Initial development of microdamage under impact loading

In this paper, the initial development of microdamage in material subjected to impulsive loading was investigated experimentally and analytically with controllable short-load duration. Based on a general solution to the statistical evolution of a one-dimensional system of ideal microcracks, a prerequisite to experimental investigation of nucleation of microcracks was derived. By counting the number of microcracks, the distribution of nucleation of microcracks was studied. The law of the nucleation rate of microcracks can be expressed as a separable function of stress and cracksize. It is roughly linear dependence on loading stress. The normalized number density of microcracks is in agreement with that of a second-phase particle.

Optimization of single attosecond x-ray pulses by genetic algorithm control of the chirp and initial phase of 5 fs laser pulses

We show that the peak intensity of single attosecond x-ray pulses is enhanced by 1 or 2 orders of magnitude, the pulse duration is greatly compressed, and the optimal propagation distance is shortened by genetic algorithm optimization of the chirp and initial phase of 5 fs laser pulses. However, as the laser intensity increases, more efficient nonadiabatic self-phase matching can lead to a dramatically enhanced harmonic yield, and the efficiency of optimization decreases in the enhancement and compression of the generated attosecond pulses. (c) 2006 Optical Society of America.

Ion bombardment as the initial stage of diamond film growth

It is believed that during the initial stage of diamond film growth by chemical-vapor deposition (CVD), ion bombardment is the main mechanism in the bias-enhanced-nucleation (BEN) process. To verify such a statement, experiments by using mass-separated ion-beam deposition were carried out, in which a pure carbon ion beam, with precisely defined low energy, was selected for investigating the ion-bombardment effect on a Si substrate. The results are similar to those of the BEN process, which supports the ion-bombardment-enhanced-nucleation mechanism. The formation of sp(3) bonding is based on the presumption that the time of stress generation is much shorter than the duration of the relaxation process. The ion-bombarded Si is expected to enhance the CVD diamond nucleation density because the film contains amorphous carbon embedded with nanocrystalline diamond and defective graphite. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.

Initial stages of GaN/GaAs (100) growth by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

We have investigated the growth of GaN buffers by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on GaAs (100) substrates. Atomic force microscope (AFM) and reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) were employed to study the dependence of the nucleation on the growth temperature, growth rate, annealing effect, and growth time. A two-step growth sequence must be used to optimize and control the nucleation and the subsequent growth independently. The size and distribution of islands and the thickness of buffer layers have a crucial role on the quality of GaN layers. Based on the experimental results, a model was given to interpret the formation of hexagonal-phase GaN in the cubic-phase GaN layers. Using an optimum buffer layer, the strong near-band emission of cubic GaN with full-width at half maximum (FWHM) value as small as 5.6 nm was observed at room temperature. The background carrier concentration was estimated to be in the range of 10(13) similar to 10(14) cm(-3).

Polymer Crystallization Influenced by Initial Orientation of Cylindrical Diblock Copolymers in Thin Films

The effect of the initial states (disordered perpendicular cylinder structure vs. parallel cylinder structure) on the crystallization of polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (PS-b-PEO) thin films during cyclohexane annealing was investigated. The cylindrical domains perpendicular or parallel to the surface were obtained by controlling the film thickness. During solvent annealing, for the film with the perpendicular cylinders, the ordering degree of cylinders was increased.

Use of atomic force microscopy for imaging the initial stage of the nucleation of calcium phosphate in Langmuir-Blodgett films of stearic acid

The nucleation of calcium phosphate on the substrate of steatic acid Langmuir-blodgett film at the initial stage was investigated by atomic force microscopy. Nano-dots, nano-wires and nano-islands were observed in sequence for the first time, reflecting the nucleation of calcium phosphate and the molecular arrangement of carboxylic layer. The nucleation rates perpendicular and parallel to the carboxylic terminal group were estimated from the height and diameter of the calcium phosphate crystals, respectively. And this stage was distinct from the late explosive grown stage, in which the change of the morphology was not obvious. The approaches based on this discovery would lead to the development of new strategies in the controlled synthesis of inorganic nano-phases and the assembly of organized composite and ceramic materials.