Anisotropic energy distribution of sputtered atoms induced by low energy heavy ion bombardment

The theory of anisotropic sputtering published in Phys. Rev. B 71(2), 026101 (2005) and Radiat. Effects Defects Solids 159(5), 301 (2004) has been modified and used to calculate the sputtering yield energy distributions for copper, tungsten, and aluminum targets bombarded by low-energy argon ion. As usual, the electronic stopping is ignored in the analysis. The present theory (modified Sigmund’s theory) has been shown to fit the corresponding experimental results of sputtering yield energy distributions well, except for the cases where the larger ion incident angle and larger sputtering emission angles were considered. The larger discrepancy between the present theory and the experimental result in the latter cases is probably due to the influence of direct recoil atoms on the energy spectrum. Compared with Falcone’s analytical theory, the present theory can reproduce much better experimental results of sputtering phenomena. The fact clearly demonstrates the intrinsic relation between the ion–energy dependence of the total sputtering yield and the sputtering yield energy distribution and suggests the great importance of momentum deposited on the target surface in the physical sputtering     

Defect clustering in double doped fluorite crystals with Lu and Gd

Abstract

Solid solutions Ca¹ x-^yLu^xGd^y F_2+x+y for 10^?4 ≤ x ≤ 2 × 10^?2 and y=0.0001 have been studied by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and ionic thermal currents (ITC). It has been found that the ITC spectrum from 77 to 420 K is very weak and the main peak is attributed to the relaxation of both Lu³⁺-F^? _x and Gd³⁺F^? _i nn dipoles. No polarizable clusters are present in the temperature range explored here. The EPR spectra show the presence of Gd³⁺ tetragonal and cubic centers due to the local and non local compensation, respectively. The continuous decrease in the molar fraction of Gd³⁺ tetragonal centers together with the low concentration of Lu nn dipoles is an evidence of the existence at these low and intermediate concentrations of large clusters such as the cubo-octahedral hexamer which has been proposed for CaF₂ crystals very highly doped with small trivalent cations.     

A numerical study on extinction behaviour of laminar micro-diffusion flames

We conducted a numerical study on the fluid dynamic, thermal and chemical structures of laminar methane–air micro flames established under quiescent atmospheric conditions. The micro flame is defined as a flame on the order of one millimetre or less established at the exit of a vertically-aligned straight tube. The numerical model consists of convective–diffusive heat and mass transport with a one-step, irreversible, exothermic reaction with selected kinetics constants validated for near-extinction analyses. Calculations conducted under the burner rim temperature 300 K and the adiabatic burner wall showed that there is the minimum burner diameter for the micro flame to exist. The Damköhler number (the ratio of the diffusive transport time to the chemical time) was used to explain why a flame with a height of less than a few hundred microns is not able to exist under the adiabatic burner wall condition. We also conducted scaling analysis to explain the difference in extinction characteristics caused by different burner wall conditions. This study also discussed the difference in governing mechanisms between micro flames and microgravity flames, both of which exhibit similar spherical flame shape.     

Spin-glass behaviour of novel ternary uranium aluminide U3Co4+ x Al12− x (x = 0.55)

Experimental results on dc and ac susceptibility, magnetization and magnetic relaxation, specific heat, electrical resistivity and magnetoresistivity up to 8?T are reported for the novel ternary uranium aluminide U₃Co_4.55Al_11.45. The temperature dependence of the dc susceptibility shows a cusp at a characteristic temperature T _f?=?8–10?K that depends weakly on the applied magnetic field. The observed pronounced difference between the ZFC and FC magnetizations, as well as the decay in the remanent, both give evidence that a highly irreversible, frozen state is formed below T _f which is reminiscent of spin-glass behaviour. The real and imaginary parts of the ac susceptibility show that the corresponding T _f peaks are only slightly dependent on frequency. Electrical resistivity measured at zero and in fields up to 8?T indicates that the Kondo-like state becomes dominant at temperatures above T _f.     

