A model for the deformations and thermodynamics of liquids involving a dislocation kinetics

A model for the deformation and thermodynamics of liquids is developed that depends on dislocation kinetics. The approach uses concepts from statistical mechanics to model a stochastic evolution equation for a scalar dislocation density function. The dislocation density is used in an idealized model for the discrete discontinuous deformation due to dislocation motion and dislocation creation kinetics. The total deformation functional for a liquid is modelled as a continuum deformation of an idealized lattice structure plus the discontinuous deformation due to dislocation kinetics. This results in a thermodynamic model that has an elastic response from the continuum lattice structure and a fluid response from the dislocation kinetics.In the thermodynamics, a generalized internal energy functional is assumed to exist and to have a dependence on the functions of entropy, continuum lattice strain, scalar dislocation density, velocity, and mass density. The continuum lattice strain is termed the recoverable strain and its conjugate variable is the thermodynamic stress. The conjugate variable to the scalar dislocation density is the thermodynamic chemical potential for a dislocation configuration, somewhat analogous to Gibbs' treatment of chemical potential for various mass species.This model implies that a liquid and a crystalline solid have analogous deformation and thermodynamic responses. Their differences appear in the dislocation densities and in the dislocation chemical potentials. To illustrate the deformation response analogy, some solutions are developed for simple laminar shear flows. Also, using some concepts primarily from Kuhlmann-Wilsdorf's melting model, a definition for a specific dislocation creation heat equivalent is given. This thermodynamic formalism suggests that the melting process can be modelled as the consequence of a continuous change in the dislocation density function.Work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under contract No. W-7405-ENG-48.     

EFFECT OF VERTICAL BAFFLES ON PARTICLE MIXING AND DRYING IN FLUIDIZED BEDS OF GROUP D PARTICLES

This study reports the effect of vertical baffles on the group D powder mixing and drying characteristics in a batch fluidized bed dryer. Results obtained in this study showed that operating the fluidized bed dryer with vertical baffles gave better particle mixing. This is due to the fact that the vertical baffles acted to limit the growth of small bubbles into large bubbles and the small bubbles caused more vigorous mixing in the bed of particles before finally erupting at the bed surface. Thus, insertion of vertical baffles is a useful way to process group D particles in a fluidized bed, especially when the fluidized bed is large.     

A consideration of curved interfaces in stress-assisted martensite formation

A purely mechanical, sharp interface model is developed to consider curved interfaces that have been observed between martensite phase variants. The approach is based on a theory of small strains as distinct from small displacement gradients. It admits a realistic characterization of each phase with standard elasticity tensors and allows for inhomogeneous states of strain within each phase including inhomogeneous, finite rotations. The model indicates that any signficant interface curvature must be due to material rotation because interfaces cannot be finitely curved with respect to the material lattice. It is also found that the interface driving traction is not influenced by local lattice rotations unless inertia affects the reaction.     

How a Zigzag Carbon Nanotube Grows

Owing to the unique structure of zigzag (ZZ) carbon nanotubes (CNTs), their ring‐by‐ring growth behavior is different from that of chiral or armchair (AC) CNTs, on the rims of which kinks serve as active sites for carbon attachment. Through first‐principle calculations, we found that, because of the high energy barrier of initiating a new carbon ring at the rim of a ZZ CNT, the growth rate of a ZZ CNT is proportional to its diameter and significantly (10–1000 times) slower than that of other CNTs. This study successfully explained the broad experimental observation of the lacking of ZZ CNTs in CNT samples and completed the theory of CNT growth.     

The Unexpected Influence of Precursor Conversion Rate in the Synthesis of III–V Quantum Dots

Control of quantum dot (QD) precursor chemistry has been expected to help improve the size control and uniformity of III–V QDs such as indium phosphide and indium arsenide. Indeed, experimental results for other QD systems are consistent with the theoretical prediction that the rate of precursor conversion is an important factor controlling QD size and size distribution. We synthesized and characterized the reactivity of a variety of group‐V precursors in order to determine if precursor chemistry could be used to improve the quality of III–V QDs. Despite slowing down precursor conversion rate by multiple orders of magnitude, the less reactive precursors do not yield the expected increase in size and improvement in size distribution. This result disproves the widely accepted explanation for the shortcoming of current III–V QD syntheses and points to the need for a new generalizable theoretical picture for the mechanism of QD formation and growth.     

Kinetic Buffers

This paper proposes a new type of molecular device that is able to act as an inverse proton sponge to slowly decrease the pH inside a reaction vessel. This makes the automatic monitoring of the concentration of pH‐sensitive systems possible. The device is a composite formed of an alkyl chloride, which kinetically produces acidity, and a buffer that thermodynamically modulates the variation in pH value. Profiles of pH versus time (pH–t plots) have been generated under various experimental conditions by computer simulation, and the device has been tested by carrying out automatic spectrophotometric titrations, without using an autoburette. To underline the wide variety of possible applications, this new system has been used to realize and monitor HCl uptake by a di‐copper(II) bistren complex in a single run, in a completely automatic experiment.     

Immobilization of Distinctly Capped CdTe Quantum Dots onto Porous Aminated Solid Supports

Immobilization of quantum dots (QDs) onto solid supports could improve their applicability in the development of sensing platforms and solid‐phase reactors by allowing the implementation of reusable surfaces and the execution of repetitive procedures. As the reactivity of QDs relies mostly on their surface chemistry, immobilization could also limit the disruption of solution stability that could prevent stable measurements. Herein, distinct strategies to immobilize QDs onto porous aminated supports, such as physical adsorption and the establishment of chemical linking, were evaluated. This work explores the influence of QD capping and size, concentration, pH, and contact time between the support and the QDs. Maximum QD retention was obtained for physical adsorption assays. Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms were used to analyze the equilibrium data. Gibbs free energy, enthalpy, and entropy were calculated and the stability of immobilized QDs was confirmed.     

High‐contrast Noninvasive Imaging of Kidney Clearance Kinetics Enabled by Renal Clearable Nanofluorophores

Noninvasive imaging of kidney clearance kinetics (KCK) of renal clearable probes is key to studying unilateral kidney function diseases, but such imaging is highly challenging to achieve with in vivo fluorescence. While this long‐standing challenge is often attributed to the limited light penetration depth, we found that rapid and persistent accumulation of conventional dyes in the skin “shadowed” real fluorescence signals from the kidneys and prevented noninvasive imaging of KCK, which, however, can be addressed with renal clearable nanofluorophores. By integrating near infrared emission with efficient renal clearance and ultralow background interference, the nanofluorophores can increase kidney‐contrast enhancement and imaging‐time window by approximately 50‐ and 1000‐fold over conventional dyes, and significantly minimize deviation between noninvasive and invasive KCK, laying down a foundation for translating in vivo fluorescence imaging in preclinical noninvasive kidney function assessments.