Ferroelectric metal-organic framework with a high dielectric constant

Hydrothermal reaction of (l)-N-(4'-cyanobenzy)-(S)-proline with CdCl2 as a Lewis acid catalyst and NaN3 gives colorless block compound 1, in which 1 displays a complicated 3D framework. Ferroelectric and dielectric property measurements reveal that 1 exhibits physical properties comparable to that of a typical ferroelectric compound with a dipole relaxation process and a dielectric constant of ca. 38.6 that makes it, by definition, a high dielectric material.     

Torsional wave experiments with a new magnetostrictive transducer configuration

For the efficient long-range nondestructive structural health inspection of pipes, guided waves have become widely used. Among the various guided wave modes, the torsional wave is most preferred since its first branch is nondispersive. Our objective in this work is to develop a new magnetostrictive transducer configuration to transmit and receive torsional waves in cylindrical waveguides. The conventional magnetostrictive transducer for the generation and measurement of torsional waves consists of solenoid coils and a nickel strip bonded circumferentially to test pipes. The strip must be premagnetized by a permanent magnet before actual measurements. Because of the premagnetization, the transducer is not suitable for the long-term on-line monitoring of pipes buried underground. To avoid the cumbersome premagnetization and to improve the transduction efficiency, we propose a new transducer configuration using several pieces of nickel strips installed at 45 degrees with respect to the pipe axis. If a static bias magnetic field is also applied, the transducer output can be substantially increased. Several experiments were conducted to study the performance of the proposed transducer configuration. The proposed transducer configuration was also applied for damage detection in an aluminum pipe.     

Synthesis and structural characterization of imido-lanthanide complexes with a metal-nitrogen multiple bond

Treatment of an amido-ytterbium complex with n-BuLi leads to the isolation and structural characterization of a mixed amido-imido-ytterbium or imido-ytterbium complex, respectively, depending upon the molar ratios of the reactants; the Yb-N distance and the linearity of the imido N atom strongly suggest the presence of a formal Yb=N multiple bond in these novel complexes.     

Synthesis of blue-light-emitting ZnGa2O4 nanowires using chemical vapor deposition

A high-density array of vertically aligned ZnGa(2)O(4) nanowires has been synthesized on Si substrates via CVD of ZnO-Ga at 1000 degrees C consisting of a single-crystalline cubic spinel structure grown in a [111] direction and exhibiting strong photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence in the blue wavelength region.     

Analysis of performance optimization in supercontinuum sources

We have determined the cause of performance variation as a function of system parameters in supercontinuum (SC) sources in a normal-dispersion fiber by numerically analyzing the noise evolution of the SC. High-order nonlinearity was considered in such an analysis for the first time to our knowledge. We found that the evolution of noise along the SC fiber has two stages: First, the noise is governed by dispersion, which is different from that of the signal, whereas self-steeping leads to an asymmetric noise distribution across the spectrum. Second, four-wave mixing generates new noise components, whereas Raman scattering augments the asymmetry. We evaluated the qualities of the spectrally sliced pulses at several stages to verify the analysis and found an asymmetric profile of the sliced-pulses' quality versus frequency.     

Choosing an equivalent replacement column for a reversed-phase liquid chromatographic assay procedure

The column selectivity parameters (H, S*, A, B and C) described in the preceding paper [L.R. Snyder, A. Maule, A. Heebsch, R. Cuellar, S. Paulson, J. Carrano, L. Wrisley C.C. Chan, N. Pearson, J.W. Dolan, J.J. Gilroy, J. Chromatogr. A 1057 (2004) 49-57] can be used to compare columns in terms of selectivity. A detailed procedure for such column comparisons is presented here, and evaluated by its use in finding suitable replacement columns for 12 different routine separations performed in five different pharmaceutical analysis laboratories.     

Microwave plasma treatment of polymer surface for irreversible sealing of microfluidic devices

Microwave plasma was generated in a glass bottle containing 2-3 Torr of oxygen for plasma treatment of a polymer surface. A "kitchen microwave oven" and a dedicated microwave digestion oven were used as the power source. Poly(dimethylsiloxane)(PDMS) slabs treated by a 30 W plasma for 30-60 s sealed irreversibly to form microfluidic devices that can sustain solution flow of an applied pressure of 42 psi without leaking. Experimental set up and conditions for the production of a homogeneous plasma to activate the PDMS surface for irreversible sealing are described in detail. The surface of a microwave plasma-treated PDMS slab was characterized using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and attenuated total reflection-Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). The plasma-treated surface bears silica characteristics.     

The transmission of Lamb waves across adhesively bonded lap joints

The transmission of Lamb waves across adhesively bonded lap joints is investigated using finite element analysis. The studies consider three modes for excitation and reception, s0, a0, and a1, applied to lap joints consisting of parallel aluminum sheets bonded with an epoxy adhesive. Transmission coefficient results for a two-dimensional range of bond thicknesses and bond overlap lengths are presented for all three modes. The transmission coefficients are calculated from the spectra of the received and transmitted signals using an approach which is insensitive to the presence of multimode signals and reverberated signals, and which approximates to a power transmission coefficient. Detailed analysis is then performed for one of the modes in order to investigate the nature of the mode conversion in the overlap region of the joint. It is found that the relative amplitudes of the different modes which propagate in the overlap region can be estimated reliably and simply from the properties of the incident wave mode. As well as demonstrating the physics of the mode conversion behavior, the study provides a basis for the selection of modes for nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of the bond region and for measuring the bond dimensions.     

Robust photonic band gap from tunable scatterers

We show theoretically and experimentally that photonic band gaps can be realized using metal or metal-coated spheres as building blocks. Robust photonic gaps exist in any periodic structure built from such spheres when the filling ratio of the spheres exceeds a threshold. The frequency and the size of the gaps depend on the local order rather than on the symmetry or the global long range order. Good agreement between theory and experiment is obtained in the microwave regime. Calculations show that the approach can be scaled up to optical frequencies even in the presence of absorption.