Exceptional durability enhancement of PA/PBI based polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells for high temperature operation at 200°C

The incorporation of phosphotungstic acid functionalized mesoporous silica in phosphoric acid doped polybenzimidazole (PA/PBI) substantially enhances the durability of PA/PBI based polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells for high temperature operation at 200°C.

Production of Ti-6Al-4V billet through compaction of blended elemental powders by equal-channel angular pressing

In this work, compaction by warm equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) with back pressure was used to produce Ti-6Al-4V billets from both commercially pure (CP) titanium and titanium hydride (TiH 2) powders, which were mixed with pulverised binary Al-V master alloys of two distinct Al/V ratios and with elemental aluminium powder to arrive at the nominal alloy composition. It was demonstrated that the right combination of temperature, high hydrostatic pressure and plastic shear deformation permits consolidation of the powder mixture to maximum green densities of 99.26%. Moreover, after direct compaction of blended elemental powders by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) with back pressure, the sintering temperature required for chemical and microstructural homogenisation of the compacts could be reduced by 150-250°C. This was possible due to high green density, increased contact area between powder particles and the formation of fast diffusion paths associated with grain refinement by severe plastic deformation. The sintered Ti-6Al-4V billets exhibited a maximum density of 99.88%, Vickers hardness of 409-445 HV1 and ultimate tensile strength in the range of 1000-1080MPa. In contrast to findings of other authors, the use of TiH 2 powders in conjunction with ECAP processing did not bring any benefits with regard to the production of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy.

High-performance multifunctional graphene-PLGA fibers: toward biomimetic and conducting 3D scaffolds

The development of electrically conducting fibers based on known cytocompatible materials is of interest to those engaged in tissue regeneration using electrical stimulation. Herein, it is demonstrated that with the aid of rheological insights, optimized formulations of graphene containing spinnable poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) dopes can be made possible. This helps extend the general understanding of the mechanics involved in order to deliberately translate the intrinsic superior electrical and mechanical properties of solution-processed graphene into the design process and practical fiber architectural engineering. The as-produced fibers are found to exhibit excellent electrical conductivity and electrochemical performance, good mechanical properties, and cellular affinity. At the highest loading of graphene (24.3 wt%), the conductivity of as-prepared fibers is as high as 150 S m-1 (more than two orders of magnitude higher than the highest conductivity achieved for any type of nanocarbon-PLGA composite fibers) reported previously. Moreover, the Young's modulus and tensile strength of the base fiber are enhanced 647- and 59-folds, respectively, through addition of graphene.

Texture evolution and grain refinement of ultrafine-grained copper during micro-extrusion

Samples of oxygen-free high conductivity (OFHC) coarse-grained (CG) and ultrafine-grained (UFG) copper were micro-extruded to an equivalent strain of 2.8 in one pass at room temperature. Samples of the OFHC copper were annealed at 650C for 2 h to produce CG copper. Some samples were subsequently processed by equal channel angular pressing of eight passes, route Bc, at room temperature to produce the UFG material. Crystallographic texture and misorientation distributions were obtained locally from EBSD mappings at different radial positions after micro-extrusion. To model the strain path during micro-extrusion, the analytic flow line model of Altan etal. [J Mater. Process. Tech. 33 (1992) p.263] was used and also validated by finite element calculations. Modelling was carried out using the viscoplastic self-consistent (VPSC) model and a recently developed grain refinement model. The results showed large texture variations along the cross-section of the extruded sample for both UFG and CG copper. These cyclic drawing textures in UFG copper were simulated in good agreement with experiments using the presented modelling framework.

Effect of counterpressure during equal-channel angular pressing on nanoporosity formation in ultrafine-grained copper

Results of small-angle X-ray scattering and high-precision density measurements showed that the application of counterpressure during the equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) of ultrafine-grained copper leads to a decrease in nanoporosity and an increase in mechanical properties of the ECAP-processed metal.

