Interface and defects engineering for multilayer laser coatings

High-reflective multilayer laser coatings are widely used in advanced optical systems from high power laser facilities to high precision metrology systems. However, the real interface quality and defects will significantly affect absorption/scattering losses and laser induced damage thresholds of multilayer coatings. With the recent advances in the control of coating design and deposition processes, these coating properties can be significantly improved when properly engineered the interface and defects. This paper reviews the recent progress in the physics of laser damage, optical losses and environmental stability involved in multilayer reflective coatings for high power nanosecond near-infrared lasers. We first provide an overview of the layer growth mechanisms, ways to control the microstructures and reduce layer roughness, as well as the nature of defects which are critical to the optical loss and laser induced damage. Then an overview of interface engineering based on the design of coating structure and the regulation of deposition materials reveals their ability to improve the laser induced damage threshold, reduce the backscattering, and realize the desirable properties of environmental stability and exceptional multifunctionality. Moreover, we describe the recent progress in the laser damage and scattering mechanism of nodule defects and give the approaches to suppress the defect-induced damage and scattering of the multilayer laser coatings. Finally, the present challenges and limitations of high-performance multilayer laser coatings are highlighted, along with the comments on likely trends in future.     

A computational foray into the mechanism and catalysis of the adduct formation reaction of guanine with crotonaldehyde

Crotonaldehyde, a common environmental pollutant and product of endogenous lipid peroxidation, reacts with guanine to form DNA adducts with pronounced genotoxicity and mutagenicity. Here, we explore the molecular mechanism of this adduct formation using double-hybrid density functional theory methods. The reaction can be envisaged to occur in a two-step fashion via an aza-Michael addition leading to an intermediate ring-open adduct followed by a cyclization reaction giving the mutagenic ring-closed adduct. We find that (i) a 1,2-type addition is favored over a 1,4-type addition for the aza-Michael addition, and (ii) an initial tautomerization of the guanine moiety in the resulting ring-open adduct significantly reduces the barrier toward cyclization compared to the direct cyclization of the ring-open adduct in its keto-form. Overall, the aza-Michael addition is found to be rate-determining. We further find that participation of a catalytic water molecule significantly reduces the energy barriers of both the addition and cyclization reaction. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

循环孔隙水压下混凝土常规三轴压缩损伤破坏特性分析

本文进行了孔隙水压不同循环次数(0次,10次,50次,100次和200次)以及不同应变速率下(10~(-5)/s,10~(-4)/s,10~(-3)/s和10~(-2)/s)混凝土常规三轴压缩试验,分析了混凝土峰值应变的变化规律、应力-应变曲线及损伤特性。结果表明:相同循环次数孔隙水压下,峰值应变随应变速率增加,整体呈现出增加的趋势;而相同应变速率下,峰值应变随孔隙水压循环次数的变化规律并不明显;在中低应变速率(10~(-5)~10~(-3)/s)下,混凝土的损伤变化受孔隙水压循环次数影响较大;当循环次数达到200次时,孔隙水压作用对混凝土产生较大的损伤。通过对循环孔隙水作用下混凝土动态损伤破坏机理的分析可知:混凝土的破坏过程实际上是内部裂纹不断形成、扩展、贯通,材料损伤不断产生、累积的过程;当损伤达到一定程度,混凝土发生宏观破坏,失去承载力。     

韧性金属Kaiser效应方向独立性的实验研究

Kaiser效应是声发射技术实际应用的理论基础。本文以韧性金属材料Q345不同方向拉伸实验为例,探究力的方向对韧性金属Kaiser效应的影响。实验结果表明,韧性金属材料在某一方向加载时,表现出了Kaiser效应;当改变加载方向时,呈现出与第一次加载方向类似的声发射特性,说明声发射现象对其他加载方向上所承受的最大载荷不具有记忆的能力,而仅与该方向承载历史有关,即韧性金属Kaiser效应与力的方向性间具有独立性。同时,利用细观损伤理论对这一现象产生的机理进行了定性的解释。     

