Tribological Properties of Ultra-Thin Functionalized Polyethylene Film Chemisorbed on Si with an Intermediate Benzophenone Layer

In this study, an ultra-thin (~20 nm) functionalized polyethylene (fPE) film is successfully attached to Si substrate via a reactive benzophenone (Ph₂CO) layer. The presence of fPE promotes wear durability of Si/Ph₂CO/fPE to 1,000 cycles compared with 100 cycles for Si/Ph₂CO and nearly zero wear life for bare Si in a ball-on-disk (4-mm-diameter Si₃N₄ ball) wear test under 40 mN applied normal load and 500 rpm sliding speed. As an enhancement to the wear life, perfluoropolyether (PFPE) is applied as a top mobile lubricant layer coated onto Si/Ph₂CO and Si/Ph₂CO/fPE. A significant improvement in the wear durability is observed as Si/Ph₂CO/PFPE fails at 250,000 cycles and Si/Ph₂CO/fPE/PFPE does not fail until one million cycles. Si/Ph₂CO/fPE/PFPE can withstand a minimum applied load of 150 mN at a sliding speed of 0.052 ms⁻¹ without failure, providing a PV (pressure x velocity) limit of greater than 106.6 MPa ms⁻¹.     

Effect of 2D MoS2 and Graphene interfaces with CoSb3 nanoparticles in enhancing thermoelectric properties of 2D MoS2-CoSb3 and Graphene-CoSb3 nanocomposites

The approach of incorporating a secondary phase in the bulk thermoelectric (TE) material has proved to be beneficial for enhancing the thermoelectric performance. We have investigated the effect of the presence of two-dimensional (2D) materials (MoS₂ or graphene) on the structural, electrical, and thermoelectric properties of CoSb₃ nanocomposite, in which CoSb₃ nanoparticles of sizes 20–50?nm are uniformly anchored on the surface of 2D-sheets of MoS₂ or graphene. The presence of 2D nanosheets enhances TE power factor and figure of merit (ZT). Inclusion of graphene in CoSb₃ causes large enhancement in power factor as a result of significantly high electrical conductivity and appreciable Seebeck coefficient. 2D graphene seems to work by providing extra carrier conduction channels along with a low interfacial potential barrier for charge transport. Homogeneously dispersed 2D-sheets of MoS₂ in CoSb₃ seem to cause interfacial modulation of charge carrier effective mass assisted by relatively larger interfacial barrier to result in significantly larger Seebeck coefficient and highly suppressed phonon conductivity, much more than graphene. The ZT value in both nanocomposites gets significantly enhanced in the entire studied temperature range of 300–700?K, the gain increasing with temperature over the CoSb₃. Whereas CoSb₃/graphene nanocomposites exhibit unusually high ZT at higher temperatures (550–700?K), the CoSb₃/2D-MoS₂ nanocomposites exhibit better performance (over graphene) in near room temperature range. The present study provides a possible strategy to enhance the conversion efficiency of various TE materials and has significant potential for waste heat recovery applications in various temperature ranges.     

Room temperature ferromagnetism in Co-incorporated TiO2 thin films

Observation of room temperature ferromagnetism (RTFM) in nano-crystalline Co-incorporated titanium dioxide [Ti(1-x)Co(x)O2(x = 0.05)] thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis technique is reported. While only the anatase phase was detected in as-deposited 5 at.% Co-incorporated TiO2 film, a small amount of rutile phase developed following its vacuum annealing. Besides, no X-ray diffraction peak corresponding to cobalt metal could be detected in any of the two films. SQUID magnetometry of both pristine and Co-doped thin films at room temperature elucidated distinct ferromagnetic behavior in 5 at.% Co-incorporated as-deposited film with saturation moment M(s) approximately 5.6 emu/cm3 which got enhanced up to 11.8 emu/cm3 on subsequent vacuum annealing. From the zero field cooled magnetization measurement we confirmed the absence of Co-metal clusters. The electrical resistivity was found to be greater than 108 omega-cm for the films. Based on the magnetic and electrical measurements the origin of RTFM has been attributed to the bound magnetic polaron (BMP) model.     

Synthesis and Investigation of Electrodeposited Half-Metallic Fe3O4 Thin Films and Nanowires

Thin films and nanowires of Fe₃O₄ have potentiostatically been electrodeposited on ITO coated glass and employing templates in a conventional three-electrode cell using two different baths. Appropriate potential windows, suitable for films and nanowires, were estimated from cyclic voltametry. Structural property of Fe₃O₄ films was studied by X-ray diffraction. A large (?3.35%, at 2.3 kOe) longitudinal magnetoresistance (MR) was observed at room temperature, and the shape of MR curves showed a reduced hysteresis loop for Fe₃O₄ films with low coercivity. Room-temperature magnetic properties of Fe₃O₄ films were studied by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Surface morphology of nanowires was studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The nonlinear I?CV characteristic of nanowires was observed at room temperature. An attempt has been made to understand the conduction mechanism.     