Equal-channel angular pressing and annealing of a twinning-induced plasticity steel : microstructure, texture, and mechanical properties

In this work, a high-manganese Fe-23Mn-1.5Al-0.3C Twinning-Induced Plasticity (TWIP) steel was subjected to plastic shear deformation using Equal-Channel Angular Pressing (ECAP) at 300 °C following route BC and additional annealing. The microstructure evolution during both deformation by ECAP and subsequent annealing was investigated and correlated with the mechanical properties. The successive grain refinement during ECAP was promoted by two parallel mechanisms, namely dislocation driven grain fragmentation and twin fragmentation, and accounted for the ultra-high strength. In addition, due to the relatively low volume fraction of deformation twins after ECAP at 300 °C, further contribution of deformation twinning during room temperature deformation allowed additional work-hardening capacity and elongation. During subsequent recovery annealing the ultra-fine grains and deformation twins were thermally stable, which supported retainment of the high yield strength along with regained uniform elongation. For the first time, the texture evolution during ECAP and during the following heat treatment was analyzed. After 1, 2, and 4 ECAP passes a transition texture with the characteristic texture components of both high- and low-SFE materials developed. During the following heat treatment the texture evolution proceeded similar to that observed in the same material after cold rolling. Retaining of the ECAP texture components due to oriented nucleation at grain boundaries and triple junctions as well as annealing twinning accounted for the formation of a weak, retained ECAP texture after recrystallization.

Single pulse TMS-EEG reveals no electrophysiological abnormality in adults with high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder

 Objective: Neuroimaging and electrophysiological research have revealed a range of neural abnormalities in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but a comprehensive understanding remains elusive. We utilized a novel methodology among individuals with ASD and matched controls, combining transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) with concurrent electroencephalogram (EEG) recording (TMS-EEG) to explore cortical function and connectivity in three sites implicated in the neuropathophysiology of ASD (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, primary motor cortex, and temporoparietal junction). As there is evidence for neurobiological gender differences in ASD, we also examined the influence of biological sex.

Methods: TMS pulses were applied to each of the three sites (right lateralized) during 20-channel EEG recording.

Results: We did not identify any differences in the EEG response to TMS between ASD and control groups. This finding remained when data were stratified by sex. Nevertheless, traits and characteristics associated with ASD were correlated with the neurophysiological response to TMS.

Conclusion: While TMS-EEG did not appear to clarify the neuropathophysiology of ASD, the relationships identified between the neurophysiological response to TMS and clinical characteristics warrant further investigation.

Fluid loss as a quick method to evaluate the hydraulic conductivity of geosynthetic clay liners under acidic conditions

This study investigates the performance of bentonite components of geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) when exposed to aggressive leachates using the fluid loss test and provides a possible quick method for estimating the effect of acidic conditions on hydraulic conductivity. Fluid loss generally increases with increasing acid concentrations. Hydraulic conductivity values back-calculated from the fluid loss tests (kFL) are compared with the values measured using a flexible-wall permeameter (kTri).Generally, the predicted hydraulic conductivity values are conservative (kFL/kTri > 1) under water and low acid concentrations(≤0.015 mol/L). However, the back-calculated hydraulic conductivity is shown to be nonconservative (kFL/kTri < 1) at high acid concentrations (≥0.125 mol/L).

Microstructure and electrical conductivity of aluminium/steel bimetallic rods processed by severe plastic deformation

Equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) was used to fabricate Al/steel bimetallic rod for potential application in overhead transmission conductors. Bimetallic rods consisted of an austenitic stainless steel 316L core and an Al alloy 6201 cladding layer. By means of ECAP processing at 175°C, increase of mechanical strength without loss of electrical conductivity was achieved for one particular rod geometry out of three geometries tested. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy were employed to analyse how the microstructure was influenced by the number of processing passes and the bimetallic rod geometry. The co-deformation mechanism of the bimetallic rod under ECAP and accelerated dynamic ageing of Al alloy 6201 were discussed based on the microstructure characterisation results.

Hydrangea-like multi-scale carbon hollow submicron spheres with hierarchical pores for high performance supercapacitor electrodes

Uniform hydrangea-like multi-scale carbon hollow submicron spheres (HCSSg) are fabricated by a simple hydrothermal method using glucose as carbon source and fibrous silicon dioxides spheres as shape guide. Structure characterization suggests that petal-like partially graphitized carbon nanosheets with the thickness of about 10 nm arranged in three dimensions (3D) to form the hydrangea-like hollow spheres (size ranging from 250 to 500 nm) with mesoporous channels, which can be conducive to be a high specific surface area (934 m2 g-1) and bulk density (0.87 cm g-3), hierarchical pores structure with good conductivity. As a result, the HCSSg has been demonstrated to be a supercapacitor electrode material with high gravimetric (386 F g-1 at 0.2 A g-1) and outstanding volumetric (335 F cm-3) capacitance, good rate capability and cycling stability with 94% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles in aqueous electrolytes, thus suggesting its application potential.

