Elastic and ultrasonic properties of single crystalline nickel nanowires

In the present paper, we have theoretically calculated the non linear elastic constants of single crystalline Ni NWs at very broad temperature range 20–300 K validating simple interaction potential model. The temperature dependent ultrasonic attenuation and other related properties are determined using their second and third order elastic constants (SOECs/TOECs). Where possible, the results are compared with experiments from literature. There is a correlation between the thermal conductivity and ultrasonic attenuation in the temperature range 100–300 K. Also, a correlation between the resistivity and ultrasonic attenuation in the temperature range 40–100 K has been established validating the theoretical approach.     

Interaction of ultrasonic waves with domain walls on nanocrystalline YIG

The nanocrystalline YIG samples with different particle sizes (20–40 nm) has been prepared using microwave–hydrothermal method. As synthesized powders were characterized using XRD and TEM. The powders were pressed and sintered at three different temperatures i.e., 700 °C/30 min, 800 °C/30 min, 900 °C/30 min, using microwave furnace. The sintered samples were characterized using XRD and TEM. The sintered samples are monophasic in nature with average grain size ranging in between 72 nm and 90 nm. The thermal variation of ultrasonic velocities [longitudinal (V_l) and transverse (V_S)] and longitudinal attenuation (α_l) has been measured on sintered samples by the pulse transmissionmethod at 1 MHz, in the temperature range of 300–600 K. The room temperature velocity is found to be grain size dependent and decreases with increasing temperature, except near the Curie temperature, T_C, where a small anomaly is observed. The longitudinal attenuation (α₁) at room temperature is also found to be more sample dependent. The temperature variation of ultrasonic longitudinal attenuation exhibits a sharp maximum just below Curie temperature (T_C). The above observations were carried on in the demagnetized state, on the application of a saturation field of 380 mT, the anomaly observed in the thermal variation of velocities (longitudinal and transverse) and attenuation is found to disappears. The observed interaction of ultrasonic velocity with domain walls has been qualitatively explained with the help oftemperature variation of magneto-crystalline anisotropy constant (k₁) and Landau’s theory.     

Size dependent ultrasonic properties of InN nanowires

The ultrasonic properties of single crystalline indium nitride nanowires (InN NWs) are studied for wire size (diameter) 6–100 nm at 300 K following the interaction potential model. Ultrasonic attenuation, ultrasonic velocity, acoustic coupling constant and thermal relaxation time are calculated using higher order elastic constants and thermal conductivity of the nanowires. The analysis of size dependent thermal relaxation time and ultrasonic properties shows that above the 20 nm diameter, InN nanowire tends towards its bulk material property. The third order polynomial is found to be best fit for size variation of thermal relaxation time. The ultrasonic attenuation as a function of size of the nanowires is found to be mainly affected by the thermal conductivity of the nanowires of different sizes.     

Temperature dependent physical effects of ultrasonic wave in beryllium chalcogenides

Temperature dependent physical effects of ultrasonic wave viz. ultrasonic attenuation due to interaction of sound wave and thermal phonons, thermoelastic loss and dislocation damping have been studied in beryllium chalcogenides (BeX, X = S, Se and Te) in the temperature range 50-500 K, along three crystallographic directions of propagation viz. [1 0 0], [1 1 0] and [1 1 1] for longitudinal and shear modes of propagation. Second and third order elastic moduli have been obtained using electrostatic and Born repulsive potentials and taking hardness parameter and nearest neighbour distance as input data. Gruneisen numbers, acoustic coupling constants and drag coefficients have been evaluated for longitudinal and shear waves along different directions of propagation and polarization. The results have been discussed and compared with the available data. It has been found that the temperature dependence of ultrasonic attenuation follows the temperature variation of diffusion coefficient and is mainly dominated by phonon-phonon interaction.     

