Structural aspects of the manufacture of semiproducts made from titanium nickelide-based alloys

The effects of the charge composition, casting method, and metal forming method on the structure and shape-memory-effect (SME) and superelasticity characteristics of titanium nickelide-based alloys are studied. The shape recovery temperatures of semiproducts are shown to depend substantially on the volume fraction of the Ti₂Ni intermetallic phase, whose formation is stimulated by the oxygen present in a charge or absorbed during casting. An increase in the volume fraction of Ti₂Ni in an alloy leads to nickel enrichment of the B2 phase and a decrease in the shape recovery temperatures. Subsequent metal forming at the stage of semiproduct manufacture only weakly affects the volume fraction of Ti₂Ni and favors the formation of its equiaxed shape and a more uniform Ti₂Ni distribution in the B2 matrix. In alloys where the B2 phase contains more than 56.5 wt % Ni, quenching from temperatures above 600°C and aging in the temperature range 400–500°C result in the dissolution and precipitation, respectively, of the nickel-rich Ti₃Ni₄ and Ti₂Ni₃ intermetallics. Therefore, the shape recovery temperatures of semiproducts and finished products can be controlled. Moreover, as the aging temperature changes, the volume fraction and size of nickel-rich intermetallic particles, the slip stresses, and the SME force characteristics change. For example, to increase the compression forces for osteosynthesis fixation devices, one has to use a titanium nickelide-based alloy with a high nickel content in the B2 phase and to perform aging at low temperatures (400–450°C).     

Non-polar nuclei in fungal microbial RNases

An application of a previously proposed method for the analysisof the non-polar structure of proteins is presented. A detailedanalysis of the composition and properties of non-polar nucleiand microclusters of fungal microbial ribonucleases has beenperformed on the basis of the 3-D structures of RNase T1 andrelated proteins. Three hydrophobic nuclei were found in thesestructures. It has been shown that all residues in non-polarnuclei have high homology ({small tilde}89%). Residues in thenuclei are practically fully buried in the interior of a molecule.Detailed analysis of non-polar nuclei properties shows thatthese nuclei determine the hydrophobic core of a protein andthe location and role of each residue in the non-polar interiorof proteins. In addition it was found that there are variableresidues not only on the surface of a protein but on the surfaceof the nuclei inside the protein and between the nuclei andthat there is a consistent region in all proteins, the hydrophobic-nuclei. An evaluation of the stability of non-polar nuclei,the conservation of their compositions and their positions inthe protein globule, allows one to assume that these three nucleiplay an important functional role in the stability and foldingof molecules of RNases and possibly can be considered as independentstructural elements of 3-D structures of these proteins.     

Information searches on the internet: Conducting thematic searches

This paper describes a procedure for thematic searches on the Internet, including query generalization, restriction, and decomposition. Query decomposition using semantic indexation schemes is considered.     

Optical breakdown on a target surface under a simultaneous laser pulse action at the wavelength of 248 and 532 nm

It is found that under, a double-pulse optical breakdown, the energy of the main pulse with a wavelength of 532 nm is diminished by up to two times, provided that the preionization of the target surface is performed by a laser pulse with a wavelength of 248 nm. It is shown that the pulse of a shorter wavelength can act as the managing one to specify the optical-breakdown onset and coordinates.     

Hybrid Membranes Synthesized from a Nafion Powder and Carbon Nanotubes by Hot Pressing

Unmodified and hybrid membranes based on Nafion and carbon nanotubes have been synthesized by hot pressing from a mixture of polymer and dopant powders. The water uptake, ionic conductivity under different conditions, and diffusion permeability of the membranes for HCl and methanol solutions have been studied. The hybrid membranes are characterized by high water uptake and proton conductivity in contact with water and low diffusion permeability for hydrochloric acid solution. In contact with water, the conductivity of the samples modified with 1 wt % carbon nanotubes is 0.070 S/cm; the diffusion permeability of a 0.1 M HCl solution is 2.43 × 10^–7 cm²/s.     

Elastic laser light scattering by GaAs surfaces

Angle-resolved scattering (ARS) intensities were measured in the backscattering hemisphere for the (1 0 0) and (1 1 1) faces of GaAs single crystals. Three epitaxial layers were deposited onto the GaAs (1 0 0) single-crystalline wafers. The laser elastic light scattering shows the presence of a regular surface microrelief whose orientation corresponds to the crystallographic axes in the surface plane. We studied the statistical properties of this microrelief and determined the parameters that characterize the surface. We propose to use the ARS ratio for two wavelengths (in our case, 632.8 and 441.6 nm) to determine the topographical properties of scattering and to study crystal surface defects.     

Texture and anisotropy in the mechanical properties of titanium alloys caused by the mechanism of plastic deformation

Texture formation during sheet stamping and die forging of α titanium alloys is studied, and the effect of texture and the mechanism of plastic deformation on the strength of internal-pressure spherical vessels is considered. It is shown that, apart from texture, the anisotropy of the strength properties of the α alloys, which is estimated from the difference in the uniaxial-and biaxial-loading strengths, also depends on the chemical composition of the alloy. In the textureless state, the strength of the spherical vessels is higher than the uniaxial strengths of the VT5-1kt, PT3V, and PT3Vkt alloys by 4, 16, and 38%, respectively. This effect is found to be caused by the difference in the relative values of the critical shear stresses for operating slip and twinning systems. The high ductility of the PT3Vkt alloy is related to the fact that it has a ratio of critical shear stresses in the operating slip and twinning systems such that the material is virtually isotropic with respect to tensile loads. This specific feature minimizes the effect of the incompatibility of deformation in grains with different orientations during tension, which is the main cause of the fracture of titanium alloys. The results obtained are used to propose a quantitative criterion to estimate the technological ductility in order to design new titanium alloys.     

The impossibility of recording emission lines of nitrogen ions in filament plasma

It is shown that the emission lines of N II nitrogen ions cannot contribute to the emission of other lines and be observed in the emission spectrum of plasma filaments, which are generated by femtosecond laser pulses with a peak intensity of ~50 TW/cm² in air. A simple procedure is described that allows evaluation of the ratio of the line intensities for the filamentation in air.     

Few-Layer Graphene Modified by Bridge-Like Defects as Li-Storing Cells

The paper presents some results of computer simulations and density functional theory calculations of the energetic and structural characteristics of few-layer graphene nanostructures as storing cells for Li. Modeling and calculations allow to reveal some peculiarities in such systems, which can be considered as causes of known dimension instabilities and shortening of the life-time of Li- based electrical power devices. Results of the computational study and calculations predict, that all these problems can be in significant measure solved by modifying of few-layer graphene nanostructures by bridge -like defects, which make them much more stiffer and stable against the deformation.     

Angular diagram of broadband emission of millimeter-sized water droplets exposed to gigawatt femtosecond laser pulses

We report on the experiments on the interaction of gigawatt femtosecond laser pulses with suspended millimeter-sized water droplets. The transparent droplets experienced laser-induced breakdown and explosive boiling up and emitted a broadband radiation. This radiation covers the spectral range from 450 to 1100?nm and consists of the spectrum of laser pulse scattered and transformed by the droplet due to self-phase modulation and plasma emission produced in water during photoionization. The droplet emission spectrum showed remarkable broadening at all viewing angles and is maximal in the direction of the laser exit from the droplet. The enlargement of the droplet results in additional spectral spreading of the emitted radiation. The depth and amount of laser pulse spectral self-transformations upon propagation through the water droplet are simulated by means of numerical calculations.