Nanorings in planar confinement: the role of repulsive surfaces on the formation of lacuna smectics

ABSTRACT

We study the structure and liquid-crystalline phase behaviour of a model of confined non-convex circular soft-repulsive nanorings in a planar slit geometry using molecular-dynamics simulation. The separation distance between the structureless parallel soft-repulsive walls is made large enough to allow for the formation of a distinct bulk phase in the central region of the box which is in coexistence with the adsorbed fluid thus allowing the analysis of single-wall effects. As the density of the particles is increased, the fluid adsorbs (wets) onto the planar surfaces leading to the formation of well-defined smectic-A layers with a spacing proportional to the diameter of the rings. An analysis of the nematic order parameter at distances perpendicular to the surface reveals that the particles in each layer exhibit anti-nematic behaviour and planar (edge-on) anchoring relative to the short symmetry axis of the rings. This behaviour is in stark contrast to the behaviour observed in convex disc-like particles that have the tendency to form nematic (discotic) structures with homeotropic (face-on) anchoring. The smectic phases formed by nanorings in the bulk and under confinement are characterised by the formation of low-density layered liquid-crystalline states with large voids, referred to here as lacuna smectic phases. In contrast to what is typically found for confined liquid-crystalline systems involving convex particles, no apparent biaxiality is found for nanorings in planar confinement. We argue that formation of the low-density lacuna smectic layers with planar anchoring is a consequence of the non-convex shape of the circular rings that allow for interpenetration between the particles as observed for nanorings under bulk conditions [C. Avendaño, G. Jackson, E.A. Müller and F.A. Escobedo, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 113, 9699 (2016); H.H. Wensink and C. Avendaño, Phys. Rev. E 94, 062704 (2016)].     

两种测试高温超导薄膜微波表面电阻方法的讨论

介绍两种工作在12GHz附近的高温超导薄膜微波表面电阻Rs测试系统,并分析各自的特点.同时简介电子科技大学在提高Rs测试精度上所作的一些改进.     

水平梯度表面能材料表面上的滴状凝结换热系数

本文在均质表面的单个球缺形液滴换热模型和液滴通用尺度分布规律的基础上,结合梯度表面能材料表面的液滴分布和凝结换热特性,得到了一维水平梯度表面能材料表面上的滴状凝结换热计算式。在此基础上,研究了壁面过冷度、接触角梯度、工质物性等参数对梯度表面能材料表面滴状凝结换热性能的影响。结果表明:随着过冷度的增加和凝结工质汽化潜热的增大和表面张力的减小和接触角梯度的增大,平均表面凝结换热系数会增大。     

Shape‐ and Trap‐Controlled Nanocrystals for Giant‐Performance Improvement of All‐Inorganic Perovskite Photodetectors

In the last few years, all‐inorganic perovskite CsPbBr₃ nanocrystals (NCs) have attracted tremendous attention for its high carrier mobility, long carrier diffusion length, excellent visible light absorption, and more importantly superior air stability. In fact, photodetectors (PDs) are designed and fabricated using the CsPbBr₃ NCs with very high performance. Herein, by optimizing the NC shape, size, and surface passivation, the CsPbBr₃ PDs are developed with an even higher performance. It is found that the PDs based on CsPbBr₃ nanoribbons show the best photoresponse among all common NC structures synthesized. Moreover, it is found that 6,6‐phenyl‐C61‐butyric acid ethyl ester can be used to passivate defects on the CsPbBr₃ nanoribbon surface and shows the charge transfer. As a result, the device displays superior photoresponsivity (R = 18.4 A W⁻¹), excellent signal‐to‐noise ratio, as high as 10⁴, and a very sharp rise/decay time (8.7/3.5 ms). The method demonstrated may offer an attractive strategy to improve sensitivity for all‐inorganic perovskite PDs in general.     

