moments of Cr, Re, and O atoms probed with x-ray magnetic circular dichroism, which demonstrates ferrimagnetic behavior and reveals important magnetic contributions of the oxygen sites (~0.02 muB/site); (5) strain tunability of large magnetocrystalline anisotropy via applied epitaxial strain, revealing anisotropy fields of up to 10s of tesla; and (6) depth-resolved synchrotron x-ray studies of correlated magnetic and structural relaxation in a thick relaxing film. The utilized techniques and demonstrated results for Sr2CrReO6 will hopefully benefit researchers of complex oxide materials and perhaps stimulate further work on this and other related materials.

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

Song, Bo; Yao, Shurong; Nie, Xu

In this paper, a new type of highly stretchable strain sensor was developed to measure large strains. The sensor was based on the piezo-resistive response of carbon nanotube (CNT)/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite thin films. The piezo-resistive response of CNT composite gives accurate strain measurement with high frequency response, while the ultra-soft PDMS matrix provides high flexibility and ductility for large strain measurement. Experimental results show that the CNT/PDMS sensor measures large strains (up to 8 %) with an excellent linearity and a fast frequency response. The new miniature strain sensor also exhibits much higher sensitivities than the conventional foil strain gages,more » as its gauge factor is 500 times of that of the conventional foil strain gages.« less

PhybalSIT — Fatigue Assessment and Life Time Calculation of the Ductile Cast Iron EN-GJS-600 at Ambient and Elevated Temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jost, Benjamin; Klein, Marcus; Eifler, Dietmar

This paper focuses on the ductile cast iron EN-GJS-600 which is often used for components of combustion engines. Under service conditions, those components are mechanically loaded at different temperatures. Therefore, this investigation targets at the fatigue behavior of EN-GJS-600 at ambient and elevated temperatures. Light and scanning electron microscopic investigations were done to characterize the sphericity of the graphite as well as the ferrite, pearlite and graphite fraction. At elevated temperatures, the consideration of dynamic strain ageing effects is of major importance. In total strain increase, temperature increase and constant total strain amplitude tests, the plastic strain amplitude, the stress amplitude, the change in temperature and the change in electrical resistance were measured. The measured values depend on plastic deformation processes in the bulk of the specimens and at the interfaces between matrix and graphite. The fatigue behavior of EN-GJS-600 is dominated by cyclic hardening processes. The physically based fatigue life calculation "PHYBALSIT" (SIT = strain increase test) was developed for total strain controlled fatigue tests. Only one temperature increase test is necessary to determine the temperature interval of pronounced dynamic strain ageing effects.

Plastic deformation behaviors of Ni- and Zr-based bulk metallic glasses subjected to nanoindentation

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

Weizhong, Liang, E-mail: wzliang1966@126.com; Zhiliang, Ning; Zhenqian, Dang

2013-12-15

Plastic deformation behaviors of Ni{sub 42}Ti{sub 20}Zr{sub 21.5}Al{sub 8}Cu{sub 5}Si{sub 3.5} and Zr{sub 51}Ti{sub 5}Ni{sub 10}Cu{sub 25}Al{sub 9} bulk metallic glasses at room temperature were studied by nanoindentation testing and atomic force microscopy under equivalent indentation experimental conditions. The different chemical composition of these two bulk metallic glasses produced variant tendencies for displacement serrated flow to occur during the loading process. The nanoindentation strain rate was calculated as a function of indentation displacement in order to verify the occurrence of displacement serrated flow at different loading rates. Atomic force microscopy revealed decreasing numbers of discrete shear bands around the indentationmore » sites as loading rates increased from 0.025 to 2.5 mNs{sup −1}. Variations in plastic deformation behaviors between Ni and Zr-based glasses materials can be explained by the different metastable microstructures and thermal stabilities of the two materials. The mechanism governing plastic deformation of these metallic glasses was analyzed in terms of an established model of the shear transformation zone. - Highlights: • Plastic deformation of Ni- and Zr-based BMG is studied under identical conditions • Zr-based BMG undergoes a greater extent of plastic deformation than Ni-based BMG • Nanoindentation strain rate is studied to clarify variation in plastic deformation • Metastable microstructure, thermal stability affect BMG plastic deformation.« less

Wettability Investigations and Wet Transfer Enhancement of Large-Area CVD-Graphene on Aluminum Nitride

PubMed Central

Knapp, Marius; Hoffmann, René; Cimalla, Volker; Ambacher, Oliver

2017-01-01

The two-dimensional and virtually massless character of graphene attracts great interest for radio frequency devices, such as surface and bulk acoustic wave resonators. Due to its good electric conductivity, graphene might be an alternative as a virtually massless electrode by improving resonator performance regarding mass-loading effects. We report on an optimization of the commonly used wet transfer technique for large-area graphene, grown via chemical vapor deposition, onto aluminum nitride (AlN), which is mainly used as an active, piezoelectric material for acoustic devices. Today, graphene wet transfer is well-engineered for silicon dioxide (SiO2). Investigations on AlN substrates reveal highly different surface properties compared to SiO2 regarding wettability, which strongly influences the quality of transferred graphene monolayers. Both physical and chemical effects of a plasma treatment of AlN surfaces change wettability and avoid large-scale cracks in the transferred graphene sheet during desiccation. Spatially-resolved Raman spectroscopy reveals a strong strain and doping dependence on AlN plasma pretreatments correlating with the electrical conductivity of graphene. In our work, we achieved transferred crack-free large-area (40 × 40 mm2) graphene monolayers with sheet resistances down to 350 Ω/sq. These achievements make graphene more powerful as an eco-friendly and cheaper replacement for conventional electrode materials used in radio frequency resonator devices. PMID:28820462

Bulk contribution to magnetotransport properties of low-defect-density Bi2Te3 topological insulator thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ngabonziza, P.; Wang, Y.; Brinkman, A.

2018-04-01

An important challenge in the field of topological materials is to carefully disentangle the electronic transport contribution of the topological surface states from that of the bulk. For Bi2Te3 topological insulator samples, bulk single crystals and thin films exposed to air during fabrication processes are known to be bulk conducting, with the chemical potential in the bulk conduction band. For Bi2Te3 thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy, we combine structural characterization (transmission electron microscopy), chemical surface analysis as function of time (x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) and magnetotransport analysis to understand the low defect density and record high bulk electron mobility once charge is doped into the bulk by surface degradation. Carrier densities and electronic mobilities extracted from the Hall effect and the quantum oscillations are consistent and reveal a large bulk carrier mobility. Because of the cylindrical shape of the bulk Fermi surface, the angle dependence of the bulk magnetoresistance oscillations is two dimensional in nature.

Sample sizes to control error estimates in determining soil bulk density in California forest soils

Treesearch

Youzhi Han; Jianwei Zhang; Kim G. Mattson; Weidong Zhang; Thomas A. Weber

2016-01-01

Characterizing forest soil properties with high variability is challenging, sometimes requiring large numbers of soil samples. Soil bulk density is a standard variable needed along with element concentrations to calculate nutrient pools. This study aimed to determine the optimal sample size, the number of observation (n), for predicting the soil bulk density with a...

Observation of the strain field near the Si(111) 7 x 7 surface with a new X-ray diffraction technique.

PubMed

Emoto, T; Akimoto, K; Ichimiya, A

1998-05-01

A new X-ray diffraction technique has been developed in order to measure the strain field near a solid surface under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions. The X-ray optics use an extremely asymmetric Bragg-case bulk reflection. The glancing angle of the X-rays can be set near the critical angle of total reflection by tuning the X-ray energy. Using this technique, rocking curves for Si surfaces with different surface structures, i.e. a native oxide surface, a slightly oxide surface and an Si(111) 7 x 7 surface, were measured. It was found that the widths of the rocking curves depend on the surface structures. This technique is efficient in distinguishing the strain field corresponding to each surface structure.

3D modeling of unconstrained HPT process: role of strain gradient on high deformed microstructure formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ben Kaabar, A.; Aoufi, A.; Descartes, S.; Desrayaud, C.

2017-05-01

During tribological contact’s life, different deformation paths lead to the formation of high deformed microstructure, in the near-surface layers of the bodies. The mechanical conditions (high pressure, shear) occurring under contact, are reproduced through unconstrained High Pressure Torsion configuration. A 3D finite element model of this HPT test is developed to study the local deformation history leading to high deformed microstructure with nominal pressure and friction coefficient. For the present numerical study the friction coefficient at the interface sample/anvils is kept constant at 0.3; the material used is high purity iron. The strain distribution in the sample bulk, as well as the main components of the strain gradients according to the spatial coordinates are investigated, with rotation angle of the anvil.

Large strain detection of SRM composite shell based on fiber Bragg grating sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Lei; Chang, Xinlong; Zhang, Youhong; Yang, Fan

2017-12-01

There may be more than 2% strain of carbon fiber composite material on solid rocket motor (SRM) in some extreme cases. A surface-bonded silica fiber Bragg grating (FBG) strain sensor coated by polymer is designed to detect the large strain of composite material. The strain transfer relation of the FBG large strain sensor is deduced, and the strain transfer mechanism is verified by finite element simulation. To calibrate the sensors, the tensile test is done by using the carbon fiber composite plate specimen attached to the designed strain sensor. The results show that the designed sensor can detect the strain more than 3%, the strain sensitivity is 0.0762 pm/μɛ, the resolution is 13.13μɛ, and the fitting degree of the wavelength-strain curve fitting function is 0.9988. The accuracy and linearity of the sensor can meet the engineering requirements.

Spoilage of Microfiltered and Pasteurized Extended Shelf Life Milk Is Mainly Induced by Psychrotolerant Spore-Forming Bacteria that often Originate from Recontamination

PubMed Central

Doll, Etienne V.; Scherer, Siegfried; Wenning, Mareike

2017-01-01

Premature spoilage and varying product quality due to microbial contamination still constitute major problems in the production of microfiltered and pasteurized extended shelf life (ESL) milk. Spoilage-associated bacteria may enter the product either as part of the raw milk microbiota or as recontaminants in the dairy plant. To identify spoilage-inducing bacteria and their routes of entry, we analyzed end products for their predominant microbiota as well as the prevalence and biodiversity of psychrotolerant spores in bulk tank milk. Process analyses were performed to determine the removal of psychrotolerant spores at each production step. To detect transmission and recontamination events, strain typing was conducted with isolates obtained from all process stages. Microbial counts in 287 ESL milk packages at the end of shelf life were highly diverse ranging from <1 to 7.9 log cfu/mL. In total, 15% of samples were spoiled. High G+C Gram-positive bacteria were the most abundant taxonomic group, but were responsible for only 31% of spoilage. In contrast, psychrotolerant spores were isolated from 55% of spoiled packages. In 90% of samples with pure cultures of Bacillus cereus sensu lato and Paenibacillus spp., counts exceeded 6 log cfu/mL. In bulk tank milk, the concentration of psychrotolerant spores was low, accounting for merely 0.5 ± 0.8 MPN/mL. Paenibacillus amylolyticus/xylanexedens was by far the most dominant species in bulk tank milk (48% of all isolates), but was never detected in ESL milk, pointing to efficient removal during manufacturing. Six large-scale process analyses confirmed a high removal rate for psychrotolerant spores (reduction by nearly 4 log-units). B. cereus sensu lato, on the contrary, was frequently found in spoiled end products, but was rarely detected in bulk tank milk. Due to low counts in bulk tank samples and efficient spore removal during production, we suggest that shelf life is influenced only to a minor extent by raw-milk-associated factors. In contrast, recontamination with spores, particularly from the B. cereus complex, seems to occur. To enhance milk quality throughout the entire shelf life, improved plant sanitation and disinfection that target the elimination of spores are necessary. PMID:28197147

Spoilage of Microfiltered and Pasteurized Extended Shelf Life Milk Is Mainly Induced by Psychrotolerant Spore-Forming Bacteria that often Originate from Recontamination.

PubMed

Doll, Etienne V; Scherer, Siegfried; Wenning, Mareike

2017-01-01

Premature spoilage and varying product quality due to microbial contamination still constitute major problems in the production of microfiltered and pasteurized extended shelf life (ESL) milk. Spoilage-associated bacteria may enter the product either as part of the raw milk microbiota or as recontaminants in the dairy plant. To identify spoilage-inducing bacteria and their routes of entry, we analyzed end products for their predominant microbiota as well as the prevalence and biodiversity of psychrotolerant spores in bulk tank milk. Process analyses were performed to determine the removal of psychrotolerant spores at each production step. To detect transmission and recontamination events, strain typing was conducted with isolates obtained from all process stages. Microbial counts in 287 ESL milk packages at the end of shelf life were highly diverse ranging from <1 to 7.9 log cfu/mL. In total, 15% of samples were spoiled. High G+C Gram-positive bacteria were the most abundant taxonomic group, but were responsible for only 31% of spoilage. In contrast, psychrotolerant spores were isolated from 55% of spoiled packages. In 90% of samples with pure cultures of Bacillus cereus sensu lato and Paenibacillus spp., counts exceeded 6 log cfu/mL. In bulk tank milk, the concentration of psychrotolerant spores was low, accounting for merely 0.5 ± 0.8 MPN/mL. Paenibacillus amylolyticus/xylanexedens was by far the most dominant species in bulk tank milk (48% of all isolates), but was never detected in ESL milk, pointing to efficient removal during manufacturing. Six large-scale process analyses confirmed a high removal rate for psychrotolerant spores (reduction by nearly 4 log-units). B. cereus sensu lato, on the contrary, was frequently found in spoiled end products, but was rarely detected in bulk tank milk. Due to low counts in bulk tank samples and efficient spore removal during production, we suggest that shelf life is influenced only to a minor extent by raw-milk-associated factors. In contrast, recontamination with spores, particularly from the B. cereus complex, seems to occur. To enhance milk quality throughout the entire shelf life, improved plant sanitation and disinfection that target the elimination of spores are necessary.

Strain localization and elastic-plastic coupling during deformation of porous sandstone

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

Dewers, Thomas A.; Issen, Kathleen A.; Holcomb, David J.

Results of axisymmetric compression tests on weak, porous Castlegate Sandstone (Cretaceous, Utah, USA), covering a range of dilational and compactional behaviors, are examined for localization behavior. Assuming isotropy, bulk and shear moduli evolve as increasing functions of mean stress and Mises equivalent shear stress respectively, and as decreasing functions of work-conjugate plastic strains. Acoustic emissions events located during testing show onset of localization and permit calculation of observed shear and low-angle compaction localization zones, or bands, as localization commences. Total strain measured experimentally partitions into: A) elastic strain with constant moduli, B) elastic strain due to stress dependence of moduli,more » C) elastic strain due to moduli degradation with increasing plastic strain, and D) plastic strain. The third term is the elastic-plastic coupling strain, and though often ignored, contributes significantly to pre-failure total strain for brittle and transitional tests. Constitutive parameters and localization predictions derived from experiments are compared to theoretical predictions. In the brittle regime, predictions of band angles (angle between band normal and maximum compression) demonstrate good agreement with observed shear band angles. Compaction localization was observed in the transitional regime in between shear localization and spatially pervasive compaction, over a small range of mean stresses. In contrast with predictions however, detailed acoustic emissions analyses in this regime show low angle, compaction-dominated but shear-enhanced, localization.« less

Enhanced enstrophy generation for turbulent convection in low-Prandtl-number fluids

DOE PAGES

Schumacher, Jörg; Götzfried, Paul; Scheel, Janet D.

