Selective hydrogenation by polymer-encapsulated platinum nanoparticles prepared by an easy single-step sonochemical synthesis

Polypyrrole-encapsulated platinum nanoparticles (PPy/Pt-NPs) prepared by an easy single-step sonochemical synthesis were used as catalysts for the liquid phase hydrogenation of substituted alkenes in methanol or methanol/water mixtures. Polypyrrole (PPy) coatings on the nanoparticles were able to act as nanoscopic filters for substrates molecules, and consequently substrate selectivity could be controlled in the catalytic processes.     

Mode conversion based on dual-phase modulation utilizing interference of two-phase-modulated beams

To realize mode conversion with high accuracy and efficiency, we propose a new method based on dual-phase modulation (DPM) that utilizes the interference of two-phase-modulated beams. DPM realizes complex amplitude modulation with the interference of two-phase-modulated beams generated by phase-type spatial light modulators (PSLMs). DPM realizes highly efficient conversion using the interference of light rather than the diffraction that is conventionally used for complex amplitude modulation. Moreover, DPM enables the suppression of modal crosstalk (MXT) utilizing the destructive interference between two unwanted 0th beams that occur from PSLMs. In this paper, we experimentally confirmed that DPM can reduce the amount of the unwanted 0th beam. Then, we performed an experiment on mode conversion based on DPM and achieved a modal crosstalk of less than ??20 dB and an optical loss of less than 10 dB.     

Time-dependent non-linear size change of C<Subscript>60</Subscript>-ethylenediamine adduct particles in formation process

Addition reaction between C₆₀ and ethylenediamine occurred at room temperature in an ambient condition. C₆₀-ethylenediamine adduct particles were prepared by mixing toluene solutions of C₆₀ and ethyelenediamine. Average diameter of the C₆₀-ethylenediamine adduct particles was changed non-linearly according to the reaction time, which were observed using transmission electron microscopy. Early stage of the reaction, the diameter of the adduct particles was changed from about 250 to about 430 nm. Then, the size of the adduct particles was converged to about 300 nm. During this addition reaction, the crystalline sizes of adduct particles were constant about 2–3 nm, regardless of the sizes of the adduct particles, which were determined by X-ray diffraction measurement.

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Macro-performance evaluation of friction stir welded automotive tailor-welded blank sheets: Part II – Formability

Formability of automotive friction stir welded TWB (tailor-welded blank) sheets was experimentally and numerically investigated in this work for four automotive sheets, aluminum alloy 6111-T4, 5083-H18, 5083-O and DP590 steel sheets, each having one or two different thicknesses. In particular, formability in three applications including the simple tension test with various weld line directions, hemisphere dome stretching and cylindrical cup drawing tests was evaluated. For numerical simulations, mechanical properties previously characterized in a joint paper (Chung et al., 2010) were utilized. To represent the mechanical properties, the non-quadratic orthogonal anisotropic yield function, Yld2000-2d, was utilized along with the (full) isotropic hardening law, while the anisotropy of the weld zone was ignored for simplicity.     

Numerical simulation of friction stir butt welding process for AA5083-H18 sheets

Thermo-mechanical simulation of the friction stir butt welding (FSBW) process was performed for AA5083-H18 sheets, utilizing a commercial finite volume method (FVM) code, STAR-CCM+, which is based on the Eulerian formulation. Distributions of temperature and strain rate histories were calculated under the steady state condition and simulated temperature distributions (profiles and peak values) were compared with experiments. It was found that including proper thermal boundary condition for the backing plate (anvil) is critical for accurate simulation results. Based on the simulation, thermal and deformation histories of material elements were also calculated, useful to predict material characteristics of the weld such as hardness or grain size, and possibly for the susceptibility of weld to abnormal grain growth (AGG) after post-weld heat treatment.     

