Negative thermal expansion in NbF_3 and NbOF_2:A comparative theoretical study

Thermal expansion control is always an obstructive factor and challenging in high precision engineering field. Here,the negative thermal expansion of Nb F_3 and Nb OF_2 was predicted by first-principles calculation with density functional theory and the quasi-harmonic approximation(QHA). We studied the total charge density, thermal vibration, and lattice dynamic to investigate the thermal expansion mechanism. We found that the presence of O induced the relatively strong covalent bond in Nb OF_2, thus weakening the transverse vibration of F and O in Nb OF_2, compared with the case of Nb F_3.In this study, we proposed a way to tailor negative thermal expansion of metal fluorides by introducing the oxygen atoms.The present work not only predicts two NTE compounds, but also provides an insight on thermal expansion control by designing chemical bond type.     

水化硅酸钙纳米压痕分子动力学模拟方法优化

针对水化硅酸钙纳米压痕模型忽视了压头与基底之间相互作用的问题，由尺寸差异引起的金刚石压头难以计算的问题，以及Wittmann模型无法得到实际接触面积的问题，提出了新的模型与计算方法．结合分子动力学方法，采用金刚石压头-Wittmann模型基底的组合方式构建无定形态水化硅酸钙纳米压痕试验模型．在建模阶段，考虑到压头模型与基底模型粒子间尺寸差异，提出了等比例替换模型，通过公式推导并就不同尺寸模拟结果验证了等比例替换模型的可行性．在计算阶段，提出了局部前处理的弛豫方法进行模拟．确定最大荷载位置处的接触面积为546 nm2，进而求出水化硅酸钙模型硬度H为0.84 GPa、折合模量Er为30.52 GPa．并通过纳米压痕试验，验证了模拟结果的准确性，证明了模型的科学性，对今后水化硅酸钙(C-S-H)纳米层面的模拟具有重要借鉴意义．     

Ab initio and Monte Carlo studies of phase transitions and magnetic properties of YCrO3: Heisenberg model

By using the density functional theory (DFT) and Monte Carlo simulations (MCS) with the Heisenberg model, we have studied magnetic properties of the bulk perovskite YCrO₃. The exchange couplings of the Heisenberg model and the magnetic anisotropy are investigated. The 110 direction in the crystalline structure of the compound has shown the minimum energy, it is the easy magnetic direction. Using Monte Carlo simulations, the magnetizations behavior, the effects of system parameters and the critical exponents of the compound YCrO₃ are implemented. It is shown that the bulk perovskite YCrO₃ belongs to the 3D Heisenberg universality class.     

Oxotitanium(IV) complexes of some bis‐unsymmetric Schiff bases: Synthesis,structural elucidation and biomedical applications

A number of oxotitanium(IV) complexes of the type TiOL with bis‐unsymmetric dibasic tetradentate Schiff base (LH₂) containing ONNO donor atoms have been synthesized. Mono‐Schiff base (OPD‐HNP) was prepared by the condensation of 1:3 molar ratio of 2‐hydroxy‐1‐naphthaldehyde (HNP) with o‐phenylenediamine (OPD). Dibasic unsymmetric tetradentate diamine Schiff bases were prepared by the reaction of OPD‐HNP with 2‐hydroxyacetophenone, 2‐hydroxypropeophenone, benzoylacetone, acetylacetone and ethylacetoacetate. Further, titanylacetylacetonate was reacted with these ligands to obtain their metal complexes. On the basis of analytical and physiochemical data, the formation of complexes as TiOL was suggested having square pyramidal geometry. Quantum mechanical approach also confirmed this geometry. The assessment of the synthesized ligands and their complexes showed that some behave as good inhibitors of mycelial growth against selected phytopathogic fungi but weak inhibitors against some selected bacteria. A few of them also showed antioxidant properties.     

A Theoretical study on the charge and discharge states of Na-ion battery cathode material,Na1+xFePO4F

Na₂FePO₄F is a promising cathode material for a Na-ion battery because of its high electronic capacity and good cycle performance. In this work, first principle calculations combined with cluster expansion and the Monte Carlo method have been applied to analyze the charge and discharge processes of Na₂FePO₄F by examining the voltage curve and the phase diagram. As a result of the density functional theory calculation and experimental verification with structural analysis, we found that the most stable structure of Na_1.5FePO₄F has the P2₁/b11 space group, which has not been reported to date. The estimated voltage curve has two clear plateaus caused by the two-phase structure composed of P2₁/b11 Na_1.5FePO₄F and Pbcn Na₂FePO₄F or Na₁FePO₄F and separated along the c-axis direction. The phase diagram shows the stability of the phase-separated structure. Considering that Na₂FePO₄F has diffusion paths in the a- and c-axis directions, Na₂FePO₄F has both innerphase and interphase diffusion paths. We suggest that the stable two-phase structure and the diffusion paths to both the innerphase and interphases are a key for the very clear plateau. We challenge to simulate a nonequilibrium state at high rate discharge with high temperature by introducing a coordinate-dependent chemical potential. The simulation shows agreement with the experimental discharge curve on the disappearance of the two plateaus. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

