Electromagnetic wave absorbing properties and hyperfine interactions of Fe–Cu–Nb–Si–B nanocomposites

The Fe–Cu–Nb–Si–B alloy nanocomposite containing two ferromagnetic phases(amorphous phase and nanophase phase) is obtained by properly annealing the as-prepared alloys. High resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM) images show the coexistence of these two phases. It is found that Fe–Si nanograins are surrounded by the retained amorphous ferromagnetic phase. M¨ossbauer spectroscopy measurements show that the nanophase is the D03-type Fe–Si phase, which is employed to find the atomic fractions of resonant57 Fe atoms in these two phases. The microwave permittivity and permeability spectra of Fe–Cu–Nb–Si–B nanocomposite are measured in the frequency range of 0.5 GHz–10 GHz. Large relative microwave permeability values are obtained. The results show that the absorber containing the nanocomposite flakes with a volume fraction of 28.59% exhibits good microwave absorption properties. The reflection loss of the absorber is less than-10 dB in a frequency band of 1.93 GHz–3.20 GHz.     

Effect of deposition temperature on SrFe_(12)O_(19)@carbonyl iron core–shell composites as high-performance microwave absorbers

The SrFe_(12)O_(19)@carbonyl iron(CI) core–shell composites used in microwave absorption are prepared by the metal–organic chemical vapor deposition(MOCVD). The x-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive spectrometer, and vector network analyzer are used to characterize the structural, electromagnetic, and absorption properties of the composites. The results show that the SrFe_(12)O_(19)@CI composites with a core–shell structure could be successfully prepared under the condition: deposition temperatures above 180℃, deposition time 30 min, and gas flow rate 30 m L/min.The electromagnetic properties of the composites change significantly, and their absorption capacities are improved. Of the obtained samples, those samples prepared at a deposition temperature of 180℃ exhibit the best absorption performance.The reflection loss of SrFe_(12)O_(19)@CI(180℃) with 1.5 mm–2.5 mm in thickness is less than-10 dB in a frequency range of 8 GHz–18 GHz, which covers the whole X band and Ku band.     

Microwave absorption properties of a double-layer absorber based on nanocomposite BaFe12O19/α-Fe and nanocrystalline α-Fe microfibers

The nanocomposite BaFe12O19/α-Fe and nanocrystalline α-Fe microfibers with diameters of 1–5 μm, high aspect ratios and large specific areas are prepared by the citrate gel transformation and reduction process. The nanocomposite BaFe12O19/α-Fe microfibers show some exchange–coupling interactions largely arising from the magnetization hard(BaFe12O19) and soft(α-Fe) nanoparticles. For the microwave absorptions, the double-layer structures consisting of the nanocomposite BaFe12O19/α-Fe and α-Fe microfibers each exhibit a wide band and strong absorption behavior. When the nanocomposite BaFe12O19/α-Fe microfibers are used as a matching layer of 2.3 mm in thickness and α-Fe microfibers as an absorbing layer of 1.2 mm in thickness, the optimal reflection loss(RL) achieves-47 dB at 15.6 GHz, the absorption bandwidth is about 12.7 GHz ranging from 5.3 to 18 GHz, exceeding-20 dB, which covers 72.5% C-band(4.2–8.2 GHz)and whole X-band(8.2–12.4 GHz) and Ku-band(12.4–18 GHz). The enhanced absorption properties of these double-layer absorbers are mainly ascribed to the improvement in impedance matching ability and microwave multi-reflection largely resulting from the dipolar polarization, interfacial polarization, exchange–coupling interaction, and small size effect.     

