Large-scale simulations on multiple Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) for the direct simulation Monte Carlo method

In this study, the application of the two-dimensional direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method using an MPI-CUDA parallelization paradigm on Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) clusters is presented. An all-device (i.e. GPU) computational approach is adopted where the entire computation is performed on the GPU device, leaving the CPU idle during all stages of the computation, including particle moving, indexing, particle collisions and state sampling. Communication between the GPU and host is only performed to enable multiple-GPU computation. Results show that the computational expense can be reduced by 15 and 185 times when using a single GPU and 16 GPUs respectively when compared to a single core of an Intel Xeon X5670 CPU. The demonstrated parallel efficiency is 75% when using 16 GPUs as compared to a single GPU for simulations using 30 million simulated particles. Finally, several very large-scale simulations in the near-continuum regime are employed to demonstrate the excellent capability of the current parallel DSMC method.     

Analysis of using femtosecond laser scanning system to impurity-induced disordering of InGaAsP quantum wells

This study is the first to demonstrate the selectivity quantum well intermixing process by using a femtosecond laser scanning-induced disordering technique. The advantages of the femtosecond laser are photochemical machining and the two-photon absorption mechanism. The femtosecond laser system can convert writing into the scan to create a nanostructure by adjusting the lens. The effect of power on the band gap shift during laser scanning was investigated. The band gap shift was small and unstable without the heating substrate. A wavelength shift higher than 77.3 nm for the InGaAsP MQW material was obtained at elevated temperatures.     

Wall paper single-walled carbon nanotubes absorber for passively mode-locked Nd: GdVO4 laser

A novel and low-cost wall paper single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) absorber was fabricated by high viscosity of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) aqueous solution and vertical evaporation technique. Sandwich structure wall paper SWCNT (SSWA-SWCNT) absorber was constructed by a piece of wall paper SWCNT absorber, a piece of round quartz and an output coupler mirror. We exploited it to realize mode locking operation in a diode-pumped Nd: GdVO₄ laser. A pulse duration of 9.6 ps was produced with an average power of 870 mW. The stable mode locking operation was obtained when the average power is less than 300 mW.     

Synthesis and X-ray investigation of liquid crystalline polymers containing laterally methyl-substituted tolane-based mesogenic side groups

A series of polymethacrylates containing laterally methyl-substituted 4-alkoxy-4-nitrotolane, 4-alkoxy-4'-cyanotolane, and 4-alkoxy-4'-trifluoromethyltolane as mesogenic side groups are presented. The thermal behaviours of the prepared compounds were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, optical polarized microscopy and X-ray diffraction. All of the obtained methacrylate monomers exhibit no mesophase, while most of the synthesized polymers reveal enantiotropic mesomorphism. The polymer containing 4-propyloxy-2'-methyl-4'-nitrotolane side groups was the only one to show no mesomorphic behaviour. The spacer length and the nature of terminal group have a profound influence on the type of mesophase formed and the thermal stability. Incorporation of a lateral methyl-substituent into the mesogenic groups reduces the thermal stabilities of the mesophases. X-ray diffraction reveals that polymers with a smectic A or smectic E phase have the inclination to form a bilayer structure. Increasing the temperature within the smectic phase range, the intermolecular spacing increases while the layer spacing decreases. On the other hand, introducing a lateral substituent into the mesogenic side groups leads to increase in both layer and intermolecular spacing.     

Copolymerization of butadiene and styrene by initiation with alkyllithium and alkali metal tert-butoxides

Combinations of the various alkali metal tert-butoxides with organolithium initiators give homogeneous copolymers of butadiene and styrene. The unprecedented flexibility of this initiator system allowed preparation of random copolymers with various amounts of vinyl unsaturation and various degrees of randomness. The butyllithium–potassium tert-butoxide initiator system was more efficient than phenylpotassium.     

Dual temperature‐ and pH‐sensitive hydrogels from interpenetrating networks and copolymerization of N‐isopropylacrylamide and sodium acrylate

Hydrogels responsive to both temperature and pH have been synthesized in the forms of sequential interpenetrating networks (IPNs) of N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) and sodium acrylate (SA) and compared with the crosslinked random copolymers of N‐isopropylacrylamide and SA. Whereas the stimuli‐sensitive behaviors of copolymer hydrogels were strongly dependent on the ionic SA contents, the IPN hydrogels exhibited independent swelling and thermal behaviors of each network component. The sequences and media in the synthesis of IPNs influenced the swelling capacities of the IPNs, but not the temperature or pH ranges at which the swelling changes occurred. In IPNs, a more expanded primary gel network during the synthesis of the secondary network contributed to the better swelling of the final IPNs. Both the swelling and thermal behaviors of the IPNs suggest that poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) and poly(sodium acrylate) are phase separated regardless of their synthesis conditions. The presence of the poly(sodium acrylate) network did not influence the temperature or the extent of phase transition of the poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) network in the IPNs, but did improve the thermal stability of the IPNs. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 3293–3301, 2004     

High-performance capillary electrophoretic analysis of synthetic food colorants

Summary A high-performance capillary electrophoresis method with diode-array detection has been developed for analysis of synthetic food colorants. The influence of buffer composition on the separation of the food colorants was examined, as were the effects of α-, β- and γ-c-yclodextrins on analyte migration behavior. Eight food colorants were completely separated within 10 min using pH 9.5 borax—NaOH buffer containing 5 mM β-cyclodextrin. Experimental results indicate that the relative standard deviations of analyte migration times were<0.88% under the optimized separation condition. Correlation coefficients of the linear calibration plots of the analytes exceeded 0.998. The method was suitable for determination of the quantities of synthetic food colorantsi in ice cream bars and fruit soda drinks.     

IBA calculations on the even-even Pt isotopes

By performing least-squares-fit calculations on the energy spectra of the even-even ^186–196Pt isotopes, the IBA model I and the IBA model II are compared on an equal footing. It is found that both model I and model II can fit energy spectra and absolute B(E2) transition rates reasonably well. Model II shows a distinct improvement in the energy spectra of β-bands of heavier nuclei in the isotope series. It is suggested that for regions far from the closed shells model I may be used to simulate model II as a useful phenomenological probing tool.