2015-07-20

Turbulent convection is often present in liquids with a kinematic viscosity much smaller than the diffusivity of the temperature. Here we reveal why these convection flows obey a much stronger level of fluid turbulence than those in which kinematic viscosity and thermal diffusivity are the same; i.e., the Prandtl number Pr is unity. We compare turbulent convection in air at Pr = 0.7 and in liquid mercury at Pr = 0.021. In this comparison the Prandtl number at constant Grashof number Gr is varied, rather than at constant Rayleigh number Ra as usually done. Our simulations demonstrate that the turbulentmore » Kolmogorov-like cascade is extended both at the large- and small-scale ends with decreasing Pr. The kinetic energy injection into the flow takes place over the whole cascade range. In contrast to convection in air, the kinetic energy injection rate is particularly enhanced for liquid mercury for all scales larger than the characteristic width of thermal plumes. As a consequence, mean values and fluctuations of the local strain rates are increased, which in turn results in significantly enhanced enstrophy production by vortex stretching. The normalized distributions of enstrophy production in the bulk and the ratio of the principal strain rates are found to agree for both Prs. Finally, despite the different energy injection mechanisms, the principal strain rates also agree with those in homogeneous isotropic turbulence conducted at the same Reynolds numbers as for the convection flows. Thus, our results have interesting implications for small-scale turbulence modeling of liquid metal convection in astrophysical and technological applications.« less

Bulk renormalization and particle spectrum in codimension-two brane worlds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salvio, Alberto

2013-04-01

We study the Casimir energy due to bulk loops of matter fields in codimension-two brane worlds and discuss how effective field theory methods allow us to use this result to renormalize the bulk and brane operators. In the calculation we explicitly sum over the Kaluza-Klein (KK) states with a new convenient method, which is based on a combined use of zeta function and dimensional regularization. Among the general class of models we consider we include a supersymmetric example, 6D gauged chiral supergravity. Although much of our discussion is more general, we treat in some detail a class of compactifications, where the extra dimensions parametrize a rugby ball shaped space with size stabilized by a bulk magnetic flux. The rugby ball geometry requires two branes, which can host the Standard Model fields and carry both tension and magnetic flux (of the bulk gauge field), the leading terms in a derivative expansion. The brane properties have an impact on the KK spectrum and therefore on the Casimir energy as well as on the renormalization of the brane operators. A very interesting feature is that when the two branes carry exactly the same amount of flux, one half of the bulk supersymmetries survives after the compactification, even if the brane tensions are large. We also discuss the implications of these calculations for the natural value of the cosmological constant when the bulk has two large extra dimensions and the bulk supersymmetry is partially preserved (or completely broken).

The Relation Between Alloy Chemistry and Hot-Cracking

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nunes, A. C., Jr.; Talia, J. E.

2000-01-01

Hot cracking is a problem in welding 2195 aluminum-lithium alloy. Weld wire additives seem to reduce the problem. This study proposes a model intended to clarify the way alloying elements affect hot-cracking. The brittle temperature range of an alloy extends wherever the tensile stress required to move the meniscus of the liquid film at the grain/dendrite boundaries is less than the bulks flow stress Sigma(sub B) of the grains: 2gamma/delta <= sigma(sub B) + P where gamma is boundary film surface tension delta= boundary film thickness P = gas pressure (Some alloys outgas.) If the above condition is not met, the grains deform under stress and the liquid film remains in place. Curves of 2gamma/delta and sigma(sub B) vs. temperature in the range just below the melting temperature determine the hot cracking susceptibility of an alloy. Both are zero at onset of solidification. sigma(sub B) rises as the thermal activation of the slip mechanism is reduced. 2gamma/delta rises as the film thickness delta which can be estimated from the Scheil equation, drops. But, given an embrittled alloy, whether the alloy actually cracks is determined by the strain imposed upon it in the embrittled condition. A critical strain is estimated, Epsilon(sub C) on the order of Epsilon(sub C) is approximately delta/l where L = grain size and where the the volume increment due to the strain, concentrated at the liquid film, is on the order of the liquid film volume. In the early 80's an empirical critical strain cracking envelope Epsilon(sub C)(T) was incorporated into a damage criterion to estimate the effect of welding parameters on the formation of microfissures in a superalloy with good results. These concepts, liquid film decoherence vs. grain bulk deformation and critical strain, form the key elements of a quantitative theory of hot-cracking applicable for assessing the effect of alloying elements on hot-cracking during welding.

Volume change associated with formation and dissociation of hydrate in sediment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ruppel, Carolyn D.; Lee, J.Y.; Santamarina, J. Carlos

2017-01-01

Gas hydrate formation and dissociation in sediments are accompanied by changes in the bulk volume of the sediment and can lead to changes in sediment properties, loss of integrity for boreholes, and possibly regional subsidence of the ground surface over areas where methane might be produced from gas hydrate in the future. Experiments on sand, silts, and clay subject to different effective stress and containing different saturations of hydrate formed from dissolved phase tetrahydrofuran are used to systematically investigate the impact of gas hydrate formation and dissociation on bulk sediment volume. Volume changes in low specific surface sediments (i.e., having a rigid sediment skeleton like sand) are much lower than those measured in high specific surface sediments (e.g., clay). Early hydrate formation is accompanied by contraction for all soils and most stress states in part because growing gas hydrate crystals buckle skeletal force chains. Dilation can occur at high hydrate saturations. Hydrate dissociation under drained, zero lateral strain conditions is always associated with some contraction, regardless of soil type, effective stress level, or hydrate saturation. Changes in void ratio during formation-dissociation decrease at high effective stress levels. The volumetric strain during dissociation under zero lateral strain scales with hydrate saturation and sediment compressibility. The volumetric strain during dissociation under high shear is a function of the initial volume average void ratio and the stress-dependent critical state void ratio of the sediment. Other contributions to volume reduction upon hydrate dissociation are related to segregated hydrate in lenses and nodules. For natural gas hydrates, some conditions (e.g., gas production driven by depressurization) might contribute to additional volume reduction by increasing the effective stress.

Nonlinear mesomechanics of composites with periodic microstructure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, Kevin P.; Jordan, Eric H.; Freed, Alan D.

1989-01-01

This work is concerned with modeling the mechanical deformation or constitutive behavior of composites comprised of a periodic microstructure under small displacement conditions at elevated temperature. A mesomechanics approach is adopted which relates the microimechanical behavior of the heterogeneous composite with its in-service macroscopic behavior. Two different methods, one based on a Fourier series approach and the other on a Green's function approach, are used in modeling the micromechanical behavior of the composite material. Although the constitutive formulations are based on a micromechanical approach, it should be stressed that the resulting equations are volume averaged to produce overall effective constitutive relations which relate the bulk, volume averaged, stress increment to the bulk, volume averaged, strain increment. As such, they are macromodels which can be used directly in nonlinear finite element programs such as MARC, ANSYS and ABAQUS or in boundary element programs such as BEST3D. In developing the volume averaged or efective macromodels from the micromechanical models, both approaches will require the evaluation of volume integrals containing the spatially varying strain distributions throughout the composite material. By assuming that the strain distributions are spatially constant within each constituent phase-or within a given subvolume within each constituent phase-of the composite material, the volume integrals can be obtained in closed form. This simplified micromodel can then be volume averaged to obtain an effective macromodel suitable for use in the MARC, ANSYS and ABAQUS nonlinear finite element programs via user constitutive subroutines such as HYPELA and CMUSER. This effective macromodel can be used in a nonlinear finite element structural analysis to obtain the strain-temperature history at those points in the structure where thermomechanical cracking and damage are expected to occur, the so called damage critical points of the structure.

Anisotropic Laminar Piezocomposite Actuator Incorporating Machined PMN-PT Single Crystal Fibers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilkie, W. Keats; Inman, Daniel J.; Lloyd, Justin M.; High, James W.

2006-01-01

The design, fabrication, and testing of a flexible, laminar, anisotropic piezoelectric composite actuator utilizing machined PMN-32%PT single crystal fibers is presented. The device consists of a layer of rectangular single crystal piezoelectric fibers in an epoxy matrix, packaged between interdigitated electrode polyimide films. Quasistatic free-strain measurements of the single crystal device are compared with measurements from geometrically identical specimens incorporating polycrystalline PZT-5A and PZT-5H piezoceramic fibers. Free-strain actuation of the single crystal actuator at low bipolar electric fields (+/- 250 V/mm) is approximately 400% greater than that of the baseline PZT-5A piezoceramic device, and 200% greater than that of the PZT-5H device. Free-strain actuation under high unipolar electric fields (0-4kV/mm) is approximately 200% of the PZT-5A baseline device, and 150% of the PZT-5H alternate piezoceramic device. Performance increases at low field are qualitatively consistent with predicted increases based on scaling the low-field d33 piezoelectric constants of the respective piezoelectric materials. High-field increases are much less than scaled d33 estimates, but appear consistent with high-field freestrain measurements reported for similar bulk single-crystal and piezoceramic compositions. Measurements of single crystal actuator capacitance and coupling coefficient are also provided. These properties were poorly predicted using scaled bulk material dielectric and coupling coefficient data. Rules-of-mixtures calculations of the effective elastic properties of the single crystal device and estimated actuation work energy densities are also presented. Results indicate longitudinal stiffnesses significantly lower (50% less) than either piezoceramic device. This suggests that single-crystal piezocomposite actuators will be best suited to low induced-stress, high strain and deflection applications.

Anisotropic Piezocomposite Actuator Incorporating Machined PMN-PT Single Crystal Fibers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilkie, W. Keats; Inman, Daniel J.; Lloyd, Justin M.; High, James W.

2004-01-01

The design, fabrication, and testing of a flexible, planar, anisotropic piezoelectric composite actuator utilizing machined PMN-32%PT single crystal fibers is presented. The device consists of a layer of rectangular single crystal piezoelectric fibers in an epoxy matrix, packaged between interdigitated electrode polyimide films. Quasistatic free-strain measurements of the single crystal device are compared with measurements from geometrically identical specimens incorporating polycrystalline PZT-5A and PZT-5H piezoceramic fibers. Free-strain actuation of the single crystal actuator at low bipolar electric fields (+/- 250 V/mm) is approximately 400% greater than that of the baseline PZT-5A piezoceramic device, and 200% greater than that of the PZT-5H device. Free-strain actuation under high unipolar electric fields (0-4kV/mm) is approximately 200% of the PZT-5A baseline device, and 150% of the PZT-5H alternate piezoceramic device. Performance increases at low field are qualitatively consistent with predicted increases based on scaling the low-field d(sub 33) piezoelectric constants of the respective piezoelectric materials. High-field increases are much less than scaled d(sub 33) estimates, but appear consistent with high-field freestrain measurements reported for similar bulk single-crystal and piezoceramic compositions. Measurements of single crystal actuator capacitance and coupling coefficient are also provided. These properties were poorly predicted using scaled bulk material dielectric and coupling coefficient data. Rules-of-mixtures calculations of the effective elastic properties of the single crystal device and estimated actuation work energy densities are also presented. Results indicate longitudinal stiffnesses significantly lower (50% less) than either piezoceramic device. This suggests that single-crystal piezocomposite actuators will be best suited to low induced-stress, high strain and deflection applications.

Cell Model Of A Disordered Solid

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peng, Steven T. J.; Landel, Robert F.; Moacanin, Jovan; Simha, Robert; Papazoglou, Elizabeth

1990-01-01

Elastic properties predicted from first principles. Paper discusses generalization of cell theory of disordered (non-crystaline) solid to include anisotropic stresses. Study part of continuing effort to understand macroscopic stress-and-strain properties of solid materials in terms of microscopic physical phenomena. Emphasis on derivation, from first principles, of bulk, shear, and Young's moduli of glassy material at zero absolute temperature.

Actin and microtubule networks contribute differently to cell response for small and large strains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kubitschke, H.; Schnauss, J.; Nnetu, K. D.; Warmt, E.; Stange, R.; Kaes, J.

2017-09-01

Cytoskeletal filaments provide cells with mechanical stability and organization. The main key players are actin filaments and microtubules governing a cell’s response to mechanical stimuli. We investigated the specific influences of these crucial components by deforming MCF-7 epithelial cells at small (≤5% deformation) and large strains (>5% deformation). To understand specific contributions of actin filaments and microtubules, we systematically studied cellular responses after treatment with cytoskeleton influencing drugs. Quantification with the microfluidic optical stretcher allowed capturing the relative deformation and relaxation of cells under different conditions. We separated distinctive deformational and relaxational contributions to cell mechanics for actin and microtubule networks for two orders of magnitude of drug dosages. Disrupting actin filaments via latrunculin A, for instance, revealed a strain-independent softening. Stabilizing these filaments by treatment with jasplakinolide yielded cell softening for small strains but showed no significant change at large strains. In contrast, cells treated with nocodazole to disrupt microtubules displayed a softening at large strains but remained unchanged at small strains. Stabilizing microtubules within the cells via paclitaxel revealed no significant changes for deformations at small strains, but concentration-dependent impact at large strains. This suggests that for suspended cells, the actin cortex is probed at small strains, while at larger strains; the whole cell is probed with a significant contribution from the microtubules.

Faecal bulking efficacy of Australasian breakfast cereals.

PubMed

Monro, John A

2002-01-01

Faecal bulk may play an important role in preventing a range of disorders of the large bowel, but as yet there is little information available on the relative faecal bulking capacities of various foods. Breakfast cereals are often promoted as a good source of potential bulk for 'inner health' because they provide dietary fibre, but their relative abilities to provide faecal bulk per se have not been described. The faecal bulking efficacy of 28 representative Australasian breakfast cereals was therefore measured. A rat model developed for the purpose, and shown to give similar responses as humans to cereal fibres, was used to measure faecal bulking efficacy as increases in fully hydrated faecal weight/100 g diet, based on precise measurements of food intake, faecal dry matter output and faecal water-holding capacity (g water held without stress/g faecal dry matter). Compared to a baseline diet containing 50% sucrose, increments in hydrated faecal weight due to 50% breakfast cereal ranged from slightly negative (Cornflakes, -2 g/100 g diet) to about 80 g/100 g diet (San Bran). Most breakfast cereals increased hydrated faecal weight by between 10 and 20 g/100 g diet from a baseline of 21 +/- 1.5 g/100 g diet, but four products containing high levels of wheat bran had an exceptionally large impact on hydrated faecal weight (increment > 20 g/100 g diet), and the changes resulted more from relative changes in dry matter output than in faecal water retention/gram. However, as faecal water retention was about 2.5 g water/g faecal dry matter on average, increases in dry matter represented large increases in faecal water load. Faecal bulking indices (FBI) for most of the breakfast cereals were less than 20 (wheat bran = 100). The content of wheat bran equivalents for faecal bulk (WBE(fb)) in the breakfast cereals was calculated from FBI. Most breakfast cereals contributed, per serve, less than 10% of a theoretical daily reference value for faecal bulk (DRV(fb) = 63 WBE(fb)/day), which was based on data from human clinical trials and dietary fibre recommendations. Based on the WBE(fb) contribution/serving that would be required to meet the DRV(fb) from the number of servings of dietary fibre sources in the CSIRO 12345+ food and nutrition plan, the results suggest that although some high bran breakfast cereals may contribute substantially to, and many are reasonable sources of, faecal bulk, for most of them, one or two servings at breakfast cannot be relied on to effectively redress shortfalls in faecal bulk elsewhere in the diet.