Propagation of ultrasonic waves in neptunium monochalcogenides

The ultrasonic attenuation and acoustic coupling constants due to phonon–phonon interaction and thermoelastic relaxation mechanisms have been studied for longitudinal and shear waves in B₁ structured neptunium monochalcogenides NpX (X: S, Se, Te) along 〈1 0 0〉 direction in the temperature range 100–300 K. The second and third order elastic constants (SOEC and TOEC) of the chosen monochalcogenides are also computed for the evaluation of ultrasonic parameters. The ultrasonic attenuation due to phonon–phonon interaction process is predominant over thermoelastic relaxation process in these materials. The ultrasonic attenuation in NpTe has been found lesser than other materials NpS, NpSe and GdY (Y: P, As, Sb and Bi). The semiconducting or semimetallic nature of neptunium monochalcogenides can be well understood with the study of thermal relaxation time. Total ultrasonic attenuation in these materials is found to be quadratic function of temperature. The nature of NpTe is very similar to semimetallic GdP. The mechanical and ultrasonic study indicates that NpTe is more reliable, perfect, flawless material.     

Temperature dependent ultrasonic properties of aluminium nitride

Hexagonal wurtzite structured aluminium nitride has been characterized by the theoretical calculation of ultrasonic attenuation, ultrasonic velocity, higher order elastic constants, thermal relaxation time, acoustic coupling constants and other related parameters in temperature range 200-800 K for wave propagation along the unique axis of the crystal. Higher order elastic constants of AlN at different temperatures are calculated using Lennard-Jones potential for the determination of ultrasonic attenuation. A decrease in ultrasonic velocity with temperature has been predicted, which is caused by reduction in higher order elastic constants with temperature. The temperature dependent ultrasonic properties have been discussed in correlation with higher order elastic constants, thermal relaxation time, thermal conductivity, acoustic coupling constants and thermal energy density. Anomalous behaviour of the attenuation is found at 400 K. On the basis of attenuation, the ductility and performance of AlN have been studied.     

Ultrasound-assisted extraction of resveratrol from functional foods: Cookies and jams

Rapid extraction techniques with ultrasonic systems have been established to extract resveratrol from two functional foods, namely cookies and jams. The ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) was optimized using a full factorial design with three variables: solvent composition (10–70% and 30–90% methanol in water for cookies and jams, respectively), solvent-to-solid ratio (10:1–40:1), and ultrasonic probe diameter (2 and 7 mm). The extraction kinetics (5–30 min) were studied to confirm the full recovery of resveratrol from the functional foods. The resveratrol was quantified by Ultrahigh Performance Liquid Chromatography with a Fluorescense Detector (UPLC-FD).     

Ultrasonic wave propagation in IIIrd group nitrides

The ultrasonic attenuation in hexagonal structured (wurtzite) third group nitrides (GaN, AlN and InN) has been evaluated at 300 K for an ultrasonic wave propagating along the unique axis of the crystal. Higher order elastic constants of these materials are calculated using the Lennard-Jones potential for the determination of ultrasonic attenuation. The ultrasonic velocity, Debye average velocity, thermal relaxation time and acoustic coupling constant are evaluated along the z-axis of the crystal using the second order elastic constants and other related parameters. The contributions of the elastic constants, thermal conductivity, thermal energy density, ultrasonic velocity and acoustic coupling constant to the total attenuation are studied. On the basis of the ultrasonic attenuation, it can be concluded that the AlN is more ductile than either GaN or InN at 300 K. Orientation dependent characterization has been achieved by calculation of the orientation dependent ultrasonic velocity, Debye average velocity and thermal relaxation time for the materials.     

Ultrasonic properties of water/sorbitol solutions

Ultrasonic longitudinal velocity and attenuation were measured for aqueous solutions of sorbitol at approximately 5 MHz. For pure sorbitol, the ultrasonic velocity reached 3200 m s⁻¹, consequently leading to a high acoustical impedance (around 5 × 10⁶ Rayleigh) and good matching between the ultrasonic transducers and material samples.     

A study of ultrasonic velocity and attenuation on nanocystalline MgCuZn ferrites

The nanocrystalline MgCuZn ferrites with particle size (∼30 nm) have been synthesized by microwave-hydrothermal (M-H) method at 160 °C/45 min. The powders were densified at 750-900 °C/30 min using microwave sintering method. The sintered samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. The grain sizes of the sintered samples are in the range of 60-80 nm. The ultrasonic velocities have been measured on MgCuZn ferrites using the pulse transmission method at 1 MHz. The ultrasonic velocity is found to decrease with an increase of temperature. A small anomaly is observed around the Curie temperature, 520 K. The anomaly observed in the thermal variation of longitudinal velocity and attenuation is explained with the help of magneto-crystalline anisotropy constant.     