Microstructures of high-growth-rate (up to 8.3 nm/s) microcrystalline silicon photovoltaic layers and their influence on the photovoltaic performance of thin-film solar cells

Microstructures of microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si) deposited at a high-growth-rate have been investigated in order to apply to the photovoltaic i-layer. μc-Si films were prepared by very-high-frequency (100 MHz) plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition at 180 °C. High growth rates of 3.3–8.3 nm/s have been achieved utilizing high deposition pressures up to 24 Torr and large input powers. Applying μc-Si to n–i–p junction solar cells, as the optimum result in this experimental series, a conversion efficiency of 6.30% (J_SC: 22.1 mA/cm², V_OC: 0.470 V, and FF: 60.7%) has been achieved employing the i-layer deposited at 8.1 nm/s. Raman scattering and X-ray diffraction measurements revealed the crystalline volume fraction of around 50% with the (2 2 0) crystallographic preferential orientation, respectively. The cross-sectional transmission electron microscope image shows densely columnar structure grown directly on the underlying n-layer. These structural features are basically in good agreement those of low-growth-rate μc-Si used for a high efficiency solar cell as previously reported, implying advantages of the use of high pressures with regard to providing the photovoltaic i-layers. Finally, the implication is discussed from the photovoltaic performance as a function of the crystalline volume fraction of i-layer, and current problems in improving the photovoltaic performance are extracted.     

Band Jahn-Teller instability and formation of valence bond solid in a mixed-valent spinel oxide LiRh2O4

We have synthesized a new spinel oxide LiRh2O4 with a mixed-valent configuration of Rh3+ and Rh4+. At room temperature, it is a paramagnetic metal, but on cooling, a metal-insulator transition occurs and a valence bond solid state is formed below 170 K. We argue that the formation of valence bond solid is promoted by a band Jahn-Teller transition at 230 K and the resultant confinement of t_{2g} holes within the xy band. The band Jahn-Teller instability is also responsible for the observed enhanced thermoelectric power in the orbital-disordered phase above 230 K.     

Bright and dark 40 GHz parabolic pulse generation using a picosecond optical pulse train and an arrayed waveguide grating

We demonstrate parabolic optical pulse generation by manipulating the intensity and phase of individual longitudinal modes of a 40 GHz picosecond optical pulse train in the spectral domain. Bright and dark parabolic pulses were generated from a 40 GHz mode-locked fiber laser using a 64-channel arrayed waveguide grating pulse shaper. The obtained parabolic pulse, which can easily generate a linear chirping, is useful for a number of applications to optical signal processing applications, including pulse compression and time-domain optical Fourier transformation.     

Compact 10 GHz loopback arrayed-waveguide grating for high-fidelity optical arbitrary waveform generation

We demonstrate a high-performance optical arbitrary waveform shaper based on a single 10 GHz arrayed-waveguide grating with 64 loopback waveguides and integrated amplitude and phase modulators on each waveguide. The design is compact and self-aligning and allows for bidirectional operation. The device's complex transfer function is manipulated and measured over the full 640 GHz passband. To demonstrate optical arbitrary waveform shaping, high-fidelity 15-line shaped waveforms are measured with cross-correlation frequency-resolved optical gating.     

Stepped side shield writer for perpendicular recording

To increase the track density in hard disk drive (HDD), the write head fringing field should be controlled. The side shield is one of the candidates to reduce the fringing stray field. Although the wrap-around type [K. Nakamoto, et al., IEEE Trans. Magn. 41(10) (2005) 2914] and many other side shield structures [Y. Kanai, et al., IEEE Trans. Magn. 39(4) (2003) 1955; D.T. Wilton, D.J. Mapps, IEEE Trans. Magn. 29 (1993) 4182] were proposed, these side shield structures have a trade-off between the track edge field sharpness and the maximum write field strength on the center track. In this paper, we propose the new side shield writer called the stepped side shield (3S) head. The 3S head satisfies both the on-track write field strength and reduction of the adjacent track stray field. The track edge field sharpness is much improved especially in the high skew angle recording. We studied the 3S head effect by the statistic field simulation.