Effects of corotron size and parameters on the dielectric substrate surface charge

Effects of variation of parameters of a corona device (corotron) used in electro-photographic machines on the amount of surface charge build-up on the surface of dielectric substrate were studied. Particular attention was given to the effect of corotron dimension including wire–shields and wire–plate distances, substrate thickness, shields insulation and the substrate speed on the amount of substrate surface charge. The computational analyses were performed for a two-dimensional cross-section of the corotron under steady-state condition. The Maxwell equations were solved and the electrical quantities in a rectangular positive single wire corotron were evaluated. The simulation results showed that for a fixed wire voltage, the corotron size, the substrate thickness, insulation of shields and the substrate speed will affect the distributions of electrical quantities in the corotron. The wire–substrate distance and the substrate speed, however, were found to be the main parameters that control the amount of surface charge build-up on the substrate.     

双麦克斯韦分布尘埃等离子体中尘埃粒子的充电研究

根据充电方程和电荷守恒条件,导出了双麦克斯韦分布的弱电离尘埃等离子体充电频率(电荷弛豫速率),给出了充电电流的计算公式. 对结果分析表明,定向运动速度大小对充电电流和充电频率有一定的影响,充电频率随着定向速度增加而减小,当定向速度远远小于电子的热速度时,充电频率与文献给出的表达式一致. 关键词： 尘埃等离子体 双麦克斯韦分布 充电频率     

Potential distribution around a test charge in a positive dust-electron plasma

The electrostatic potential caused by a test-charge particle in a positive dust-electron plasma is studied, accounting for the dust-charge fluctuations associated with ultraviolet photoelectron and thermionic emissions. For this purpose, the set of Vlasov–Poisson equations coupled with the dust charging equation is solved by using the space–time Fourier transform technique. As a consequence, a modified dielectric response function is obtained for dust-acoustic waves in a positive dust-electron plasma. By imposing certain conditions on the velocity of the test charge, the electrostatic potential is decomposed into the Debye–Hückel (DH), wake-field (WF), and far-field (FF) potentials that are significantly modified in the limit of a large dust-charge relaxation rate both analytically and numerically. The results can be helpful for understanding dust crystallization/coagulation in twocomponent plasmas, where positively charged dust grains are present.     

The dynamic characteristics of harvesting energy from mechanical vibration via piezoelectric conversion

As an alternative power solution for low-power devices, harvesting energy from the ambient mechanical vibration has received increasing research interest in recent years. In this paper we study the transient dynamic characteristics of a piezoelectric energy harvesting system including a piezoelectric energy harvester, a bridge rectifier, and a storage capacitor. To accomplish this, this energy harvesting system is modeled, and the charging process of the storage capacitor is investigated by employing the in-phase assumption The results indicate that the charging voltage across the storage capacitor and the gathered power increase gradually as the charging process proceeds, whereas the charging rate slows down over time as the charging voltage approaches to the peak value of the piezoelectric voltage across the piezoelectric materials. In addition, due to the added electrical damping and the change of the system natural frequency when the charging process is initiated, a sudden drop in the vibration amplitude is observed, which in turn affects the charging rate. However, the vibration amplitude begins to increase as the charging process continues, which is caused by the decrease in the electrical damping （i.e., the decrease in the energy removed from the mechanical vibration）. This electromechanical coupling characteristic is also revealed by the variation of the vibration amplitude with the charging voltage.     

冲击磁铁脉冲调制器的谐振开关高压充电电路及数值模拟

 介绍了一种新颖的专为电子储存环冲击磁铁脉冲调制器而设计的高压充电电路,该电路采用了零电流谐振开关变换技术及一种简单可靠的充电电压控制方式。建立了该电路的数值仿真模型, 分析了在高压脉冲电容作为变换器负载条件下的充电电路的瞬态特性, 仿真结果表明设计电路能够达到所要求的幅值精度及重复频率, 进一步探讨了提高充电重复频率的途径。     

