Modulated photocurrent as a powerful method to reveal predominant transport by the majority carriers of disordered semiconductors and to resolve all the kinds of probed gap states

A basic difficulty in the interpretation of photoconductivity measurements may arise from possible mixed contributions of both carriers to the photocurrent. In this work it is demonstrated that a universal behavior in the simulated spectra of the out of phase modulated photocurrent signal is observed in cases where the majority carriers dominate. In these cases, a general formula can be used to evaluate the densities of various species of states using the data from all frequencies. Deviations from the universal behavior can be observed when there are contributions from both carriers. The applicability of our analysis is demonstrated in a-Si:H.     

Specific features of the formation of submicron inclusion in Ti:sapphire

Specific features of the formation of submicron (70–300 nm) inclusions in Ti:sapphire (Al₂O₃:Ti) grown in a carbon-containing medium have been investigated. These inclusions are caused by deviation from the melt stoichiometry and are formed during the melt-crystal phase transition. These defects are submicropores containing excess aluminum and its suboxides; they can be destroyed by thermal loading of a crystal.     

Numerical study of the influence of boundary conditions on the dynamic behavior of a cylindrical shell conveying a fluid

We consider a finite element algorithm intended to study the dynamic behavior of an elastic cylindrical shell filled with an immovable or flowing fluid. To describe the fluid, we use the perturbed velocity potential whose equations with the corresponding boundary conditions are solved by the Bubnov-Galerkin method. To describe the shell, we use the variation principle, which includes the linearized Bernoulli equation for calculating the hydrodynamic pressure acting on the shell on the side of the fluid. Solving the problem is reduced to calculating and analyzing the eigenvalues of the coupled system of equations obtained as a result of combining the equations for the perturbed velocity potential and the shell displacements. We consider several test problems in which, along with the comparison of the computational results with the earlier published experimental, analytic, and numerical data, we also study the dynamic behavior of the “shell-fluid” system for various boundary conditions for the perturbed velocity potential.     

Feedback stabilization of snap-through buckling in a preloaded two-bar linkage with hysteresis

We study a linearly damped preloaded two-bar linkage that exhibits hysteresis due to the presence of multiple attracting equilibria. The dynamics at the unstable equilibrium, through which a snap-through buckle occurs, are not linearizable due to a solution-dependent singularity. We stabilize the unstable equilibrium using two distinct non-linear controllers. The feedback-linearization controller requires knowledge of the linkage parameters, whereas the robust version of the intrinsic non-linear proportional-derivative controller requires only an upper bound on the stiffness.     

Ductile–brittle transitions in the fracture of plastically deforming,adhesively bonded structures. Part II: Numerical studies

To enable the effective and reliable use of structural adhesive bonding in automotive applications, the cohesive properties of a joint need to be determined over a wide range of loading rates. In this paper, a strategy for determining these properties has been described and used to analyze a set of experimental results presented in a companion paper. In the particular system studied, a crack growing in a toughened quasi-static mode could make a catastrophic transition to a brittle mode of fracture. The cohesive parameters for both the toughened and brittle modes of crack growth were determined by comparing numerical predictions from cohesive-zone simulations to the results of experimental tests performed using double-cantilever beam specimens and tensile tests. The cohesive parameters were found to be essentially rate-independent for the toughened mode, but the toughness dropped by a factor of four upon a transition to the brittle mode. The results of wedge tests were used as an independent verification of the cohesive parameters, and to verify that the quasi-static properties remained rate-independent to very high crack velocities corresponding to conditions of low-velocity impact. The effects of friction, and the use of the wedge test to determine cohesive parameters, were also explored.     

Geometry and electronic structure of a heterometallic cluster Mo<Subscript>2</Subscript>Mg<Subscript>2</Subscript> in different oxidation states of Mo: a DFT study

Reduction of tetranuclear heterometallic complex Mo₂Mg₂ was simulated using the B3LYP and PBE density functional methods. The results of geometry calculations of the initial complex [Mo^VIO₂Mg(MeOH)₂(OMe)₄]₂ and a partially reduced Mo^V complex are in good agreement with experimental data. The reduced Mo^III complex is characterized by a decrease in the binding energy of aqua ligands. Structural rearrangement of the complex with release of a coordination position at the Mo atoms requires small energy expenditure. One can assume that the reduction of the polynuclear complex causes overcrowding of its coordination sphere, which favors formation of dinitrogen complexes. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 3, pp. 441–457, March, 2008.     

Thermal degradation of composites of poly(methyl methacrylate) with alkoxysilane hydrolyzates

Organic-inorganic composites of poly(methyl methacrylate) with alkoxysilane hydrolyzates form transparent films. Their thermal and oxidative thermal degradation were studied by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis.     

On calculation of the distribution coefficient from the results of continuous gas extraction of a volatile component from a liquid mixture

Distribution coefficient of a volatile component among the liquid and gas phases was calculated from equidistant data on continuous gas extraction by using an equation generalizing the relations available in the literature.