Palladium-catalyzed oxidative homocoupling reaction of terminal acetylenes using trans-bidentatable 1-(2-pyridylethynyl)-2-(2-thienylethynyl)benzene

Palladium-catalyzed oxidative homocoupling of terminal acetylenes, in air, occurred in the presence of 1-(2-pyridylethynyl)-2-(2-thienylethynyl)benzene as ligand, affording the corresponding conjugated diynes.     

Thermal properties of AlN–Ce:YAG composite ceramic phosphor for laser lighting

Optical Review - The AlN–Ce:YAG composite ceramic is an effective phosphor for high-power laser illumination. The thermal properties of an AlN–Ce:YAG composite phosphor were studied to...     

Studies on the Magnetic Ground State of a Spin Möbius Strip

Here we report the synthesis, structure and detailed characterisation of three n‐membered oxovanadium rings, Na_n[(V=O)_nNa_n(H₂O)_n(α, β, or γ‐CD)₂]?m H₂O (n=6, 7, or 8), prepared by the reactions of (V=O)SO₄?x H₂O with α, β, or γ‐cyclodextrins (CDs) and NaOH in water. Their alternating heterometallic vanadium/sodium cyclic core structures were sandwiched between two CD moieties such that O‐Na‐O groups separated the neighbouring vanadyl ions. Antiferromagnetic interactions between the S=1/2 vanadyl ions led to S=0 ground states for the even‐membered rings, but to two quasi‐degenerate S=1/2 states for the spin‐frustrated heptanuclear cluster.     

Experimental analysis of high-speed helium jet flow using four-dimensional digital speckle tomography

A high-speed and initial helium jet flow has been analyzed by a developed four-dimensional digital speckle tomography. Multiple high-speed cameras have been used to capture movements of speckles in multiple angles of view simultaneously because a shape of a nozzle for the jet flow is asymmetric and the initial jet flow is fast and unsteady. The speckle movements between no flow and helium jet flow from the asymmetric nozzle controlled by a solenoid valve have been obtained by a cross-correlation tracking method so that those distances can be transferred to deflection angles of laser rays for density gradients. The four-dimensional density fields for the high-speed helium jet flow have been reconstructed from the deflection angles by a developed real-time tomography method.     

Simulation and interpretation of diffuse mode bifurcation of elastoplastic solids

The diffuse mode bifurcation of elastoplastic solids at finite strain is investigated. The multiplicative decomposition of deformation gradient and the hyperelasto-plastic constitutive relationship are adapted to the numerical bifurcation analysis of the elastoplastic solids. First, bifurcation analyses of rectangular plane strain specimens subjected to uniaxial compression are conducted. The onset of the diffuse mode bifurcations from a homogeneous state is detected; moreover, the post-bifurcation states for these modes are traced to arrive at localization to narrow band zones, which look like shear bands. The occurrence of diffuse mode bifurcation, followed by localization, is advanced as a possible mechanism to create complex deformation and localization patterns, such as shear bands. These computational diffuse modes and localization zones are shown to be in good agreement with the associated experimental ones observed for sand specimens to ensure the validity of this mechanism. Next, the degradation of horizontal sway stiffness of a rectangular specimen due to plane strain uniaxial compression is pointed out as a cause of the bifurcation of the first antisymmetric diffuse mode, which triggers the tilting of the specimen. Last, circular and punching failures of a footing on a foundation are simulated.     

A review of mixed-potential type zirconia-based gas sensors

A robust and reliable gas sensing device is considered as a convenient and practical solution for gas concentration monitoring that has become a mandatory requirement in different field of applications. For in situ hazardous gases detection, a mixed-potential type gas sensor has been regarded as a promising solid-state gas sensor. For the past three decades, there has been a significant progress in achieving high performance in mixed-potential type sensors. Therefore, this review is focused on reporting the development of mixed-potential type gas sensors with combined yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) as the base solid electrolyte material and various classes of electrode materials for their potential utilization as a high-performance sensing electrode. The underlying sensing mechanism of a mixed-potential type YSZ-based sensor is elaborated here in detail. Transformation in design and configuration of this type of sensor is also covered in this report. In addition, recent progresses on mixed-potential type gas sensors development for detection of several target gases, such as carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, hydrogen, and ammonia, are reviewed. Strategies to improve the sensing characteristic, particularly gas sensitivity and selectivity, are also reported. Based on the understanding of the fundamental sensing mechanism and the requirements for high-performance gas sensors, challenges and future trends for this type of gas sensor development are discussed.     

Parallel plate lens with metal hole array for terahertz wave band

Optical devices for terahertz wave band from 0.1 to 10 THz are rapidly expanding and require better designs. This paper proposes and designs a parallel plate lens with metal hole array for the terahertz wave band. The fast wave effect is due to the parallel plate. For this lens, the parallel plate spacing and hole array dimensions control the phase velocity and the focusing effect. It is not necessary to control the phase through the lens shape, which is flat, itself. The periodic analysis model extracted from the full model confirms the phase control by the metal hole array dimensions. The periodic model can be used for efficient iterative design. The full wave analysis results are also obtained by ANSYS HFSS and the focusing effect is confirmed. Phase control using both the parallel plate and the hole array enhances the focusing effect over the focusing effect controlled only by the metal hole array dimensions.