Correlation Between Bulk Material Defects and Spectroscopic Response in Cadmium Zinc Telluride Detectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, Bradford H.; Stahle, C. M.; Barthelmy, S. D.; Parsons, A. M.; Tueller, J.; VanSant, J. T.; Munoz, B. F.; Snodgrass, S. J.; Mullinix, R. E.

1999-01-01

One of the critical challenges for large area cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe) detector arrays is obtaining material capable of uniform imaging and spectroscopic response. Two complementary nondestructive techniques for characterizing bulk CdZnTe have been developed to identify material with a uniform response. The first technique, infrared transmission imaging, allows for rapid visualization of bulk defects. The second technique, x-ray spectral mapping, provides a map of the material spectroscopic response when it is configured as a planar detector. The two techniques have been used to develop a correlation between bulk defect type and detector performance. The correlation allows for the use of infrared imaging to rapidly develop wafer mining maps. The mining of material free of detrimental defects has the potential to dramatically increase the yield and quality of large area CdZnTe detector arrays.

Bulk Fuel: Actions Needed to Improve DODs Fuel Consumption Budget Data

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

BULK FUEL Actions Needed to Improve DOD’s Fuel Consumption Budget Data Report to Congressional Committees...16-644, a report to congressional committees. September 2016 BULK FUEL Actions Needed to Improve DOD’s Fuel Consumption Budget Data What GAO...of about $10.1 billion in fiscal year 2015 but differed from budget estimates, which officials largely attributed to changes in operations and

Genetic characterization and antimicrobial resistance of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from bovine milk in Tunisia.

PubMed

Ben Said, M; Abbassi, M S; Bianchini, V; Sghaier, S; Cremonesi, P; Romanò, A; Gualdi, V; Hassen, A; Luini, M V

2016-12-01

Staphylococcus aureus is a major agent of bovine mastitis in dairy herds, causing economic losses in dairy industry worldwide. In addition, milk and milk-products contaminated by Staph. aureus can cause harmful human diseases. The aim of this study was to characterize Staph. aureus strains isolated from dairy farms in Tunisia. Bulk tank milk (n = 32) and individual cow milk (n = 130) samples were collected during the period of 2013-2014. Forty-three Staph. aureus isolates were recovered and typed by spa typing, 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer (RS-PCR) and multiplex PCRs for 22 virulence genes. Antimicrobial resistance was also investigated with a disc diffusion test. A selected subsample of 22 strains was additionally genotyped by multilocus sequence typing. Seventeen spa types were recovered, and t2421 (n = 10), t521 (n = 6) and t2112 (n = 5) were the most common. Fourteen different RS-PCR genotypes grouped into 11 clusters were detected in our study, with predominance of the R VI genotype (n = 24). Eight sequence types were identified and Clonal Complex 97, corresponding to RS-PCR cluster R, was the most common (n = 10), followed by CC1 (n = 4), CC15 (n = 3) and other four accounting for one or two strains. Different combinations of virulence genes were reported, and enterotoxin genes were present in few strains (seh, n = 4; sea, n = 2; sea and seh, n = 2; sec and sel, n = 2). The majority of strains were resistant only to penicillin; only one strain was found to be multiresistant and no methicillin-resistant Staph. aureus was demonstrated. Our study reported the isolation of CC97 from bovine milk in Tunisia for the first time and confirmed the relevance of this lineage in intramammary infection in cows. This paper describes the characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from bulk tank and individual cow milk in Tunisia. All strains were genotyped by spa typing and RS-PCR, a method based on the amplification of the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer region, and multiplex PCRs for 22 virulence genes. A selected subsample of strains was also genotyped by multilocus sequence typing. All strains were tested for antimicrobial resistance. Our study evidences a predominance of strains belonging to Clonal Complex 97. Methicillin-resistant strains were not detected, and overall low level of antimicrobial resistance was reported. © 2016 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Influence of strain on dislocation core in silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pizzagalli, L.; Godet, J.; Brochard, S.

2018-05-01

First principles, density functional-based tight binding and semi-empirical interatomic potentials calculations are performed to analyse the influence of large strains on the structure and stability of a 60? dislocation in silicon. Such strains typically arise during the mechanical testing of nanostructures like nanopillars or nanoparticles. We focus on bi-axial strains in the plane normal to the dislocation line. Our calculations surprisingly reveal that the dislocation core structure largely depends on the applied strain, for strain levels of about 5%. In the particular case of bi-axial compression, the transformation of the dislocation to a locally disordered configuration occurs for similar strain magnitudes. The formation of an opening, however, requires larger strains, of about 7.5%. Furthermore, our results suggest that electronic structure methods should be favoured to model dislocation cores in case of large strains whenever possible.

Intragranular Recrystallization and Lattice Reorientation of Calcite Grains in Experimentally Deformed Crinoids and Trilobites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, N.; Takahashi, M.; Shigematsu, N.; Ree, J. H.; Jung, H.

2017-12-01

Intragranular recrystallization, including subgrain-rotation-recrystallization (SGR) and nucleation (and growth) of new grains along boundaries of deformation twins and bands, is an important process leading to grain-size reduction and causing rheological change depending on deformation condition. Despite of its importance, the detailed processes of intragranular recrystallization are still somewhat unclear. We deformed a limestone using triaxial testing machine at AIST of Japan at temperature of 500 700 °, strain rate of 10-4 10-5 s-1, confining pressure of 200 MPa and strain of up to 30%, to explore intragranular recrystallization processes of calcite. The limestone contains two abundant fossils, crinoid and trilobite. The crinoids are mono- or poly-crystalline. We focus on the monocrystalline crinoids with a coarser grain size ( 700 μm). The trilobites are polycrystalline and much finer-grained ( 7 μm) with initially a strong c-axis preferred orientation. At a lower temperature condition, subgrains develop both in twin and host domains of crinoids and evolve into new grains by SGR. At a higher temperature, recrystallized grains have irregular grain boundaries and bimodal grain-size distribution, implying grain-boundary migration (GBM) recrystallization. At a lower temperature, new grains nucleating and growing along twin boundaries inherit lattice orientation of twin domain, and with the nucleation site and usually a smaller grain size, they can be distinguished from new grains by SGR. At a higher temperature, however, the distinction is difficult at present due to extensive GBM. For the trilobites, there is only local GBM with no significant change in grain size, and flattening of grains reflects the bulk strain at a lower temperature. At a higher temperature, individual grains of the trilobites are equi-axed with weakened LPO, although the strain of trilobites is higher than bulk strain. These microfabrics suggest that the dominant deformation mechanism of the trilobites is diffusion creep. Although the initial LPO of the trilobites is weakened, the LPO is still preserved up to strain of 30%. This implies that even if the grain size of trilobites and matrix is similar in naturally deformed limestones, the lattice orientation map may be useful in recognizing trilobite fossils.

Multidimensional Coherent Spectroscopy of GaAs Excitons and Quantum Microcavity Polaritons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilmer, Brian L.

Light-matter interactions associated with excitons and exciton related complexes are explored in bulk GaAs and semiconductor microcavities using multidimensional coherent spectroscopy (MDCS). This approach provides rich spectra determining quantum excitation pathways, structural influences on the excitons, and coherence times. Polarization, excitation density, and temperature-dependent MDCS is performed on excitons in strained bulk GaAs layers, probing the coherent response for differing amounts of strain. Biaxial tensile strain lifts the degeneracy of heavy-hole and light-hole valence states, leading to an observed splitting of the associated excitons at low temperature. Increasing the strain increases the magnitude of the heavy-/light- hole exciton peak splitting, induces an asymmetry in the off-diagonal interaction coherences, increases the difference in the heavy- and light- hole exciton homogenous linewidths, and increases the inhomogeneous broadening of both exciton species. All results arise from strain-induced variations in the local electronic environment, which is not uniform along the growth direction of the thin layers. For cross-linear polarized excitation, wherein excitonic signals give way to biexcitonic signals, the high-strain sample shows evidence of bound light-, heavy- and mixed- hole biexcitons. 2DCS maps the anticrossing associated with normal mode splitting in a semiconductor microcavity. For a detuning range near zero, it is observed that there are two diagonal features related to the intra-action of exciton-polariton branches and two off-diagonal features related to coherent interaction between the polaritons. At negative detuning, the line shape properties of the diagonal intra-action features are distinguishable and can be associated with cavity-like and exciton-like modes. A biexcitonic companion feature is observed, shifted from the exciton feature by the biexciton binding energy. Closer to zero detuning, all features are enhanced and the diagonal intra-action features become nearly equal in amplitude and linewidth. At positive detuning the exciton-like and cavity-like characteristics return to the diagonal intra-action features. Off-diagonal interaction features exhibit asymmetry in their amplitudes throughout the detuning range. The amplitudes are strongly modulated as the lower polariton branch crosses the bound biexciton energy determined from negatively detuned spectra.

Phenomenological constraints on the bulk viscosity of QCD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paquet, Jean-François; Shen, Chun; Denicol, Gabriel; Jeon, Sangyong; Gale, Charles

2017-11-01

While small at very high temperature, the bulk viscosity of Quantum Chromodynamics is expected to grow in the confinement region. Although its precise magnitude and temperature-dependence in the cross-over region is not fully understood, recent theoretical and phenomenological studies provided evidence that the bulk viscosity can be sufficiently large to have measurable consequences on the evolution of the quark-gluon plasma. In this work, a Bayesian statistical analysis is used to establish probabilistic constraints on the temperature-dependence of bulk viscosity using hadronic measurements from RHIC and LHC.

Rhizosphere colonization and arsenic translocation in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) by arsenate reducing Alcaligenes sp. strain Dhal-L.

PubMed

Cavalca, Lucia; Corsini, Anna; Bachate, Sachin Prabhakar; Andreoni, Vincenza

2013-10-01

In the present study, six arsenic-resistant strains previously isolated were tested for their plant growth promoting characteristics and heavy metal resistance, in order to choose one model strain as an inoculum for sunflower plants in pot experiments. The aim was to investigate the effect of arsenic-resistant strain on sunflower growth and on arsenic uptake from arsenic contaminated soil. Based on plant growth promoting characteristics and heavy metal resistance, Alcaligenes sp. strain Dhal-L was chosen as an inoculum. Beside the ability to reduce arsenate to arsenite via an Ars operon, the strain exhibited 1-amino-cyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase activity and it was also able to produce siderophore and indole acetic acid. Pot experiments were conducted with an agricultural soil contaminated with arsenic (214 mg kg⁻¹). A real time PCR method was set up based on the quantification of ACR3(2) type of arsenite efflux pump carried by Alcaligenes sp. strain Dhal-L, in order to monitor presence and colonisation of the strain in the bulk and rhizospheric soil. As a result of strain inoculation, arsenic uptake by plants was increased by 53 %, whereas ACR3(2) gene copy number in rhizospheric soil was 100 times higher in inoculated than in control pots, indicating the colonisation of strain. The results indicated that the presence of arsenate reducing strains in the rhizosphere of sunflower influences arsenic mobilization and promotes arsenic uptake by plant.

Bandgap-customizable germanium using lithographically determined biaxial tensile strain for silicon-compatible optoelectronics.

PubMed

Sukhdeo, David S; Nam, Donguk; Kang, Ju-Hyung; Brongersma, Mark L; Saraswat, Krishna C

2015-06-29

Strain engineering has proven to be vital for germanium-based photonics, in particular light emission. However, applying a large permanent biaxial tensile strain to germanium has been a challenge. We present a simple, CMOS-compatible technique to conveniently induce a large, spatially homogenous strain in circular structures patterned within germanium nanomembranes. Our technique works by concentrating and amplifying a pre-existing small strain into a circular region. Biaxial tensile strains as large as 1.11% are observed by Raman spectroscopy and are further confirmed by photoluminescence measurements, which show enhanced and redshifted light emission from the strained germanium. Our technique allows the amount of biaxial strain to be customized lithographically, allowing the bandgaps of different germanium structures to be independently customized in a single mask process.

Investigation of the asymptotic state of rotating turbulence using large-eddy simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Squires, Kyle D.; Chasnov, Jeffrey R.; Mansour, Nagi N.; Cambon, Claude

1993-01-01

Study of turbulent flows in rotating reference frames has long been an area of considerable scientific and engineering interest. Because of its importance, the subject of turbulence in rotating reference frames has motivated over the years a large number of theoretical, experimental, and computational studies. The bulk of these previous works has served to demonstrate that the effect of system rotation on turbulence is subtle and remains exceedingly difficult to predict. A rotating flow of particular interest in many studies, including the present work, is examination of the effect of solid-body rotation on an initially isotropic turbulent flow. One of the principal reasons for the interest in this flow is that it represents the most basic turbulent flow whose structure is altered by system rotation but without the complicating effects introduced by mean strains or flow inhomogeneities. The assumption of statistical homogeneity considerably simplifies analysis and computation. The principal objective of the present study has been to examine the asymptotic state of solid-body rotation applied to an initially isotropic, high Reynolds number turbulent flow. Of particular interest has been to determine the degree of two-dimensionalization and the existence of asymptotic self-similar states in homogeneous rotating turbulence.

Enhanced thermoelectric properties via oxygen non-stoichiometry in La2NiO4 and SrTiO3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pardo, Victor; Botana, Antia S.; Bach, Paul M.; Leboran, Victor; Rivadulla, Francisco; Baldomir, Daniel

2013-03-01

We present the results of transport properties calculations and experiments on various oxides. A large enhancement of the thermoelectric properties is predicted[1] via ab initio calculations for La2NiO4+δ, with electronic-only thermoelectric figure of merit (zT) values exceeding unity for oxygen excess δ <= 0.10. The effects of lattice strain (caused, e.g. by growth of thin films on different substrates) enhance even further the thermoelectric response. A similar result is obtained at very low electron-doping in bulk SrTiO3 via oxygen removal. This is analyzed experimentally via thermal annealing that depletes oxygen (~ 1 oxygen vacancy per 106 unit cells). In both these systems, the increase in conductivity reached in the metallic limit retains a large thermopower, with the corresponding enhancement of zT . In the case of SrTiO3, experiments indicate[2] that such a small oxygen vacancy level reduces drastically the thermal conductivity by introducing random scattering centers. In the talk, we will discuss the electronic structure origin of the enhancement of the thermoelectric response and how this can be tuned. Results are general and applicable to other non-stoichiometric oxides.

