Synthesis and characterization of polyurethane/SiO2 nanocomposites

In order to achieve good dispersion of nano-SiO₂ and increase the interactions between nano-SiO₂ and PU matrix, nano-SiO₂ was firstly modified with poly(propylene glycol) phosphate ester (PPG-P) which was a new polymeric surfactant synthesized through the esterification of poly(propylene glycol) (PPG) and polyphosphoric acid (PPA). Then a series of polyurethane (PU)/SiO₂ nanocomposites were prepared via in situ polymerization. The surface modification of nano-SiO₂, the microstructure and the properties of nanocomposites were investigated by FTIR, SEM, XRD and TGA. It was found that good dispersion of nano-SiO₂ achieved in PU/SiO₂ nanocomposite after the modification with PPG-P. The segmented structures of PU were not interfered by the presence of nano-SiO₂ in these nanocomposites.     

Low-temperature liquid phase deposited TiO2 films on stainless steel for photogenerated cathodic protection applications

The low-temperature synthesis of anatase TiO₂ films was an imperative requirement for their application to corrosion prevention of metals. In this paper, a liquid phase deposition (LPD) technique was developed to prepare TiO₂ films on SUS304 stainless steel (304SS) at a relatively low temperature (80 °C). The as-prepared films were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photon spectroscopy (XPS). It was observed that a dense and crack-free anatase TiO₂ film with a thickness about 300 nm was obtained. The film contained some fluorine and nitrogen elements, and the amounts of these impurities were greatly decreased upon calcination. Under the white light illumination, the electrode potential of TiO₂ coated 304SS rapidly shifted to a more negative direction. Moreover, the photopotential of TiO₂/304SS electrode showed more negative values with increased film thickness. In conclusion, the photogenerated cathodic protection of 304SS was achieved by the low-temperature LPD-derived TiO₂ film.     

Comparative study of structural and magnetic properties of NiZnCu ferrite powders prepared via chemical coprecipitation method with different coprecipitators

We prepared NiZnCu ferrite powders with nominal composition Ni_0.4−xZn_0.6Cu_xFe₂O₄ (x=0-0.2) via chemical coprecipitation method with NaOH and Na₂CO₃ as coprecipitators. The structural and magnetic properties of these compounds were studied and compared. It is found that all the specimens exhibit single-phase structure after annealing. The saturation magnetization of specimens with NaOH as coprecipitator is lower than that with Na₂CO₃ as coprecipitator. It is also found that the growth of grains is hindered for specimens using Na₂CO₃ as coprecipitator.     

Phase transition behavior and piezoelectric properties of low-Li and high-Sb modified KNN based piezoceramics

(Na_0.5K_0.5)_0.975Li_0.025Nb_0.82−xSb_xTa_0.18O₃ lead-free piezoceramics were prepared by the conventional solid-state sintering method. All samples possess a pure perovskite phase, and no secondary phase could be certified. The crystal structure changes from tetragonal to pseudo-cubic with increasing amount of Sb. The ferroelectric Curie temperature (T_c) shifts to lower temperature while the tetragonal to orthorhombic phase transition temperature (T_o-t) shows no obvious change with increasing Sb⁵⁺. Enhanced piezoelectric and electromechanical properties are obtained with x=0.06: d₃₃=352 pC/N, k_p=47% and k_t=38%, showing that they could be promising candidates as lead-free piezoelectric materials.     

Integrating neighborhoods in the evaluation of fitness promotes cooperation in the spatial prisoner’s dilemma game

A fundamental question of human society is the evolution of cooperation. Many previous studies explored this question via setting spatial background, where players obtain their payoffs by playing game with their nearest neighbors. Another undoubted fact is that the environment plays an important role in the individual development. Inspired by these phenomena, we reconsider the definition of individual fitness which integrates the environment, denoted by the average payoff of all individual neighbors, with the traditional individual payoffs by introducing a selection parameter u. Tuning u equal to zero returns the traditional version, while increasing u bears the influence of environment. We find that considering the environment, i.e., integrating neighborhoods in the evaluation of fitness, promotes cooperation. If we enhance the value of u, the invasion of defection could be resisted better. We also provide quantitative explanations and complete phase diagrams presenting the influence of the environment on the evolution of cooperation. Finally, the universality of this mechanism is testified for different neighborhood sizes, different topology structures and different game models. Our work may shed light on the emergence and persistence of cooperation in our life.     

