Computational analysis of non-isothermal temperature distribution on natural convection in nanofluid filled enclosures

In this study, the problem of steady state natural convection in an enclosure filled with a nanofluid has been analyzed numerically by using heating and cooling by sinusoidal temperature profiles on one side. The governing partial differential equations, in terms of the dimensionless stream function–vorticity and temperature, are solved numerically using the finite volume method for various inclination angles 0^°≤?≤90^°$0^{°}\le ?\le 90^{°}$, different types of nanoparticles (TiO₂ and Al₂O₃) and fractions of nanoparticles 0≤φ≤0.1$0\le \phi \le 0.1$, whereas the range of the Rayleigh number Ra is 10³–10⁵. It is found that the addition of nanoparticles into water affects the fluid flow and temperature distribution especially for higher Rayleigh numbers. An enhancement in heat transfer rate was registered for the whole range of Rayleigh numbers. However, low Rayleigh numbers show more enhancement compared to high Rayleigh numbers.     

Lower limits of detection in speciation analysis by coupling high-performance liquid chromatography and chemical-vapor generation

Speciation studies are much more important than total element determination because toxicity of many elements depends on their chemical forms. Nobody can claim that a foodstuff is very dangerous to eat by determining total arsenic due to the possibility that the arsenic could be present in non-toxic forms. Hence, speciation studies are crucial in any matrix relevant to human beings.Trace-element speciation requires sufficiently sensitive procedures to monitor each species at trace levels. One way to increase the sensitivity for elements forming volatile species is coupling high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with chemical-vapor generation (CVG). This review aims to highlight not only development of HPLC-CVG techniques for ultratrace-elemental speciation in a variety of matrices but also their application. In addition, we discuss the advantages and the disadvantages of these techniques.     

Effect of gamma irradiation on linear low density polyethylene/magnesium hydroxide/sepiolite composite

Radiation crosslinking is generally used to improve the thermo-mechanical properties of the composites. A study has been carried out to investigate the effect of gamma radiation on the thermo-mechanical properties of linear low density polyethylene containing magnesium hydroxide (MH) and sepiolite (SP) as non-halogenated flame retardant additives. The developed composites are irradiated at different doses upto maximum of 150 kGy. Infrared spectra of the irradiated composites reveal the reduction in the intensity of O-H band with increase in the absorbed doses, thus indicates a distinct structural change in MH at higher doses. The thermogravimetric analysis results of unirradiated and composites irradiated at low doses (≤75 kGy) show two steps weight loss, which is changed to single step at higher doses with lower thermal stability. The melting temperature (T_m) and crystallization temperature (T_c) of irradiated composites are lowered with irradiation whereas Vicat softening temperature (VST) is increased. The increasing trend in gel content with increase in the absorbed dose confirms the presence of crosslinked network. The mechanical properties, results show significant improvement in the modulus of irradiated composites. The results also confirm that MH gradually loses its OH functionality with irradiation.     

热处理对LiFe1-0.01xY0.005xAg0.005xPO4薄膜光波导传感元件气敏性的影响

以FeSO4.7H2O,H3PO4,LiOH.H2O,AgNO3及Y(NO3)3.6H2O为原料,利用水热法一步合成出了LiFe1-0.01xY0.005xAg0.005xPO4粉体(x=0.5,1.0),并将该材料作为敏感试剂,用旋转-甩涂法做成纳米薄膜固定在锡掺杂玻璃光波导表面,在不同温度下进行热处理。采用紫外-可见分光光度计、测厚仪以及自组装的玻璃光波导气敏测试仪研究了热处理对LiFe1-0.01xY0.005xAg0.005xPO4薄膜光学及气敏特性的影响。研究结果表明:在450℃下进行热处理的薄膜元件具有良好的光学透明及较好的气敏特性。相同浓度的不同挥发性有机气体中,该传感元件对二甲苯气体有很好的选择性响应,其检测响应范围为1×10-7～1×10-3(V/V),响应-恢复时间分别小于5和100 s。     

EPR Study of γ-Irradiated UHMWPE Doped with Vitamin E: Assessment of Thermal Effects on the Organic Radicals During Vitamin E Diffusion