Genetic variation and expression changes associated with molybdate resistance from a glutathione producing wine strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

PubMed Central

Mezzetti, Francesco; Fay, Justin C.; Giudici, Paolo

2017-01-01

Glutathione (GSH) production during wine fermentation is a desirable trait as it can limit must and wine oxidation and protect various aromatic compounds. UMCC 2581 is a Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine strain with enhanced GSH content at the end of wine fermentation. This strain was previously derived by selection for molybdate resistance following a sexual cycle of UMCC 855 using an evolution-based strategy. In this study, we examined genetic and gene expression changes associated with the derivation of UMCC 2581. For genetic analysis we sporulated the diploid UMCC 855 parental strain and found four phenotype classes of segregants related to molybdate resistance, demonstrating the presence of segregating variation from the parental strain. Using bulk segregant analysis we mapped molybdate traits to two loci. By sequencing both the parental and evolved strain genomes we identified candidate mutations within the two regions as well as an extra copy of chromosome 1 in UMCC 2581. Combining the mapped loci with gene expression profiles of the evolved and parental strains we identified a number of candidate genes with genetic and/or gene expression changes that could underlie molybdate resistance and increased GSH levels. Our results provide insight into the genetic basis of GSH production relevant to winemaking and highlight the value of enhancing wine strains using existing variation present in wine strains. PMID:28683117

In situ strain profiling of elastoplastic bending in Ti-6Al-4V alloy by synchrotron energy dispersive x-ray diffraction

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

Croft, M.; National Synchrotron Light Source, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973; Shukla, V.

Elastic and plastic strain evolution under four-point bending has been studied by synchrotron energy dispersive x-ray diffraction. Measured strain profiles across the specimen thickness showed an increasing linear elastic strain gradient under increasing four-point bending load up to approx2 kN. The bulk elastic modulus of Ti-6Al-4V was determined as 118 GPa. The onset of plastic deformation was found to set in at a total in-plane strain of approx0.008, both under tension and compression. Plastic deformation under bending is initiated in the vicinity of the surface and at a stress of 1100 MPa, and propagates inward, while a finite core regionmore » remains elastically deformed up to 3.67 kN loading. The onset of the plastic regime and the plastic regime itself has been verified by monitoring the line broadening of the (100) peak of alpha-Ti. The effective compression/tension stress-strain curve has been obtained from the scaling collapse of strain profile data taken at seven external load levels. A similar multiple load scaling collapse of the plastic strain variation has also been obtained. The level of precision in strain measurement reported herein was evaluated and found to be 1.5x10{sup -5} or better.« less

3D printing of highly elastic strain sensors using polyurethane/multiwall carbon nanotube composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christ, Josef F.; Hohimer, Cameron J.; Aliheidari, Nahal; Ameli, Amir; Mo, Changki; Pötschke, Petra

2017-04-01

As the desire for wearable electronics increases and the soft robotics industry advances, the need for novel sensing materials has also increased. Recently, there have been many attempts at producing novel materials, which exhibit piezoresistive behavior. However, one of the major shortcomings in strain sensing technologies is in the fabrication of such sensors. While there is significant research and literature covering the various methods for developing piezoresistive materials, fabricating complex sensor platforms is still a manufacturing challenge. Here, we report a facile method to fabricate multidirectional embedded strain sensors using additive manufacturing technology. Pure thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and TPU/multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) nanocomposites were 3D printed in tandem using a low-cost multi-material FDM printer to fabricate uniaxial and biaxial strain sensors with conductive paths embedded within the insulative TPU platform. The sensors were then subjected to a series of cyclic strain loads. The results revealed excellent piezoresistive responses of the sensors with cyclic repeatability in both the axial and transverse directions and in response to strains as high as 50%. Further, while strain-softening did occur in the embedded printed strain sensors, it was predictable and similar to the results found in the literature for bulk polymer nanocomposites. This works demonstrates the possibility of manufacturing embedded and multidirectional flexible strain sensors using an inexpensive and versatile method, with potential applications in soft robotics and flexible electronics and health monitoring.

Symmetry analysis of strain, electric and magnetic fields in the Bi2Se3-class of topological insulators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosdahl Brems, Mathias; Paaske, Jens; Lunde, Anders Mathias; Willatzen, Morten

2018-05-01

Based on group theoretical arguments we derive the most general Hamiltonian for the Bi2Se3-class of materials including terms to third order in the wave vector, first order in electric and magnetic fields, first order in strain and first order in both strain and wave vector. We determine analytically the effects of strain on the electronic structure of Bi2Se3. For the most experimentally relevant surface termination we analytically derive the surface state (SS) spectrum, revealing an anisotropic Dirac cone with elliptical constant energy contours giving rise to a direction-dependent group velocity. The spin-momentum locking of strained Bi2Se3 is shown to be modified. Hence, strain control can be used to manipulate the spin degree of freedom via the spin–orbit coupling. We show that for a thin film of Bi2Se3 the SS band gap induced by coupling between the opposite surfaces changes opposite to the bulk band gap under strain. Tuning the SS band gap by strain, gives new possibilities for the experimental investigation of the thickness dependent gap and optimization of optical properties relevant for, e.g., photodetector and energy harvesting applications. We finally derive analytical expressions for the effective mass tensor of the Bi2Se3 class of materials as a function of strain and electric field.

Screening and characterization of extracelluar L-asparaginase producing Bacillus subtilis strain hswx88, isolated from Taptapani hotspring of Odisha, India

PubMed Central

Pradhan, Biswaprakash; Dash, Sashi K; Sahoo, Sabuj

2013-01-01

Objective To screen and isolate an eco-friendly, a thermophilic and potent L-asparaginase producing bacterium, with novel immunological properties that may obviates hypersensitivity reactions. Methods In the present study bacterial strain isolated for extracellular L-asparaginase production from hotspring, identified by morphological, biochemical and physiological tests followed by 16S rDNA technology and the L-asparaginase production ability was tested by both semi quantitative and quantitative enzymatic assay. Result The bacterial strain was identified as Bacillus subtilis strain hswx88 (GenBank Accession Number: JQ237656.1). The extracellular enzyme yielding capacity isolate Bacillus subtilis strain hswx88 (23.8 IU/mL) was found to be 1.7 and 14.5 times higher than the reference organism Pectobacterium carotovorum MTCC 1428 (14.2 IU/mL) and Bacillus sp. BCCS 034 (1.64 IU/mL). Conclusion The isolate is eco-friendly and useful to produce bulk quantity of extracellular, thermophilic L-asparaginase for the treatment of various tumor cases and for preparation of acrylamide free fry food preparation. PMID:24093783

Dynamic tensile deformation and damage of B 4C-reinforced Al composites: Time-resolved imaging with synchrotron x-rays

DOE PAGES

Bie, B. X.; Huang, J. Y.; Su, B.; ...

2016-03-30

Dynamic tensile experiments are conducted on 15% and 30% in weight percentage B 4C/Al composites with a split Hopkinson tension bar, along with high-speed synchrotron x-ray digital image correlation (XDIC) to map strain fields at μ m and μ s scales. As manifested by bulk-scale stress – strain curves, a higher particle content leads to a higher yield strength but lower ductility. Strain field mapping by XDIC demonstrates that tension deformation and tensile fracture, as opposed to shear and shear failure, dominate deformation and failure of the composites. The fractographs of recovered samples show consistent features. The particle-matrix interfaces aremore » nucleation sites for strain localizations, and their propagation and coalescence are diffused by the Al matrix. The reduced spacing between strain localization sites with increasing particle content, facilitates their coalescence and leads to decreased ductility. Furthermore, designing a particle-reinforced, metallic-matrix composite with balanced strength and ductility should consider optimizing the inter-particle distance as a key par« less

The exponentiated Hencky-logarithmic strain energy. Part II: Coercivity, planar polyconvexity and existence of minimizers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neff, Patrizio; Lankeit, Johannes; Ghiba, Ionel-Dumitrel; Martin, Robert; Steigmann, David

2015-08-01

We consider a family of isotropic volumetric-isochoric decoupled strain energies based on the Hencky-logarithmic (true, natural) strain tensor log U, where μ > 0 is the infinitesimal shear modulus, is the infinitesimal bulk modulus with the first Lamé constant, are dimensionless parameters, is the gradient of deformation, is the right stretch tensor and is the deviatoric part (the projection onto the traceless tensors) of the strain tensor log U. For small elastic strains, the energies reduce to first order to the classical quadratic Hencky energy which is known to be not rank-one convex. The main result in this paper is that in plane elastostatics the energies of the family are polyconvex for , extending a previous finding on its rank-one convexity. Our method uses a judicious application of Steigmann's polyconvexity criteria based on the representation of the energy in terms of the principal invariants of the stretch tensor U. These energies also satisfy suitable growth and coercivity conditions. We formulate the equilibrium equations, and we prove the existence of minimizers by the direct methods of the calculus of variations.

Hinge-like structure induced unusual properties of black phosphorus and new strategies to improve the thermoelectric performance

PubMed Central

Qin, Guangzhao; Yan, Qing-Bo; Qin, Zhenzhen; Yue, Sheng-Ying; Cui, Hui-Juan; Zheng, Qing-Rong; Su, Gang

2014-01-01

We systematically investigated the geometric, electronic and thermoelectric (TE) properties of bulk black phosphorus (BP) under strain. The hinge-like structure of BP brings unusual mechanical responses such as anisotropic Young's modulus and negative Poisson's ratio. A sensitive electronic structure of BP makes it transform among metal, direct and indirect semiconductors under strain. The maximal figure of merit ZT of BP is found to be 0.72 at 800 K that could be enhanced to 0.87 by exerting an appropriate strain, revealing BP could be a potential medium-high temperature TE material. Such strain-induced enhancements of TE performance are often observed to occur at the boundary of the direct-indirect band gap transition, which can be attributed to the increase of degeneracy of energy valleys at the transition point. By comparing the structure of BP with SnSe, a family of potential TE materials with hinge-like structure are suggested. This study not only exposes various novel properties of BP under strain, but also proposes effective strategies to seek for better TE materials. PMID:25374306

Indirect assessment of bulk strain soliton velocity in opaque solids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belashov, A. V.; Beltukov, Y. M.; Petrov, N. V.; Samsonov, A. M.; Semenova, I. V.

2018-03-01

This paper presents a methodology allowing for determination of strain soliton velocity in opaque solid materials. The methodology is based on the analysis of soliton evolution in a layer of a transparent material adhesively bonded to the layer of a material under study. It is shown that the resulting soliton velocity in the complex waveguide equals to the arithmetic mean of soliton velocities in the two component materials. The suggested methodology is best suited for analysis of materials with relatively close elastic parameters and can be applied in research of nonlinear wave processes in opaque composites on the basis of transparent matrices.

Real-time in situ nanoclustering during initial stages of artificial aging of Al-Cu alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zatsepin, Nadia A.; Dilanian, Ruben A.; Nikulin, Andrei Y.; Gao, Xiang; Muddle, Barry C.; Matveev, Victor N.; Sakata, Osami

2010-01-01

We report an experimental demonstration of real-time in situ x-ray diffraction investigations of clustering and dynamic strain in early stages of nanoparticle growth in Al-Cu alloys. Simulations involving a simplified model of local strain are well correlated with the x-ray diffraction data, suggesting a redistribution of point defects and the formation of nanoscale clusters in the bulk material. A modal, representative nanoparticle size is determined subsequent to the final stage of artificial aging. Such investigations are imperative for the understanding, and ultimately the control, of nanoparticle nucleation and growth in this technologically important alloy.

Shape and Composition Map of a Prepyramid Quantum Dot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spencer, Brian

2006-03-01

We present a theory for the shape, size, and nonuniform composition profile of a small prepyramid island in an alloy epitaxial film when surface diffusion is much faster than deposition and bulk diffusion. The predicted composition profile has segregation of the larger misfit component to the island peak, with segregation enhanced by misfit strain and solute strain but retarded by alloy solution thermodynamics. Vertical composition gradients through the center of the island due to this mechanism are on the order of 2%/nm for GeXSi1-X/Si and 10 - 15%/nm for InXGaAs1-X/GaAs [PRL 95, 206101 (2005)].

Mechanical properties of high-temperature superconducting wires. Ph.D. Thesis - Illinois Inst. of Tech.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goretta, K. C.; Cluff, J. A.; Joo, J.; Lanagan, M. T.; Singh, J. P.; Vasanthamohan, N.; Xin, Y.; Wong, K. W.

1995-01-01

Bending strength, fracture toughness, and elastic modulus data were acquired for YBa2Cu3O(x), Bi2Sr2CaCu2O(x) (Bi,Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3O(x), and Tl2Ba2Ca2Cu3O(x) bars. These data and thermal expansion coefficients strongly suggest that the maximum possible tensile strain without fracture of bulk tapes or wires is approximately equals 0.2%. In Ag-clad conductors, residual stresses will be of limited benefit, but fractures produced by larger strains can be accommodated by shunting current through the Ag.

Three dimensional grain boundary modeling in polycrystalline plasticity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yalçinkaya, Tuncay; Özdemir, Izzet; Fırat, Ali Osman

2018-05-01

At grain scale, polycrystalline materials develop heterogeneous plastic deformation fields, localizations and stress concentrations due to variation of grain orientations, geometries and defects. Development of inter-granular stresses due to misorientation are crucial for a range of grain boundary (GB) related failure mechanisms, such as stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and fatigue cracking. Local crystal plasticity finite element modelling of polycrystalline metals at micron scale results in stress jumps at the grain boundaries. Moreover, the concepts such as the transmission of dislocations between grains and strength of the grain boundaries are not included in the modelling. The higher order strain gradient crystal plasticity modelling approaches offer the possibility of defining grain boundary conditions. However, these conditions are mostly not dependent on misorientation of grains and can define only extreme cases. For a proper definition of grain boundary behavior in plasticity, a model for grain boundary behavior should be incorporated into the plasticity framework. In this context, a particular grain boundary model ([l]) is incorporated into a strain gradient crystal plasticity framework ([2]). In a 3-D setting, both bulk and grain boundary models are implemented as user-defined elements in Abaqus. The strain gradient crystal plasticity model works in the bulk elements and considers displacements and plastic slips as degree of freedoms. Interface elements model the plastic slip behavior, yet they do not possess any kind of mechanical cohesive behavior. The physical aspects of grain boundaries and the performance of the model are addressed through numerical examples.

Screening for new brewing yeasts in the non-Saccharomyces sector with Torulaspora delbrueckii as model.

PubMed

Michel, Maximilian; Kopecká, Jana; Meier-Dörnberg, Tim; Zarnkow, Martin; Jacob, Fritz; Hutzler, Mathias

2016-04-01

This study describes a screening system for future brewing yeasts focusing on non-Saccharomyces yeasts. The aim was to find new yeast strains that can ferment beer wort into a respectable beer. Ten Torulaspora delbrueckii strains were put through the screening system, which included sugar utilization tests, hop resistance tests, ethanol resistance tests, polymerase chain reaction fingerprinting, propagation tests, amino acid catabolism and anabolism, phenolic off-flavour tests and trial fermentations. Trial fermentations were analysed for extract reduction, pH drop, yeast concentration in bulk fluid and fermentation by-products. All investigated strains were able to partly ferment wort sugars and showed high tolerance to hop compounds and ethanol. One of the investigated yeast strains fermented all the wort sugars and produced a respectable fruity flavour and a beer of average ethanol content with a high volatile flavour compound concentration. Two other strains could possibly be used for pre-fermentation as a bio-flavouring agent for beers that have been post-fermented by Saccharomyces strains as a consequence of their low sugar utilization but good flavour-forming properties. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Fast ion conductivity in strained defect-fluorite structure created by ion tracks in Gd 2Ti 2O 7

DOE PAGES

Aidhy, Dilpuneet S.; Sachan, Ritesh; Zarkadoula, Eva; ...