Theoretical calculation and experiment of microwave electromagnetic property of Ni(C) nanocapsules

With the combination of the dielectric loss of the carbon layer with the magnetic loss of the ferromagnetic metal core,carbon-coated nickel Ni(C) nanoparticles are expected to be the promising microwave absorbers. Microwave electromagnetic parameters and reflection loss in a frequency range of 2 GHz–18 GHz for paraffin-Ni(C) composites are investigated.The values of relative complex permittivity and permeability, the dielectric and magnetic loss tangent of paraffin-Ni(C) composites are measured, respectively, when the weight ratios of Ni(C) nanoparticles are equal to 10 wt%, 40 wt%, 50 wt%,70 wt%, and 80 wt% in paraffin-Ni(C) composites. The results reveal that Ni(C) nanoparticles exhibit a peak of magnetic loss at about 13 GHz, suggesting that magnetic loss and a natural resonance could be found at that frequency. Based on the measured complex permittivity and permeability, the reflection losses of paraffin-Ni(C) composites with different weight ratios of Ni(C) nanoparticles and coating thickness values are simulated according to the transmission line theory. An excellent microwave absorption is obtained. To be proved by the experimental results, the reflection loss of composite with a coating thickness of 2 mm is measured by the Arch method. The results indicate that the maximum reflection loss reaches-26.73 d B at 12.7 GHz, and below-10 d B, the bandwidth is about 4 GHz. The fact that the measured absorption position is consistent with the calculated results suggests that a good electromagnetic match and a strong microwave absorption can be established in Ni(C) nanoparticles. The excellent Ni(C) microwave absorber is prepared by choosing an optimum layer number and the weight ratio of Ni(C) nanoparticles in paraffin-Ni(C) composites.     

Fabrication and performance optimization of Mn-Zn ferrite/EP composites as microwave absorbing materials

Magnesium-substituted Mn0.8Zn0.2Fe2O4 ferrite is synthesized by the sol–gel combustion method using citrate acid as the complex agent. The electromagnetic absorbing behaviors of ferrite/polymer coatings fabricated by dispersing Mn–Zn ferrite into epoxy resin （EP） are studied. The microstructure and morphology are characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. Complex permittivity, complex permeability, and reflection loss of ferrite/EP composite coating are investigated in a low frequency range. It is found that the prepared ferrite particles are traditional cubic spinel ferrite particles with an average size of 200 nm. The results reveal that the electromagnetic microwave absorbing properties are significantly influenced by the weight ratio of ferrite to polymer. The composites with a weight ratio of ferrite/polymer being 3：20 have a maximum reflection loss of –16 dB and wide absorbing band. Thus, the Mn–Zn ferrite is the potential candidate in electromagnetic absorbing application in the low frequency range （10 MHz–1 GHz）.     

Selection of isolated and individual single-walled carbon nanotube from a film and its usage in nanodevices

Individual and isolated single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are important for fabricating relevant nanode- vices and studying the properties of the SWNT devices. In this work, we demonstrate that individual and isolated SWNT can be selected and obtained from a film containing a huge number of SWNTs. By using both the polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) as a negative resist and the electron beam lithography, the selected SWNT can be fixed on a substrate, while the other SWNTs in the film can lift off. The selected SWNT can be used to fabricate nanodevice and a gas sensor of oxygen is demonstrated in this work.     

The effects of static magnetic field on microwave absorption of hydrogen plasma in carbon nanotubes: A numerical study

We theoretically investigate the microwave absorption properties of hydrogen plasma in iron-catalyzed highpressure disproportionation-grown carbon nanotubes under an external static magnetic field in the frequency range 0.3 GHz to 30 GHz, using the Maxwell equations in conjunction with a general expression for the effective complex permittivity of magnetized plasma known as the Appleton–Hartree formula. The effects of the external static magnetic field intensity and the incident microwave propagation direction on the microwave absorption of hydrogen plasma in CNTs are studied in detail. The numerical results indicate that the microwave absorption properties of hydrogen plasma in iron-catalyzed high-pressure disproportionation-grown carbon nanotubes can be obviously improved when the external static magnetic field is applied to the material. It is found that the specified frequency microwave can be strongly absorbed by the hydrogen plasma in iron-catalyzed high-pressure disproportionation-grown carbon nanotubes over a wide range of incidence angles by adjusting the external magnetic field intensity and the parameters of the hydrogen plasma.     

