Binder free three-dimensional sulphur/few-layer graphene foam cathode with enhanced high-rate capability for rechargeable lithium sulphur batteries.

A novel ultra-lightweight three-dimensional (3-D) cathode system for lithium sulphur (Li-S) batteries has been synthesised by loading sulphur on to an interconnected 3-D network of few-layered graphene (FLG) via a sulphur solution infiltration method. A free-standing FLG monolithic network foam was formed as a negative of a Ni metallic foam template by CVD followed by etching away of Ni. The FLG foam offers excellent electrical conductivity, an appropriate hierarchical pore structure for containing the electro-active sulphur and facilitates rapid electron/ion transport. This cathode system does not require any additional binding agents, conductive additives or a separate metallic current collector thus decreasing the weight of the cathode by typically ∼20-30 wt%. A Li-S battery with the sulphur-FLG foam cathode shows good electrochemical stability and high rate discharge capacity retention for up to 400 discharge/charge cycles at a high current density of 3200 mA g(-1). Even after 400 cycles the capacity decay is only ∼0.064% per cycle relative to the early (e.g. the 5th cycle) discharge capacity, while yielding an average columbic efficiency of ∼96.2%. Our results indicate the potential suitability of graphene foam for efficient, ultra-light and high-performance batteries.

High speed liquid crystal over silicon display based on the flexoelectro-optic effect.

One of the key technologies to evolve in the displays market in recent years is liquid crystal over silicon (LCOS) microdisplays. Traditional LCOS devices and applications such as rear projection televisions, have been based on intensity modulation electro-optical effects, however, recent developments have shown that multi-level phase modulation from these devices is extremely sought after for applications such as holographic projectors, optical correlators and adaptive optics. Here, we propose alternative device geometry based on the flexoelectric-optic effect in a chiral nematic liquid crystal. This device is capable of delivering a multilevel phase shift at response times less than 100 microsec which has been verified by phase shift interferometry using an LCOS test device. The flexoelectric on silicon device, due to its remarkable characteristics, enables the next generation of holographic devices to be realized.

High Frequency Acousto-electric Single Photon Source

We propose a single optical photon source for quantum cryptography based on the acousto-electric effect. Surface acoustic waves (SAWs) propagating through a quasi-one-dimensional channel have been shown to produce packets of electrons which reside in the SAW minima and travel at the velocity of sound. In our scheme these electron packets are injected into a p-type region, resulting in photon emission. Since the number of electrons in each packet can be controlled down to a single electron, a stream of single (or N) photon states, with a creation time strongly correlated with the driving acoustic field, should be generated.

Effect of imperfections on the yielding of two-dimensional foams

The influence of each of the six different types of morphological imperfection - waviness, non-uniform cell wall thickness, cell-size variations, fractured cell walls, cell-wall misalignments, and missing cells - on the yielding of 2D cellular solids has been studied systematically for biaxial loading. Emphasis is placed on quantifying the knock-down effect of these defects on the hydrostatic yield strength and upon understanding the associated deformation mechanisms. The simulations in the present study indicate that the high hydrostatic strength, characteristic of ideal honeycombs, is reduced to a level comparable with the deviatoric strength by several types of defect. The common source of this large knock-down is a switch in deformation mode from cell wall stretching to cell wall bending under hydrostatic loading. Fractured cell edges produce the largest knock-down effect on the yield strength of 2D foams, followed in order by missing cells, wavy cell edges, cell edge misalignments, Γ Voronoi cells, δ Voronoi cells, and non-uniform wall thickness. A simple elliptical yield function with two adjustable material parameters successfully fits the numerically predicted yield surfaces for the imperfect 2D foams, and shows potential as a phenomenological constitutive law to guide the design of structural components made from metallic foams.

High impulsivity predicting vulnerability to cocaine addiction in rats: some relationship with novelty preference but not novelty reactivity, anxiety or stress.