2015-11-10

In this research, the structure and ion-conducting properties of the defect-fluorite ring structure formed around amorphous ion-tracks by swift heavy ion irradiation of Gd 2Ti 2O 7 pyrochlore are investigated. High angle annular dark field imaging complemented with ion-track molecular dynamics simulations show that the atoms in the ring structure are disordered, and have relatively larger cation-cation interspacing than in the bulk pyrochlore, illustrating the presence of tensile strain in the ring region. Density functional theory calculations show that the non-equilibrium defect-fluorite structure can be stabilized by tensile strain. The pyrochlore to defect-fluorite structure transformation in the ring region ismore » predicted to be induced by recrystallization during a melt-quench process and stabilized by tensile strain. Static pair-potential calculations show that planar tensile strain lowers oxygen vacancy migration barriers in pyrochlores, in agreement with recent studies on fluorite and perovskite materials. From these results, it is suggested that strain engineering could be simultaneously used to stabilize the defect-fluorite structure and gain control over its high ion-conducting properties.« less

Development of interface-dominant bulk Cu/V nanolamellar composites by cross accumulative roll bonding

PubMed Central

Zeng, L. F.; Gao, R.; Xie, Z. M.; Miao, S.; Fang, Q. F.; Wang, X. P.; Zhang, T.; Liu, C. S.

2017-01-01

Traditional nanostructured metals are inherently comprised of a high density of high-energy interfaces that make this class of materials not stable in extreme conditions. Therefore, high performance bulk nanostructured metals containing stable interfaces are highly desirable for extreme environments applications. Here, we reported an attractive bulk Cu/V nanolamellar composite that was successfully developed by integrating interface engineering and severe plastic deformation techniques. The layered morphology and ordered Cu/V interfaces remained stable with respect to continued rolling (total strain exceeding 12). Most importantly, for layer thickness of 25 nm, this bulk Cu/V nanocomposite simultaneously achieves high strength (hardness of 3.68 GPa) and outstanding thermal stability (up to 700 °C), which are quite difficult to realize simultaneously in traditional nanostructured materials. Such extraordinary property in our Cu/V nanocomposite is achieved via an extreme rolling process that creates extremely high density of stable Cu/V heterophase interfaces and low density of unstable grain boundaries. In addition, high temperature annealing result illustrates that Rayleigh instability is the dominant mechanism driving the onset of thermal instability after exposure to 800 °C. PMID:28094346

Estimating carbon and nitrogen pools in a forest soil: Influence of soil bulk density methods and rock content

Treesearch

Martin F. Jurgensen; Deborah S. Page-Dumroese; Robert E. Brown; Joanne M. Tirocke; Chris A. Miller; James B. Pickens; Min Wang

2017-01-01

Soils with high rock content are common in many US forests, and contain large amounts of stored C. Accurate measurements of soil bulk density and rock content are critical for calculating and assessing changes in both C and nutrient pool size, but bulk density sampling methods have limitations and sources of variability. Therefore, we evaluated the use of small-...

Epitaxial effects in thin films of high-Tc cuprates with the K2NiF4 structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naito, Michio; Sato, Hisashi; Tsukada, Akio; Yamamoto, Hideki

2018-03-01

La2-xSrxCuO4 (LSCO) and La2-xBaxCuO4 (LBCO) have been recognized as the archetype materials of "hole-doped" high-Tc superconductors. Their crystal structures are relatively simple with a small number of constituent cation elements. In addition, the doping level can be varied by the chemical substitution over a wide range enough to obtain the full spectrum of doping-dependent electronic and magnetic properties. These attractive features have dedicated many researchers to thin-film growth of LSCO and LBCO. The critical temperature (Tc) of LSCO and LBCO is sensitive to strain as manifested by a positive pressure coefficient of Tc in bulk samples. In general, films are strained if they are grown on lattice-mismatched substrates (epitaxial strain). Early attempts (before 1997) at the growth of LSCO and LBCO films resulted in depressed Tc below 30 K as they were grown on a commonly used SrTiO3 substrate (in-plane lattice parameter asub = 3.905 Å): the in-plane lattice parameters of LSCO and LBCO are ≤3.80 Å, and hence tensile epitaxial strain is introduced. The situation was changed by the use of LaSrAlO4 substrates with a slightly shorter in-plane lattice constant (asub = 3.756 Å). On LaSrAlO4 substrates, the Tc reaches 45 K in La1.85Sr0.15CuO4, 47 K in La1.85Ba0.15CuO4, and 56 K in ozone-oxidized La2CuO4+δ films, substantially higher than the Tc's of the bulk compounds. The Tc increase in La1.85Sr0.15CuO4 films on LaSrAlO4 and decrease on SrTiO3 are semi-quantitatively in accord with the phenomenological estimations based on the anisotropic strain coefficients of Tc (dTc/dεi). In this review article, we describe the growth and properties of films of cuprates having the K2NiF4 structure, mainly focusing on the increase/decrease of Tc by epitaxial strain and quasi-stable phase formation by epitaxial stabilization. We further extract the structural and/or physical parameters controlling Tc toward microscopic understanding of the variation of Tc by epitaxial strain.

Characterization of dislocation structures and deformation mechanisms in as-grown and deformed directionally solidified NiAl–Mo composites

DOE PAGES

Kwon, J.; Bowers, M. L.; Brandes, M. C.; ...

2015-02-26

In this paper, directionally solidified (DS) NiAl–Mo eutectic composites were strained to plastic strain values ranging from 0% to 12% to investigate the origin of the previously observed stochastic versus deterministic mechanical behaviors of Mo-alloy micropillars in terms of the development of dislocation structures at different pre-strain levels. The DS composites consist of long, [1 0 0] single-crystal Mo-alloy fibers with approximately square cross-sections embedded in a [1 0 0] single-crystal NiAl matrix. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and computational stress state analysis were conducted for the current study. STEM of the as-grown samples (without pre-straining) reveal no dislocations inmore » the investigated Mo-alloy fibers. In the NiAl matrix, on the other hand, a(1 0 0)-type dislocations exist in two orthogonal orientations: along the [1 0 0] Mo fiber axis, and wrapped around the fiber axis. They presumably form to accommodate the different thermal contractions of the two phases during cool down after eutectic solidification. At intermediate pre-strain levels (4–8%), a/2(1 1 1)-type dislocations are present in the Mo-alloy fibers and the pre-existing dislocations in the NiAl matrix seem to be swept toward the interphase boundary. Some of the dislocations in the Mo-alloy fibers appear to be transformed from a(1 0 0)-type dislocations present in the NiAl matrix. Subsequently, the transformed dislocations in the fibers propagate through the NiAl matrix as a(1 1 1) dislocations and aid in initiating additional slip bands in adjacent fibers. Thereafter, co-deformation presumably occurs by (1 1 1) slip in both phases. With a further increase in the pre-strain level (>10%), multiple a/2(1 1 1)-type dislocations are observed in many locations in the Mo-alloy fibers. Interactions between these systems upon subsequent deformation could lead to stable junctions and persistent dislocation sources. Finally, the transition from stochastic to deterministic, bulk-like behavior in sub-micron Mo-alloy pillars may therefore be related to an increasing number of multiple a(1 1 1) dislocation systems within the Mo fibers with increasing pre-strain, considering that the bulk-like behavior is governed by the forest hardening of these junctions.« less

Tolerance engineering in bacteria for the production of advanced biofuels and chemicals.

PubMed

Mukhopadhyay, Aindrila

2015-08-01

During microbial production of solvent-like compounds, such as advanced biofuels and bulk chemicals, accumulation of the final product can negatively impact the cultivation of the host microbe and limit the production levels. Consequently, improving solvent tolerance is becoming an essential aspect of engineering microbial production strains. Mechanisms ranging from chaperones to transcriptional factors have been used to obtain solvent-tolerant strains. However, alleviating growth inhibition does not invariably result in increased production. Transporters specifically have emerged as a powerful category of proteins that bestow tolerance and often improve production but are difficult targets for cellular expression. Here we review strain engineering, primarily as it pertains to bacterial solvent tolerance, and the benefits and challenges associated with the expression of membrane-localized transporters in improving solvent tolerance and production. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mesoscopic Metal-Insulator Transition at Ferroelastic Domain Walls in VO2

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

Jones, Keith M; Kalinin, Sergei V; Kolmakov, Andrei

2010-01-01

The novel phenomena induced by symmetry breaking at homointerfaces between ferroic variants in ferroelectric and ferroelastic materials have attracted recently much attention. Using variable temperature scanning microwave microscopy, we demonstrate the mesoscopic strain-induced metal-insulator phase transitions in the vicinity of ferroelastic domain walls in the semiconductive VO2 that nucleated at temperatures as much as 10-12 C below bulk transition, resulting in the formation of conductive channels in the material. Density functional theory is used to rationalize the process low activation energy. This behavior, linked to the strain inhomogeneity inherent in ferroelastic materials, can strongly affect interpretation of phase-transition studies inmore » VO2 and similar materials with symmetry-lowering transitions, and can also be used to enable new generations of electronic devices though strain engineering of conductive and semiconductive regions.« less

Soil water sensor response to bulk electrical conductivity

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soil water monitoring using electromagnetic (EM) sensors can facilitate observations of water content at high temporal and spatial resolutions. These sensors measure soil dielectric permittivity (Ka) which is largely a function of volumetric water content. However, bulk electrical conductivity BEC c...

Strain-Engineered Oxygen Vacancies in CaMnO3 Thin Films.

PubMed

Chandrasena, Ravini U; Yang, Weibing; Lei, Qingyu; Delgado-Jaime, Mario U; Wijesekara, Kanishka D; Golalikhani, Maryam; Davidson, Bruce A; Arenholz, Elke; Kobayashi, Keisuke; Kobata, Masaaki; de Groot, Frank M F; Aschauer, Ulrich; Spaldin, Nicola A; Xi, Xiaoxing; Gray, Alexander X

2017-02-08

We demonstrate a novel pathway to control and stabilize oxygen vacancies in complex transition-metal oxide thin films. Using atomic layer-by-layer pulsed laser deposition (PLD) from two separate targets, we synthesize high-quality single-crystalline CaMnO 3 films with systematically varying oxygen vacancy defect formation energies as controlled by coherent tensile strain. The systematic increase of the oxygen vacancy content in CaMnO 3 as a function of applied in-plane strain is observed and confirmed experimentally using high-resolution soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) in conjunction with bulk-sensitive hard X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (HAXPES). The relevant defect states in the densities of states are identified and the vacancy content in the films quantified using the combination of first-principles theory and core-hole multiplet calculations with holistic fitting. Our findings open up a promising avenue for designing and controlling new ionically active properties and functionalities of complex transition-metal oxides via strain-induced oxygen-vacancy formation and ordering.

Transition of temporal scaling behavior in percolation assisted shear-branching structure during plastic deformation

DOE PAGES

Ren, Jingli; Chen, Cun; Wang, Gang; ...

2017-03-22

This study explores the temporal scaling behavior induced shear-branching structure in response to variant temperatures and strain rates during plastic deformation of Zr-based bulk metallic glass (BMG). The data analysis based on the compression tests suggests that there are two states of shear-branching structures: the fractal structure with a long-range order at an intermediate temperature of 223 K and a larger strain rate of 2.5 × 10 –2 s –1; the disordered structure dominated at other temperature and strain rate. It can be deduced from the percolation theory that the compressive ductility, ec, can reach the maximum value at themore » intermediate temperature. Furthermore, a dynamical model involving temperature is given for depicting the shear-sliding process, reflecting the plastic deformation has fractal structure at the temperature of 223 K and strain rate of 2.5 × 10 –2 s –1.« less

Predicting the Drop Performance of Solder Joints by Evaluating the Elastic Strain Energy from High-Speed Ball Pull Tests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

You, Taehoon; Kim, Yunsung; Kim, Jina; Lee, Jaehong; Jung, Byungwook; Moon, Jungtak; Choe, Heeman

2009-03-01

Despite being expensive and time consuming, board-level drop testing has been widely used to assess the drop or impact resistance of the solder joints in handheld microelectronic devices, such as cellphones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). In this study, a new test method, which is much simpler and quicker, is proposed. The method involves evaluating the elastic strain energy and relating it to the impact resistance of the solder joint by considering the Young’s modulus of the bulk solder and the fracture stress of the solder joint during a ball pull test at high strain rates. The results show that solder joints can be ranked in order of descending elastic strain energy as follows: Sn-37Pb, Sn-1Ag-0.5Cu, Sn-3Ag-0.5Cu, and Sn-4Ag-0.5Cu. This order is consistent with the actual drop performances of the samples.

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

S. K. Kushwaha; Pletikosic, I.; Liang, T.

A long-standing issue in topological insulator research has been to find a bulk single crystal material that provides a high quality platform for characterizing topological surface states without interference from bulk electronic states. This material would ideally be a bulk insulator, have a surface state Dirac point energy well isolated from the bulk valence and conduction bands, display quantum oscillations from the surface state electrons, and be growable as large, high quality bulk single crystals. Here we show that this materials obstacle is overcome by bulk crystals of lightly Sn-doped Bi 1.1Sb 0.9Te 2S grown by the Vertical Bridgeman method.more » We characterize Sn-BSTS via angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, transport studies, X-ray diffraction, and Raman scattering. We present this material as a high quality topological insulator that can be reliably grown as bulk single crystals and thus studied by many researchers interested in topological surface states.« less

Gravitational potential wells and the cosmic bulk flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yuyu; Kumar, Abhinav; Feldman, Hume; Watkins, Richard

2016-03-01

The bulk flow is a volume average of the peculiar velocities and a useful probe of the mass distribution on large scales. The gravitational instability model views the bulk flow as a potential flow that obeys a Maxwellian Distribution. We use two N-body simulations, the LasDamas Carmen and the Horizon Run, to calculate the bulk flows of various sized volumes in the simulation boxes. Once we have the bulk flow velocities as a function of scale, we investigate the mass and gravitational potential distribution around the volume. We found that matter densities can be asymmetrical and difficult to detect in real surveys, however, the gravitational potential and its gradient may provide better tools to investigate the underlying matter distribution. This study shows that bulk flows are indeed potential flows and thus provides information on the flow sources. We also show that bulk flow magnitudes follow a Maxwellian distribution on scales > 10h-1 Mpc.

Implications of PCR and ELISA results on the routes of bulk-tank contamination with Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis.

