Dye-sensitized solar cell based on nanocrystalline TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> with 3–10 nm in diameter

Nanocrystalline TiO₂ with 3–10 nm in diameter was prepared with a surfactant-template method. Dye-sensitized solar cells were assembled using the prepared nanocrystalline TiO₂ with large surface area and high crystallinity, which achieved significant higher Jsc when compared to cells fabricated with bigger particles of 25 nm in diameter. In the cells with nanocrystalline TiO₂, the sintering temperature drastically affected the conversion performance of the cells.     

An integrated modeling approach to predict flooding on urban basin.

Correct prediction of flood extents in urban catchments has become a challenging issue. The traditional urban drainage models that consider only the sewerage-network are able to simulate the drainage system correctly until there is no overflow from the network inlet or manhole. When such overflows exist due to insufficient drainage capacity of downstream pipes or channels, it becomes difficult to reproduce the actual flood extents using these traditional one-phase simulation techniques. On the other hand, the traditional 2D models that simulate the surface flooding resulting from rainfall and/or levee break do not consider the sewerage network. As a result, the correct flooding situation is rarely addressed from those available traditional 1D and 2D models. This paper presents an integrated model that simultaneously simulates the sewerage network, river network and 2D mesh network to get correct flood extents. The model has been successfully applied into the Tenpaku basin (Nagoya, Japan), which experienced severe flooding with a maximum flood depth more than 1.5 m on September 11, 2000 when heavy rainfall, 580 mm in 28 hrs (return period > 100 yr), occurred over the catchments. Close agreements between the simulated flood depths and observed data ensure that the present integrated modeling approach is able to reproduce the urban flooding situation accurately, which rarely can be obtained through the traditional 1D and 2D modeling approaches.     

Partial scan design and test sequence generation based on reduced scan shift method

This paper presents a partial scan algorithm, calledPARES (PartialscanAlgorithm based onREduced Scan shift), for designing partial scan circuits. PARES is based on the reduced scan shift that has been previously proposed for generating short test sequences for full scan circuits. In the reduced scan shift method, one determines proch FFs must be controlled and observed for each test vector. According to the results of similar analysis, PARES selects these FFs that must be controlled or observed for a large number of test vectors, as scanned FFs. Short test sequences are generated by reducing scan shift operations using a static test compaction method. To minimize the loss of fault coverage, the order of test vectors is so determined that the unscanned FFs are in the state required by the next test vector. If there are any faults undetected yet by a test sequence derived from the test vectors, then PARES uses a sequential circuit test generator to detect the faults. Experimental results for ISCAS'89 benchmark circuits are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of PARES.     

The cause of the uneven carbonization process in wet coal charging in coke oven chamber

In the case of the wet coal charging process in coke oven chamber, it is known that the coking process is uneven and a local carbonization delay occurs. The reason was investigated through a laboratory-scale experiment and a quantitative estimation. A partial carbonization test in a test coke oven replicated the uneven plastic layer and local carbonization delay. It was revealed that most of the gas generated in the uncarbonized coal layer results from the evaporation of condensed water and that steam can break through the plastic layer in a test coke oven. Moreover, the order estimation implied that steam that generates in the uncarbonized coal layer and breaks through the plastic layer has sufficient heat capacity to cool the heating wall and delay the carbonization. It was also shown that the steam pressure peak measured in a commercial coke oven is much lower than the estimated steam pressure in this study assuming steam not breaking through the plastic layer. The above-mentioned results and quantitative investigation strongly support the ‘steam breaking through the plastic layer’ theory proposed by Dr. Rohde that an uneven carbonization process is caused by vaporized coal moisture breaking through the plastic layer at definite, unforeseeable points, which results in cooling of the wall by the steam flow.     

Ideal crosslinked-polymers and their characterization in free-radical monovinyl-divinyl copolymerizations

The critical conditions in which the classical Flory-Stockmayer gelation theory (F-S theory) is applicable to monovinyl-divinyl copolymerizations were pursued in detail. The resulting prepolymers or precursors of ideal crosslinked-polymers were characterized as standard polymers for the discussion of network formation in free-radical monovinyl-divinyl copolymerizations. Methyl methacrylate was copolymerized with a small amount of ethylene dimethacrylate, butylene dimethacrylate or nonapropyleneglycol dimethacrylate in the presence of lauryl mercaptan, a chain transfer agent to reduce the occurrence of a thermodynamic excluded volume effect and intramolecular crosslinking as the primary and secondary factors, respectively, for the greatly delayed gelation in the free-radical monovinyl-divinyl copolymerizations and, moreover, to keep the primary chain length constant by inhibiting a gel effect. The ratio of the actual gel point to the theoretical one reached 1.1, supporting the validity of F-S theory. The resulting prepolymers were subjected to SEC-MALLS analysis to determine the molecular weights, the molecular-weight distributions and the radii of gyration; the correlations of molecular weight vs. elution volume and radius of gyration vs. molecular weight were useful for the characterization of the precursors of ideal network-polymers.     

Theory of rough surface effects on the anisotropic BCS states

We present a Green's function theory of the rough surface effects on the anisotropic BCS states using the formulation developed in the randomly rippled wall model. It is shown that the randomly rippled wall formulation is general enough to treat rough surface effects from the specular limit to the diffusive limit. We propose a statistical wall configuration such that gives the diffusive limit in the normal state. Within the weak coupling theory, we give a formal solution of the quasi-classical Green's function in a slab geometry and in a semi-infinite geometry with arbitrarily rough surfaces. The formal solution already satisfies the boundary condition. In the diffusive limit, the present theory correctly recovers the linearized gap equation obtained by Kjäldman et al. for the p-wave state in a slab geometry.     

ILU factorization well suited to the vector processor using a variant of the 5-point difference scheme

The implementation on the vector processor of Incomplete LU factorization in the Preconditioned Conjugate Gradient method and other Preconditioned CG-like methods for the numerical solutions of the partial differential equations is discussed. For sufficient vectorization, a variant of the standard 5-point difference scheme for 2-dimensional problems is introduced. The convergence property of ILU factorization for this variant is examined in comparison with that vectorized with the usual hyperplane ordering method for the standard 5-point difference scheme on the vector processor. The efficiency and effectiveness of this factorization for the variant of the difference scheme is demonstrated through several computational experiments.     

Siliconizing of molybdenum plate using Si2Cl6 and some of its properties

Molybdenum plate was siliconized using Si₂Cl₆ as a silicon source, and the siliconizing conditions and some of its properties were examined. The siliconizing of the molybdenum plate began by the deposition here and there of island-like MoSi₂ deposits 4 to 6m thick in the initial stage (after 10 min induction time), and then coalescence of the deposits proceeded to form a uniform MoSi₂ layer all over the molybdenum plate after 30 min siliconizing time. The weight decrease of the siliconized plate by anodic dissolution in 0.2 M sulphuric acid reduced exponentially with increasing thickness of the MOSi₂ layer, and no weight decrease was observed at all above 16m thickness. The sea water corrosion and sea sand abrasion resistivities of the siliconized molybdenum plate increased with increasing siliconizing temperature and Si₂Cl₆ flow rate.