Strongly accelerated and humidity-independent drying of nanochannels induced by sharp corners

Measurements are shown indicating that the drying rate of nanochannels can be enhanced by up to 3 orders of magnitude relative to drying by vapor diffusion, and that the drying rate is independent of the relative humidity of the environment up to a relative humidity of more than 90%. Micromachined Pyrex glass nanochannels of 72 nm height and with sharp corners (corner angles 7 degrees) were used. Available theory shows that the sharp corners function as a low-resistance pathway for liquid water, siphoning (wicking) the water to a location close to the channel exit before it evaporates. The described phenomena are of importance for the understanding of drying processes in industry and agriculture. The introduction of sharp corners or grooves can furthermore be beneficial for the functioning of microheat pipes and capillary-pumped loops.     

A study of frost growth and densification on flat surfaces

The present study advances a theoretical and experimental investigation of the frost growth and densification on flat surfaces. This study focuses on the most important factors affecting the frost formation process, i.e. the surrounding air temperature, humidity and velocity, and the surface temperature. The processes of frost growth and densification were investigated experimentally in order to provide a physical basis for the development of a theoretical model to predict the variation of the frost layer thickness and mass with time. The mathematical model was based on mass and energy balances within the frost layer, assuming the frost as a porous medium and accounting for the supersaturation of the moist air on the frost surface. The governing equations for mass and heat diffusion were integrated analytically, giving rise to a semi-algebraic formulation which requires numerical integration of only one time dependent ordinary differential equation. When compared with experimental data, the model predictions of the frost thickness as a function of time agreed to within ±10% error bands. The experimentally-validated model was then used to predict the frost layer growth and densification with respect to the operation conditions such as plate surface temperature, air stream temperature, humidity and velocity.     

Controlled hydrothermal growth of ZnO nanostructures by sequestering the Zn metal ions with the chelating agent EDTA

In the present work, a controlled growth of ZnO nanostructures by manipulating Zn metal ion concentration by the chelating action of ethylene diaminetetra acetic acid in hydrothermal method is studied. EDTA produces metal–chelate complex by the formation of bidentate ligand with Zn²⁺ in the solution and diminishes the reactivity of Zn metal cations. Concentration of EDTA in the mother solution was varied in different ranges like 3, 5 and 10 mM while retaining the zinc metal salt and the NaOH concentration the same. Three different morphologies of wurtzite structured ZnO nanostructures such as nanorods-bunch, separate/discrete uniformly sized hexagonal nanorods and tapered flower petals like shapes are achieved by 3, 5 and 10 mM strengths of EDTA, respectively. The medium concentration 5 mM of EDTA is found to have moderate control over producing ZnO nanostructures of uniform diameter and a high aspect (length to diameter) ratio. An array of vertically aligned free standing ZnO nanorods with uniform spacing is successfully achieved by the addition of 5 mM of EDTA in the mother solution and the same is studied for its fluorescence property at an excitation of 325 nm and it has exhibited a characteristic UV emission of ZnO around 383 nm.     

On the optimal shape of magnetic swimmers

Magnetic actuation of elasto-magnetic devices has long been proposed as a simple way to propel fluid and achieve locomotion in environments dominated by viscous forces. Under the action of an oscillating magnetic field, a permanent magnet, when attached to an elastic tail, is able to generate bending waves and sufficient thrust for propulsion. We study the hydrodynamical effects of the magnetic head geometry using a geometrically exact formulation for the elastic tail elastohydrodynamics.We show that the spherical head geometry fails to take full advantage of the propulsive potential from the flexible tail. Nevertheless, while elongated prolate spheroids demonstrate a superior swimming performance, this is still regulated by the nature of the imposed magnetic field. Interestingly, the highest swimming speed is observed when the magnitude of the magnetic field is weak due to delays between the orientation of the magnetic moment and the oscillating magnetic field. This allows the stored elastic energy from the deformed tail to relax during the phase lag between the imposed magnetic field and the swimmer’s magnetic moment, favouring in this way the net propulsion. In particular, this result suggests the existence of optimal magnetic actuations that are non-smooth, and even discontinuous in time, in order to fully explore the propulsive potential associated with the relaxation dynamics of periodically deformed elastic filaments.     