Exvivo ultrasound attenuation coefficient for human cervical and uterine tissue from 5 to 10 MHz

Attenuation estimation and imaging in the cervix has been utilized to evaluate the onset of cervical ripening during pregnancy. This feature has also been utilized for the acoustic characterization of leiomyomas and myometrial tissue. In this paper, we present direct narrowband substitution measurement values of the variation in the ultrasonic attenuation coefficient in ex vivo human uterine and cervical tissue, in the 5-10 MHz frequency range. At 5 MHz, the attenuation coefficient values are similar for the different orientations of uterine tissue with values of 4.1-4.2 dB/cm, 5.1 dB/cm for the leiomyoma, and 6.3 dB/cm for the cervix. As the frequency increases, the attenuation coefficient values increase and are also spread out, with a value of approximately 12.6 dB/cm for the uterus (both parallel and perpendicular), 16.0 for the leiomyoma, and 26.8 dB/cm for the cervix at 10 MHz. The attenuation coefficient measured increases monotonically over the frequency range measured following a power law.     

Temperature sensitivity of long period fiber grating in SMF-28 fiber

In this paper we have presented long period fiber grating (LPFG) as temperature sensor. Temperature based sensors have found a number of applications in commercial and industrial fields. In LPFG based temperature sensors, they respond to shift in various peak resonant wavelengths corresponding to various attenuation bands of the transmission spectrum. Temperature effect on the various attenuation bands of a LPFG have been investigated to create a highly sensitive measurement device. The temperature sensitivities of various attenuation bands of a LPFG over the wavelength region of 1.1–1.7 μm, for a grating period of 280 μm period, are obtained by monitoring the wavelength shift of each peak resonant wavelength with temperature increment of 20 °C, ranging from 0 °C to 100 °C.     

A row–column addressed micromachined ultrasonic transducer array for surface scanning applications

Row–column addressed arrays for ultrasonic non-destructive testing (NDT) applications are analyzed and demonstrated in this paper. Simulation and experimental results of a row–column addressed 32 by 32 capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) array are presented. The CMUT array, which was designed for medical imaging applications, has a center frequency of 5.3 MHz. The CMUT array was used to perform C-scans on test objects with holes that have diameters of 1.0 mm and 0.5 mm. The array transducer has an aperture size of 4.8 mm by 4.8 mm, and it was used to scan an area of 4.0 mm by 4.0 mm. Compared to an N by N fully addressed 2-D array, a row–column addressed array of the same number of elements requires fewer (N instead of N²) pairs of interconnection and supporting electronic components such as pulsers and amplifiers. Even though the resulting field of view is limit by the aperture size, row–column addressed arrays and the row–column addressing scheme can be an alternative option of 2-D arrays for NDT applications.     

High frequency shear ultrasonic properties of water/sorbitol solutions

Dynamic viscoelastic properties (G′ and G′′), ultrasonic shear velocity and attenuation were measured for aqueous solutions of sorbitol at 5 MHz. For pure sorbitol, the shear ultrasonic velocity reached 1470 m s⁻¹ with a density of 1500 kg m⁻³, consequently leading to a high acoustical impedance compared with “classical” polymers (polystyrene, nylon, polyethylene, Teflon, etc.). We demonstrate that this surprisingly high shear ultrasonic velocity for a viscoelastic material was due to the fact that the glass transition begins at a concentration above 85% of sorbitol in water. Hence, pure sorbitol is an ideal coupling material for high frequency shear experiments.     

Reducing temperature influence on dry quantitative ultrasound bone assessment with constant temperature control

Nowadays, ultrasonic bone assessment is increasingly being used to assess bone status. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to enhance the precision of ultrasonic bone assessment by reducing the influence of temperature in a dry, gel coupled transducer system. A warm airflow generator was designed to make the measurement temperature constant (35 ± 1 °C). Thirty people were recruited for the evaluation of in-vivo performance. The short-term precision was performed 10 times with repositioning during a consecutive measurement session within 20 min. It was expressed as root-mean square average of coefficient of variation, which is abbreviated for CV_RMS. The CV_RMS was 3.84% for broadband ultrasound attenuation, and 0.30% for speed of sound. The Pearson correlations between gel coupled transducer system and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) were 0.808 (p < 0.001) for broadband ultrasound attenuation, and 0.586 (p < 0.005) for speed of sound. The result showed the high performance of reproducibility and the significant (p < 0.005) correlations with DEXA in the dry, gel coupled transducer system.     

