Liquid-Repellent Metal Oxide Photocatalysts

Metal oxide photocatalysts (MOPCs) decompose organic molecules under illumination. However, the application of MOPCs in industry and research is currently limited by their intrinsic hydrophilicity because MOPCs can be wetted by most liquids. To achieve liquid repellency, the surface needs to possess a low surface energy, but most organic molecules with low surface energy are degraded by photocatalytic activity. Herein, current methods to achieve liquid repellency on MOPCs, while preventing degradation of hydrophobic coatings, are reviewed. Classically, composite materials containing MOPCs and hydrophobic organic compounds possess good liquid repellency. However, composites normally form irregular coatings and are hard to prepare on surfaces such as those that are mesoporous or nanostructured. In addition, the adhesion of composites to substrates is often weak, resulting in delamination. Recent studies have shown that the direct grafting reaction of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) from silicone oil (methyl-terminated PDMS) under illumination results in a stable polymer brush. This easy and simple grafting method allows us to create stable liquid-repellent surfaces on MOPCs of various types, structures, and sizes. In particular, super-liquid-repellent drops with an underlying air layer can be created on PDMS-grafted nano-/microstructured MOPCs. Potential applications of surfaces combining liquid repellency and photocatalytic activity are also discussed; thus offering new ways of using MOPCs in a wider range of applications.     

Self-injection length in La0.7Ca0.3MnO3-YBa2Cu3O7-δ ferromagnet-superconductor multilayer thin films

We have carried out extensive studies on the self-injection problem in barrierless heterojunctions between La_0.7Ca_0.3MnO₃ (LCMO) and YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ (YBCO) thin films. The heterojunctions were formed in situ by sequentially growing LCMO and YBCO films on 〈100〉 LaAlO₃ (LAO) substrate using a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) system. YBCO micro-bridges with 64 μm width were patterned both on the LAO (control) and LCMO side of the substrate. Critical current, I _c, was measured at 77 K on both the control side as well as the LCMO side for different YBCO film thickness. It was observed that while the control side showed a J _c of ∼ 2 × 10⁶ A/cm², the LCMO side showed about half the value for the same thickness (1800 ?). The difference in J _c indicates that a certain thickness of YBCO has become ‘effectively’ normal due to self-injection. From the measurement of J _c at two different thicknesses (1800 ? and 1500 ?) of YBCO films both on the LAO as well as the LCMO side, the value of self-injection length (at 77 K) was estimated to be ∼ 900 ?. To the authors’ best knowledge, this is the first time that self-injection length has been quantified. A control experiment carried out with LaNiO₃ deposited by PLD on YBCO did not show any evidence of self-injection.     

Hygric characterization of woven glass/epoxy composites

Hygric behavior of woven glass/epoxy composites is investigated by characterizing them using a novel experimental technique calledhunch-up technique. Based on one-dimensional diffusion theory, the through-thickness distribution of moisture concentration is derived and experimentally predicted for a laminate exposed to water. A procedure is prescribed to determine average axial hygric strain from the measured hunch-up distance of an axially constrained specimen exposed to water. The experimental results show that the hunch-up distance is extremely sensitive to moisture expansion. There results also give excellent confirmation to the theoretical predictions. An error analysis reveals that the hunch-up technique can reduce errors by an order of magnitude better than traditional measurement techniques.     

Spectrotemporal analysis of guided-wave pulse-echo signals: Part 1. Dispersive systems

In this paper, a wavelet-based time frequency analysis is presented to analyze guided-wave signals for rapid inspection of thin-walled structural members. The overall objective is to detect and locate discontinuities using a single broadband signal. Part 1 of this paper shows how the wavelet transform can be used to analyze a dispersive system. A straightforward procedure is developed to extract group delay information from the computed wavelet transform coefficients. The procedure is demonstrated by a simulation study for single-mode and simple dual-mode dispersion signals. Part 2 is an experimental study of multimode dispersion.     

Laser-ultrasonic generation of Lamb waves in the reaction force range

The Laser-ultrasonic generation of Lamb waves in an elastic plate is investigated theoretically and experimentally for a laser source whose intensity is high enough to create reaction forces (normal tractions) on the illuminated surface of the specimen. The analytical solutions for transient waves are derived using the integral transform method first by considering an arbitrary source shape and time excitation function, and then specifically for circular and line source shapes. The simulation study allows us not only to predict the behavior of individual wave modes but also to construct the overall responses; thus it helps us better understand the wave excitation mechanisms. The dispersive and multi-modal nature of laser-generated Lamb waves is presented by showing the spatiotemporal Fourier transform of displacements obtained by the simulation study. The transform, displayed in the frequency-wave number domain, enunciates the characteristics of the propagating individual Lamb wave modes. The simulation results are then compared with the 2-D Fourier transform of a set of experimental data obtained by scanning an aluminum plate specimen.     

Spectrotemporal analysis of guided-wave pulse-echo signals: Part 2. Numerical and experimental investigations

Part 2 of this paper seeks the numerical and experimental procedures for implementing the Morlet wavelet transform for the spectrotemporal analysis of multimode dispersive waves. The sensitivity due to the spectral parameters and ₀, defining the bandwidth and center frequency of the mother wavelet, is studied through an error analysis of the simulation signals. The algorithm for determining the group delays is extended to multimode signals by introducing a thresholding technique. The ultimate goal of this study is to nondestructively detect and locate discontinuities in a thin plate. This is demonstrated by experimentally measuring the travel distance of a Lamb wave from a single waveform.     

Magnetoelectric effect in cobalt ferrite-barium titanate composites and their electrical properties

CoFe₂O₄-BaTiO₃ composites were prepared using conventional ceramic double sintering process with various compositions. Presence of two phases in the composites was confirmed using X-ray diffraction. The dc resistivity and thermoemf as a function of temperature in the temperature range 300 K to 600 K were measured. Variation of dielectric constant (ɛ′) with frequency in the range 100 Hz to 1 MHz and also with temperature at a fixed frequency of 1 kHz was studied. The ac conductivity was derived from dielectric constant (ɛ′) and loss tangent (tan δ). The nature of conduction is discussed on the basis of small polaron hopping model. The static value of magnetoelectric conversion factor has been studied as a function of magnetic field.     

Energy dependence of multiplicity in proton-nucleus collisions and models of multiparticle production

This is a continuation of our earlier investigation (Gurtuet al 1974Phys. Lett. 50 B 391) on multiparticle production in proton-nucleus collisions based on an exposure of emulsion stack to 200 GeV/c beam at the NAL. It is found that the ratioR _em = 〈n _s〉/〈n _ch〉, where 〈n _ch〉 is the charged particle multiplicity in pp-collisions, increases slowly from about 1 at 10 GeV/c to 1·6 at 68 GeV/c and attains a constant value of 1·71 ± 0·04 in the region 200 to 8000 GeV/c. Furthermore,R _em = 1·71 implies an effectiveA-dependence ofR _A =A ^0.18,i.e., a very weak dependence. Predictions ofR _em on various models are discussed and compared with the emulsion data. Data seem to favour models of hadron-nucleon collisions in which production of particles takes place through adouble step mechanism,e.g., diffractive excitation, hydrodynamical and energy flux cascade as opposed to models which envisage instantaneous production.