Enhanced absorption properties of ordered mesoporous carbon/Co-doped ordered mesoporous carbon double-layer absorbers

Ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) and metal-doped (M-doped) OMC composites are prepared, and their electromagnetic (EM) parameters are measured. Using the measured EM parameters we calculate the EM wave absorption properties of a double-layer absorber, which is composed of OMC as an absorbing layer and M-doped OMC as the matching layer. The calculated results show that the EM wave absorption performance of OMC/OMC-Co (2.2mm/2.1mm) is improved remarkably. The obtained effective absorption bandwidth is up to 10.3 GHz and the minimum reflection loss reaches 47.6 dB at 14.3 GHz. The enhanced absorption property of OMC/OMC-Co can be attributed to the impedance match between the air and the absorber. Moreover, it can be found that for the absorber with a given matching layer, a larger value of -tanδε (= tan δε absorbing tan δε matching ) can induce better absorption performance, indicating that the difference in impedance between the absorbing layer and the matching layer plays an important role in improving the absorption property of double-layer absorbers.     

Transmission properties of microwave in rectangular waveguide through argon plasma

To study the impact of plasma generated by microwave breakdown on the propagation properties of microwave in high power microwave(HPM) devices, a three-dimensional(3-D) fluid model of argon plasma slab in rectangular waveguide is established and calculated by the finite-difference-time-domain(FDTD) method. A rectangular waveguide with a breakdown chamber filled with argon is set as the physics model, and HPM with frequency of 3–50 GHz propagates through this physics model. The time evolutions of the breakdown process are investigated, the reflection, transmission, and absorption coefficients of HPM are calculated, and the influences of some important parameters, including the thickness of the plasma slab and the microwave frequency on the propagation properties of the microwave are shown. Results of this work can offer theoretical instructions for suppressing the influence of breakdown to the performance of HPM devices, and for the use of microwave breakdown, such as the design of plasma limiter or absorber in HPM devices.     

Synthesis and microwave absorption properties of graphene-oxide(GO)/polyaniline nanocomposite with Fe3O4 particles

In order to investigate the impedance matching properties of microwave absorbers,the ternary nanocomposites of GO/PANI/Fe₃O₄（GPF） are prepared via a two-step method,GO/PANI composites are synthesized by dilute polymerization in the presence of aniline monomer and GO,and GO/PANI/Fe₃O₄ is prepared via a co-precipitation method.The obtained nanocomposites are characterized by scanning electron microscopy（SEM）,X-ray diffraction（XRD）,and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy（FTIR）,respectively.The microwave absorbability reveals enhanced microwave absorption properties compared with GO,PANI,and GO/PANI.The maximum reflection loss of GO/PANI/Fe₃O₄ is up to-27 dB at 14 GHz with its thickness being 2 mm,and its absorption bandwidths exceeding-10 dB are more than 11.2 GHz with its thickness values being in the range from 1.5 mm-4 mm.It provides that GO/PANI/Fe₃O₄ can be used as an attractive candidate for microwave absorbers.     

Enhancement of water permeation across nanochannels by partial charges mimicked from biological channels

In biological water channel aquaporins （AQPs）, it is believed that the bipolar orientation of the single-file water molecules inside the channel blocks proton permeation but not water transport. In this paper, the water permeation and particularly the water-selective behaviour across a single-walled carbon nanotube （SWNT） with two partial charges adjacent to the wall of the SWNT are studied by molecular dynamics simulations, in which the distance between the two partial charges is varied from 0.14 nm to 0.5 nm and the charges each have a quantity of 0.5 e. The two partial charges are used to mimic the charge distribution of the conserved non-pseudoautosomal （NPA） （asparagine/proline/alanine） regions in AQPs. Compared with across the nanochannel in a system with one ＋1 ε charge, the water permeation across the nanochannel is greatly enhanced in a system with two ＋0.5 e charges when charges are close to the nanotube, i.e. the two partial charges permit more rapid water diffusion and maintain better bipolar order along the water file when the distance between the two charges and the wall of SWNT is smaller than about 0.05 nm. The bipolar orientation of the single-file water molecules is crucial for the exclusion of proton transfer. These findings may serve as guidelines for the future nanodevices by using charges to transport water and have biological implications because membrane water channels share a similar single-file water chain and positive charged region at centre and provide an insight into why two residues are necessitated in the central region of water channel protein.     