PubMed

Beaver, A; Cazer, C L; Ruegg, P L; Gröhn, Y T; Schukken, Y H

2016-02-01

Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP), the etiologic agent of Johne's disease in dairy cattle, may enter the bulk tank via environmental contamination or direct excretion into milk. Traditionally, diagnostics to identify MAP in milk target either MAP antibodies (by ELISA) or the organism itself (by culture or PCR). High ELISA titers may be directly associated with excretion of MAP into milk but only indirectly linked to environmental contamination of the bulk tank. Patterns of bulk-milk ELISA and bulk-milk PCR results could therefore provide insight into the routes of contamination and level of infection or environmental burden. Coupled with questionnaire responses pertaining to management, the results of these diagnostic tests could reveal correlations with herd characteristics or on-farm practices that distinguish herds with high and low environmental bulk-tank MAP contamination. A questionnaire on hygiene, management, and Johne's specific parameters was administered to 292 dairy farms in New York, Oregon, and Wisconsin. Bulk-tank samples were collected from each farm for evaluation by real-time PCR and ELISA. Before DNA extraction and testing of the unknown samples, bulk-milk template preparation was optimized with respect to parameters such as MAP fractionation patterns and lysis. Two regression models were developed to explore the relationships among bulk-tank PCR, ELISA, environmental predictors, and herd characteristics. First, ELISA optical density (OD) was designated as the outcome in a linear regression model. Second, the log odds of being PCR positive in the bulk tank were modeled using binary logistic regression with penalized maximum likelihood. The proportion of PCR-positive bulk tanks was highest for New York and for organic farms, providing a clue as to the geographical patterns of MAP-positive bulk-tank samples and relationship to production type. Bulk-milk PCR positivity was also higher for large relative to small herds. The models revealed that bulk-milk PCR result could predict ELISA OD, with PCR-positive results corresponding to high bulk-milk ELISA titers. Similarly, ELISA was a predictor of PCR result, although the association was stronger for organic farms. Despite agreement between high bulk-milk ELISA titers and positive PCR results, a large proportion of high ELISA farms had PCR-negative bulk tanks, suggesting that farms are able to maintain satisfactory hygiene and management despite a presence of MAP in these herds. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

L1 0 Fe -Pd Synthetic Antiferromagnet through an fcc Ru Spacer Utilized for Perpendicular Magnetic Tunnel Junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, De-Lin; Sun, Congli; Lv, Yang; Schliep, Karl B.; Zhao, Zhengyang; Chen, Jun-Yang; Voyles, Paul M.; Wang, Jian-Ping

2018-04-01

Magnetic materials that possess large bulk perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) are essential for the development of magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) used in future spintronic memory and logic devices. The addition of an antiferromagnetic layer to these MTJs was recently predicted to facilitate ultrafast magnetization switching. Here, we report a demonstration of a bulk perpendicular synthetic antiferromagnetic (PSAFM) structure comprised of a (001) textured Fe -Pd /Ru /Fe -Pd trilayer with a face-centered-cubic (fcc) phase Ru spacer. The L1 0 Fe -Pd PSAFM structure shows a large bulk PMA (Ku˜10.2 Merg /cm3 ) and strong antiferromagnetic coupling (-JIEC˜2.60 erg /cm2 ). Full perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions (PMTJs) with a L1 0 Fe -Pd PSAFM layer are then fabricated. Tunneling magnetoresistance ratios of up to approximately 25% (approximately 60%) are observed at room temperature (5 K) after postannealing at 350 °C . Exhibiting high thermal stabilities and large Ku , the bulk PMTJs with an L1 0 Fe -Pd PSAFM layer could pave a way for next-generation ultrahigh-density and ultralow-energy spintronic applications.

An environment-dependent semi-empirical tight binding model suitable for electron transport in bulk metals, metal alloys, metallic interfaces, and metallic nanostructures. I. Model and validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hegde, Ganesh; Povolotskyi, Michael; Kubis, Tillmann; Boykin, Timothy; Klimeck, Gerhard

2014-03-01

Semi-empirical Tight Binding (TB) is known to be a scalable and accurate atomistic representation for electron transport for realistically extended nano-scaled semiconductor devices that might contain millions of atoms. In this paper, an environment-aware and transferable TB model suitable for electronic structure and transport simulations in technologically relevant metals, metallic alloys, metal nanostructures, and metallic interface systems are described. Part I of this paper describes the development and validation of the new TB model. The new model incorporates intra-atomic diagonal and off-diagonal elements for implicit self-consistency and greater transferability across bonding environments. The dependence of the on-site energies on strain has been obtained by appealing to the Moments Theorem that links closed electron paths in the system to energy moments of angular momentum resolved local density of states obtained ab initio. The model matches self-consistent density functional theory electronic structure results for bulk face centered cubic metals with and without strain, metallic alloys, metallic interfaces, and metallic nanostructures with high accuracy and can be used in predictive electronic structure and transport problems in metallic systems at realistically extended length scales.

Shock-induced mechanochemistry in heterogeneous reactive powder mixtures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzales, Manny; Gurumurthy, Ashok; Kennedy, Gregory; Neel, Christopher; Gokhale, Arun; Thadhani, Naresh

The bulk response of compacted powder mixtures subjected to high-strain-rate loading conditions in various configurations is manifested from behavior at the meso-scale. Simulations at the meso-scale can provide an additional confirmation of the possible origins of the observed response. This work investigates the bulk dynamic response of Ti +B +Al reactive powder mixtures under two extreme loading configurations - uniaxial stress and strain loading - leveraging highly-resolved in-situ measurements and meso-scale simulations. Modified rod-on-anvil impact tests on a reactive pellet demonstrate an optimized stoichiometry promoting reaction in Ti +B +Al. Encapsulated powders subjected to shock compression via flyer plate tests provide possible evidence of a shock-induced reaction at high pressures. Meso-scale simulations of the direct experimental configurations employing highly-resolved microstructural features of the Ti +B compacted mixture show complex inhomogeneous deformation responses and reveal the importance of meso-scale features such as particle size and morphology and their effects on the measured response. Funding is generously provided by DTRA through Grant No. HDTRA1-10-1-0038 (Dr. Su Peiris - Program Manager) and by the SMART (AFRL Wright Patterson AFB) and NDSEG fellowships (High Performance Computing and Modernization Office).

On the evolution of flow topology in turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dabbagh, F.; Trias, F. X.; Gorobets, A.; Oliva, A.

2016-11-01

Small-scale dynamics is the spirit of turbulence physics. It implicates many attributes of flow topology evolution, coherent structures, hairpin vorticity dynamics, and mechanism of the kinetic energy cascade. In this work, several dynamical aspects of the small-scale motions have been numerically studied in a framework of Rayleigh-Bénard convection (RBC). To do so, direct numerical simulations have been carried out at two Rayleigh numbers Ra = 108 and 1010, inside an air-filled rectangular cell of aspect ratio unity and π span-wise open-ended distance. As a main feature, the average rate of the invariants of the velocity gradient tensor (QG, RG) has displayed the so-called "teardrop" spiraling shape through the bulk region. Therein, the mean trajectories are swirling inwards revealing a periodic spin around the converging origin of a constant period that is found to be proportional to the plumes lifetime. This suggests that the thermal plumes participate in the coherent large-scale circulation and the turbulent wind created in the bulk. Particularly, it happens when the plumes elongate substantially to contribute to the large-scale eddies at the lower turbulent state. Supplementary small-scale properties, which are widely common in many turbulent flows have been observed in RBC. For example, the strong preferential alignment of vorticity with the intermediate eigenstrain vector, and the asymmetric alignment between vorticity and the vortex-stretching vector. It has been deduced that in a hard turbulent flow regime, local self-amplifications of straining regions aid in contracting the vorticity worms, and enhance the local interactions vorticity/strain to support the linear vortex-stretching contributions. On the other hand, the evolution of invariants pertained to the traceless part of velocity-times-temperature gradient tensor has also been considered in order to determine the role of thermals in the fine-scale dynamics. These new invariants show an incorporation of kinetic and thermal gradient dynamics that indicate directly the evolution and lifetime of thermal plume structures. By applying an identical approach, the rates of the new invariants have shown a symmetric cycling behaviour decaying towards two skew-symmetric converging origins at the lower Ra number. The trajectories near origins address the hot and cold coherent plumes that travel as an average large-scale heat flux in the sidewall vicinities, and denote a periodic spin period close to the plumes lifetime. At the hard turbulent case, the spiraling trajectories travel in shorter tracks to reveal the reduced lifetime of plumes under the dissipative and mixing effects. The turbulent background kinetic derivatives get self-amplified and the trajectories converge to a zero-valued origin indicating that there is no contribution from the plumes to the average coherent large scales of heat flux. These and other peculiar scrutinies on the small-scale motions in RBC have been enlightened, and may have a fruitful consequence on modelling approaches of buoyancy-driven turbulence.

Energy transfer in turbulence under rotation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buzzicotti, Michele; Aluie, Hussein; Biferale, Luca; Linkmann, Moritz

2018-03-01

It is known that rapidly rotating turbulent flows are characterized by the emergence of simultaneous upscale and downscale energy transfer. Indeed, both numerics and experiments show the formation of large-scale anisotropic vortices together with the development of small-scale dissipative structures. However the organization of interactions leading to this complex dynamics remains unclear. Two different mechanisms are known to be able to transfer energy upscale in a turbulent flow. The first is characterized by two-dimensional interactions among triads lying on the two-dimensional, three-component (2D3C)/slow manifold, namely on the Fourier plane perpendicular to the rotation axis. The second mechanism is three-dimensional and consists of interactions between triads with the same sign of helicity (homochiral). Here, we present a detailed numerical study of rotating flows using a suite of high-Reynolds-number direct numerical simulations (DNS) within different parameter regimes to analyze both upscale and downscale cascade ranges. We find that the upscale cascade at wave numbers close to the forcing scale is generated by increasingly dominant homochiral interactions which couple the three-dimensional bulk and the 2D3C plane. This coupling produces an accumulation of energy in the 2D3C plane, which then transfers energy to smaller wave numbers thanks to the two-dimensional mechanism. In the forward cascade range, we find that the energy transfer is dominated by heterochiral triads and is dominated primarily by interaction within the fast manifold where kz≠0 . We further analyze the energy transfer in different regions in the real-space domain. In particular, we distinguish high-strain from high-vorticity regions and we uncover that while the mean transfer is produced inside regions of strain, the rare but extreme events of energy transfer occur primarily inside the large-scale column vortices.

Full field study of strain distribution near the crack tip in the fracture of solid propellants via large strain digital image correlation and optical microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzalez, Javier

A full field method for visualizing deformation around the crack tip in a fracture process with large strains is developed. A digital image correlation program (DIC) is used to incrementally compute strains and displacements between two consecutive images of a deformation process. Values of strain and displacements for consecutive deformations are added, this way solving convergence problems in the DIC algorithm when large deformations are investigated. The method developed is used to investigate the strain distribution within 1 mm of the crack tip in a particulate composite solid (propellant) using microscopic visualization of the deformation process.

Detection of Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in bovine dairy herds in Northern Italy.

PubMed

Trevisani, M; Mancusi, R; Delle Donne, G; Bacci, C; Bassi, L; Bonardi, S

2014-08-01

The aim of this study was to monitor the presence of Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli in dairy farms authorized to sell raw milk and other farms, located in the same area, which sell milk to industry or use it to produce Parmesan or Grana cheese. Our research was focused on the serogroups O157 and O26, which are the most common in human cases in Italy and genetic markers that characterize the strains that can cause hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome (EHEC) in humans. Overall, 255 bulk-milk and 225 milk filter samples were screened for the presence of Shiga toxin genes (stx1 and stx2), O157 and O26 serogroups by using PCR. The samples were collected in 193 bovine dairy farms located in Northern Italy, including 32 farms selling raw milk to consumers. According to the preliminary PCR screening test, 32 out of 255 (12.5%; CI95%, 8.7% to 17.3%) bulk milk samples and 68 out of 225 (30.2%; CI95%, 24.3% to 36.7%) milk filters were positive for stx genes. Of the 32 milk samples that were stx-positive, 4 (1.6%, CI95%, 0.4% to 4%) were also positive by PCR for the rfbEO157 gene and 6 (2.4%, CI95%, 0.9% to 5.1%) were positive for the wzxO26 gene. The culture detection method, which was based on the immunomagnetic separation, achieved isolation rates of E. coli serogroups O157 and O26 in 25-67% of the milk samples that tested positive by PCR for these serogroups. STEC O26 was detected in one milk filter (1.6%) from a farm that sells raw milk to consumers directly and one sample (1.4%) of bulk milk intended for pasteurization. The presence of STEC O157 was also detected in 2 milk filters (1.7%) from farms that use milk to produce Grana cheese. All the STEC stains O157 and O26 isolated carried the genes eae and espK and genes belonging to the pathogenicity island OI-122 (efa1/2, sen, pagC), which are markers suitable for screening the human virulent EHEC strains. These virulence markers were also detected in the three strains of stx-negative E. coli O157 isolated from two filters and one milk sample. These strains could be therefore EHEC strains that have lost the stx genes (EHEC-derivative strains). Concern arise for the presence of EHEC O26 and E. coli O157 isolates that are suspected to be an EHEC-derivative in the milk filters sampled in farms that are used to sell raw milk to consumers and in other dairy farms. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sn-doped Bi 1.1Sb 0.9Te 2S bulk crystal topological insulator with excellent properties

DOE PAGES

S. K. Kushwaha; Pletikosic, I.; Liang, T.; ...

2016-04-27

A long-standing issue in topological insulator research has been to find a bulk single crystal material that provides a high quality platform for characterizing topological surface states without interference from bulk electronic states. This material would ideally be a bulk insulator, have a surface state Dirac point energy well isolated from the bulk valence and conduction bands, display quantum oscillations from the surface state electrons, and be growable as large, high quality bulk single crystals. Here we show that this materials obstacle is overcome by bulk crystals of lightly Sn-doped Bi 1.1Sb 0.9Te 2S grown by the Vertical Bridgeman method.more » We characterize Sn-BSTS via angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, transport studies, X-ray diffraction, and Raman scattering. We present this material as a high quality topological insulator that can be reliably grown as bulk single crystals and thus studied by many researchers interested in topological surface states.« less

A priori study of subgrid-scale features in turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dabbagh, F.; Trias, F. X.; Gorobets, A.; Oliva, A.

2017-10-01

At the crossroad between flow topology analysis and turbulence modeling, a priori studies are a reliable tool to understand the underlying physics of the subgrid-scale (SGS) motions in turbulent flows. In this paper, properties of the SGS features in the framework of a large-eddy simulation are studied for a turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection (RBC). To do so, data from direct numerical simulation (DNS) of a turbulent air-filled RBC in a rectangular cavity of aspect ratio unity and π spanwise open-ended distance are used at two Rayleigh numbers R a ∈{1 08,1 010 } [Dabbagh et al., "On the evolution of flow topology in turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection," Phys. Fluids 28, 115105 (2016)]. First, DNS at Ra = 108 is used to assess the performance of eddy-viscosity models such as QR, Wall-Adapting Local Eddy-viscosity (WALE), and the recent S3PQR-models proposed by Trias et al. ["Building proper invariants for eddy-viscosity subgrid-scale models," Phys. Fluids 27, 065103 (2015)]. The outcomes imply that the eddy-viscosity modeling smoothes the coarse-grained viscous straining and retrieves fairly well the effect of the kinetic unfiltered scales in order to reproduce the coherent large scales. However, these models fail to approach the exact evolution of the SGS heat flux and are incapable to reproduce well the further dominant rotational enstrophy pertaining to the buoyant production. Afterwards, the key ingredients of eddy-viscosity, νt, and eddy-diffusivity, κt, are calculated a priori and revealed positive prevalent values to maintain a turbulent wind essentially driven by the mean buoyant force at the sidewalls. The topological analysis suggests that the effective turbulent diffusion paradigm and the hypothesis of a constant turbulent Prandtl number are only applicable in the large-scale strain-dominated areas in the bulk. It is shown that the bulk-dominated rotational structures of vortex-stretching (and its synchronous viscous dissipative structures) hold the highest positive values of νt; however, the zones of backscatter energy and counter-gradient heat transport are related to the areas of compressed focal vorticity. More arguments have been attained through a priori investigation of the alignment trends imposed by existing parameterizations for the SGS heat flux, tested here inside RBC. It is shown that the parameterizations based linearly on the resolved thermal gradient are invalid in RBC. Alternatively, the tensor-diffusivity approach becomes a crucial choice of modeling the SGS heat flux, in particular, the tensorial diffusivity that includes the SGS stress tensor. This and other crucial scrutinies on a future modeling to the SGS heat flux in RBC are sought.

