Polydimethylsiloxane–graphene oxide composite improving performance by ion beam irradiation

A hybrid film consisting of graphene oxide covered with poly(dimethylsiloxane) was prepared via spin coater and followed by thermal annealing to improve the bond strength of the polymerized systems. Direct patterning on both graphene oxide and hybrid graphene oxide–poly(dimethylsiloxane) foils by ion microbeam was performed to induce localized reduction in the ion irradiated material. It is well established that the ion irradiation of graphene oxide induces modifications in its electrical, mechanical, and optical properties and disorder in the carbon crystal structure and defect production. The presence of poly(dimethylsiloxane) can be useful as it confers flexibility to the produced pattern and oxygen permeability from the graphene oxide surface. Rutherford backscattered spectroscopy and elastic recoil detection analysis were performed to evaluate the compositional changes in the composite. Atomic force microscopy studied the pattern fidelity. The electrical conductivity of the hybrid material was used to evaluate the changes induced during the proton irradiation of the material.     

Ni,Ti, and NiTi laser ablation in vacuum and in water to deposit thin films or to generate nanoparticles in solution

An ns Nd:YAG pulsed laser was used to deposit thin films in a vacuum and to generate nanoparticles in the water of Ni, Ti, and NiTi alloys. Laser ablation was measured in terms of removing mass per laser pulse. The laser-generated plasma in vacuum was characterized in terms of temperature and energy of emitted particles. The ablation in water produces nanoparticles with dimensions of the order of 25 nm and solutions with concentrations of the order of some mg/ml. The NiTi alloy stoichiometry is well reported in the deposited thin film and in the composition of the produced nanoparticles.     

Modeling dimensionally-heterogeneous problems: analysis,approximation and applications

In the present work a general theoretical framework for coupled dimensionally-heterogeneous partial differential equations is developed. This is done by recasting the variational formulation in terms of coupling interface variables. In such a general setting we analyze existence and uniqueness of solutions for both the continuous problem and its finite dimensional approximation. This approach also allows the development of different iterative substructuring solution methodologies involving dimensionally-homogeneous subproblems. Numerical experiments are carried out to test our theoretical results.     

Determination of the usage of shade structures via a dosimetry technique

A measurement system is described that allows an objective review and evaluation of the amount of use by different population groups of provided shade structures. It employs the comparison of the erythemal UV exposure measured with dosimeters to either the vertex or forehead to that in full sun. The technique has been developed using three shade structures and found to provide a linear relationship with an R(2) of 0.99 between the exposure ratio and the time spent in the shade for the solar zenith angle range of 19-53° and for both low- and high-cloud levels. It provides an objective determination of the amount of shade use by population groups that have set periods of time outdoors.     

A Genesis of Interval Orders and Semiorders: Transitive NaP-preferences

A NaP-preference (necessary and possible preference) on a set A is a pair \({\left(\succsim^{^{_N}}\!,\,\succsim^{^{_P}}\!\right)}\) of binary relations on A such that its necessary component \({\succsim^{^{_N}} \!\!}\) is a partial preorder, its possible component \({\succsim^{^{_P}} \!\!}\) is a completion of \({\succsim^{^{_N}} \!\!}\) , and the two components jointly satisfy natural forms of mixed completeness and mixed transitivity. We study additional mixed transitivity properties of a NaP-preference \({\left(\succsim^{^{_N}}\!,\,\succsim^{^{_P}}\!\right)}\) , which culminate in the full transitivity of its possible component \({\succsim^{^{_P}} \!\!}\) . Interval orders and semiorders are strictly related to these properties, since they are the possible components of suitably transitive NaP-preferences. Further, we introduce strong versions of interval orders and semiorders, which are characterized by enhanced forms of mixed transitivity, and use a geometric approach to compare them to other well known preference relations.     

Analysis of a finite volume element method for the Stokes problem

In this paper we propose a stabilized conforming finite volume element method for the Stokes equations. On stating the convergence of the method, optimal a priori error estimates in different norms are obtained by establishing the adequate connection between the finite volume and stabilized finite element formulations. A superconvergence result is also derived by using a postprocessing projection method. In particular, the stabilization of the continuous lowest equal order pair finite volume element discretization is achieved by enriching the velocity space with local functions that do not necessarily vanish on the element boundaries. Finally, some numerical experiments that confirm the predicted behavior of the method are provided.     

High-speed visualization of interface phenomena: single and double drop impacts onto a deep liquid layer

Abstract  

Single and double drop impacts onto a deep pool were observed with a high-speed camera. The early stage of drop impact was investigated to detect the evolution of the interface between the fluid of the impacting drop and of the target pool. A new flow regime for the single drop impact was detected, due to a superposition of partial coalescence and crater formation. The closure of the crown above the crater was observed for some impact parameters. The submerged flow geometry generated by the simultaneous impact of two identical drops was also reported.