Finite size specimens with cracks of icosahedral AI-Pd-Mn quasicrystals

Icosahedral quasicrystals are the most important and thermodynamically stable in all about 200 kinds of quasicrystals currently observed. Beyond the scope of classical elasticity, apart from a phonon displacement field, there is a phason displacement field in the elasticity of the quasicrystal, which induces an important effect on the mechanical properties of the material and makes an analytical solution difficult to obtain. In this paper, a finite element algorithm for the static elasticity of icosahedral quasicrystals is developed by transforming the elastic boundary value problem of the icosahedral quasicrystals into an equivalent variational problem. Analytical and numerical solutions for an icosahedral A1-Pd-Mn quasicrystal cuboid subjected to a uniaxial tension with different phonon-phason coupling parameters are given to verify the validity of the numerical approach. A comparison between the analytical and numerical solutions of the specimen demonstrates the accuracy and efficiency of the present algorithm. Finally, in order to reveal the fracture behavior of the icosahedral A1-Pd-Mn quasicrystal, a cracked specimen with a finite size of matter is investigated, both with and without phonon-phason coupling. Meanwhile, the geometry factors are calculated, including the stress intensity factor and the crack opening displacement for the finite-size specimen. Computational results reveal the importance of pbonon-phason coupling effect on the icosahedral A1-Pd-Mn quasicrystal. Furthermore, the finite element procedure can be used to solve more complicated boundary value problems.     

Survey of Plasmonic Nanoparticles: From Synthesis to Application

The unique properties of plasmonic nanostructures have fuelled research based on the tremendous amount of potential applications. Their tailor‐made assemblies in combination with the tunable size and morphology of the initial building blocks allow for the creation of materials with a desired optical response. In this respect, it is crucial to synthesize nanoparticles with a defined shape that are at the core of such developments. Moreover, the interaction of individual nanoparticles with an incident electromagnetic field cannot only be influenced by their structure, but in fact, also by their spatial arrangement to each other. To harvest such opportunities, a profound theoretical understanding of these interactions is required as well as concise strategies to create such ordered assemblies. A quantitative evaluation of their optical properties can only be conducted when discrete structures of high uniformity can be achieved. As a consequence, separation steps have to be applied in order to obtain materials of high purity and uniformity. This also allows for an easier structural characterization of the nanoparticles and their assembled superstructures. In this progress report, an overview about the current development in this field of research is provided.     

Effects of zero-filling and apodization on spectral integrals in discrete Fourier-transform spectroscopy of noisy data

The influence of noise on the standard deviation of spectral integrals is examined. Calculations assuming discrete Fourier-transform data are compared with Monte-Carlo simulations. The effects of zero-filling and apodization are examined for free-induction-decay (FID) signals and for symmetric spin-echo signals in one and two dimensions, with particular attention to features not previously presented in the literature. Findings suggest that for mild apodization, the known sensitivity enhancement due to zero-filling in either the real or the imaginary part signal [E. Bartholdi, R.R. Ernst, Fourier spectroscopy and the causality principle, J. Magn. Reson., 11 (1973) 9-19] is maintained; however, for stronger apodization filters, this enhancement can be obliterated completely. It is shown that results obtained by analysis of one-dimensional signals can be readily applied to multi-dimensional data. Furthermore, zero-filling has a negligible effect for symmetric spin-echo signals with implications for signal averaging in magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopic imaging.     

Novel interconnection scheme for thin‐film silicon solar modules with conductive intermediate reflector

Intermediate reflector layers are commonly used for light man‐agement purposes in multi‐junction silicon based devices containing a‐Si:H top‐ and µc‐Si:H bottom‐sub‐cells. A low resistance of such layers can have a severe impact on the solar module performance due to shunting of the bottom sub‐cell by the P2 scribe. A common solution for this problem is the use of an additional scribe line. However, not only the additional processing step is disadvantageous but also the dead area losses are increased as well by the additional scribe. This work introduces a novel solar cell stripe interconnection scheme that requires only three scribing processes with similar dead area losses as they would be apparent in the standard interconnection scheme. An implementation to mini modules shows no negative impact on the electrical properties and simultaneously reducing the required number of scribing steps. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Composition of oxygen precipitates in Czochralski silicon wafers investigated by STEM with EDX/EELS and FTIR spectroscopy

