Highly charging of nanoparticles through electrospray of nanoparticle suspension

Patterned deposition of nanoparticles is a prerequisite for the application of unique properties of nanoparticles in future nanodevices. Recent development of nanoxerography requires highly charged aerosol nanoparticles to avoid noise deposition due to random Brownian motion. However, it has been known that it is difficult to charge aerosol nanoparticles with more than two elementary charges. The goal of this work is to develop a simple technique for obtaining highly charged monodisperse aerosol nanoparticles by means of electrospray of colloidal suspension. Highly charged aerosol nanoparticles were produced by electrospraying (ES) and drying colloidal suspensions of monodisperse gold nanoparticles. Size and charge distributions of the resultant particles were measured. We demonstrate that this method successfully charges monodisperse nanoparticles very highly, e.g., 122 elementary charges for 25.0 nm, 23.5 for 10.5 nm, and 4.6 for 4.2 nm. The method described here constitutes a convenient, reliable, and continuous tool for preparing highly charged aerosol nanoparticles from suspensions of nanoparticles produced by either wet chemistry or gas-phase methods.     

A novel electrode architecture for passive direct methanol fuel cells

The supply of cathode reactants in a passive direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) relies on naturally breathing oxygen from ambient air. The successful operation of this type of passive fuel cell requires the overall mass transfer resistance of oxygen through the layered fuel cell structure to be minimized such that the voltage loss due to the oxygen concentration polarization can be reduced. In this work, we propose a new membrane electrode assembly (MEA), in which the conventional cathode gas diffusion layer (GDL) is eliminated while utilizing a porous metal structure for transporting oxygen and collecting current. We show theoretically that the new MEA enables a higher mass transfer rate of oxygen and thus better performance. The measured polarization and constant-current discharging behavior showed that the passive DMFC with the new MEA yielded better and much more stable performance than did the cell having the conventional MEA. The EIS spectrum analysis further demonstrated that the improved performance with the new MEA was attributed to the enhanced transport of oxygen as a result of the reduced mass transfer resistance in the fuel cell system.     

Influence of the laser parameters on the space and time characteristics of an aluminum laser-induced plasma

In this work, an aluminum laser plasma produced in ambient air at atmospheric pressure by laser pulses at a fluence of 10 J/cm² is characterized by time- and space-resolved measurements of electron density and temperature. Varying the laser pulse duration from 6 ns to 80 fs and the laser wavelength from ultraviolet to infrared only slightly influences the plasma properties. The temperature exhibits a slight decrease both at the plasma edge and close to the target surface. The electron density is found to be spatially homogeneous in the ablation plume during the first microsecond. Finally, the plasma expansion is in good agreement with the Sedov's model during the first 500 ns and it becomes subsonic, with respect to the velocity of sound in air, typically 1 μs after the plasma creation. The physical interpretation of the experimental results is also discussed to the light of a one-dimensional fluid model which provides a good qualitative agreement with measurements.     

Elastic Analysis of Anisotropic Functionally Graded Rotating Disks With Non-Uniform Thicknesses北大核心CSCD

研究了任意梯度变化的变厚度各向异性转动圆盘的弹性问题.假设圆盘绕刚性轴匀速转动,其材料性能和厚度沿径向任意梯度变化.考虑圆盘在中心转轴处受位移约束,外侧自由,根据各向异性转动圆盘的平衡微分方程,得到关于径向应力的Fredholm积分方程,继而通过对Fredholm积分方程进行数值求解,得到结构的位移场和应力场.对具体梯度变化情况仅需代入相应梯度变化进行求解即可.数值算例部分,通过假设厚度、弹性模量等参数为特殊的幂函数形式,将由Fredholm积分方程求出的数值解与对应的精确解进行对比,以及针对常见的Voigt模型,将由该方法算得的数值解和ANSYS有限元计算结果进行对比,验证了该方法的准确性和精度.其次,针对Voigt模型,重点分析了厚度变化、材料性能梯度参数、各向异性度等对应力场和位移场的影响.提出了针对材料性能和厚度沿径向呈任意梯度变化的圆盘结构弹性分析方法,将为优化功能梯度圆盘的结构和材料参数、有效调整构件应力分布、提高结构安全性,提供强有力的工具;算例分析结果对功能梯度圆盘在复杂条件下的结构安全设计有重要的理论指导意义.     

Precise bounds for the petersen time-varying real parameter uncertainty system stabilized via linear static controllers

Using a class of linear static controllers, we stabilize the Petersen open-loop two-dimensional linear system (Ref. 1), which consists of one time-varying uncertainty in the state matrixA and one timevarying uncertainty in the input matrixB. We show that the worst-case uncertainty strategy for the closed-loop system is a piecewise constant strategy of the angular state with three switches on the half-turn, –/2/2; it is unique with respect to a set of measure zero. Formulas are derived for the worst-case half-turn radius gainr _HT as a function of the parameters of the class of stabilizing linear static controllers. Using the class of scalar-quadratic Lyapunov functions, we show that a necessary and sufficient condition for the closed-loop system to be robustly stable against all time-varying admissible uncertainties is thatr _HT be less than unity. The bound on the time-varying real parameter uncertainties for the closed-loop system to be robustly stable is derived for the class of linear static feedback controllers. We obtain stabilizing linear static controllers such that the bound is as close to infinity as desired. The derived results are compared with numerical results obtained using commerical robust-control software.     