倒伏胁迫下的玉米冠层结构特征变化与光谱响应解析

倒伏胁迫是玉米生产中的主要灾害之一，严重影响玉米的产量、品质和机械收获能力。解析不同倒伏胁迫强度下玉米冠层结构变化规律及其光谱响应机理，是玉米倒伏灾情大范围遥感监测的基础。分别在玉米抽雄期、灌浆中期设置茎倒、茎折、根倒3种强度的倒伏处理，基于田间多频次持续观测实验，分析生育期、倒伏类型对玉米冠层结构动态变化及其自我恢复能力的影响；采用传统光谱变换与连续小波变换方法对倒伏玉米冠层高光谱进行处理，选取叶面积密度（LAD）为玉米倒伏冠层结构特征指标，筛选叶面积密度最佳敏感波段和小波系数，基于随机森林法构建叶面积密度高光谱响应模型，利用未参与建模的实测样本验证模型精度，重点探讨小波分解尺度和光谱分辨率对LAD光谱响应能力的影响规律。研究结果表明：叶面积密度作为单位体积内叶面积总量的冠层结构表征指标，与倒伏胁迫强度具有较好的响应关系，灌浆期的倒伏玉米LAD普遍高于抽雄期，抽雄期LAD整体表现为茎折＞根倒＞茎倒＞未倒伏，灌浆期LAD整体表现为根倒＞茎折＞茎倒＞未倒伏；经连续小波变换后，玉米倒伏冠层光谱对玉米倒伏LAD的响应能力普遍优于传统光谱变换，随着小波分解尺度的增加，LAD与敏感波段的相关性越强，其中10尺度相关系数最高，达0.74；连续小波变换所构建的模型精度普遍优于传统光谱变换，其中由原始光谱小波变换后构建的LAD响应模型精度最高，检验样本的R2为0.811，RMSE为1.763，表明连续小波变换技术可凸显和利用冠层光谱中的细微信息。因此，叶面积密度可有效定量表征不同倒伏胁迫程度的玉米冠层结构变化特征，连续小波变换能有效提升冠层光谱对倒伏玉米结构变化的响应能力，基于随机森林法构建的倒伏玉米叶面积密度诊断模型具有较高的精度和稳定性，可为区域尺度的夏玉米倒伏灾情遥感监测提供先验知识。     

纸页受力微损伤演化过程的声发射及多元统计特征

纸页受载后的损伤断裂行为涉及其使用性能,对其损伤断裂过程的研究不仅有助于揭示纸页破坏行为的物理本质,而且有助于对纸页质量及其生产、加工工艺作出更加科学合理的评定。本文基于声发射(Acoustic Emission,AE)实验研究纸页内部微损伤演化过程,给出了评估纸页宏观损伤断裂性能的定量描述方法。首先,根据AE信号与微损伤事件之间存在本质上的关联性,通过采集和观测纸页试样受载过程中的AE信号来研究纸页损伤断裂的基本特征;其次,针对所采集AE信号的数据量大、蕴含信息丰富导致数据分析和处理困难的特点,本文采用多元随机变量的分析方法。利用概率熵和Andrews曲线法等统计分析手段对AE数据展开研究分析,并最终利用一条损伤状态轨迹曲线实现了对纸页微损伤演化过程的完整宏观描述。结果表明,纸页微损伤演化过程呈现明显阶段性变化特征;Andrews曲线的聚类结果有效地区分了不同损伤阶段的相似性和差异性,同时,不同损伤阶段中纸样的微观形貌观测提供了实验性的证据。本文以一种典型的牛皮箱板纸为试件,验证了上述方法的有效性。     

Strain induced strengthening of soft thermoplastic polyurethanes under cyclic deformation

