Effects of temperature and carrier gas flow amount on the formation of GaN nanorods by the HVPE method

We fabricated one-dimensional GaN nanorods on AlN/Si (1 1 1) substrates at various temperatures, and carrier gas flow amount, using the hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) method. An AlN buffer layer of 50 nm thickness was deposited by RF sputtering for 25 min. Stalagmite-like GaN nanorods formed at a growth temperature of 650 °C. The diameters and lengths of GaN nanorods increase with growth time, whereas the density of nanorods decreases. And we performed the experiments by changing the carrier gas flow amount at a growth temperature of 650 °C and HCl:NH₃ flow ratio of 1:40. GaN nanorods, with an average diameter of 50 nm, were obtained at a carrier gas flow amount of 1340 sccm. The shape, structures, and optical characteristics of the nanorods were investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and photoluminescence.     

Extracellular Surface Potential Mapping by Scanning Ion Conductance Microscopy Revealed Transient Transmembrane Pore Formation Induced by Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles

In‐depth understanding of the biophysicochemical interactions at the nano–bio interface is important for basic cell biology and applications in nanomedicine and nanobiosensors. Here, the extracellular surface potential and topography changes of live cell membranes interacting with polymeric nanomaterials using a scanning ion conductance microscopy‐based potential imaging technique are investigated. Two structurally similar amphiphilic conjugated polymer nanoparticles (CPNs) containing different functional groups (i.e., primary amine versus guanidine) are used to study incubation time and functional group‐dependent extracellular surface potential and topographic changes. Transmembrane pores, which induce significant changes in potential, only appear transiently in the live cell membranes during the initial interactions. The cells are able to self‐repair the damaged membrane and become resilient to prolonged CPN exposure. This study provides an important observation on how the cells interact with and respond to extracellular polymeric nanomaterials at the early stage. This study also demonstrates that extracellular surface potential imaging can provide a new insight to help understand the complicated interactions at the nano–bio interface and the following cellular responses.     

High-resolution spectroscopy near the continuum limit: the microwave spectrum of trans-3-bromo-1,1,1,2,2-pentafluoropropane

ABSTRACT

The microwave spectrum of 3-bromo-1,1,1,2,2-pentafluoropropane has been observed using CP-FTMW spectroscopy. Potential energy scans have been performed and confirm the existence of two conformers – trans and gauche – for which further structural optimisations and electric field gradient calculations have been performed in order to get highly accurate nuclear quadrupole coupling constants for assignment purposes. The combination of multiple conformers and large nuclear quadrupole coupling constants produce a very dense spectrum at an estimated 1?transition/MHz, near the continuum limit. This spectral density makes it necessary to have very sophisticated computational approaches in order to get geometric and electronic structures that are very close to experimental observation. Analysis of the spectrum allowed for the assignment of the trans conformer, but the gauche proved to be prohibitive, although it is believed to be present in the current spectrum. Full analysis of the rotational spectroscopic parameters of two isotopologues – the⁷⁹Br and⁸¹Br – have been observed and are reported. Geometric analysis of the experimentally observed conformer is also reported using Kraitchman coordinate and second moments arguments. Further analysis of the spectrum reveals the occurrence of dipole-forbidden, nuclear quadrupole allowed transitions with one forbidden transition possessing the first known x-type forbidden transition linkage pathway.     

Switchable Solvatochromic Probes for Live‐Cell Super‐resolution Imaging of Plasma Membrane Organization

Visualization of the nanoscale organization of cell membranes remains challenging because of the lack of appropriate fluorescent probes. Herein, we introduce a new design concept for super‐resolution microscopy probes that combines specific membrane targeting, on/off switching, and environment sensing functions. A functionalization strategy for solvatochromic dye Nile Red that improves its photostability is presented. The dye is grafted to a newly developed membrane‐targeting moiety composed of a sulfonate group and an alkyl chain of varied lengths. While the long‐chain probe with strong membrane binding, NR12A, is suitable for conventional microscopy, the short‐chain probe NR4A, owing to the reversible binding, enables first nanoscale cartography of the lipid order exclusively at the surface of live cells. The latter probe reveals the presence of nanoscopic protrusions and invaginations of lower lipid order in plasma membranes, suggesting a subtle connection between membrane morphology and lipid organization.     

Comparison of the effects of particle shape on thin FeSiCr electromagnetic wave absorber

The raw materials of FeSiCr were processed in the ball mill for 30 h and the shape of the FeSiCr particles was changed from sphere to flake type, which was observed using a scanning electron microscope. And FeSiCr composite microwave absorbers were mixed with silicone for mobile phones and the effects of the thickness of the samples on the absorption were measured using a network analyzer in order to investigate the relationship between the microwave absorption and the material constants. The flake-type FeSiCr-rubber composite showed high reflection loss, which was due to the high complex permittivity and permeability. Also, the matching frequency shifted toward lower frequency range with microwave absorber thickness, and the maximum reflection loss of −8.7 dB was observed in 1.85 GHz for a 1.6 mm thickness.     

