Process and joint quality of ultrasonic vibration enhanced friction stir lap welding

In order to improve the process effectiveness and joint quality, ultrasonic vibrations were integrated with friction stir lap welding. Effect of ultrasonic exertion on the process and joint quality of AA 6061-T6 were investigated. Upon ultrasonic exertion, joints owned larger effective lap width, shorter hooks and improved strength. Weld fracture mode changed from a ductile–brittle mixed mode to a more ductile mode while the fracture path shifted from lap interface to beyond the stir zone. Material flow and interface defects were characterised using lap welded dissimilar aluminium alloy joints. Ultrasonic vibration improved the material flow and reduced the interfacial defects. Variations in failure load of joints were found in accordance with the variations in material flow and interfacial defects.     

Synthesis and magnetic properties of CoAlFe2O4 nanoparticles

Nanosized particles of CoAl_xFe_2-xO₄, where 0?≤?x?≤?2, were synthesized by the sol–gel combustion method and the magnetic properties of these compounds were investigated. According to X-ray diffractograms, the samples are single phase and the crystallite size is between 7 and 25?nm. The room temperature saturation magnetization of the samples was estimated from the cation distribution and ferromagnetic resonance spectra were used to determine the magnetocrystalline anisotropy. The results show that the saturation magnetization and the magnetocrystalline anisotropy vary over a wide range, from maxima of M_s =?0.42?MA/m and K?=?0.39?kJ/m³ for x?=?1.0 to minima of almost zero for x?≈?1.4, a result that could be useful for practical applications of these materials.     

Ultrasonic Welding of Dissimilar Plastics

The ultrasonic welding of dissimilar plastics is considered. This process depends on the diffusion of molecules to the surface of polymers at temperatures corresponding to the viscoplastic state. The weldability of a pair of dissimilar plastics depends on the compatibility of their acoustic properties, assessed in terms of the density and viscosity of the melts.     

Directed Molecular Collection by E‐Jet Printed Microscale Chemical Potential Wells in Hydrogel Films

A facile approach to locally concentrate analytes of interest will significantly enhance miniaturized, integrated chemical‐analysis systems. Here, the directed analyte transport and concentration using ≈200 µm‐diameter E‐jet printed chemical potential wells in a polyacrylamide hydrogel is demonstrated. Using a cationic well as the model system, anionic analytes are accumulated into a microscale area with a local concentration enhancement of >50‐fold relative to the surrounding area. By downscaling the diameter of the chemical potential well from a few millimeters to 100s of micrometers, it is found, using both fluorescence and Raman microscopy, that the molecular collection capacity of the well is greatly improved. Additionally, it is shown that molecules can be simultaneously transported and concentrated to arrays of microscale regions using an array of microscale chemical potential wells. This approach enhances many‐fold the limit of detection, enables the formation of microscale potential well arrays with a variety of chemical properties, and provides a novel microscale molecular manipulation technique as an alternative to traditional microfluidic‐based systems.     

THz Stimulated Emission from Simple Superlattice in Positive Differential Conductivity Region

Narrow band emissions at 2.6–2.8 THz are observed out of liquid helium cooled 1 mm disk chips prepared of a wafer with the very low n type doped weak barrier GaAs–GaAlAs superlattice of 1000 periods. The emissions are at about 8.0–18.0 V pulsed voltage applied to the chips in region of the chips positive DC differential conductivity that guaranties absence of inhomogeneous electric field domains in the chips. The emission frequency bands are estimated with a cyclotron resonance filter; the measurements show that the band width is of about that of the THz quantum cascade laser. By using long voltage pulses the chip heating above 100 K is achieved without substantial change in emission power. We speculate that the emission is super luminescence (amplification) of whispering gallery modes in the chips as a result of inverted Wannier-Stark level transitions under bias. The results are the first world demonstration of THz stimulated emission in a simple superlattice within region of positive DC differential conductivity; they give strong impetus for development of THz and higher frequency sources based on such simple superlattices; the sources should well compete with the THz quantum cascade lasers in particular at elevated temperatures.     

Evidence of low-symmetry phases in pressure-dependent Raman spectroscopic study of BaTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript>

In the earlier pressure-dependent Raman spectroscopic studies, it has been reported that BaTiO₃ undergoes a tetragonal to cubic phase transition above ~ 2 GPa, whereas pressure-dependent X-ray absorption, X-ray diffuse scattering studies and pair distribution function studies have reported the presence of a low-symmetry rhombohedral phase above ~ 2.3 GPa. In this report, we present our pressure-dependent Raman spectroscopic studies on polycrystalline BaTiO₃ which shows that it first undergoes a transition from tetragonal to orthorhombic/rhombohedral phase above ~ 2.6 GPa and then finally goes to the cubic phase above 8.4 GPa. Pressure-dependent synchrotron X-ray diffraction (SXRD) studies have also been carried out that provided rate of change of volume as a function of pressure resulting in bulk modulus of 215 ± 9 GPa.     

A Giant Frequency Shift in the Raman Spectrum of Water Adsorbed on a Metallic Silver Surface

The Raman spectrum of water adsorbed on a metallic silver surface reveals an anomalously large shift of the vibrational frequency as compared to that in the bulk. The results are compared to data reported by other researchers, and possible interpretations of the observed phenomenon are discussed.