近红外光谱结合共识模型快速检测果酒的总酚含量

果酒发酵中的多酚是引起果酒口感、颜色变化的重要因素。为保证果酒品质,有必要开发一种快速监测发酵过程中多酚含量变化的技术。收集不同批次成熟期的蓝莓、桑葚为原料,分别碾压成汁,同时按比例混合二者,于小型发酵罐进行发酵。通过离线收集不同发酵时段的发酵液于离心管,高速离心后取上清液置于棕色瓶保存,共计得到48个果酒发酵样本。将上清液置于三个平行样比色皿,以傅里叶快速变换近红外光谱仪(FT-NIR)采集其透射光谱,取平均值作为该样本的光谱信号。然后将棕色瓶内的发酵液以国标法(即以标准液的吸光度值制定标准曲线)测定各样品的总酚含量,以duplex法计算样本光谱之间的距离且按2∶1的比例划分为训练集和预测集。采用间隔偏最小二乘法(iPLS)将训练集样本的透射光谱与总酚含量之间构建定量模型,间隔数从2依次变化到60个。该研究创新之处是使用共识方法融合多个已构建好的iPLS成员模型,按一定的共识规则分配权系数。通过各成员模型交互验证的残差及其残差之间的相关性来优化各成员模型的线性组合,以拉格朗日乘数法求解各成员模型的权系数,使间隔偏最小二乘-共识模型(consensual iPLS,CiPLS)的交互验证均方根误差最小。相比于全局PLS模型、划分不同间隔数量时的iPLS模型,CiPLS均具有较小的预测误差。当划分39个间隔时由三个iPLS成员模型(即14th,16th,18th)组成的共识模型误差最小为124.2,交互验证相关系数为0.944,对预测集样本的预测均方根误差为163.4,预测相关系数为0.931,预测性能均优于PLS和iPLS模型。另外,作为对比选用连续投影算法与无信息变量剔除法来优化光谱模型,其预测性能均不及本文提出的共识模型。分析各iPLS模型预测残差之间的相关性,发现共识模型主要是融合那些具有较高预测性能且模型间较低相关性的成员模型。结果表明,光谱分析结合共识方法可提高回归模型的预测精度、减少建模所需变量数,能够用于果酒总酚含量的离线快速检测。     

熵的一种通俗教法

熵如力、能量和动量一样是物理学中一个重要概念,若能用一种通俗易懂的方法设计熵的教学,对文科物理的教学有重要意义.为此本文提出了一种通俗的熵的教法,这一教法不需要学生学习热力学第二定律也可以建立熵的概念.具体教学设计如下:通过日常生活例子引入熵的概念(也就是玻尔兹曼熵),设计两个例子让学生会计算熵,通过具体问题的讨论让学生充分理解熵的意义,通过一个实例由玻尔兹曼熵引入克劳修斯熵公式,设计一个演示实验强化教学效果,将熵与环境保护联系起来融入人文情怀,最后还强调了熵计算的不同层次.教学设计完全采用基于问题学习(PBL)的教学模式.     

受限亚音速气流中倒置悬臂壁板静气弹稳定性的理论及实验研究

板壳结构在航空航天、高速列车、能量采集等诸多工程领域已经得到了广泛应用. 将悬臂壁板倒置于轴向气流中并在壁板周围流场中设置刚性壁面可有效地调控壁板的失稳速度, 是俘能器优化设计的重要措施之一. 但针对刚性壁面作用下亚音速气流中倒置悬臂壁板的失稳机制仍需要开展深入研究. 本文以受限亚音速气流中倒置的二维悬臂壁板为对象, 以理论分析及风洞实验为手段, 研究了单侧刚性壁面效应对倒置悬臂壁板静态失稳特性的影响规律. 在理论分析中, 首先应用镜像函数法来处理壁面约束条件, 基于算子理论研究获得了以Possio积分方程为表征的壁板气动力, 壁面效应实际表征为一包含移位Tricomi算子的复合算子; 然后将壁板失稳方程的求解问题转化为定区间上的函数逼近问题; 最后, 依据Wererstrass定理并利用最小二乘法求解该最优函数, 以获得系统的失稳临界参数. 在试验研究中依据压杆稳定原理设计了壁板静态失稳的测试方法并完成了风洞实验. 理论分析结果表明, 壁板会发生发散(静气动弹性)失稳, 临界动压随壁板与壁面间距的增加而增大并最终趋于稳定(无壁面情况); 通过理论与风洞实验结果的对比分析, 验证了本文气动力及理论分析的适用性及准确性. 针对倒置悬臂壁板结构的气动弹性失稳问题, 本文提出的方法不涉及系统方程的离散及特征值求解问题, 而是将其转化为了定区间上的函数逼近问题进行求解, 这为弹性结构静气动弹性失稳问题的研究提供了一个可行的新思路.      

Temporal freedom in mathematical thought: A philosophical–empirical enquiry

This paper seeks to introduce and elaborate on the notion of ‘temporal freedom’ in the context of mathematical thinking.The intention is to merge a philosophical and empirical discussion on this topic, and findings will be presented from a qualitative study in which 29 high-school students were invited to explore the symmetry group of a square during clinical interviews. The data indicate how the interviewees – who were given the opportunity to freely explore an unseen mathematical system – repeatedly brought past and future together in a tangible present during their investigations. In doing so they were exceptionally successful in engaging with advanced abstract algebra, far beyond what might have been expected at the outset.By using empirical data to exemplify an otherwise highly philosophical discussion, I hope to draw explicit attention to the temporal aspect of the human mind in mathematical action which instructional methods frequently fail to recognise, value and utilise.