Fractal surface for calibration of an optical profiler

The surface profiler has become a basic metrology tool for the characterization of high-quality optical surfaces. The unknown effective resolution of the surface profiler is problematic in using the instrument, as it distorts the measured surface profile. In this paper, we suggest and describe the use of a fractal surface as a standard test surface with which to calibrate the effective resolution of a surface profiler. Fractal surfaces have the characteristics of irregularity, self-similarity and low correlation, with the correlation length being approximately equal to the length of the profile; therefore, a log-log plot of the power spectral density curve is a straight line. The power spectral density curves of fractal surfaces, which can be acquired through surface characterization techniques such as atomic force microscopy, are fitted to a straight line to act as a standard with which to calibrate an optical profiler in different ranges. Through calibration, we can obtain the effective resolution of the optical profiler, and the surface profiler is found to have good transmission capacity within the effective spatial frequency range.     

On the linearization of the coupled Harry－Dym soliton hierarchy

This paper is devoted to the study of the underlying linearities of the coupled Harry--Dym (cHD) soliton hierarchy, including the well-known cHD equation. Resorting to the nonlinearization of Lax pairs, a family of finite-dimensional Hamiltonian systems associated with soliton equations are presented, constituting the decomposition of the cHD soliton hierarchy. After suitably introducing the Abel--Jacobi coordinates on a Riemann surface, the cHD soliton hierarchy can be ultimately reduced to linear superpositions, expressed by the Abel--Jacobi variables.     

Effect of Surfactant Type and Concentration on Surfactant Migration,Surface Tension,and Adhesion of Latex Films

The effect of surfactant type and concentration on the migration behavior of surfactant in a latex film was investigated. Two types of surfactant, including an anionic (sodium lauryl sulfate, SLS) and a non-ionic (nonylphenol ethoxylate, average number of ethylene oxide units = 40, NP-40) surfactant, were used in an emulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate butyl acrylate copolymer (MMA–BA). The total amount of surfactant was varied in three levels, i.e., 1.5, 3, and 4.5 wt%, and the surfactants were used both pure and in a mixture state. The surfactant migration to the film–air (F–A) and film–substrate (F–S) interfaces of the latex films was determined by using an attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) method. In addition, the adhesion of the latex films to glass substrates was measured by a pull-off test. The results showed that the migration of anionic surfactant to the interfaces was greater than the non-ionic one. It was also found that the use of non-ionic surfactant along with anionic surfactant could decrease the migration of the anionic surfactant to the interfaces.     

Combined wave and ray based room acoustic simulations of audio systems in car passenger compartments,Part I: Boundary and source data

The present series of papers summarizes the results of a three-year research project on the realistic simulation of car audio sound in car passenger compartments using a combined Finite Element (FE) and Geometrical Acoustics (GA) approach. The simulations are conducted for the whole audible frequency range with the loudspeakers of the car audio system as the sound sources. The challenges faced during the project relate to fundamental questions regarding the realistic sound field simulation in small enclosures with strong modal and diffraction effects.The paper denoted here as Part I focuses on boundary and source representations in the FE and GA domain and suggests guidelines for a best-possible acquisition of the required data. Since a straight-forward determination of the boundary and source characteristics is mostly hampered by the immense complexity and inhomogeneity of the materials and loudspeaker configurations inside a car compartment, different measurement and calculation methods have been applied to determine the required data and quantify the corresponding uncertainty. The paper clearly points out the strength and weaknesses of the applied methods depending on the considered frequency range and material characteristics. In order to keep the complexity of the FE simulations at a manageable level, all passive boundaries were considered as locally reacting with impedance conditions.Part II of the study applies the obtained data in combined FE-GA room acoustic simulations and compares the simulated room impulse responses (RIR) with corresponding measurement results. In a final step the observed differences in the RIRs are related to the uncertainty and inherent errors in the boundary and source representation.     

Microwave cavity perturbation technique: Part III: Applications

The resonant cavity perturbation method as described in the preceding two parts of this series is applied to study the electrodynamical properties of different materials in the microwave and millimeter wave spectral range. We briefly discuss the relevant uncertainties which are asociated with the different measurement techniques and we find that employing the amplitude technique it is possible to measure both the width and frequency to nearly the same precision. We then demonstrate the broad range of applicability of this technique by showing results obtained on several different materials, ranging from an insulator to a superconductor. The performance limitations of this technique are discussed in detail.