Quark-diagram estimates ofCP violation in two-body baryonicB_d^0 - \bar B_d^0 decays

CP violation in partial-decay-rate asymmetries are examined for some two-body baryonic decays of \(B_d^0 - \bar B_d^0 \) system. We discuss two feasible experimental circumstances: the symmetrice ⁺ e ^? collisions (i) on theZ ⁰ resonance to produce incoherent \(B_d^0 \bar B_d^0 \) states, and (ii) just above the ?(4S) resonance to produceC=even \(B_d^0 \bar B_d^0 \) states. Using the quark-diagram scheme, we estimate the branching ratios of those decays, and the numbers ofb \(\bar b\) pairs needed for testing theCP-violating effects for 3σ signature. We find that the promising channels may beB _d ⁰ , \(\bar B_d^0 \to p\bar p\) , \(\Delta ^ + \bar \Delta ^ - \) , \(p\bar \Delta ^ - \) , \(\Delta ^ + \bar p\) , \(n\bar n\) , \(\Delta ^0 \bar \Delta ^0 \) , \(n\bar \Delta ^0 \) , \(\Delta ^0 \bar n\) , \(\Sigma _c^ + \bar \Sigma _c^ - \) , \(\Lambda _c^ + \bar \Lambda _c^ - \) , \(\Sigma _c^ + \bar \Lambda _c^ - \) , \(\Lambda _c^ + \bar \Sigma _c^ - \) , \(\Sigma _c^0 \bar \Sigma _c^0 \) , \(\Xi _c^0 \bar \Xi _c^0 \) , which should be interesting for experimental observation.     

光纤放大器受激布里渊散射效应抑制

提出了一种多波长窄线宽光纤放大器,其种子光由多个单频激光耦合而成,所有单频激光波长几乎相等（波长间隔小于1 nm）,频率间隔大于两倍布里渊频移。建立了此类多波长窄线宽光纤放大器的完整理论模型,分析了放大器中受激布里渊散射（SBS）与种子数目的关系。搭建了双波长和三波长窄线宽光纤放大器,进行SBS阈值输出功率测定实验。实验结果与理论模拟结果基本一致,验证了理论模型的合理性;双波长和三波长放大可以有效抑制SBS效应,大幅提高放大器输出功率。     

表面等离子共振现象的新应用——微弱磁场的测量

提出了一种新的表面等离子体共振传感器, 它包含三层结构: 棱镜、金属薄膜及二能级介质. 通过理论分析发现, 与通常表面等离子体共振系统不同, 这一物理系统中同时存在两种共振效应 (表面等离子体共振和能级间量子跃迁的共振效应), 它们共同作用的结果导致一系列新的物理现象, 其中一个令人感兴趣的现象是入射光的反射率对外场导致的微小能级移动十分敏感 (这一现象是通常的表面等离子体共振系统所不具有的). 由于能级移动依赖于外场, 所以最终入射光的反射率对外场具有灵敏的响应. 本文以外磁场导致能级移动的情况进行了理论计算, 结果表明, 这种表面等离子体共振系统的入射光的反射率对外加磁场极其敏感. 这一特性可以用来测量物质表面附近的微弱磁场, 有可能发展成为一种新型检测技术.     

Pressure dependences of elastic and lattice dynamic properties of AlAs from ab initio calculations

Ab initio calculations, based on norm-conserving nonlocal pseudopotentials and density functional theory (DFT), are performed to investigate the structural, elastic, dielectric, and vibrational properties of aluminum arsenide AlAs with zinc-blende (B3) structure and nickel arsenide (B8₁) structure under hydrostatic pressure. Firstly, the path for the phase transition from B3 to B8₁ is confirmed by analyzing the energies of different structures, which is in good agreement with previous theoretical results. Secondly, we find that the elastic constants, bulk modulus, static dielectric constants, and the optical phonon frequencies are varying in a nearly linear manner under hydrostatic pressure. What is more, the softening mode of transversal acoustic mode at X point supports the phase transition in AlAs.     

Temperature dependent exchange bias effect in polycrystalline BiFeO3/FM (FM = NiFe, Co) bilayers

Extensive studies on the temperature (T) dependent exchange bias effect were carried out in polycrystalline BiFeO₃(BFO)/NiFe and BFO/Co bilayers. In contrast to single-crystalline BFO/ferromagnet (FM) bilayers, sharp increase of the exchange bias field (H _E ) below 50 K were clearly observed in both of these two bilayers. However, when T is higher than 50 K, H _E increases with T and decreases further when T is larger than 230 K (for BFO/NiFe) or 200 K (for BFO/Co), which is similar to those reported in single-crystalline BFO/FM bilayers. After the exploration of magnetic field cooling, the temperature dependent exchange bias can be explained considering two contributions from both the interfacial spin-glass-like frustrated spins and the polycrystalline grains in the BFO layer. Moreover, obvious exchange bias training effect can be observed at both 5 K and room temperature and the corresponding results can be well fitted based on a recently proposed theoretical model taking into account the energy dissipation of the AFM layer.