SURFACE TENSION AND BUOYANCY DRIVEN INSTABILITIES IN A LAYER OF LIQUID TIN HEATED FROM BELOW

The linear theory of Pearson (1958) and Nield (1964) is modified here to study liquid tin and include the finite thermal resistances of the bounding layers of boron nitride, copper and air (∼10^-2 torr) in the experiments of Ginde et al. (1989). The magnitude of the ΔT_c across the layer of liquid tin required for the onset of convection depends on the ratios of the thermal conductivities and thicknesses of the supporting layers of boron nitride and copper to those of the tin.

According to our theory surface tension contributes more than buoyancy to the instability observed experimentally. The critical ΔT_c observed required for the onset of convection in the layer of tin, is up to 25% lower than that predicted, which shows the layer is less stable than the theory indicates. Thus the surface of the tin was uncontaminated, or a significantly larger observed critical ΔT_c would be expected.

The boundary condition on the thermal fluctuations at the base of the supporting layer of copper does not appear to be important in these experiments. However, the thermal resistance of the boron nitride would have to be assumed to be unrealistically large to obtain agreement within experimental error with the theory.     

Evolution of BET internal surface area in glassy carbon powder during thermal oxidation

It is demonstrated that glassy carbon powder can be thermochemically activated. During activation, a film with open pores is created on the glassy carbon particles. This film has a large internal surface area, which is accessible to liquids and gases. A simple model for the evolution of the internal surface area in glassy carbon powder during thermochemical gas-phase oxidation is also presented and compared with experimental data. Experimental results are in qualitative agreement with the model. We found that a sharp particle size distribution is desirable with regard to potential technical applications.     

Surface stress effects on the thermodynamics of epitaxy

An analysis of the thermodynamics of epitaxy in thin films is presented which includes the effects of the surface stresses of the free surface and the film-substrate interface. It is shown that these effects, which are usually ignored in the theory of epitaxy, can have a major influence on both the critical thickness for epitaxy and on the partitioning of the misfit strain between the volume elastic strain and interface dislocations.     

Structure and formation energy of steps on the GaAs(001)-2 × 4 surface

The energies of various steps on the As-terminated GaAs(001)-2 × 4 surface are evaluated using a novel, approximate method of “linear combination of structural motifs”. It is based on the observation that previous total energy minimizations of semiconductor surfaces produced invariably equilibrium structures made of the same recurring local structural motifs, e.g. tetrahedral fourfold Ga, pyramidal threefold As, etc. Furthermore, such surface structures were found to obey consistently the octet rules as applied to the local motifs. We thus express the total energy of a given semiconductor surface as a sum of (i) the energies _M of the local structural motifs appearing in the surface under consideration and (ii) an electrostatic term representing the Madelung energy of point charges resulting from application of the octet rule. The motif energies are derived from a set of pseudopotential total energy calculations for flat GaAs(001) surfaces and for point defects in bulk GaAs. This set of parameters suffices to reproduce the energies of other (001) surfaces, calculated using the same pseudopotential total energy approach. Application to GaAs(001)-2 × 4 surfaces with steps reveals the following. (i) “Primitive steps”, defined solely according to their geometries (i.e. step heights, widths and orientations) are often unstable. (ii) Additional, non-geometric factors beyond step geometries such as addition of surface adatoms, creation of vacancies and atomic rebonding at step edges are important to lower step energies. So is step-step interaction. (iii) The formation of steps is generally endothermic. (iv) The formation of steps with edges parallel to the direction of surface As dimers (A steps) is energetically favored over the formation of steps whose edges are perpendicular to the As dimers (B steps).     

Hydrothermal synthesis and in situ surface modification of boehmite nanoparticles in supercritical water

In situ surface modification of boehmite (AlOOH) nanoparticles during hydrothermal synthesis in supercritical water was examined by adding CH₃(CH₂)₄CHO and CH₃(CH₂)₅NH₂ as modifier reagents to the reactants. Changes in surface properties of the nanoparticles by surface modification was observed by FTIR, dispersion in solvents and TEM analyses, which demonstrated that reagents chemically binded onto the surface of the AlOOH nanoparticles. The results of SEM and TEM pictures show that the surface modification affects crystal growth and reduces the particle size and changes the morphology of the particles.     

New concept of surface modification to LiCoO2

As the continuance of our series study on LiCoO₂ surface modification, the complicated traditional surface coating method is replaced with simple addition of amorphous YPO₄ and Al₂O₃ in commercial LiCoO₂ or in commercial electrolyte based on our understanding to the improvement mechanism of surface modification. Comprehensive studies by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy (GC–MS), inductively coupled plasma (ICP) and Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) indicate that the products of spontaneous reaction between the additive and the LiPF₆ based electrolyte are responsible for the performance improvements.     

Modeling Condensation and Evaporation on Fruit Surface

Rewarming of fruits and vegetables after cooling is characterized by heat and mass transfer processes, which leads commonly to condensation of water on the produce surface at temperatures below the dew point. This effect may affect the produce quality due to microbial growth at unfavorable environmental conditions. The amount of condensed water is a function of the produce surface temperature and of the surrounding conditions as air temperature, air humidity, and air flow. Under practical conditions, both the warming and the condensation are strongly affected by the packaging system used. Depending on the flow conditions close to the produce surface, parameters of heat and mass transfer under laboratory conditions were measured. A mathematical model was developed for the determination of the amount of condensed water on fruit surfaces, its reevaporation, and its total dwell time dependent on the environment air conditions. The model describes the heat and mass transfer processes on single fruits. The process of diffusion of humidity in air and proceed of surface temperature is the basis for the model.     

Paste Residence Time in a Spouted Bed Dryer. III: Effect of Paste Properties and Quality Interactions

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of paste properties on residence time during drying in a spouted bed dryer with inert bodies. The effect of paste solids content, surface tension, and viscosity on the residence time distribution and the mean residence times were studied using factorial experimental designs. The inert bodies used were glass and polyethylene beads. The mean residence times varied from 13.6 to 16.3 and 12.2 to 17.7 min for drying on glass and polyethylene beads, respectively. The analysis of variance showed that mean residence times significantly depended on solids content and surface tension for glass beads and also on viscosity for polyethylene beads. The residence time distributions for all conditions studied fitted well to the perfect mixing cell when applying the continuous stirred vessels in series model analysis. The powder density, flowability, and particle size depended on paste properties and inert type.