RATIONALE: Impulsivity is a vulnerability marker for drug addiction in which other behavioural traits such as anxiety and novelty seeking ('sensation seeking') are also widely present. However, inter-relationships between impulsivity, novelty seeking and anxiety traits are poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this paper was to investigate the contribution of novelty seeking and anxiety traits to the expression of behavioural impulsivity in rats. METHODS: Rats were screened on the five-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT) for spontaneously high impulsivity (SHI) and low impulsivity (SLI) and subsequently tested for novelty reactivity and preference, assessed by open-field locomotor activity (OF), novelty place preference (NPP), and novel object recognition (OR). Anxiety was assessed on the elevated plus maze (EPM) both prior to and following the administration of the anxiolytic drug diazepam, and by blood corticosterone levels following forced novelty exposure. Finally, the effects of diazepam on impulsivity and visual attention were assessed in SHI and SLI rats. RESULTS: SHI rats were significantly faster to enter an open arm on the EPM and exhibited preference for novelty in the OR and NPP tests, unlike SLI rats. However, there was no dimensional relationship between impulsivity and either novelty-seeking behaviour, anxiety levels, OF activity or novelty-induced changes in blood corticosterone levels. By contrast, diazepam (0.3-3 mg/kg), whilst not significantly increasing or decreasing impulsivity in SHI and SLI rats, did reduce the contrast in impulsivity between these two groups of animals. CONCLUSIONS: This investigation indicates that behavioural impulsivity in rats on the 5-CSRTT, which predicts vulnerability for cocaine addiction, is distinct from anxiety, novelty reactivity and novelty-induced stress responses, and thus has relevance for the aetiology of drug addiction.

Analytically-based approach to rotor-stator interaction noise in mean swirling flow

A method for modelling and predicting the noise generated by the interaction between the unsteady wake shed from the rotor and a downstream row of stators in a modern ultra-high bypass ducted turbofan engine is described. An analytically-based model is developed to account for three main features of the problem. First, the way in which a typical unsteady wake disturbance from the rotor interacts and is distorted by the mean swirling flow as it propagates downstream. The analysis allows for the inclusion of mean entropy gradients and entropy perturbations. Second, the effects of real stator-blade geometry and proper representation of the genuinely three-dimensional nature of the problem. Third, to model the propagation of the resulting noise back upstream in mean swirling flow. The analytical nature of the problem allows for the inclusion of all wake harmonics and enables the response at all blade passing frequencies to be determined. Example results are presented for an initial wake distribution corresponding to a genuine rotor configuration. Comparisons between numerical data and the asymptotic model for the wake evolution are made. Copyright © 2004 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. All rights reserved.

Semi-insulating layer for novel high voltage polysilicon thin film transistors

This work describes the deposition and characterisation of semi-insulating oxygen-doped silicon films for the development of high voltage polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) circuitry on glass. The performance of a novel poly-Si High Voltage Thin Film Transistor (HVTFT) structure, incorporating a layer of semi-insulating material, has been investigated using a two dimensional device simulator. The semi-insulating layer increases the operating voltage of the HVTFT structure by linearising the potential distribution in the device offset region. A glass compatible semi-insulating layer, suitable for HVTFT applications, has been deposited by the Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (PECVD) technique from silane (SiH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and helium (He) gas mixtures. The as-deposited films are furnace annealed at 600°C which is the maximum process temperature. By varying the N2O/SiH4 ratio the conductivity of the annealed films can be accurately controlled up to a maximum of around 10-7 Ω-1cm-1. Helium dilution of the reactant gases improves both film uniformity and reproducibility. Raman analysis shows the as-deposited and annealed films to be completely amorphous. A model for the microstructure of these Semi-Insulating Amorphous Oxygen-Doped Silicon (SIAOS) films is proposed to explain the observed physical and electrical properties.

