A non-intrusive in situ method of optical beam profiling in LCOS-based optical fiber switches

This paper proposed a non-intrusive method of measuring the optical beam profile at the surface of the liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) device in an optical fiber switch. This method is based on blazed grating and can be employed in situ (on-line) for two-dimensional beam profiling in the LCOS-based optical fiber switches without introducing additional components or rearranging the system. The measured beam radius was in excellent agreement with that measured by the knife-edge technique. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Transducer and base compliance alter the in situ 6 dof force measured from muscle during an isometric contraction in a multi-joint limb.

Although musculoskeletal models are commonly used, validating the muscle actions predicted by such models is often difficult. In situ isometric measurements are a possible solution. The base of the skeleton is immobilized and the endpoint of the limb is rigidly attached to a 6-axis force transducer. Individual muscles are stimulated and the resulting forces and moments recorded. Such analyses generally assume idealized conditions. In this study we have developed an analysis taking into account the compliances due to imperfect fixation of the skeleton, imperfect attachment of the force transducer, and extra degrees of freedom (dof) in the joints that sometimes become necessary in fixed end contractions. We use simulations of the rat hindlimb to illustrate the consequences of such compliances. We show that when the limb is overconstrained, i.e., when there are fewer dof within the limb than are restrained by the skeletal fixation, the compliances of the skeletal fixation and of the transducer attachment can significantly affect measured forces and moments. When the limb dofs and restrained dofs are matched, however, the measured forces and moments are independent of these compliances. We also show that this framework can be used to model limb dofs, so that rather than simply omitting dofs in which a limb does not move (e.g., abduction at the knee), the limited motion of the limb in these dofs can be more realistically modeled as a very low compliance. Finally, we discuss the practical implications of these results to experimental measurements of muscle actions.

In situ observations of the atomistic mechanisms of Ni catalyzed low temperature graphene growth.

The key atomistic mechanisms of graphene formation on Ni for technologically relevant hydrocarbon exposures below 600 °C are directly revealed via complementary in situ scanning tunneling microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. For clean Ni(111) below 500 °C, two different surface carbide (Ni2C) conversion mechanisms are dominant which both yield epitaxial graphene, whereas above 500 °C, graphene predominantly grows directly on Ni(111) via replacement mechanisms leading to embedded epitaxial and/or rotated graphene domains. Upon cooling, additional carbon structures form exclusively underneath rotated graphene domains. The dominant graphene growth mechanism also critically depends on the near-surface carbon concentration and hence is intimately linked to the full history of the catalyst and all possible sources of contamination. The detailed XPS fingerprinting of these processes allows a direct link to high pressure XPS measurements of a wide range of growth conditions, including polycrystalline Ni catalysts and recipes commonly used in industrial reactors for graphene and carbon nanotube CVD. This enables an unambiguous and consistent interpretation of prior literature and an assessment of how the quality/structure of as-grown carbon nanostructures relates to the growth modes.

Revealing lithium-silicide phase transformations in nano-structured silicon-based lithium ion batteries via in situ NMR spectroscopy.

Nano-structured silicon anodes are attractive alternatives to graphitic carbons in rechargeable Li-ion batteries, owing to their extremely high capacities. Despite their advantages, numerous issues remain to be addressed, the most basic being to understand the complex kinetics and thermodynamics that control the reactions and structural rearrangements. Elucidating this necessitates real-time in situ metrologies, which are highly challenging, if the whole electrode structure is studied at an atomistic level for multiple cycles under realistic cycling conditions. Here we report that Si nanowires grown on a conducting carbon-fibre support provide a robust model battery system that can be studied by (7)Li in situ NMR spectroscopy. The method allows the (de)alloying reactions of the amorphous silicides to be followed in the 2nd cycle and beyond. In combination with density-functional theory calculations, the results provide insight into the amorphous and amorphous-to-crystalline lithium-silicide transformations, particularly those at low voltages, which are highly relevant to practical cycling strategies.

Active sensing system with in situ adjustable sensor morphology.

BACKGROUND: Despite the widespread use of sensors in engineering systems like robots and automation systems, the common paradigm is to have fixed sensor morphology tailored to fulfill a specific application. On the other hand, robotic systems are expected to operate in ever more uncertain environments. In order to cope with the challenge, it is worthy of note that biological systems show the importance of suitable sensor morphology and active sensing capability to handle different kinds of sensing tasks with particular requirements. METHODOLOGY: This paper presents a robotics active sensing system which is able to adjust its sensor morphology in situ in order to sense different physical quantities with desirable sensing characteristics. The approach taken is to use thermoplastic adhesive material, i.e. Hot Melt Adhesive (HMA). It will be shown that the thermoplastic and thermoadhesive nature of HMA enables the system to repeatedly fabricate, attach and detach mechanical structures with a variety of shape and size to the robot end effector for sensing purposes. Via active sensing capability, the robotic system utilizes the structure to physically probe an unknown target object with suitable motion and transduce the arising physical stimuli into information usable by a camera as its only built-in sensor. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The efficacy of the proposed system is verified based on two results. Firstly, it is confirmed that suitable sensor morphology and active sensing capability enables the system to sense different physical quantities, i.e. softness and temperature, with desirable sensing characteristics. Secondly, given tasks of discriminating two visually indistinguishable objects with respect to softness and temperature, it is confirmed that the proposed robotic system is able to autonomously accomplish them. The way the results motivate new research directions which focus on in situ adjustment of sensor morphology will also be discussed.