非晶一次晶化过程微观组织演化和生长动力学的相场法研究

在晶化物理模型中添加扩散系数对晶化过程的影响, 采用相场方法研究初始形核率和初始形核半径对一次晶化过程中微观组织和生长动力学的影响。结果表明: 随着初始形核率的增加, 相同时间内非晶一次晶化的晶粒数量逐渐增加, 晶粒尺寸逐渐减小。晶化分数随着演化时间和初始形核率的增加逐渐增大, 初始形核率越大, 相同演化时间内的晶化分数越高。不同初始形核半径情况下, 非晶一次晶化过程中的晶粒数量和尺寸随着演化时间的增加基本保持不变。晶化分数随着演化时间的增加而增大。不同初始形核率和初始形核半径情况下所对应的生长指数均小于1, 表明初始形核率和初始形核半径对晶化方式无影响, 均为一次晶化。改变初始形核率和初始形核半径可调控一次晶化微观组织结构, 而晶粒尺寸及晶化分数直接关系到合金性能。     

Study on the Nonisothermal Melt Crystallization Kinetics of DBS/PBT Blends

The modified Avrami, Mo, and Kissinger models were applied to investigate the nonisothermal melt crystallization process of dibenzylidene sorbitol (DBS)/poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) blends by differential scanning colorimetry (DSC) measurements. The modified Avrami model can describe the nonisothermal melt crystallization processes of DBS/PBT blends fairly well. The cooling rates and the blend composition affect the crystallization of the blends according to Mo crystallization kinetics parameters. The Mo model shows that F(T) increases with increasing crystallinity, indicating that the needed cooling rate when it reached a certain crystallinity increased in unit time, the crystallization rate of DBS/PBT blends is faster than the crystallization rate of pure PBT, and the crystallization rate of the DBS/PBT blends with 0.5% DBS is fastest. The Kissinger model showed that the crystallization activation energy of DBS/PBT blends is lower than the activation energy of pure PBT; the crystallization activation energy of the DBS/PBT blends with 0.5% DBS is the lowest.     

Non-Isothermal Crystallization Kinetics of Polyamide 6/h-Boron Nitride Composites

Hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets were mixed with polyamide 6 to fabricate polymer-based composites by using a solution blending method. The nonisothermal crystallization behaviors of the as-prepared composites were investigated via differential scanning calorimetry. Results showed that the peak temperature of the exothermic crystallization curve was moved to lower temperature with increase in the cooling rate. At the same cooling rate, the peak temperature of the pure polyamide 6 was lower than those of the composites. Moreover, the crystallization rate increased gradually with increase in the cooling rate. In addition, at the cooling rates of 5 or 10°C min^?1, the crystallization rate of pure polyamide 6 was higher than those of all compositions of the composites. However, at the cooling rates of 20 or 40°C min^?1, the crystallization rate decreased first and then increased with increase in the fillers loading. The crystallization mechanism was between one-dimensional and two-dimensional during the crystallization process.     

Charging/discharging kinetics in LPCVD silicon nanocrystal MOS memory structures

The paper focuses on the peculiarities of charging/discharging kinetics and write/erase (W/E) window formation in nanocrystal metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) non-volatile memory (NVM) structures prepared by low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) of amorphous silicon, followed by solid phase crystallization and thermal oxidation. It is generally known that the W/E window formation via pulse injection depends on the kinetics of carriers trapping (electrons and/or holes) in the nanocrystal NVM structure and consequently on the cumulative time of recharging bias application, i.e. pulse duration and number of applied pulses. In this work, we have shown that with the same cumulative time biasing but different charging pulse durations, the resulting W/E window width can be rather different, demonstrating a staircase window formation. This phenomenon is interpreted by a model of partial fast charge draining from the trapping sites in the vicinity of Si nanoclusters into the Si substrate. The detailed experimental investigation of charging/discharging kinetics of the considered structures in combination with computer simulations lead to the conclusion that there is a single process of negative charge trapping with a time constant of 235±35 ms and at least four processes of positive charge trapping with time constants distributed in the range from <10 ms to >10 s.     

Nanoparticle Charging in a Twin Hewitt Charger

A new unipolar charger for aerosol nanoparticles has been developed. In this twin Hewitt charger two corona discharge zones are connected by a charging zone where the nanoparticle aerosol flows. Ions move into the charging zone alternating from each corona discharging zone by means of a square-wave voltage. The operation parameters of the device have been experimentally investigated at standard conditions with the goal to optimize the extrinsic charging efficiency in N₂ carrier gas. It has been found that there exists an optimal length of the charging channel for each gas flow rate through the charger which minimizes losses of charged particles and at the same time having a sufficient large n _iont-product. Extrinsic charging efficiencies of some 30% for particles with a diameter of 10 nm are obtained.     