Cascaded all-optical sub-channel add/drop multiplexing from a 1-Tb/s super-channel having 2-GHz guard-bands

We demonstrate cascaded 100-Gb/s sub-channel add/drop from a 1-Tb/s multi-band OFDM super-channel having 2-GHz inter-sub-channel guard-bands within a recirculating loop via a hierarchical ROADM using high-resolution filters, showcasing 1000-km transmission reach and five ROADM node passages for the add/drop sub-channel when hybrid Raman-EDFA is implemented.

SER analysis of multi-way relay networks with M-QAM modulation in the presence of imperfect channel estimation

Multi-way relay networks (MWRNs) allow multiple users to exchange information with each other through a single relay terminal. MWRNs are often incorporated with capacity achieving lattice codes to enable the benefits of high-rate signal constellations to be extracted. In this paper, we analytically characterize the symbol error rate (SER) performance of a functional decode and forward (FDF) MWRN in the presence of channel estimation errors. Considering Μ-ary quadrature amplitude modulation(QAM) with square constellations as an important special case of lattice codes, we obtain asymptotic expressions for the average SER for a user in FDF MWRN. The accuracy of the analysis at high signal-to-noise ratio is validated by comparison with the simulation results. The analysis shows that when a user decodes other users with better channel conditions than itself, the decoding user experiences better error performance. The analytical results allow system designers to accurately assess the non-trivial impact of channel estimation errors and the users’ channel conditions on the SER performance of a FDF MWRN with M-QAM modulation.

High-precision force sensing using a single trapped ion

We introduce quantum sensing schemes for measuring very weak forces with a single trapped ion. They use the spin-motional coupling induced by the laser-ion interaction to transfer the relevant force information to the spin-degree of freedom. Therefore, the force estimation is carried out simply by observing the Ramsey-type oscillations of the ion spin states. Three quantum probes are considered, which are represented by systems obeying the Jaynes-Cummings, quantum Rabi (in 1D) and Jahn-Teller (in 2D) models. By using dynamical decoupling schemes in the Jaynes-Cummings and Jahn-Teller models, our force sensing protocols can be made robust to the spin dephasing caused by the thermal and magnetic field fluctuations. In the quantum-Rabi probe, the residual spin-phonon coupling vanishes, which makes this sensing protocol naturally robust to thermally-induced spin dephasing. We show that the proposed techniques can be used to sense the axial and transverse components of the force with a sensitivity beyond the yN/\wurzel{Hz}range, i.e. in the xN/\wurzel{Hz}(xennonewton, 10^−27). The Jahn-Teller protocol, in particular, can be used to implement a two-channel vector spectrum analyzer for measuring ultra-low voltages.

The'cave' mineral oxammite: a high resolution thermogravimetry and Raman spectroscopic study

The thermal decomposition of natural ammonium oxalate known as oxammite has been studied using a combination of high resolution thermogravimetry coupled to an evolved gas mass spectrometer and Raman spectroscopy coupled to a thermal stage. Three mass loss steps were found at 57, 175 and 188°C attributed to dehydration, ammonia evolution and carbon dioxide evolution respectively. Raman spectroscopy shows two bands at 3235 and 3030 cm-1 attributed to the OH stretching vibrations and three bands at 2995, 2900 and 2879 cm-1, attributed to the NH vibrational modes. The thermal degradation of oxammite may be followed by the loss of intensity of these bands. No intensity remains in the OH stretching bands at 100°C and the NH stretching bands show no intensity at 200°C. Multiple CO symmetric stretching bands are observed at 1473, 1454, 1447 and 1431cm-1, suggesting that the mineral oxammite is composed of a mixture of chemicals including ammonium oxalate dihydrate, ammonium oxalate monohydrate and anhydrous ammonium oxalate.