Thermal effects on ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) residual radicals during the vitamin E diffusion process were studied in detail. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) technique showed a significant reduction in concentrations of radiation-induced primary (alkyl (–CH₂– ^?CH–CH₂–), allyl (–CH₂–^?CH=CH–CH–CH₂–) and polyenyl (–^?CH–[CH=CH–] _m –) with m > 3) radicals for both control and vitamin E-doped samples. The concentrations of radiation-induced primary radicals (RIPRs) were found to decrease proportionally with the heat/diffusion time. While the EPR spectra of the control samples showed only polyethylene (PE) radicals, the spectra of vitamin E-doped samples were found to exhibit vitamin E radicals in addition to PE radicals. Of particular interest, the heat involved during vitamin E diffusion plays a significant role in reducing the radiation-induced primary radicals of UHMWPE. For 120 min of heat/diffusion time, the available quantity of primary radicals in control samples were found to be ~7.5 % of initial radicals. The leftover amounts of these primary radicals for vitamin E-doped samples were approximately ~10.0 %. In addition to this, EPR power saturation techniques were also used to assess the effects of initial heat/diffusion treatment on the oxygen-induced residual radicals (OIRRs): R₁ (–^?CH–[CH=CH–] _m –) with m > 3 and R₂ (^?OCH–[CH=CH–] _m –) with m = 2 or 3. It was found that the concentration of OIRRs also decreases proportionally with initial heat/diffusion time. The remaining amount of OIRRs relative to leftover RIPRs after heat/diffusion was found to be approximately 4.0 % in controls and was still found to be 10.0 % in vitamin E-doped UHMWPE. This may indicate that vitamin E slows down the oxidation processes, which may contribute to the strong oxidation resistance of vitamin E-doped UHMWPE.     

Aflatoxin species: their health effects and determination methods in different foodstuffs

Carcinogenic and mutagenic properties of aflatoxin species are known in literature. Their intake over a long time period might be health-dangerous for human even at trace levels. It is well known that different foodstuffs can be contaminated by aflatoxin species through growing and storage. Due to the serious health effects, sensitive determination of aflatoxin species in any matrices related with the human being is very crucial at trace levels. In literature, there are sensitive techniques to analyze the different samples for the contents of their aflatoxin species. Each technique has some advantages and disadvantages over the other techniques. This review aims to summarize the different health effects of aflatoxin species, development of analytical techniques and applications of developed techniques in a variety of matrices.      

Active vibration suppression of multilayered plates integrated with piezoelectric fiber reinforced composites using an efficient finite element model

The active vibration suppression of hybrid composite and fiber metal laminate (FML) plates integrated with piezoelectric fiber reinforced composite (PFRC) sensors and actuators is studied for the first time, using an efficient and advanced layerwise plate theory. Unlike the conventional finite elements, the equipotential condition of electroded surfaces of sensors is satisfied exactly and conveniently using a novel concept of electric node. The effective electromechanical properties of the PFRC laminas are computed using a coupled three-dimensional iso-field micromechanical model. Numerical results are presented for both classical constant gain velocity feedback (CGVF) and optimal control strategies. The instability phenomena in CGVF control with conventionally collocated actuator-sensor pairs, and its remedy with a truly collocated arrangement are illustrated. The effect of segmentation of electrodes on the control response is studied. The segmentation of electrodes leads to a multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) configuration. The effects of piezoelectric fiber orientation, volume fraction and dielectric ratio of PFRC on the control response and the actuation/sensing authority are investigated for cantilever and simply supported plates.     

Performance comparison between plastic-based fiber bundle and multimode fused coupler as probes in displacement sensors

Fiber optic displacement sensors with bundled and fused coupler fiber probes are being investigated. The effects of axial displacements on the detected output voltages are also investigated for fiber bundle probe sensor. The resolutions obtained are 0.9 and 4.0 μm, for the front and back slopes, respectively. A comparison is made with a commercial plastic based multimode fused coupler which gives a better range of 2.0 mm. This is longer than that achieved by the fiber bundle probe which is only 0.4 mm and has a lower resolution of 34 μm for the case of 50:50 coupling ratio.     

Preparation of stable dispersion of graphene using copolymers: dispersity and aromaticity analysis

In this study, effectiveness of non-ionic block copolymers such as Lugalvan BNO12 and Triton X series (Triton X100 & Triton X405) has been reported for graphene dispersion in aqueous solutions. Stability of the aqueous graphene dispersions is investigated using UV–visible spectroscopy, Rheological, and Conductivity studies. Adsorption isotherms are constructed to determine the amount of polymers adsorbed on the surface of graphene by the spectroscopic analysis. Lugalvan BNO12 has been found to be adsorbed in higher amounts on the graphene surface compared to the Triton X series polymers. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy investigations indicated grafting of polymers chains to the graphene surfaces. The dispersions prepared with optimum concentrations (as determined from adsorption isotherms) of polymers have shown lower viscosity and conductivity values. Lugalvan BNO12 has been found to be a better stabilizer for graphene than the Triton X series dispersants because the former contains two aromatic rings in its structure that acts as an anchoring group and helps in the stabilization of graphene dispersion in comparison to the single aromatic group in the Triton X series. The experimental results reported have shown that the aromaticity of polymeric dispersants plays significant role in the aqueous graphene dispersions. The non-ionic block copolymers that assisted dispersed graphene are potential candidates for the fabrication of various devices such as sensors, batteries, and supercapacitors applications.     

Ultrasonic Determination of the Jahn–Teller Effect Parameters in Impurity-Containing Crystals

Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics - A method is developed to determine the symmetry properties of strains and the type of Jahn–Teller effect in crystals with impurity ions in a...