FexNi100−x nanometric films deposited by laser ablation on SiO2/Si substrates

Fe_xNi_100−x nanometric films were deposited on SiO₂/Si substrates at room temperature using the pulsed laser deposition technique. The targets were Fe-Ni amorphous magnetic foils with composition Fe₅₀Ni₅₀, Fe₃₅Ni₆₅ and Fe₂₂Ni₇₈. Morphological and structural properties of the deposited films were investigated using scanning electron microscopy, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, and X-ray reflectivity. Electrical and magnetic characteristics of the films were investigated by using the four-point probe and the magneto-optic Kerr effect techniques, respectively. The film properties are strictly dependent on the Fe-Ni compositional ratio.     

Synthesis of orthogonal end functionalized oligoethylene glycols of defined lengths

The synthesis of oligoethylene glycols of defined lengths possessing different end functionalities is described. The utility of these molecules towards the development of a generic membrane anchor is demonstrated.     

On the dynamic electromechanical loading of dielectric elastomer membranes

Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) have received considerable attention recently due to large voltage-induced strains, which can be over 100%. Previously, a large deformation quasi-static model that describes the out-of-plane deformations of clamped diaphragms was derived. The numerical model results compare well with quasi-static experimental results for the same configuration. With relevance to dynamic applications, the time-varying response of initially planar dielectric elastomer membranes configured for out-of-plane deformations has not been reported until now. In this paper, an experimental investigation and analysis of the dynamic response of a dielectric elastomer membrane is reported. The experiments were conducted with prestretched DEAs fabricated from 0.5 mm thick polyacrylate films and carbon grease electrodes. The experiments covered the electromechanical spectrum by investigating membrane response due to (i) a time-varying voltage input and (ii) a time-varying pressure input, resulting in a combined electromechanical loading state in both cases. For the time-varying voltage experiments, the membrane had a prestretch of three and was passively inflated to various predetermined states, and then actuated. The pole strains incurred during the inflation were as high as 25.6%, corresponding to slightly less than a hemispherical state. On actuation, the membrane would inflate further, causing a maximum additional strain of 9.5%. For the time-varying pressure experiments, the prestretched membrane was inflated and deflated mechanically while a constant voltage was applied. The membrane was cycled between various predetermined inflation states, the largest of which was nearly hemispherical, which with an applied constant voltage of 3 kV corresponded to a maximum polar strain of 28%. The results from these experiments reveal that the response of the membrane is a departure from the classical dynamic response of continuum membrane structures. The dynamic response of the membrane is that of a damped system with specific deformation shapes reminiscent of the classical membrane mode shapes but without same-phase oscillation, that is to say all parts of the system do not pass through the equilibrium configuration at the same time. Of particular interest is the ability to excite these deformations through a varying electrical load at constant mechanical pressure.     

Indentation responses of piezoelectric films

Frictionless indentation responses of transversely isotropic piezoelectric film/rigid substrate systems under circular cylindrical indenter (i.e., punch), conical indenter (i.e., cone), and spherical indenter (i.e., sphere) are investigated. Both insulating and conducting indenters are considered. The technique of Hankel transformation is employed to derive the corresponding dual integral equations for the mixed boundary value indentation problems. For the two limiting cases of infinitely thick and infinitely thin piezoelectric films, closed-form solutions are obtained. For piezoelectric films of finite thickness, a numerical method is constructed to solve the dual integral equations and semi-empirical models having only two unknown parameters are proposed for the responses of indentation force, electric charge and electric potential, and contact radius. With the two parameters inferred from the numerical results, the semi-empirical formulae are found to provide good estimates of the indentation responses for the two limiting cases of infinitely thick and thin piezoelectric films, as well as those in between. The inferred parameters in the proposed semi-empirical formulae for normalized indentation force and electric charge are checked against four different piezoelectric materials and are found to be insensitive to the selection of piezoelectric materials. It is believed that the proposed semi-empirical indentation formulae are useful in developing experimental indentation techniques to extract the material properties of piezoelectric films.     

Axisymmetric frictionless contact of functionally graded materials

The main interest of this study is a new method to solve the axisymmetric frictionless contact problem of functionally graded materials (FGMs). Based on the fact that an arbitrary curve can be approached by a series of continuous but piecewise linear curves, the FGM is divided into a series of sub-layers with shear modulus varying linearly in each sub-layer and continuous at the sub-interfaces. With this model, the axisymmetric frictionless contact problem of a functionally graded coated half-space is investigated. By using the transfer matrix method and Hankel integral transform technique, the problem is reduced to a Cauchy singular integral equation. The contact pressure, contact region and indentation are calculated for various indenters by solving the equations numerically. An erratum to this article can be found at     

Modification of multiwalled carbon nanotubes by carboxy groups and determination of the degree of functionalization

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes were modified by carboxy groups. Four independent methods for the determination of the degree of functionalization of the surface were proposed: ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, thermogravimetry, titrimetry, and fluorimetry. The first two methods show the total content of carboxy groups in the sample, and the latter two methods give information about the content of the surface groups only. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 2, pp. 291–295, February, 2008.     

On Publications on the Brittle Fracture Mechanics of Prestressed Materials

The paper analyzes new publications on the brittle fracture mechanics of prestressed materials. It is found out that new scientific results published in the International Journal of Solids and Structures in 2002 are a particular case of the results obtained at the Institute of Mechanics 20 years ago     

α-Fe2O3-In2O3 mixed oxide nanoparticles synthesized under hydrothermal supercritical conditions

α-Fe₂O₃-In₂O₃ mixed oxide nanoparticles system has been synthesized by hydrothermal supercritical and postannealing route, starting with (1−x)Fe(NO₃)₃·9H₂O·xIn(NO₃)₃·5H₂O aqueous solution (x=0-1). X-ray diffraction and Mössbauer spectroscopy have been used to study the phase structure and substitutions in the nanosized samples. The concentration regions for the existence of the solid solutions in the α-Fe₂O₃-In₂O₃ nanoparticle system together with the solubility limits of In³⁺ ions in the hematite lattice and of Fe³⁺ ions in the cubic In₂O₃ structure have been evidenced. In general, the substitution level is considerably lower than the nominal concentration x. A justification of the processes leading to the formation of iron and indium phases in the investigated supercritical hydrothermal system has been given.