In this work, we investigated the stoichiometry of oxygen precipitates in Czochralski silicon wafers. The thickness dependence of the Cliff–Lorimer sensitivity factor for the silicon/oxygen system was determined and applied for the investigation of the stoichiometry of oxygen precipitates by EDX. The results show that both plate‐like oxygen precipitates and a transitional form between plate‐like and octahedral precipi‐ tates consist of SiO₂. This was confirmed by EELS low loss spectra where the typical spectrum for amorphous SiO₂ was observed. Moreover, the absorption band of plate‐like precipitates at 1227 cm^–1 was found in the low temperature FTIR spectrum. It was demonstrated that this band can only be simulated by the dielectric constants of amorphous SiO₂. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Development of a time-resolved white-light interference microscope for optical phase measurements during fs-laser material processing

A modified Mach–Zehnder interferometer set-up combined with microscope objectives has been developed for the measurement of phase changes in the processed material sample, like modification and melting of glass. The white light is generated by focusing ultrafast laser radiation (t _p=80 fs) in a sapphire crystal using a micro-lens array to minimize temporal and spatial fluctuations in the white-light continuum. Lateral and coaxial pump-probe measurements of the phase changes during material processing are performed using two coupled ultrafast laser sources at different repetition rates (f _rep=1 Hz–1 MHz). The optical phase shift and therefore the refractive index of the material are calculated from the interference images using two approaches. The knowledge of the refractive index during the laser processing with a temporal resolution in the ps-range and a spatial resolution of several microns leads to a better understanding of the initial processes for the permanent material modifications.     

In vitro evaluation of cytotoxic and inflammatory properties of silica nanoparticles of different sizes in murine RAW 264.7 macrophages

The biological response to four well-characterized amorphous silica nanoparticles was investigated in RAW 264.7 macrophages in view of their potential application as drug carriers to sites of inflammation. All silica nanoparticles-induced cell membrane damage, reduced metabolic activity, generated ROS and released various cytokines, but to different extents. Two silica nanoparticles of 34 nm (A and B) with different zetapotentials were more cytotoxic than (aggregated) 11 and 248 nm nanoparticles, while cytokines were mostly induced by the (aggregated) 11 nm and only one of the 34 nm nanoparticles (34A). The results indicate that specific silica nanoparticles may have counterproductive effects, for example when used as carriers of anti-inflammatory drugs. The physicochemical properties determining the response of nanoparticles vary for different responses, implying that a screening approach for the safe development of nanoparticles needs to consider the role of combinations of (dynamic) physicochemical properties and needs to include multiple toxicity endpoints.     

Sum frequency generation of continuously tunable blue pulses from a two-branch femtosecond fiber source

We report on the generation of femtosecond blue pulses from a two-branch mode-locked erbium-doped fiber source. This is achieved by sum-frequency mixing in β-barium borate between the frequency doubled laser radiation at 770 nm and a tunable near-infrared component generated inside a highly nonlinear fiber. Small angle tuning of the nonlinear crystal leads to a continuously variable output wavelength in the visible band between 460 nm and 500 nm. Average power levels exceeding 1.5 mW were collected throughout the entire tuning range of our device, which delivered sub-300-fs pulses at a repetition rate of 98 MHz. These values indicate that the input near-infrared radiation is up-converted with a photon efficiency of 20%.     

光学特异材料的设计

In this contribution we review our latest achievements of combined experimental and theoretical studies to tailor the properties of optical metamaterials（MMs） at will. We give three examples of metamaterial designs that have been realized by means of electron-beam lithography and whose spectroscopic characteristics have been comprehensively investigated. In every case, our experiments are complemented by rigorous numer ical simulations. Particular emphasis is put on the significance of such tailored effective properties of optical MMs