Summary of Air Force Research Laboratory Support for the NASA Green Propellant Infusion Mission

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-07-01

system to transfer propellant from a bulk propellant tank into a spacecraft tank. It also called for the transfer of propellant from a large transport...launch pressurized propellant tanks on a spacecraft or satellite, a fracture mechanics analysis is required to verify the safe design life of the...a bulk propellant tank into a spacecraft tank. It also called for the transfer of propellant from a large transport container into a specialized

Feasibility of culvert IED detection using thermal neutron activation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faust, Anthony A.; McFee, John E.; Clifford, Edward T. H.; Andrews, Hugh Robert; Mosquera, Cristian; Roberts, William C.

2012-06-01

Bulk explosives hidden in culverts pose a serious threat to the Canadian and allied armies. Culverts provide an opportunity to conceal insurgent activity, avoid the need for detectable surface disturbances, and limit the applicability of conventional sub-surface sensing techniques. Further, in spite of the large masses of explosives that can be employed, the large sensor{target separation makes detection of the bulk explosive content challeng- ing. Defence R&D Canada { Sueld and Bubble Technology Industries have been developing thermal neutron activation (TNA) sensors for detection of buried bulk explosives for over 15 years. The next generation TNA sensor, known as TNA2, incorporates a number of improvements that allow for increased sensor-to-target dis- tances, making it potentially feasible to detect large improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in culverts using TNA. Experiments to determine the ability of TNA2 to detect improvised explosive devices in culverts are described, and the resulting signal levels observed for relevant quantities of explosives are presented. Observations conrm that bulk explosives detection using TNA against a culvert-IED is possible, with large charges posing a detection challenge at least as dicult as that of a deeply buried anti-tank landmine. Because of the prototype nature of the TNA sensor used, it is not yet possible to make denitive statements about the absolute sensitivity or detection time. Further investigation is warranted.

ROOM TEMPERATURE BULK AND TEMPLATE-FREE SYNTHESIS OF LEUCOEMARLDINE POLYANILINE NANOFIBERS

EPA Science Inventory

An extremely simple single-step method is described for the bulk synthesis of nanofibers of the electronic polymer polyaniline in fully reduced state (leucoemarldine form) without using any reducing agents, surfactants, and/or large amounts of insoluble templates. Chemical oxida...

Giant actuation strain nearly 0.6% in a periodically orthogonal poled lead titanate zirconate ceramic via reversible domain switching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Faxin; Wang, Qiangzhong; Miao, Hongchen

2017-08-01

The widely used ferroelectric ceramics based actuators always suffer from small output strains (typically ˜0.1%-0.15%). Non-180° domain switching can generate a large strain in ferroelectrics but it is usually irreversible. In this work, we tailored the domain structures in a soft lead titanate zirconate (PZT) ceramic by periodical orthogonal poling. The non-180° switching in this domain-engineered PZT ceramics turns to be reversible, resulting in a local giant actuation strain of nearly 0.6% under a field of 2 kV/mm at 0.1 Hz. The large interfacial stresses between regions with different poling directions during electric loading/unloading were thought to be responsible for the reversible non-180° domain switching. The switching strain drops quickly with the increasing frequency, and stabilized at about 0.2% at or above 1.0 Hz. The large actuation strain remains quite stable after 104 cycles of loading, which is very promising for low-frequency, large-strain actuators.

Spin-flip transitions in self-assembled quantum dots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stavrou, V. N.

2017-12-01

Detailed realistic calculations of the spin-flip time (T 1) for an electron in a self-assembled quantum dot (SAQD) due to emission of an acoustic phonon, using only bulk properties with no fitting parameters, are presented. Ellipsoidal lens shaped Inx Ga1-x As quantum dots, with electronic states calculated using 8-band strain dependent {k \\cdot p} theory, are considered. The phonons are treated as bulk acoustic phonons coupled to the electron by both deformation potential and piezoelectric interactions. The dependence of T 1 on the geometry of SAQD, on the applied external magnetic field and on the lattice temperature is highlighted. The theoretical results are close to the experimental measurements on the spin-flip times for a single electron in QD.

Large actuation strain over 0.3% in periodically orthogonal poled BaTiO3 ceramics and multilayer actuators via reversible domain switching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Qiangzhong; Li, Faxin

2018-06-01

Lead titanate zirconate (PZT) ceramics based piezoelectric actuators always suffer from small output strains (typically 0.1%–0.15%) and have recently been criticized for the toxicity problem of the high-concentration lead. In our recent work (Li et al 2017 J. Appl. Phys. 122 074103), we realized large local actuation strain nearly 0.6% in a periodically orthogonal poled (POP) PZT ceramics via reversible domain switching. In this work, we applied the POP method to barium titanate (BT) ceramics and proposed a specially designed multilayer actuator which can output large uniform strain. The simple tetragonal structure of BT ceramics makes it easier to understand the mechanism of reversible domain switching in POP ceramics and its lead-free characteristic is more promising. Firstly, a POP BT ceramic piece was fabricated and the actuation testing results show that local large actuation strain of 0.36% can be obtained under a field of 2 kV mm‑1 at 0.1 Hz. However, the actuation strain is non-uniform along the period direction, varying from 0.22% to 0.36%. Then, to output uniform large strain, a four-layer actuator based on the POP BT ceramics was designed and fabricated in which only the in-plane poled regions of the adjacent layers were bonded. Results show that the output strain turns to be uniform in this way, which is 0.34% under 2 kV mm‑1, resulting in a very high large-signal (=S max/E max) of 1700 pm V‑1. The large actuation strain is very stable and keeps unchanged after 20k cycles of operation. It drops quickly with the increasing frequency and is stabilized at 0.18% above 1.0 Hz. Finally, bipolar field testing was conducted on the POP BT based actuator. Results show that the actuator shows electrostriction-like symmetric bipolar actuation behavior with the repeatable actuation strain of 0.3% under 2 kV mm‑1. This work may provide a feasible solution to low frequency, large-strain lead-free piezoelectric actuation.

A Three-Dimensional Computational Model of Collagen Network Mechanics

PubMed Central

Lee, Byoungkoo; Zhou, Xin; Riching, Kristin; Eliceiri, Kevin W.; Keely, Patricia J.; Guelcher, Scott A.; Weaver, Alissa M.; Jiang, Yi

2014-01-01

Extracellular matrix (ECM) strongly influences cellular behaviors, including cell proliferation, adhesion, and particularly migration. In cancer, the rigidity of the stromal collagen environment is thought to control tumor aggressiveness, and collagen alignment has been linked to tumor cell invasion. While the mechanical properties of collagen at both the single fiber scale and the bulk gel scale are quite well studied, how the fiber network responds to local stress or deformation, both structurally and mechanically, is poorly understood. This intermediate scale knowledge is important to understanding cell-ECM interactions and is the focus of this study. We have developed a three-dimensional elastic collagen fiber network model (bead-and-spring model) and studied fiber network behaviors for various biophysical conditions: collagen density, crosslinker strength, crosslinker density, and fiber orientation (random vs. prealigned). We found the best-fit crosslinker parameter values using shear simulation tests in a small strain region. Using this calibrated collagen model, we simulated both shear and tensile tests in a large linear strain region for different network geometry conditions. The results suggest that network geometry is a key determinant of the mechanical properties of the fiber network. We further demonstrated how the fiber network structure and mechanics evolves with a local formation, mimicking the effect of pulling by a pseudopod during cell migration. Our computational fiber network model is a step toward a full biomechanical model of cellular behaviors in various ECM conditions. PMID:25386649

Large area bulk superconductors

DOEpatents

Miller, Dean J.; Field, Michael B.

2002-01-01

A bulk superconductor having a thickness of not less than about 100 microns is carried by a polycrystalline textured substrate having misorientation angles at the surface thereof not greater than about 15.degree.; the bulk superconductor may have a thickness of not less than about 100 microns and a surface area of not less than about 50 cm.sup.2. The textured substrate may have a thickness not less than about 10 microns and misorientation angles at the surface thereof not greater than about 15.degree.. Also disclosed is a process of manufacturing the bulk superconductor and the polycrystalline biaxially textured substrate material.

Strong, ductile, and thermally stable Cu-based metal-intermetallic nanostructured composites.

PubMed

Dusoe, Keith J; Vijayan, Sriram; Bissell, Thomas R; Chen, Jie; Morley, Jack E; Valencia, Leopolodo; Dongare, Avinash M; Aindow, Mark; Lee, Seok-Woo

2017-01-09

Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) and nanocrystalline metals (NMs) have been extensively investigated due to their superior strengths and elastic limits. Despite these excellent mechanical properties, low ductility at room temperature and poor microstructural stability at elevated temperatures often limit their practical applications. Thus, there is a need for a metallic material system that can overcome these performance limits of BMGs and NMs. Here, we present novel Cu-based metal-intermetallic nanostructured composites (MINCs), which exhibit high ultimate compressive strengths (over 2 GPa), high compressive failure strain (over 20%), and superior microstructural stability even at temperatures above the glass transition temperature of Cu-based BMGs. Rapid solidification produces a unique ultra-fine microstructure that contains a large volume fraction of Cu 5 Zr superlattice intermetallic compound; this contributes to the high strength and superior thermal stability. Mechanical and microstructural characterizations reveal that substantial accumulation of phase boundary sliding at metal/intermetallic interfaces accounts for the extensive ductility observed.

Large piezoelectricity in electric-field modified single crystals of SrTiO3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khanbabaee, B.; Mehner, E.; Richter, C.; Hanzig, J.; Zschornak, M.; Pietsch, U.; Stöcker, H.; Leisegang, T.; Meyer, D. C.; Gorfman, S.

2016-11-01

Defect engineering is an effective and powerful tool to control the existing material properties and produce completely new ones, which are symmetry-forbidden in a defect-free crystal. For example, the application of a static electric field to a single crystal of SrTiO3 forms a strained near-surface layer through the migration of oxygen vacancies out of the area beneath the positively charged electrode. While it was previously shown that this near-surface phase holds pyroelectric properties, which are symmetry-forbidden in centrosymmetric bulk SrTiO3, this paper reports that the same phase is strongly piezoelectric. We demonstrate the piezoelectricity of this phase through stroboscopic time-resolved X-ray diffraction under alternating electric field and show that the effective piezoelectric coefficient d33 ranges between 60 and 100 pC/N. The possible atomistic origins of the piezoelectric activity are discussed as a coupling between the electrostrictive effect and spontaneous polarization of this near-surface phase.

Nanoarchitectured materials composed of fullerene-like spheroids and disordered graphene layers with tunable mechanical properties.

PubMed

Zhao, Zhisheng; Wang, Erik F; Yan, Hongping; Kono, Yoshio; Wen, Bin; Bai, Ligang; Shi, Feng; Zhang, Junfeng; Kenney-Benson, Curtis; Park, Changyong; Wang, Yanbin; Shen, Guoyin

2015-02-04

Type-II glass-like carbon is a widely used material with a unique combination of properties including low density, high strength, extreme impermeability to gas and liquid and resistance to chemical corrosion. It can be considered as a carbon-based nanoarchitectured material, consisting of a disordered multilayer graphene matrix encasing numerous randomly distributed nanosized fullerene-like spheroids. Here we show that under both hydrostatic compression and triaxial deformation, this high-strength material is highly compressible and exhibits a superelastic ability to recover from large strains. Under hydrostatic compression, bulk, shear and Young's moduli decrease anomalously with pressure, reaching minima around 1-2 GPa, where Poisson's ratio approaches zero, and then revert to normal behaviour with positive pressure dependences. Controlling the concentration, size and shape of fullerene-like spheroids with tailored topological connectivity to graphene layers is expected to yield exceptional and tunable mechanical properties, similar to mechanical metamaterials, with potentially wide applications.

Nanoarchitectured materials composed of fullerene-like spheroids and disordered graphene layers with tunable mechanical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Zhisheng; Wang, Erik F.; Yan, Hongping; Kono, Yoshio; Wen, Bin; Bai, Ligang; Shi, Feng; Zhang, Junfeng; Kenney-Benson, Curtis; Park, Changyong; Wang, Yanbin; Shen, Guoyin

2015-02-01

Type-II glass-like carbon is a widely used material with a unique combination of properties including low density, high strength, extreme impermeability to gas and liquid and resistance to chemical corrosion. It can be considered as a carbon-based nanoarchitectured material, consisting of a disordered multilayer graphene matrix encasing numerous randomly distributed nanosized fullerene-like spheroids. Here we show that under both hydrostatic compression and triaxial deformation, this high-strength material is highly compressible and exhibits a superelastic ability to recover from large strains. Under hydrostatic compression, bulk, shear and Young’s moduli decrease anomalously with pressure, reaching minima around 1-2 GPa, where Poisson’s ratio approaches zero, and then revert to normal behaviour with positive pressure dependences. Controlling the concentration, size and shape of fullerene-like spheroids with tailored topological connectivity to graphene layers is expected to yield exceptional and tunable mechanical properties, similar to mechanical metamaterials, with potentially wide applications.

Grain-boundary unzipping by oxidation in polycrystalline graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexandre, Simone; Lucio, Aline; Nunes, Ricardo

2011-03-01

The need for large-scale production of graphene will inevitably lead to synthesis of the polycrystalline material [1,2]. Understanding the chemical, mechanical, and electronic properties of grain boundaries in graphene polycrystals will be crucial for the development of graphene-based electronics. Oxidation of this material has been suggested to lead to graphene ribbons, by the oxygen-driven unzipping mechanism. A cooperative-strain mechanism, based on the formation of epoxy groups along lines of parallel bonds in the hexagons of graphene's honeycomb lattice, was proposed to explain the unzipping effect in bulk graphene In this work we employ ab initio calculations to study the oxidation of polycrystalline graphene by chemisorption of oxygen at the grain boundaries. Our results indicate that oxygen tends to segregate at the boundaries, and that the unzipping mechanism is also operative along the grain boundaries, despite the lack of the parallel bonds due to the presence of fivefold and sevenfold carbon rings along the boundary core. We acknowledge support from the Brazilian agencies: CNPq, Fapemig, and INCT-Materiais de Carbono.

Survival of Bacillus anthracis spores in fruit juices and wine.