Recent results on the spin structure of the nucleon

The process of polarised deep inelastic scattering and the information it has given on the spin structure of the nucleon are introduced. The experimental programmes in this field are described and the latest inclusive and semi-inclusive data and analyses are reviewed. Proposed future measurements are summarised.     

Spectroscopy of two coincident charged particles emitted following bound pion absorption in 12C, 59Co and 197Au

Energy spectra and angular distributions of two coincident charged particles emitted following stopped negative pion absorption in ¹²C, ⁵⁹Co and ¹⁹⁷Au were measured. Most of the data can be understood within the framework of a pair absorption model including final-state interactions. Ground-state transitions in the missing mass spectra of ⁴H and ⁴He deduced from the αα and tα spectra of ¹²C, respectively, show that reactions involving a large part of the nucleus also occur.     

Measurement of neutron energy spectra and neutron-gamma angular correlations for the muon capture process 16O(μ−, νμxn)14, 15N

Neutron-gamma coincidence spectra have been measured for muon capture in ¹⁶O. The γ-spectrum is dominated by the ground state transitions from the $\text{3}\text{2}{}^{\mathrm{?}}\text{(6.32}\text{MeV}\text{)}\text{and}\text{1}\text{2}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{+}\text{5}\text{2}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{(5.3}\text{MeV}\text{)}$ states of ¹⁵N that are populated after the emission of one neutron. The neutron energy spectra and the neutron energy dependence of the ny angular correlation coefficient A₂ for these final states are presented. The observed transitions in ¹⁴N and the associated neutron spectra give direct evidence for the emission of two correlated neutrons. The data are discussed in terms of direct neutron emission plus emission via giant resonance intermediate states of ¹⁶N. The large yield for the emission of one and two fast neutrons is explained by a capture mechanism involving short-range nucleon-nucleon correlations.     

Probabilities of muon induced nuclear reactions involving charged particle emission

The probabilities for the reactions (μ^?, p), (μ^?, pn), (μ^?, p2n), (μ^?, p3n) and (μ^?, α) were measured by activation experiments on 18 elements from Na to Bi. The results suggest the following systematics : (i) the probability W of each type of reaction depends on the atomic number of the target and can be described by W = aexp( -bV), where V is the Coulomb barrier of the compound nucleus for the ejected charged particle; (ii) the factor b is the same for all (μ^?, pxn) reactions and not very different for (μ^?, α) reactions; (iii) the relative probabilities for (μ^?, pxn) reactions for a given target vary as 1 :6 :4 :4 for x = 0, 1, 2, 3. The experimental results are compared with a theoretical estimate of the reaction probability and with the corresponding 14 MeV neutron induced reactions.     

Characterization of surfactant/hydrotalcite-like clay/glassy carbon modified electrodes: oxidation of phenol

The characteristics of hydrotalcite (HT)-like clay films containing ionic and nonionic surfactants and their ability to oxidize phenol have been examined. The HT clay (Co/Al-NO₃) was synthesized by coprecipitation techniques and then modified with surfactants such as sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS), octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol (TX100) or cetylpyridinium bromide (CPB). X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the interlayer basal spacing varied depending on the type of surfactant retained by the HT. The presence of SDBS and CPB expanded the HT interlayer, which in the presence of TX100 did not show an appreciable change. Phenol oxidation is favored at surfactant-HT-GC modified electrodes, after a preconcentration time, compared to phenol oxidation at HT-GC or GC electrodes. Surfactant-HT-GC modified electrodes display good stability in continuous electrochemical phenol oxidation. At pH values between 6 and 10.8, both SDBS-HT-GC and TX100-HT-GC modified electrodes seem to be promising electrodes for the detection of phenol in water; while the CPB-HT-GC modified electrode should be affected by the inorganic anions.