A new timescale dimension for migration experiments in clay: proof of principle for the application of miniaturized clay column experiments (MCCE)

Geological clay formations are often considered as a host rock for a future nuclear waste repository. Many studies concerning sorption or desorption experiments with metal ions like radionuclides or other relevant substances (e.g. metal complexing ligands) onto/from geological clay samples are performed with the batch techniques where only small amounts of the homogenized clay is in contact with the appropriate metals diluted in high volumes of aqueous solutions. This unnatural contact of clay with water can lead to high bias or not transferable results for a risk assessment study of a future repository. Diffusion experiments as an alternative and more natural experimental tool have the lack of huge time consuming when the migration of higher valent metal ions is considered. With the herein described new miniaturized clay column setup a linker between the unnatural batch techniques and the time consuming diffusion experiments is installed. The presented miniaturized clay column experiments (MCCE) derived and modified from high performance liquid chromatography can be applied in a lot of geochemical studies. Using MCCE, migration experiments of inert tracers (iodide), natural organic matter as complexing ligands (lactate and salicylate) as well as trivalent metal ions (europium) in compacted clay can be performed within a short time span of a few minutes or hours only in contrast to several months by use of classical diffusion or column methods. As preliminary results, typical migration times through miniaturized clay columns (20 × 3.5 mm, L × ID) of iodide as inert tracer are in the range of 145 min, meanwhile increasing retention times of salicylate from about 390 min in the absence of Eu to migration times in the range of 420–470 min in the presence of different Eu concentration can be observed.     

“Nanosized latexes for textile printing applications obtained by miniemulsion polymerization”

We report the synthesis and design of aqueous monodisperse copolymer latexes by miniemulsion polymerization and their application as binders in pigment printing and ink-jet printing of cotton fabrics. For that purpose, miniemulsion radical polymerization was carried out with a high content of the soft butyl acrylate (BA) and a low content of the hard methyl methacrylate (MMA) in the presence of hexadecane as osmotic costabilizer. The addition of small amounts of functional monomers such as methacrylic acid MAA and N-methylol acrylamide NMA to some miniemulsion recipes allowed to impart cross-linking sites and functionality to the copolymer chains. Dynamic light scattering (DLS), small angle neutron scattering (SANS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that the particle size diameter and size distributions could be controlled in the range of 50 to 400 nm by the amount of SDS surfactant, while the presence of a costabilizer such as hexadecane determines the particle size and, to a lesser extent, the polydispersity of the obtained miniemulsion latex dispersions. The glass transition temperature of the different miniemulsion latexes ranged between ?14 and ?33 °C, depending on the monomer composition. Selected samples of these nanolatexes were then employed in textile printing. The miniemulsion binders with their uniform shape and smaller size have technological advantages over conventional processes for the pigment and ink-jet printing and yielded better printing properties in terms of softness, fastness, and color strength of the printed fabric. Accordingly, by optimized use of the miniemulsion method, one is not only able to control the particle size but also to improve the properties of these latexes for textile applications.     

Direct connection of rheological elements at large strains: Application to multiplicative viscoplasticity

In the field of nonlinear continuum mechanics, rheological models are often used to exemplify the structure of complex material models at large strains. For this purpose, different rheological elements are combined in series and parallel connections. Ihlemann [1] developed an innovative concept, which enables the direct connection of rheological elements within the framework of multiplicative decomposition of the deformation gradient. In the contribution at hand, this approach is applied to multiplicative viscoplasticity. Towards this end, the relations for parallel and series connections are introduced and several individual material models, i.e. the rheological elements, are defined. By analytical and numerical evaluation of the connection relations, a viscoplastic material model from the literature is reproduced. (© 2015 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Martensitic transformations and damage: A combined phase field approach

A combined continuum phase field model for martensitic transformations and damage is introduced. The present approach considers the eigenstrain within the martensitic phase which leads in the surrounding material to both tensile and compressive stresses. The damage model needs to account for an appropriate differentiation thereof, since compressive stresses should not promote fracture. Interactions between micro crack propagation and the formation of the martensitic phases are studied in two dimensions. In agreement with experimental observations, martensite forms at the crack tip and influences the crack formation. For the numerical implementation finite elements are used while for the transient terms an implicit time integration scheme is employed. (© 2015 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Efficient interdigitated back‐contacted silicon heterojunction solar cells