Basic solution of four parallel non-symmetric permeable Mode-III cracks in a piezoelectric/piezomagnetic composite plane

The interaction of four parallel non-symmetric permeable cracks in a piezoelectric/piezomagnetic composite plane subjected to anti-plane shear stress loading was studied by the Schmidt method. The problem was formulated through a Fourier transform into four pairs of dual integral equations, in which unknown variables are jumps of displacements across the crack surfaces. To solve the dual integral equations, the jumps of displacements across the crack surfaces were directly expanded as a series of Jacobi polynomials. Finally, the relationships among the electric displacement, magnetic flux and stress fields near the crack tips were obtained. The results show that the stress, the electric displacement and the magnetic flux intensity factors at the crack tips depend on the lengths and spacing of cracks. It was also revealed that the crack shielding effect is present in piezoelectric/piezomagnetic composites.     

Size effects on tensile and fatigue behaviour of polycrystalline metal foils at the micrometer scale

Tensile and fatigue properties of as-rolled and annealed polycrystalline Cu foils with different thicknesses at the micrometer scale were investigated. Uniaxial tensile testing results showed that with decreasing foil thickness the uniform elongation decreases for both as-rolled and annealed foils, whereas the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength increase for as-rolled foils, but decrease for the annealed foils. For both the as-rolled or annealed foils, bending fatigue resistance decreases with decreasing the foil thickness. Deformation and fatigue damage behaviour of the free-standing foils were characterised as a function of foil thickness. In addition, the fatigue strength of various small-scale Cu foils was compared to understand the physical mechanisms of size effects on mechanical properties of the metallic material at micrometer scales.     

Comment on “Role of the velocity frame of reference in thermodiffusion in liquid mixtures” by M. Eslamian,C.G. Jiang and M.Z. Saghir

We analyze the material transport equations (MTE) derived by Eslamian and co-authors and address the criticism expressed regarding the approach formulated in our previous work. In doing so, we show that the MTE formulated by Eslamian and co-authors are valid only in closed stationary non-isothermal systems in combination with the restrictions on the Onsager coefficients formulated in our work which is criticized, and that for non-stationary systems the approach we took can be used.     

Vibrational Spectral Biodiagnosis of Ocular Calcification

Abstract

Ocular calcification is a biological mineralization. It is also a well-known human ophthalmic disease but is a complex process because the pathophysiology of calcium deposition in ocular tissues depends on site-specific factors. Calcified deposits in the eyes are asymptomatic lesions; a serious consequence of ocular plaques is the potential partial or total loss of vision in the affected eye. Therefore, a better understanding of the exact compositional components and origin of calcified plaques in different eye tissues is necessary and merits exploration. The present review article includes information on different diagnostic or analytical techniques to examine human ocular calcification collected and compiled from 2005 to 2013, together with data on the application of vibrational spectroscopy in ophthalmology studies from 1990 onwards. This overview of ocular calcification is mainly focused on two aspects: the pathogenesis and mechanism of calcification in different ocular tissues and biomedical applications of vibrational spectroscopy to spectral biodiagnosis of eye tissues. A summary of the in vitro, in situ, and in vivo spectral information that is expected to assist physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of patients or satisfy patients of the clinical competence of the diagnosis is provided.     

Room temperature magnetocaloric effect in Pr1.75Sr1.25Mn2O7 double-layered perovskite manganite system

Abstract

In this work, we have studied on double-layered perovskite (Ruddlesden–Popper) manganite structure in Pr_1.75Sr_1.25Mn₂O₇ synthesised by sol–gel method. The crystal structure of the double-layered perovskite is found as tetragonal from the X-ray diffraction analysis with I4/mmm space group. A high Curie temperature, T_C = 305 K is observed from the temperature dependence of magnetisation measurement. The isothermal magnetisation curves showed that magnetic phase transition is second order due to the positive slope of the Arrott plots. Maximum magnetic entropy change (ΔS_M) and adiabatic temperature change (ΔT_ad) values are calculated as 3.99 J kg^?1 K^?1 and 2.1 K under external magnetic field of 70 kOe, respectively. Since our double-layered perovskite manganite sample has desired T_C value and relatively high ΔS_M, it can be a potential candidate as a magnetocaloric material for room temperature magnetic cooling systems.