The Suppression of Isothermal Cold Crystallization in PET Through Nano‐Silica Incorporation

Isothermal crystallization from the glassy state of pure poly(ethylene terephthalate)(PET) and PET/Silica nanocomposites films was studied. The results showed that addition of nano‐silica increased the crystallinity of filled PET compared to pure PET, suggesting that nano‐silica is an effective nucleating agent. However, the induction period prior to crystallization was prolonged and the overall crystallization rate decreased through nano‐silica incorporation. This is a result of the cold crystallization rate being primarily controlled by diffusion of PET chains, rather than being controlled by the nucleation rate. The strong interaction between the nanoparticles and PET chains confined the movement of the macromolecular chains and decreased the cold crystallization rate.     

Molecular Dynamics Studies on Polymer Crystallization from a Stretched Amorphous State

Polymer crystallization from a uniaxially stretched amorphous state was investigated by molecular dynamics simulation using a realistic molecular model of poly(ethylene). Simulations for crystallization were performed at temperatures between 280 and 350 K. Structure formations to crystalline states having lower symmetries than the hexagonal phase of poly(ethylene) were realized above 300 K. It was found that all of the order parameters considered to analyze the crystallization process showed the same time dependence at a given temperature: there was no precursor prior to crystallization. The temperature dependence of the crystallization rate has a bell-shape, and a maximum of the crystallization rate appears around 325 K.     

Crystalline Morphology and Nonisothermal Crystallization Behaviors of iPP/PcBR Blends

Isotactic polypropylene/poly(cis‐butadiene) rubber (iPP/PcBR) blends were prepared by melt mixing. The influence of PcBR content on crystalline morphology and nonisothermal crystallization behaviors of iPP was investigated by polarized optical microscopy (POM), small angle light scattering (SALS), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The POM showed that an increase of PcBR ranging from 10 vol% to 40 vol% led to less perfection of spherulites, vaguer boundaries between spherulites, and smaller spherulite size, which was quantitatively validated by SALS. The presence of PcBR also remarkably affected the nonisothermal crystallization behaviors of iPP. An addition of PcBR caused higher crystallization peak temperature and a faster crystallization rate, meaning a heterogeneous nucleation effect of PcBR upon crystallization of iPP. For the same sample, the crystallization peak temperature moved to lower temperature and the crystallization rate increased as the cooling rate increased. The Ozawa and combined Avrami and Ozawa equations were used to describe the nonisothermal crystallization process of iPP and blends. The combined Avrami and Ozawa equation was more appropriate for the crystallization of the blends. Crystallization activation energy of iPP and blends was calculated by the Kissinger equation; the result showed that crystallization activation energy decreased as the content of PcBR increased from 30 vol% to 40 vol%.     

Thermorheology and Crystallization Behaviors of Polyethylenes: Effect of Molecular Attributes

Correlations between polyethylenes of different compositions and branching architectures and the temperature dependence of their viscoelastic behavior as well as the dependence of the nonisothermal crystallization behaviors on the cooling rate were described. To analyze the thermorheological behavior of the various classical polyethylenes, a method proposed by van Gurp and Palmen was utilized and the classical high-pressure low-density polyethylene (LDPE) was found to be thermorheologically complex, while for high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), thermorheological simplicity was observed. The Avrami and Mo methods were applied to describe the nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of the different PEs for various cooling rate. The values of the kinetic parameter F(T), kinetic crystallization rate constant (Z_c), and half-time of crystallization (t_1/2) indicated that long-chain branching (LCB) had the role of being a heterogeneous nucleating agent and accelerated the crystallization of polyethylene. Moreover, an HDPE sample of both high molecular weight (M_w) and molecular weight distribution (MWD) had a different crystallization rate dependence from the other samples at various corresponding cooling rates. The crystallization activation energy for nonisothermal crystallization of different PEs was determined using the Kissinger method and showed that the presence of LCB as well as high M_w can increase the crystallization activation energy of polyethylene.     