In situ thermoplastic thread formation for robot built structures

We demonstrate autonomous construction of structures using a robot arm that can fabricate threads of TPA (Thermoplastic Adhesive) in free space on the fly. TPA has many important material properties that help to greatly simplify the otherwise complex task of building structures in complex environments. We present a model for the formation of TPA strings based on plastic deformation which also includes the temperature dependent material properties which change significantly as the thread is formed and cools. Experiments of drawing TPA show that drawing forces due to the viscosity of the TPA are more dominated by the speed of drawing than the changes in viscosity due to temperature. The load bearing capacity of individual strings is also modelled and measured and structures are built using the TPA strings which due to the adhesiveness can be anchored to a wide range surfaces as well as to other strings. © 2013 IEEE.

In situ intercalation dynamics in inorganic-organic layered perovskite thin films.

The properties of layered inorganic semiconductors can be manipulated by the insertion of foreign molecular species via a process known as intercalation. In the present study, we investigate the phenomenon of organic moiety (R-NH3I) intercalation in layered metal-halide (PbI2)-based inorganic semiconductors, leading to the formation of inorganic-organic (IO) perovskites [(R-NH3)2PbI4]. During this intercalation strong resonant exciton optical transitions are created, enabling study of the dynamics of this process. Simultaneous in situ photoluminescence (PL) and transmission measurements are used to track the structural and exciton evolution. On the basis of the experimental observations, a model is proposed which explains the process of IO perovskite formation during intercalation of the organic moiety through the inorganic semiconductor layers. The interplay between precursor film thickness and organic solution concentration/solvent highlights the role of van der Waals interactions between the layers, as well as the need for maintaining stoichiometry during intercalation. Nucleation and growth occurring during intercalation matches a Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kolmogorov model, with results fitting both ideal and nonideal cases.

用NMR、FT-IR、DSC和AFM的方法研究PP-b-PE的结构与性能

聚丙烯是一种优异的高分子材料，但其低温抗冲击性能欠佳，因而限制了其应用范围。采用PP与PE嵌段共聚来改善PP的抗冲击性能是世界上目前行之有效的方法，因而引起人们的重视。由于聚丙烯嵌段共聚物（PP-b-PE）是由多组分组成的复杂体系，对其组成和链的结构仍不十分清楚。因此，本工作选取国外（6组）和国内（5组）共计11组PP-b-PE样品，分别对其结构、性能及其影响因素进行了研究，为实际应用提供了依据。为了保证能将PP-b-PE中的橡胶成分抽提出来，先将PP-b-PE样品用二甲苯溶解，之后加入甲醇沉淀、过滤、干燥，最后用正庚烷抽提，使得PP-b-PE样品中正庚烷的不可溶物与可溶物完全分离。其中，可溶物即为橡胶，不可溶物为塑料。再利用高温核磁共振谱仪（NMR）、示差扫描量热仪（DSC）和傅立汗卜变换红外谱仪（FT-IR）等先进的分析技术手段进行结构分析，并用原子力显微镜（AFM）观察生产过程中样品的形貌。实验和分析结果表明：在正庚烷可溶物中含有低熔点的聚丙烯和嵌段长度不同且能结晶的聚乙烯；并且还含有属于乙丙无规共聚物橡胶部分的n值小于4的（-CH2-）n结构，以及嵌有结晶性的丙烯和乙烯链节。正庚烷的不可溶物主要为聚丙烯，及少量聚乙烯。对于不同物性的PP-b-PE而言，正庚烷不可溶物决定了其刚性，正庚烷可溶物决定了其韧性，并由其粘度比决定了橡胶在聚丙烯中的分布情况。用AFM来研究PP-b-PE中的橡胶颗粒的分布情况是非常好的分析方法。PP-b-PE样品中橡胶的含量及其组成成分将对PP-b-PE的性能产生很大的影响。国内用浆液法生产的PP-b-PE样品中橡胶含量相对于用液一气相法和气相法生产的要少，但在其正庚烷不可溶物中含有较多的乙烯。从而可以用控制乙烯的含量来改善其抗冲击性能，这是浆液法与液一气相法和气相法的最大区别。液一气相法和气相法生产的PP-b-PE样品中的正庚烷可溶物的含量和结构十分接近。结果表明，本文采用多种不同的先进的分析方法和实验手段对PP-b-PE的结构与性能的研究是一条有效可行的实验途径。