We present back‐contacted amorphous/crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells (IBC‐SHJ) on n‐type substrates with fill factors exceeding 78% and high current densities, the latter enabled by a SiN_x /SiO₂ passivated phosphorus‐diffused front surface field. V_oc calculations based on carrier lifetime data of reference samples indicate that for the IBC architecture and the given amorphous silicon layer qualities an emitter buffer layer is crucial to reach a high V_oc, as known for both‐side contacted silicon heterojunction solar cells. A back surface field buffer layer has a minor influence. We observe a boost in solar cell V_oc of 40 mV and a simultaneous fill factor reduction introducing the buffer layer. The aperture‐area efficiency increases from 19.8 ± 0.4% to 20.2 ± 0.4%. Both, efficiencies and fill factors constitute a significant improvement over previously reported values. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Optical properties of ZnO nanoparticles synthesized by varying the sodium hydroxide to zinc acetate molar ratios using a Sol-Gel process

Material property dependence on the OH⁻/Zn²⁺ molar ratio of the precursor was investigated by varying the amount of NaOH during synthesis of ZnO. It was necessary to control the water content and temperature of the mixture to ensure the reproducibility. It was observed that the structural properties, particle size, photoluminescence intensity and wavelength of maximum intensity were influenced by the molar ratio of the precursor. The XRD spectra for ZnO nanoparticles show the entire peaks corresponding to the various planes of wurtzite ZnO, indicating a single phase. UV measurements show the absorption that comes from the ZnO nanoparticles in visible region. The absorption edge of these ZnO nanoparticles are shifted to higher energies and the determined band gap energies are blue shifted as the OH⁻/Zn² molar ration increases, due to the quantum confinement effects. The photoluminescence characterization of the ZnO nanostructures exhibited a broad emission band centred at green (600 nm) region for all molar ratios except for OH⁻/Zn²⁺ = 1.7 where a second blue emission around 468 nm was also observed. The photoluminescence properties of ZnO nanoparticles were largely determined by the size and surface properties of the nanoparticles.     

Thin equivalence relations in scaled pointclasses

For ordinals α beginning a Σ₁ gap in $\mathrm{L}(\mathbb {R})$, where $\Sigma _{1}^{\mathrm{J}_{\alpha }(\mathbb {R})}$ is closed under number quantification, we give an inner model‐theoretic proof that every thin $\Sigma _{1}^{\mathrm{J}_{\alpha }(\mathbb {R})}$ equivalence relation is $\Delta _{1}^{\mathrm{J}_{\alpha }(\mathbb {R})}$ in a real parameter from the (optimal) hypothesis $\mathsf {AD}^{\mathrm{J}_{\alpha }(\mathbb {R})}$.     

Photonic bandgap plasmonic waveguides

A type of a plasmonic waveguide has been proposed featuring an "open" design that is easy to manufacture, simple to excite and offers convenient access to a plasmonic mode. Optical properties of photonic bandgap (PBG) plasmonic waveguides are investigated experimentally by leakage radiation microscopy and numerically using the finite element method confirming photonic bandgap guidance in a broad spectral range. Propagation and localization characteristics of a PBG plasmonic waveguide have been discussed as a function of the wavelength of operation, waveguide core size, and the number of ridges in the periodic reflector for fundamental and higher order plasmonic modes of the waveguide.     

Strong coupling of localized and surface plasmons to microcavity modes

We strongly couple surface plasmon modes on a thin metal layer via localized plasmons of nanowires to photonic microcavity modes. In particular, we place an array of nanowires close to a mirror and position a second mirror at Bragg distance. The coupling becomes evident from an anticrossing of the resonances in the dispersion diagram. We experimentally determine the dispersion by applying external pressure to the microcavity and find excellent agreement with simulations.