Analytic calculation of the lineshapes in polarization spectroscopy of rubidium

This paper reports on analytic calculations of the lineshapes for polarization spectroscopy of rubidium atoms. Under the use of a weak circularly polarized pump beam, the time-dependent population of each magnetic sublevel was obtained analytically from the rate equations up to the lowest order of the pump beam intensity, and the associated circular birefringence experienced by a counterpropagating probe beam was calculated. In particular, analytic forms of the polarization spectroscopy spectra were obtained for ⁸⁷Rb and ⁸⁵Rb atoms using the mean transit time crossing the pump beam, and the analytic results were compared with the numerical data, experimental results and Nakayama model’s results, showing a good agreement one another.     

Intraventricular thrombus formation in the LVAD-assisted heart studied in a mock circulatory loop

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are mechanical pumps that are surgically attached to the left ventricle and aorta. Clinical studies show that LVADs improve patient health and quality of life, and dramatically reduce the mortality of cardiac failure. During periods of high LVAD support, blood flow occurs entirely through the LVAD, the aortic valve is continuously closed, and the heart operates in series with the pump. Thus the normal fluid dynamics of intraventricular flow are altered and linked to the development of thrombus in both the native heart and LVAD. Our goal in this study was to simulate a patient with a recurring thrombus and quantify the variations in the flow field in the LV as the thrombus developed. Particle image velocimetry measurements of transparent silicone models were performed for a range of LVAD support conditions. Results show that the presence of a small thrombus in the LVOT creates a favorable condition for further growth, especially in the presence of high LVAD support. As the thrombus enlarges, it begins to affect the normal vortex-flow pattern, further reducing flow rate and pulsatility in the LVOT. Evaluation of vortex dynamics and stasis regions in both patients and experimental models of LVAD support yield quantitative metrics that can be used to assess the risk of thrombus and the development of strategies to reduce this risk in LVAD patients.     

Liquid film thickness inside the high pressure swirl injectors: Real scale measurement and evaluation of analytical equations

Liquid film thickness inside two swirl injectors for direct injection (DI) gasoline engines was measured at different injection pressure conditions ranging from 2.0 to 7.0 MPa and then previous analytical and empirical equations were examined from the experimental results. Based on the evaluation, a new equation for the liquid film thickness inside the swirl injectors was introduced. A direct photography using two real scale transparent nozzles and a pulsed light source was employed to measure the liquid film thickness inside the swirl injectors. The error in the liquid film thickness measurement, generated from different refractive indices among transparent nozzle, fuel and air, was estimated and corrected based on the geometric optics. Two injectors which have different nozzle diameter and nozzle length were applied to introduce a more general empirical equation for the liquid film thickness inside the pressure swirl injectors. The results showed that the liquid film thickness remains constant at the injection pressures for direct injection gasoline engines while the ratio of nozzle length to nozzle diameter (L/D) shows significant effect on the liquid film thickness. The previously introduced analytical and empirical equations for relatively low injection pressure swirl injectors overestimated the effect of injection pressure at the operating range of high pressure swirl injectors and, in addition, the effect of L/D ratio and swirler geometry was rarely considered. A new empirical equation was suggested based on the experimental results by taking into account the effects of fuel properties, nozzle diameter, nozzle length and swirler geometry.     

Shape optimization of staggered ribs in a rotating equilateral triangular cooling channel

A rotating equilateral triangular cooling channel with staggered square ribs inside the leading edge of a turbine blade has been optimized in this work based on surrogate modeling. The fluid flow and heat transfer in the channel have been analyzed using three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations under uniform heat flux condition. Shear stress transport turbulence model has been used as a turbulence closure. Computational results for area-averaged Nusselt number have been validated compared to the experimental data. The objectives related to the heat transfer rate and pressure drop has been linearly combined with a weighting factor to define the objective function. The angle of the rib, the rib pitch-to-hydraulic diameter ratio, and the rib width-to-hydraulic diameter ratio have been selected as the design variables. Twenty-two design points have been generated by Latin Hypercube sampling, and the values of the objective function have been calculated by the RANS analysis at these points. The surrogate model for the objective function has been constructed using the radial basis neural network method. Through the optimization, the objective function value has been improved by 21.5 % compared to that of the reference geometry.     

Fractal basin boundaries in a two-degree-of-freedom nonlinear system

The final state for nonlinear systems with multiple attractors may become unpredictable as a result of homoclinic or heteroclinic bifurcations. The fractal basin boundaries due to such bifurcations for a four-well, two-degree-of-freedom, nonlinear oscillator under sinusoidal forcing have been studied, based on a theory of homoclinic bifurcation inn-dimensional vector space developed by Palmer. Numerical simulation is used as a means of demonstrating the consequences of the system dynamics when the bifurcations occur, and it is shown that the basin boundaries in the configuration space (x, y) become fractal near the critical value of the heteroclinic bifurcations.