Three-dimensional carbon nanowall structures

The authors report the growth of carbon nanowalls in freestanding, three-dimensional aggregates by microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Carbon nanowalls extrude from plasma sites into three-dimensional space. The growth is catalyst-free and not limited by nucleating surfaces. The growth mechanism is discussed and compared with similar carbon nanomaterials. High surface area of as-grown carbon nanowalls indicates a potential for electrochemical applications. Field emission measurements show a low field turn-on and long-term stability. The results establish a scalable production method and possible applications using field emission or high surface area. © 2007 American Institute of Physics.

Nanophotonic three-dimensional microscope.

Three-dimensional (3D) optical microscopy based on integral imaging techniques is limited mainly by diffraction effects and the pitch of the microlens array used to sample the specimen. We integrate nanotechnology to the integral imaging technique and demonstrate a nanophotonic 3D microscope, where a nanophotonic lens array is used to finely sample the specimen. The resolution limitation due to diffraction is reduced by capturing images before the diffraction effects predominate and hence overcomes the bottleneck of achieving high resolution in an integral imaging 3D microscope.

Blade row interaction in a high pressure steam turbine

This paper presents a study of the three-dimensional flow field within the blade rows of a high-pressure axial flow steam turbine stage. Compound lean angles have been employed to achieve relatively low blade loading for hub and tip section and so reduce the secondary losses. The flow field is investigated in a Low-Speed Research Turbine using pneumatic and hot-wire probes downstream of the blade row. Steady and unsteady numerical simulations were performed using structured 3D Navier-Stokes solver to further understand the flow field. Agreement between the simulations and the measurements has been found. The unsteady measurements indicate that there is a significant effect of the stator flow interaction in the downstream rotor blade. The transport of the stator viscous flow through the rotor blade row is described. Unsteady numerical simulations were found to be successful in predicting accurately the flow near the secondary flow interaction regions compared to steady simulations. A method to calculate the unsteady loss generated inside the blade row was developed from the steady numerical simulations. The contribution of various regions in the blade to the unsteady loss generation was evaluated. This method can assist the designer in identifying and optimizing the features of the flow that are responsible for the majority of the unsteady loss production. An analytical model was developed to quantify this effect for the vortex transport inside the downstream blade.

The development of turbine exit flow in a swan-necked inter-stage diffuser

This paper describes both the migration and dissipation of flow phenomena downstream of a transonic high-pressure turbine stage. The geometry of the HP stage exit duct considered is a swan-necked diffuser similar to those likely to be used in future engine designs. The paper contains results both from an experimental programme in a turbine test facility and from numerical predictions. Experimental data was acquired using three fast-response aerodynamic probes capable of measuring Mach number, whirl angle, pitch angle, total pressure and static pressure. The probes were used to make time-resolved area traverses at two axial locations downstream of the rotor trailing edge. A 3D time-unsteady viscous Navier-Stokes solver was used for the numerical predictions. The unsteady exit flow from a turbine stage is formed from rotordependent phenomena (such as the rotor wake, the rotor trailing edge recompression shock, the tip-leakage flow and the hub secondary flow) and vane-rotor interaction dependant phenomena. This paper describes the time-resolved behaviour and three-dimensional migration paths of both of these phenomena as they convect downstream. It is shown that the inlet flow to a downstream vane is dominated by two corotating vortices, the first caused by the rotor tip-leakage flow and the second by the rotor hub secondary flow. At the inlet plane of the downstream vane the wake is extremely weak and the radial pressure gradient is shown to have caused the majority of the high loss wake fluid to be located between the mid-height of the passage and the casing wall. The structure of the flow indicates that between a high pressure stage and a downstream vane simple two-dimensional blade row interaction does not occur. The results presented in this paper indicate that the presence of an upstream stage is likely to significantly alter the structure of the secondary flow within a downstream vane. The paper also shows that vane-rotor interaction within the upstream stage causes a 10° circumferential variation in the inlet flow angle of the 2nd stage vane.