Experimental verification of therapeutic doses for the superficially-placed tumor radiotherapy with heavy ions at HIRFL

Up to now, clinical trials of heavy-ion radiotherapy for superficially placed tumors have been carried out for six times and over 60 selected patients have been treated with 80--100 MeV/u carbon ions supplied by the Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou （HIRFL） at the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences since November, 2006. A passive irradiation system and a dose optimization method for radiotherapy with carbon-ion beams have been developed. Experimental verification of longitudinally therapeutic dose distributions was conducted under the condition of simulating patient treatment in the therapy terminal at HIRFL. The measured depth-dose distributions basically coincide with the expected ones. These results indicate that the irradiation system and the dose optimization method are effective in the ongoing carbon-ion radiotherapy for shallow-seated tumors at HIRFL.     

Electron field emission characteristics of nano-catkin carbon films deposited by electron cyclotron resonance microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition

This paper reported that the nano-catkin carbon films were prepared on Si substrates by means of electron cyclotron resonance microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition in a hydrogen and methane mixture. The surface morphology and the structure of the fabricated films were characterized by using scanning electron microscopes and Raman spectroscopy, respectively. The stable field emission properties with a low threshold field of 5V/μm corresponding to a current density of about 1μA/cm^2 and a current density of 3.2mA/cm^2 at an electric field of 10V/μm were obtained from the carbon film deposited at CH4 concentration of 8%. The mechanism that the threshold field decreased with the increase of the CH4 concentration and the high emission current appeared at the high CH4 concentration was explained by using the Fowler-Nordheim theory.     

Transport of ions through a （6,6） carbon nanotube under electric fields

The transport of water and ions through carbon nanotubes （CNTs） is crucial in nanotechnology and biotechnology. Previous investigation indicated that the ions can hardly pass through （6,6） CNTs due to their hydrated shells. In the present study, utilizing molecular dynamics simulation, it is shown that the energy barrier mainly originating from the hydrated water molecules could be overcome by applying an electric field large enough in the CNT axis direction. Potential of mean force is calculated to show the reduction of energy barrier when the electric field is present for （Na＋, K＋, C1 ） ions. Consequently, ionic flux through （6,6） CNTs can be found once the electric field becomes larger than a threshold value. The variation of the coordination numbers of ions at different locations from the bulk to the center of the CNT is also explored to elaborate this dynamic process. The thresholds of the electric field are different for Na＋, K＋, and CI- due to their characteristics. This consequence might be potentially applied in ion selectivity in the future.     

A voltage-controlled chaotic oscillator based on carbon nanotube field-effect transistor for low-power embedded systems

This paper presents a compact and low-power-based discrete-time chaotic oscillator based on a carbon nanotube field-effect transistor implemented using Wong and Deng＇s well-known model. The chaotic circuit is composed of a nonlinear circuit that creates an adjustable chaos map, two sample and hold cells for capture and delay functions, and a voltage shifter that works as a buffer and adjusts the output voltage for feedback. The operation of the chaotic circuit is verified with the SPICE software package, which uses a supply voltage of 0.9 V at a frequency of 20 kHz. The time series, frequency spectra, transitions in phase space, sensitivity with the initial condition diagrams, and bifurcation phenomena are presented. The main advantage of this circuit is that its chaotic signal can be generated while dissipating approximately 7.8 μW of power, making it suitable for embedded systems where many chaos-signal generators are required on a single chip.     