PubMed

Leishman, Oriana N; Johnson, Miranda J; Labuza, Theodore P; Diez-Gonzalez, Francisco

2010-09-01

Foods have been identified as a potential target for bioterrorism due to their essential nature and global distribution. Foods produced in bulk have the potential to have large batches of product intentionally contaminated, which could affect hundreds or thousands of individuals. Bacillus anthracis spores are one potential bioterrorism agent that may survive pasteurization and remain viable throughout the shelf life of fruit juices and cause disease if consumed. This project examined B. anthracis spore survival in orange, apple, and grape juices, as well as wine. Samples of beverages were inoculated with spores of two nonpathogenic B. anthracis strains at approximately 10(6) CFU/ml, and the spore count was determined periodically during storage for 30 days at 4°C. After this time, the counts of survival spores never declined more than 1 log CFU/ml in any of the beverage types. These results indicate that spores can survive, with little to no loss in viability, for at least a month in fruit juices and wine.

Phase-assisted synthesis and DNA unpacking evaluation of biologically inspired metallo nanocomplexes using peptide as unique building block.

PubMed

Raman, N; Sudharsan, S

2011-12-01

The goal of nanomaterials' surface modification using a biomaterial is to preserve the materials' bulk properties while modifying only their surface to possess desired recognition and specificity. Here, we have developed a phase-assisted, modified Brust-Schiffrin methodological synthesis of metallo nanocomplexes anchored by a peptide, N,N'-(1,3-propylene)-bis-hippuricamide. The spectral, thermal and morphological characterizations assure the formation of nanocomplexes. Therapeutic behavior of all the nanocomplexes has been well sighted by evaluating their DNA unpacking skills. In addition, we demonstrate their biological inspiration by targeting few bacterial and fungal strains. The in vitro antimicrobial investigation reports that all the nanocomplexes disrupt microbial cell walls/membranes efficiently and inhibit the growth of microbes. These sorts of nanocomplexes synthesized in large quantities and at low cost, deliver versatile biomedical applications, and can be used to treat various diseases which may often cause high mortality. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

MassTRIX: mass translator into pathways.

PubMed

Suhre, Karsten; Schmitt-Kopplin, Philippe

2008-07-01

Recent technical advances in mass spectrometry (MS) have brought the field of metabolomics to a point where large numbers of metabolites from numerous prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms can now be easily and precisely detected. The challenge today lies in the correct annotation of these metabolites on the basis of their accurate measured masses. Assignment of bulk chemical formula is generally possible, but without consideration of the biological and genomic context, concrete metabolite annotations remain difficult and uncertain. MassTRIX responds to this challenge by providing a hypothesis-driven approach to high precision MS data annotation. It presents the identified chemical compounds in their genomic context as differentially colored objects on KEGG pathway maps. Information on gene transcription or differences in the gene complement (e.g. samples from different bacterial strains) can be easily added. The user can thus interpret the metabolic state of the organism in the context of its potential and, in the case of submitted transcriptomics data, real enzymatic capacities. The MassTRIX web server is freely accessible at http://masstrix.org.

Synchrotron X-ray studies of epitaxial ferroelectric thin films and nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klug, Jeffrey A.

The study of ferroelectric thin films is a field of considerable scientific and technological interest. In this dissertation synchrotron x-ray techniques were applied to examine the effects of lateral confinement and epitaxial strain in ferroelectric thin films and nanostructures. Three materials systems were investigated: laterally confined epitaxial BiFeO3 nanostructures on SrTiO3 (001), ultra-thin commensurate SrTiO 3 films on Si (001), and coherently strained films of BaTiO3 on DyScO3 (110). Epitaxial films of BiFeO3 were deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering on SrRuO3 coated SrTiO 3 (001) substrates. Laterally confined nanostructures were fabricated using focused ion-beam processing and subsequently characterized with focused beam x-ray nanodiffraction measurements with unprecedented spatial resolution. Results from a series of rectangular nanostructures with lateral dimensions between 500 nm and 1 mum and a comparably-sized region of the unpatterned BiFeO3 film revealed qualitatively similar distributions of local strain and lattice rotation with a 2-3 times larger magnitude of variation observed in those of the nanostructures compared to the unpatterned film. This indicates that lateral confinement leads to enhanced variation in the local strain and lattice rotation fields in epitaxial BiFeO3 nanostructures. A commensurate 2 nm thick film of SrTiO3 on Si was characterized by the x-ray standing wave (XSW) technique to determine the Sr and Ti cation positions in the strained unit cell in order to verify strain-induced ferroelectricity in SrTiO3/Si. A Si (004) XSW measurement at 10°C indicated that the average Ti displacement from the midpoint between Sr planes was consistent in magnitude to that predicted by a density functional theory (DFT) calculated ferroelectric structure. The Ti displacement determined from a 35°C measurement better matched a DFT-predicted nonpolar structure. The thin film extension of the XSW technique was employed to measure the polar displacement of the Ba cations in a 50 nm thick coherently strained BaTiO3 film on DyScO3 (110). An analysis assuming a bulk-like ratio between the Ti and Ba displacements found that the polar shift of Ba cations was larger than in bulk BaTiO3, which was consistent with strain-induced enhancement of ferroelectric polarization in BaTiO3/DyScO3 (110).

Bistable electroactive polymers (BSEP): large-strain actuation of rigid polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Zhibin; Niu, Xiaofan; Brochu, Paul; Yuan, Wei; Li, Huafeng; Chen, Bin; Pei, Qibing

2010-04-01

Reversible, large-strain, bistable actuation has been a lasting puzzle in the pursuit of smart materials and structures. Conducting polymers are bistable, but the achievable strain is small. Large deformations have been achieved in dielectric elastomers at the expense of mechanical strength. The gel or gel-like soft polymers generally have elastic moduli around or less than 10 MPa. The deformed polymer relaxes to its original shape once the applied electric field is removed. We report new, bistable electroactive polymers (BSEP) that are capable of electrically actuated strains as high as 335% area strain. The BSEP could be useful for constructing rigid structures. The structures can support high mechanical loads, and be actuated to large-strain deformations. We will present one unique application of the BSEP for Braille displays that can be quickly refreshed and maintain the displayed contents without a bias voltage.

Combining ability of summer-squash lines with different degrees of parthenocarpy and PRSV-W resistance.

PubMed

Nogueira, Douglas Willian; Maluf, Wilson Roberto; Dos Reis Figueira, Antonia; Maciel, Gabriel Mascarenhas; Gomes, Luiz Antonio Augusto; Benavente, Cesar Augusto Ticona

2011-10-01

The aim was to assess heterosis in a set of 16 summer-squash hybrids, and evaluate the combining capacity of the respective parental lines, which differed as to the degree of parthenocarpy and resistance to PRSV-W (Papaya Ringspot Virus-Watermelon strain). The hybrids were obtained using a partial diallel cross design (4 × 4). The lines of parental group I were 1 = ABX-037G-77-03-05-01-01-bulk, 2 = ABX-037G-77-03-05-03-10-bulk, 3 = ABX-037G-77-03-05-01-04-bulk and 4 = ABX-037G-77-03-05-05-01-bulk, and of group II, 1' = ABX-037G-77-03-05-04-08-bulk, 2' = ABX-037G-77-03-05-02-11-bulk, 3' = Clarice and 4' = Caserta. The 16 hybrids and eight parental lines were evaluated for PRSV-W resistance, parthenocarpic expression and yield in randomized complete-block designs, with three replications. Parthenocarpy and the resistance to PRSV-W were rated by means of a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 = non-parthenocarpic or high resistance to PRSV-W, and 5 = parthenocarpic or high susceptibility to PRSV-W. Both additive and non-additive gene effects were important in the expression of parthenocarpy and resistance to PRSV-W. Whereas estimates of heterosis in parthenocarpy usually tended towards a higher degree, resistance to PRSV-W was towards higher susceptibility. At least one F(1) hybrid was identified with a satisfactory degree of parthenocarpy, resistance to PRSV-W and high fruit-yield.

Combining ability of summer-squash lines with different degrees of parthenocarpy and PRSV-W resistance

PubMed Central

Nogueira, Douglas Willian; Maluf, Wilson Roberto; dos Reis Figueira, Antonia; Maciel, Gabriel Mascarenhas; Gomes, Luiz Antonio Augusto; Benavente, Cesar Augusto Ticona

2011-01-01

The aim was to assess heterosis in a set of 16 summer-squash hybrids, and evaluate the combining capacity of the respective parental lines, which differed as to the degree of parthenocarpy and resistance to PRSV-W (Papaya Ringspot Virus-Watermelon strain). The hybrids were obtained using a partial diallel cross design (4 × 4). The lines of parental group I were 1 = ABX-037G-77-03-05-01-01-bulk, 2 = ABX-037G-77-03-05-03-10-bulk, 3 = ABX-037G-77-03-05-01-04-bulk and 4 = ABX-037G-77-03-05-05-01-bulk, and of group II, 1′ = ABX-037G-77-03-05-04-08-bulk, 2′ = ABX-037G-77-03-05-02-11-bulk, 3′ = Clarice and 4′ = Caserta. The 16 hybrids and eight parental lines were evaluated for PRSV-W resistance, parthenocarpic expression and yield in randomized complete-block designs, with three replications. Parthenocarpy and the resistance to PRSV-W were rated by means of a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 = non-parthenocarpic or high resistance to PRSV-W, and 5 = parthenocarpic or high susceptibility to PRSV-W. Both additive and non-additive gene effects were important in the expression of parthenocarpy and resistance to PRSV-W. Whereas estimates of heterosis in parthenocarpy usually tended towards a higher degree, resistance to PRSV-W was towards higher susceptibility. At least one F1 hybrid was identified with a satisfactory degree of parthenocarpy, resistance to PRSV-W and high fruit-yield. PMID:22215966

Roles of Bulk and Surface Chemistry in the Oxygen Exchange Kinetics and Related Properties of Mixed Conducting Perovskite Oxide Electrodes

PubMed Central

Perry, Nicola H.; Ishihara, Tatsumi

2016-01-01

Mixed conducting perovskite oxides and related structures serving as electrodes for electrochemical oxygen incorporation and evolution in solid oxide fuel and electrolysis cells, respectively, play a significant role in determining the cell efficiency and lifetime. Desired improvements in catalytic activity for rapid surface oxygen exchange, fast bulk transport (electronic and ionic), and thermo-chemo-mechanical stability of oxygen electrodes will require increased understanding of the impact of both bulk and surface chemistry on these properties. This review highlights selected work at the International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (I2CNER), Kyushu University, set in the context of work in the broader community, aiming to characterize and understand relationships between bulk and surface composition and oxygen electrode performance. Insights into aspects of bulk point defect chemistry, electronic structure, crystal structure, and cation choice that impact carrier concentrations and mobilities, surface exchange kinetics, and chemical expansion coefficients are emerging. At the same time, an understanding of the relationship between bulk and surface chemistry is being developed that may assist design of electrodes with more robust surface chemistries, e.g., impurity tolerance or limited surface segregation. Ion scattering techniques (e.g., secondary ion mass spectrometry, SIMS, or low energy ion scattering spectroscopy, LEIS) with high surface sensitivity and increasing lateral resolution are proving useful for measuring surface exchange kinetics, diffusivity, and corresponding outer monolayer chemistry of electrodes exposed to typical operating conditions. Beyond consideration of chemical composition, the use of strain and/or a high density of active interfaces also show promise for enhancing performance. PMID:28773978

Mobility and Device Applications of Heavily Doped Silicon and Strained SILICON(1-X) Germanium(x) Layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carns, Timothy Keith

With the advent of Si molecular beam epitaxy (Si -MBE), a significant amount of research has occurred to seek alternative high conductivity Si-based materials such as rm Si_{1-x}Ge_ {x} and delta-doped Si. These materials have brought improvements in device speeds and current drives with the added advantage of monolithic integration into Si VLSI circuits. The bulk of research in Si-based materials has been devoted to the implementation of strained rm Si_{1-x}Ge_{x} as the base layer of a rm Si_ {1-x}Ge_{x}/Si heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT). Because of the valence band offset, the rm Si_{1-x}Ge _{x} layer can be heavily doped, leading to lower base sheet resistances and hence, improved speed performances. The Ge content in the base can also be graded to increase the drift field in the base. However, very few hole mobility measurements have been done in these strained layers, leading to limitations in device modeling and in understanding the transport behavior in this important material. In addition to rm Si_{1 -x}Ge_{x}, much potential also exists in using delta-doping in Si for improved conductivities over those of bulk Si. However, as of yet, delta-doped Si has received little attention. Therefore, this dissertation is dedicated to the investigation of both of these Si-based materials (strained rm Si_{1-x}Ge_{x } and delta-doped Si and rm Si_{1-x}Ge_ {x}) for the purpose of obtaining higher conductivities than comparably doped bulk Si. This work is divided into three parts to accomplish this objective. The first part is contained in Chapter 3 and is comprised of a comprehensive characterization of the hole mobility in compressively strained rm Si_{1 -x}Ge_{x}. Few results have been obtained prior to this research which has led to many inaccuracies in device modeling. The second part of this dissertation in Chapters 4 and 5 is devoted to the study of the mobility behavior in both boron and antimony delta-doped Si and rm Si_ {1-x}Ge_{x}. The important discovery of mobility and conductivity enhancement in coupled delta-doped layers is highlighted in Chapter 5. Finally, the third part of this work discusses the implementation of boron delta -doped layers in Si homojunction bipolar transistors and FETs. Chapter 6 includes the fabrication of the first coupled delta-doped base layer Si BJT, the first p-type Si delta-doped layer MESFET, the first coupled delta -doped layer FET, and the first SiGe delta -FET.

The Future of Centrally-Organized Wholesale Electricity Markets

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

Glazer, Craig; Morrison, Jay; Breakman, Paul

The electricity grid in the United States is organized around a network of large, centralized power plants and high voltage transmission lines that transport electricity, sometimes over large distances, before it is delivered to the customer through a local distribution grid. This network of centralized generation and high voltage transmission lines is called the “bulk power system.” Costs relating to bulk power generation typically account for more than half of a customer’s electric bill.1 For this reason, the structure and functioning of wholesale electricity markets have major impacts on costs and economic value for consumers, as well as energy securitymore » and national security. Diverse arrangements for bulk power wholesale markets have evolved over the last several decades. The Southeast and Western United States outside of California have a “bilateral-based” bulk power system where market participants enter into long-term bilateral agreements — using competitive procurements through power marketers, direct arrangements among utilities or with other generation owners, and auctions and exchanges.« less

Crystal nucleation and glass formation in metallic alloy melts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spaepen, F.

1984-01-01

Homogeneous nucleation, containerless solidification, and bulk formation of metallic glasses are discussed. Homogeneous nucleation is not a limiting factor for metallic glass formation at slow cooling rates if the reduced glass transition temperature is high enough. Such glasses can be made in bulk if heterogeneous nucleants are removed. Containerless processing eleminates potential sources of nucleants, but as drop tube experiments on the Pd-Si alloys show, the free surface may still be a very effective heterogeneous nucleant. Combination of etching and heating in vacuum or fluxing can be effective for cleaning fairly large ingots of nucleants. Reduced gravity processing has a potentially useful role in the fluxing technique, for example to keep large metallic ingots surrounded by a low density, low fluidity flux if this proved difficult under ground conditions. For systems where heterogeneous nucleants in the bulk of the ingot need gravity to segregate to the flux-metal interface, reduced gravity processing may not be appropriate for bulk glass formation.