Vortex Transport and Blade Interactions in High Pressure Turbines

This paper presents a study of the three-dimensional flow field within the blade rows of a high-pressure axial flow steam turbine stage. Half-delta wings were fixed to a rotating hub to simulate an upstream rotor passage vortex. The flow field is investigated in a Low-Speed Research Turbine using pneumatic and hot-wire probes downstream of the blade row. The paper examines the impact of the delta wing vortex transport on the performance of the downstream blade row. Steady and unsteady numerical simulations were performed using structured 3D Navier-Stokes solver to further understand the flow field. The loss measurements at the exit of the stator blade showed an increase in stagnation pressure loss due to the delta wing vortex transport. The increase in loss was 21% of the datum stator loss, demonstrating the importance of this vortex interaction. The transport of the stator viscous flow through the rotor blade row is also described. The rotor exit flow was affected by the interaction between the enhanced stator passage vortex and the rotor blade row. Flow underturning near the hub and overturning towards the mid-span was observed, contrary to the classical model of overturning near the hub and underturning towards the mid-span. The unsteady numerical simulation results were further analysed to identify the entropy producing regions in the unsteady flow field.

High-frequency acousto-electric single-photon source

We propose a single optical photon source for quantum cryptography based on the acoustoelectric effect. Surface acoustic waves (SAWs) propagating through a quasi-one-dimensional channel have been shown to produce packets of electrons that reside in the SAW minima and travel at the velocity of sound. In our scheme, the electron packets are injected into a p-type region, resulting in photon emission. Since the number of electrons in each packet can be controlled down to a single electron, a stream of single- (or N-) photon states, with a creation time strongly correlated with the driving acoustic field, should be generated. ©2000 The American Physical Society.

Diffusion and chemical reaction in the porous structures of solid oxide fuel cells

The Rolls-Royce Integrated-Planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (IP-SOFC) consists of ceramic modules which have electrochemical cells printed on the outer surfaces. The cathodes are the outermost layer of each cell and are supplied with oxygen from air flowing over the outside of the module. The anodes are in direct contact with the ceramic structure and are supplied with fuel from internal gas channels. Natural gas is reformed into hydrogen for use by the fuel cells in a separate reformer module of similar design except that the fuel cells are replaced by a reforming catalyst layer. The performance of the modules is intrinsically linked to the behaviour of the gas flows within their porous structures. Because the porous layers are very thin, a one-dimensional flow model provides a good representation of the flow property variations between fuel channel and fuel cell or reforming catalyst. The multi-component convective-diffusive flows are simulated using a new theory of flow in porous material, the Cylindrical Pore Interpolation Model. The effects of the catalysed methane reforming and water-gas shift chemical reactions are also considered using appropriate kinetic models. It is found that the shift reaction, which is catalysed by the anode material, has certain beneficial effects on the fuel cell module performance. In the reformer module it was found that the flow resistance of the porous support structure makes it difficult to sustain a high methane conversion rate. Although the analysis is based on IP-SOFC geometry, the modelling approach and general conclusions are applicable to other types of SOFC.

Three-dimensional SBLI control for transonic airfoils

The application of shock control to transonic airfoils and wings has been demonstrated widely to have the potential to reduce wave drag. Most of the suggested control devices are two-dimensional, that is they are of uniform geometry in spanwise direction. Examples of such techniques include contour bumps and passive control. Recently it has been observed that a spanwise array of discrete three-dimensional controls can have similar benefits but also offer advantages in terms of installation complexity and drag. This paper describes research carried out in Cambridge into various three-dimensional devices, such as slots, grooves and bumps. In all cases the control device is applied to the interaction of a normal shock wave (M=1.3) with a turbulent boundary layer. Theoretical considerations are proposed to determine how such fundamental experiments can provide estimates of control performance on a transonic wing. The potential of each class of three-dimensional device for wave drag reduction on airfoils is discussed and surface bumps in particular are identified as offering potential drag savings for typical transonic wing applications under cruise conditions.