Preparation of multi-walled carbon nanotube–Fe composites and their application as light weight and broadband electromagnetic wave absorbers

Multi-walled carbon nanotube （MWCNT）-Fe composites were prepared via the metal organic chemical vapor deposi- tion by depositing iron pentacarbonyl on the surface of MWCNTs. The structural and morphological analyses demonstrated that Fe nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of the MWCNTs. The electromagnetic properties of the MWCNTs were significantly changed, and the absorbing capacity evidently improved after the Fe deposition on the MWCNT surface. A minimum reflection loss of -29.4 dB was observed at 8.39 GHz, and the less than -10 dB bandwidth was about 10.6 GHz, which covered the whole X band （8.2-12.4 GHz） and the whole Ku band （12.4-18 GHz）, indicating that the MWCNT-Fe composites could be used as an effective microwave absorption material.     

Systematical analysis of mode-locked fiber lasers using single-walled carbon nanotube saturable absorbers

The output characteristics of the Er-doped mode-locked fiber laser using a single-walled carbon nanotube saturable absorber are investigated theoretically with a nonlinear Schrtidinger equation and a saturable absorption equation using realistic parameters. Stable self-starting mode-locking pulses are achieved under net normal, net zero, and net anomalous cavity group velocity dispersion （GVD） respectively. A spectrum with a flat top is obtained from the net normal cavity GVD laser while a spectrum with Kelly side-bands is obtained from the net anomalous cavity GVD laser. The characteristics of the pulse duration changing with cavity GVD and modulation depth of the single-walled carbon nanotubes are discussed. The characteristics of the mode-locking pulses from net normal, net zero, and net anomalous cavity GVD mode-locked fiber lasers are compared. These systematical results are useful for designing mode-locked fiber lasers with saturable absorbers made by different kinds of carbon nano-materials.     

Phonon dispersion relations and soft modes of 4 carbon nanotubes

The phonon dispersion relations of three kinds of 4 carbon nanotubes are calculated by using the density functional perturbation theory. It is found that the frequencies of some phonon modes are very sensitive to the smearing width used in the calculations, and eventually become negative at low electronic temperature. Moreover, two kinds of soft modes are identified for the (5,0) tube which are quite different from those reported previously. Our results suggest that the (5,0) tube remains metallic at very low temperature, instead of the metallic-semiconducting transition claimed before.     

Synthesis of boron,nitrogen co-doped porous carbon from asphaltene for high-performance supercapacitors

Oxidized asphaltene(OA), a thermosetting material with plenty of functional groups, is synthesized from asphaltene(A) using HNO3/H2SO4as the oxidizing agent. Boron, nitrogen co-doped porous carbon(BNC–OA) is prepared by carbonization of the mixture of boric acid and OA at 1173 K in an argon atmosphere. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) characterization reveals that the BNC–OA has a nitrogen content of 3.26 at.% and a boron content of 1.31 at.%, while its oxidation-free counterpart(BNC–SA) has a nitrogen content of 1.61 at.% and a boron content of 3.02 at.%. The specific surface area and total pore volume of BNC–OA are 1103 m2·g-1and 0.921 cm3·g-1, respectively. At a current density of0.1 A·g-1, the specific capacitance of BNC–OA is 335 F·g-1and the capacitance retention can still reach 83% at 1 A·g-1.The analysis shows that the superior electrochemical performance of the BNC–OA is attributed to the pseudocapacitance behavior of surface heteroatom functional groups and an abundant pore-structure. Boron, nitrogen co-doped porous carbon is a promising electrode material for supercapacitors.     

Theoretical research on electron beam modulation in a field-emission cold cathode electron gun

In order to develop miniaturized and integrated electron vacuum devices, the electron beam modulation in a field- emission （FE） electron gun based on carbon nanotubes is researched. By feeding a high-frequency field between the cathode and the anode, the steady FE electron beam can be modulated in the electron gun. The optimal structure of the electron gun is discovered using 3D electromagnetism simulation software, and the FE electron gun is simulated by PIC simulation software. The results show that a broadband （74-114 GHz） modulation can be achieved by the electron gun with a rhombus channel, and the modulation amplitude of the beam current increases with the increases in the input power and the electrostatic field.