Ultrasonic assembly of anisotropic short fibre reinforced composites

We report the successful manufacture of short fibre reinforced polymer composites via the process of ultrasonic assembly. An ultrasonic device is developed allowing the manufacture of thin layers of anisotropic composite material. Strands of unidirectional reinforcement are, in response to the acoustic radiation force, shown to form inside various matrix media. The technique proves suitable for both photo-initiator and temperature controlled polymerisation mechanisms. A series of glass fibre reinforced composite samples constructed in this way are subjected to tensile loading and the stress–strain response is characterised. Structural anisotropy is clearly demonstrated, together with a 43% difference in failure stress between principal directions. The average stiffnesses of samples strained along the direction of fibre reinforcement and transversely across it were 17.66 ± 0.63 MPa and 16.36 ± 0.48 MPa, respectively.     

Intraosseous monitoring and guiding by ultrasound: A feasibility study

An efficient method for navigation within bone tissue boundaries is essential for performance of surgical procedures, e.g. without damaging of adjacent vulnerable organs. The application of sonographic measuring methods for this purpose promises to be effective in the ability to distinguish soft trabecular bone from dense cortical bone, owing to an order of magnitude difference in acoustic density between these structures. For this purpose, a specific method was developed that utilizes propagation of a 5 MHz ultrasonic wave through an aqueous milieu. Using this method a 0.2 mm resolution in measurements is achieved. This resolution is in an order of magnitude lower than is required for a clinical use. A three-stage experimental approach was adopted: measurements in a cubic “phantom” made of a transparent plastic material, in samples of fresh porcine femora, and in a clinical setting of drilling in the upper and lower jaw during dental implantation surgery in nine patients. Two patterns of the detected ultrasound wave reflections were found: low amplitude reflections from the aqueous surrounding and trabecular bone and highly reflected ultrasound waves from the cortical bone. We show that trabecular and cortical bones are distinguishable by real-time ultrasonic measurement. The distances of the drilled tracts, in the range of 58.0–122.0 mm for the “phantom” experiment, 22.6–35.5 mm for the ex vivo experiment and 10.0–11.5 mm in the clinical experiment, and residual distances to the opposite edge of the tested samples and organs, in the range of 21.0–82.0 mm for the “phantom” experiment, 3.8–11.36 mm for the ex vivo experiment and 2.1–6.9 mm in the clinical experiment, were measured by the presented sonographic method and compared statistically, using linear correlation and Bland Altman plot, to the mechanical and/or radiographic measurements in all three stages of the experiment. A correlation coefficient above 0.95 was considered an indication of high correlation, while a value of 0.75–0.94 was considered intermediate, and a value below 0.75 was considered poor.     

Radio frequency characteristics of Fe-filled carbon nanotube film

The conduction noise suppression in radio frequency region using film type of the Fe-filled carbon nanotubes and its epoxy composite was evaluated on a coplanar waveguide. Fe in carbon nanotubes have shown α-Fe crystalline structure and had a coercivity of 650 Oe. The magnitudes of the signal attenuation of Fe-filled carbon nanotubes on coplanar waveguide were shown in the range of about 10–18 dB/cm at 20 GHz (the stop-band frequency region). The power losses of these films exhibited 65–85% at 20 GHz in the stop-band frequency.     

Production of magnetic microspheres by ultrasonic atomisation

Magnetic microspheres, with mean particle sizes from 23 to 32 μm were produced by the ultrasonic atomisation of a suspension of magnetite particles, of approximately 200 nm diameter, in a solution of poly–l–lactic acid (PLLA). The mean particle diameter and the width of the particle diameter distribution both increased with increasing magnetite concentration. The particles appear to be suitable for magnetic hyperthermic treatment of liver cancers, with the hysteresis loop areas increasing linearly with nominal magnetite concentration up to 30 wt% magnetite.