We investigate the cyclic mechanical behavior in uniaxial tension of three different commercial thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers (TPU) often considered as a sustainable replacement for common filled elastomers. All TPU have similar hard segment contents and linear moduli but sensibly different large strain properties as shown by X-ray analysis. Despite these differences, we found a stiffening effect after conditioning in step cyclic loading which greatly differs from the common softening (also referred as Mullins effect) observed in chemically crosslinked filled rubbers. We propose that this self-reinforcement is related to the fragmentation of hard domains, naturally present in TPU, in smaller but more numerous sub-units that may act as new physical crosslinking points. The proposed stiffening mechanism is not dissimilar to the strain-induced crystallization observed in stretched natural rubber, but it presents a persistent nature. In particular, it may cause a local reinforcement where an inhomogeneous strain field is present, as is the case of a crack propagating in cyclic fatigue, providing a potential explanation for the well-known toughness and wear resistance of TPU.     

One Way Traffic: Base-to-Backbone Hole Transfer in Nucleoside Phosphorodithioate

The directionality of the hole-transfer processes between DNA backbone and base was investigated by using phosphorodithioate [P(S⁻)=S] components. ESR spectroscopy in homogeneous frozen aqueous solutions and pulse radiolysis in aqueous solution at ambient temperature confirmed initial formation of G^.+-P(S⁻)=S. The ionization potential of G-P(S⁻)=S was calculated to be slightly lower than that of guanine in 5′-dGMP. Subsequent thermally activated hole transfer from G^.+ to P(S⁻)=S led to dithiyl radical (P-2S^.) formation on the μs timescale. In parallel, ESR spectroscopy, pulse radiolysis, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirmed P-2S^. formation in an abasic phosphorodithioate model compound. ESR investigations at low temperatures and higher G-P(S⁻)=S concentrations showed a bimolecular conversion of P-2S^. to the σ²-σ*¹-bonded dimer anion radical [-P-2S 2S-P-]⁻ [ΔG (150 K, DFT)=−7.2 kcal mol⁻¹]. However, [-P-2S 2S-P-]⁻ formation was not observed by pulse radiolysis [ΔG° (298 K, DFT)=−1.4 kcal mol⁻¹]. Neither P-2S^. nor [-P-2S 2S-P-]⁻ oxidized guanine base; only base-to-backbone hole transfer occurs in phosphorodithioate.     

A Click Chemistry Approach to Developing Molecularly Targeted DNA Scissors

Nucleic acid click chemistry was used to prepare a family of chemically modified triplex forming oligonucleotides (TFOs) for application as a new gene-targeted technology. Azide-bearing phenanthrene ligands—designed to promote triplex stability and copper binding—were ‘clicked’ to alkyne-modified parallel TFOs. Using this approach, a library of TFO hybrids was prepared and shown to effectively target purine-rich genetic elements in vitro. Several of the hybrids provide significant stabilisation toward melting in parallel triplexes (>20 °C) and DNA damage can be triggered upon copper binding in the presence of added reductant. Therefore, the TFO and ‘clicked’ ligands work synergistically to provide sequence-selectivity to the copper cutting unit which, in turn, confers high stabilisation to the DNA triplex. To extend the boundaries of this hybrid system further, a click chemistry-based di-copper binding ligand was developed to accommodate designer ancillary ligands such as DPQ and DPPZ. When this ligand was inserted into a TFO, a dramatic improvement in targeted oxidative cleavage is afforded.     

Fatigue Behavior of Composite Sandwich Panels Under Three Point Bending Load

In this paper, the bending fatigue tests of honeycomb sandwich panels are carried out by using an improved three-point bending test fixture, and the S-N curves at different stress ratios are obtained. Through the records of fatigue damage in the experiment, the failure mode of the honeycomb sandwich panels and the source of fatigue damage are determined. At the same time, through the calculation of the shear stress distribution on the honeycomb wall, the reasons for the difference in the failure morphology of the L-direction and W-direction sandwich panels are clarified. Besides, a life prediction method is proposed and its effectiveness in predicting the fatigue life of sandwich panels has been verified.