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF A CONVENTIONAL NAUTAMIXER APPLIED AS A DIRECT DRYER

This paper describes the experiments which were conducted with the objective to determine the potential of a conventional Nautamixer applied as a direct dryer. This convective Nautamixer-dryer was used for drying the urea nitrate containing around 15% of water, which is converted from a pasteous form into a powder of a moisture lewel below 1%.

The influence of the following variables was studied: increased hot air velocity and temperature, number of revolutions of the agitator, and mass of the drying material. The effect of inlet air distribution to the periphery of the bed of the material was studied with a perforated plate distributor by blanking the holes (17%). which adversely affected the drying rate. The examination of the effect of external heating through the wall indicated that it is not possible to achieve the desired moisture level of the product without the introducing the flowing hot air. As an addition to the convective drying the indirect drying contributed more to the increase of the outlet air temperature than to the increase of the drying rate. As expected, shorter drying time is obtained with higher air flow rates and temperatures as well as with increased number of revolutions of both the orbital arm and the mixing screw.     

Cobalt substituted ZnO thin films: a potential candidate for spintronics

Cobalt doped zinc oxide thin films have been deposited using spray pyrolysis method. These single phasic films exhibited [100] preferential texture and small decrease in the lattice parameter on cobalt substitution. The films having different Co concentration have almost similar surface morphology and microstructure. These Zn_1?x Co _x O (x ≤ 0.10) thin films distinctly showed ferromagnetic character at room temperature. The optical transmission measurements of these films clearly proved that in these films Co substitutes for Zn²⁺ and exists in +2 state. Based on the optical, structural and magnetic measurements, the possibility of occurrence of ferromagnetic ordering due to cobalt clustering is ruled out in these spray-pyrolyzed films. A correlation of the observed ferromagnetic behavior in these Zn_1?x Co _x O films with structural change resulting from the addition of Co is presented in this paper.     

Rigorous formulation for electromagnetic plane-wave scattering from a general-shaped groove in a perfectly conducting plane

Scattering of an obliquely incident plane wave by a general-shaped groove engraved on a perfectly conducting plane is rigorously solved. The scattered field is represented by a Fourier-integral representation. To analytically represent the fields in a general-shaped groove, the groove is divided into L number of layers. Fields are then expressed in each layer as summations of 2D spatial harmonic fields with unknown coefficients. Matching the boundary conditions between layers provides a linear set of equations connecting all the unknown harmonic coefficients. Judicious use of Fourier transform on the equations resulting from matching boundary conditions at the groove aperture provides a series representation of the scattered field in the spectral domain with unknown harmonic coefficients of the first layer in the groove. A stable solution is obtained by solving the complete system of equations with an adaptive choice for the number of modes in each layer.     

A Tribological Study of Multiply-Alkylated Cyclopentanes and Perfluoropolyether Lubricants for Application to Si-MEMS Devices

Lubrication of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) is a major constraint in MEMS applications, restricting the designs and practical usages of such devices. Possible lubricants and methods have been investigated in this paper, comparing perfluoropolyether (PFPE) lubricant with multiply-alkylated cyclopentanes (MACs). The effectiveness of both the lubricants in reducing friction and enhancing the wear life was investigated in a new method of MEMS lubrication known as Localised-Lubrication or “Loc-Lub.” Friction and wear tests were conducted in a flat-on-flat test geometry under a normal load of 50 g and a sliding velocity of 5 mm s^?1 in reciprocation, with Si as the substrate. Further tests were conducted at higher loads, to compare wear durability between lubricants and methods. It was found that MACs have a propensity to remain cohesive during the tests due to higher surface tension and provide better friction and wear properties when tested under reciprocating sliding conditions, as a complete film is present between the two surfaces. The results show that MAC lubricant is more effective in extending the wear life and reducing friction under the tested conditions compared to PFPE.     

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF A CONVENTIONAL NAUTAMIXER APPLIED AS A DIRECT DRYER

This paper describes the experiments which were conducted with the objective to determine the potential of a conventional Nautamixer applied as a direct dryer. This convective Nautamixer-dryer was used for drying the urea nitrate containing around 15% of water, which is converted from a pasteous form into a powder of a moisture lewel below 1%.

The influence of the following variables was studied: increased hot air velocity and temperature, number of revolutions of the agitator, and mass of the drying material. The effect of inlet air distribution to the periphery of the bed of the material was studied with a perforated plate distributor by blanking the holes (17%). which adversely affected the drying rate. The examination of the effect of external heating through the wall indicated that it is not possible to achieve the desired moisture level of the product without the introducing the flowing hot air. As an addition to the convective drying the indirect drying contributed more to the increase of the outlet air temperature than to the increase of the drying rate. As expected, shorter drying time is obtained with higher air flow rates and temperatures as well as with increased number of revolutions of both the orbital arm and the mixing screw.