Crystallization kinetics of a-Se,part 4: thin films

Differential scanning calorimetry was used to study the crystallization behaviour of selenium thin films in dependence on film thickness and deposition rate. In the current work, which is the fourth in a sequence of articles dealing with crystallization kinetics of a-Se, the non-isothermal crystallization kinetics was described in terms of the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami nucleation-growth model. Two-dimensional crystallite growth, consistent with the idea of sterically restricted crystallization in a thin layer, was confirmed for all data. It was found that neither the film thickness (tested within the 100–2350?nm range) nor the deposition rate appears to have any significant influence on the crystallization kinetics. However, the higher amount of intrinsic defects possibly produced by a higher deposition rate seems to accelerate the crystallization, shifting it towards lower temperatures. Very good correlation between the results obtained for thin films and those for fine powders was found. Based on the obtained results, interpretations of relevant literature data were made.     

Nonisothermal Crystallization Kinetics of Poly(ϵ-Caprolactone)/Montmorillonite Nanocomposites

Montmorillonites modified by hydroxyethylhexadecyldimethyl ammonium bromine were used to prepare poly(?-caprolactone) (PCL)/montmorillonite (MMT) nanocomposites by in situ ring-opening polymerization of ?-caprolactone. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) analysis illustrated that an exfoliated structure of PCL/MMT nanocomposite was obtained. The nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of poly(?-caprolactone) and PCL/MMT nanocomposite was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) at various cooling rates. The values of half-time of crystallization (t_1/2) and crystallization rate constant (Z_c) showed that crystallization rate increased with the increase of cooling rates for both PCL and PCL/MMT nanocomposite; however, the crystallization rate of PCL/MMT nanocomposite was faster than that of PCL at a given cooling rate.     

Crystallization of isolated amorphous zones in semiconductors

Thermal annealing, irradiation with electrons (25-300 keV), and irradiation with photons (hν = 2.33-3.88 eV) have been used to stimulate the crystallization of isolated amorphous zones in Si, Ge, GaAs, GaP and InP. Transmission electron microscopy and computer image analysis were used to determine the crystallization processes. For all materials, thermally stimulated crystallization occurred only at temperatures above 373 K. The electron-stimulated crystallization rate is sensitive to the electron energy. Initially, the rate decreases with increasing energy until it reaches a minimum at about one half the threshold displacement energy and then it increases. It is insensitive to the irradiation temperature between 90 and 300 K and to the crystal orientation. The effective diameter of the amorphous zone initially shrinks linearly with increasing electron dose. For the laser-induced crystallization experiments the crystallization rate in Si, but not in Ge, was sensitive to the temperature, with a faster rate occurring at 300 K than at 90 K. The photon and electron stimulated crystallization results indicate that a non-displacive mechanism causes bond breakage at the amorphous-crystalline interface. The re-formation of these interfacial bonds is responsible for the amorphous-to-crystalline transition.     

Influence of Hollow Glass Microspheres Modified by a Rare-Earth/Titanium Coupling Agent on the Nonisothermal Crystallization of Polypropylene

Hollow glass microspheres (HGMs) were surface modified by a rare-earth/titanium coupling agent. Then polypropylene/HGMs composites were prepared by the method of melt blending. The nonisothermal crystallization of the polypropylene (PP) and its composites were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry. The results showed the modified HGMs caused a decrease in the peak crystallization temperature and onset crystallization temperature. Further analysis of the nonisothermal crystallization kinetics, by using the Jeziorny and Mo equations, showed that the crystallization rate rose with increasing cooling rate. Moreover, the presence of the modified HGMs slightly increased the crystallization rates of PP.     

Effect of the stabilizing coating and the presence of free polymer on the rate of crystallization of colloidal systems

Visual observations and preliminary light scattering experiments on the crystallization process in various colloidal systems are reported. In the first place we studied the influence of the stabilizing coating of the colloidal particles on the rate of crystallization. The various coatings give rise to different ranges of the repulsive interaction. This is found to have a pronounced effect on the rate of crystallization. Furthermore we investigated the effect of free polymer added to the dispersion. It appears that addition of free polymer has a dramatic effect on the crystallization phenomena.     

一种新的航天器外露介质充电模型

为综合考虑高能电子辐射与周围等离子体对航天器外露介质充电的影响,在航天器内带电模型的基础上,通过添加边界充电电流来考虑等离子体与航天器介质表面的相互作用,并统一参考电位为等离子体零电位,建立了航天器外露介质充电模型,给出了新模型的一维稳态解法,并与表面充电模型和深层充电模型进行了对比分析.结果表明:新建模型能够综合考虑表面入射电流、深层沉积电流和传导电流对充电的耦合作用过程,实现外露介质表面和深层耦合充电计算,有利于全面评估航天器外露介质的充电问题.