Preparation and voltammetric characterisation of bismuth-modified mesoporous platinum microelectrodes. Application to the electrooxidation of formic acid

In this paper mesoporous platinum microeletrodes (Pt-ME) modified with submonolayers of adsorbed bismuth (Bi-PtME) were prepared and characterised by cyclic voltammetry (CV). The mesoporous platinum films were electrodeposited from hexachloroplatinic acid dissolved in the aqueous domain of the lyotropic liquid crystalline phase of Brij 78^®, to form metal films with hexagonal arrays of nanometer-sized channels. Bismuth deposition was performed by different procedures involving either the spontaneous adsorption of bismuth onto the Pt surface from Bi³⁺ solutions, or by under potential deposition (UPD) of bismuth from Bi³⁺ solutions, by cycling the potential over an useful range, or applying a constant potential for a given time. The latter procedures provided high bismuth coverage (θ_Bi), whereas only small amounts of bismuth could be adsorbed from the simple immersion of the Pt-ME at open circuit. The coverage by irreversibly adsorbed bismuth was checked in a 0.5 M H₂SO₄ solution free of Bi³⁺ ions and exploiting the charge involved in the hydrogen adsorption/desorption, which decreased in proportion to the amount of platinum sites covered by bismuth. The ability of the prepared Bi-PtME towards the oxidation of formic acid was also investigated. It was found that Bi-PtME with θ_Bi = 0.6 provided stationary voltammograms characterised by a low hysteresis between the anodic and cathodic scans. The onset of the waves resulted shifted by about 150 mV towards less positive potentials with respect to that of the corresponding Pt-ME. At 0.1 M HCOOH current densities of about 70 mA cm⁻² were achieved. These results were discussed in terms of high tolerance towards the intermediate poisons of the Bi-PtME investigated here. Bi-PtME with much lower real surface area and bismuth coverage displayed both lower catalytic activity and tolerance to poisons.     

一种加成固化型热固性树脂PN-PAA固化过程和热稳定性研究

研究了炔丙基醚化酚醛树脂(PN)与聚芳基乙炔树脂(PAA)的反应性共混物(以下简称PN-PAA共混树脂)的相容性,并对共混树脂的固化过程和固化物的耐热性进行了表征.相态、DSC、SEM、TEM等测试结果均表明共混树脂及其固化物是完全相容的均相体系.凝胶时间、粘度、DSC等结果表明共混树脂固化工艺性优良,适合多种成型工艺(如RTM),显著改善了PAA树脂的固化工艺缺陷.DMA、TGA等分析表明共混树脂固化物具有很高的耐热性,可作为新型的防热复合材料和高温结构材料的基体.     

Single nanocrystal arrays on patterned poly(ethylene glycol) copolymer microstructures using selective wetting and drying

Single nanocrystal arrays were fabricated on sub-microwells of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) copolymer using selective wetting on the hydrophilic regions of the exposed substrate surface and subsequent drying. Templates were produced by molding a thin film of a PEG-based random copolymer on hydrophilic substrates such as glass or silicon dioxide. The polymeric microstructures provide a topographical barrier around the well, which makes it possible to create nanocrystal arrays with controlled geometrical features. The size of the nanocrystal was found to decrease with decreasing well size and also decrease with decreasing topological height. A simple empirical equation was derived to predict the size of the crystal as a function of the pattern size and height, which is in good agreement with the experimental data.     

The high-temperature heat capacity of LnPO4 (Ln = La,Ce, Gd) by drop calorimetry

The high-temperature heat capacity of three lanthanide orthophosphates of monazite structure have been measured in the temperature range (450 to 1570) K. The data have been analysed in terms of a lattice term, represented by the 4f⁰ and 4f⁷ compounds LaPO₄ and GdPO₄, and an electronic term for CePO₄. The calculated excess heat capacity thus obtained is in reasonable agreement with that calculated from the crystal field energies.     

Brownian dynamics simulation and experimental study of colloidal particle deposition in a microchannel flow

This paper reports an analysis of the irreversible deposition of colloidal particles from the pressure-driven flow in a microchannel within the framework of DLVO theory. A theoretical model is presented on the basis of the stochastic Langevin equation, incorporating the random Brownian motion of colloidal particles. Brownian dynamics simulation is used to compute the particle deposition in terms of the surface coverage. To validate the theoretical model, experiments are carried out using the parallel-plate flow cell technique, enabling direct videomicroscopic observation of the deposition kinetics of polystyrene latex particles in NaCl electrolytes. The theoretical predictions are compared with the experimental results, and good agreement is found.