Microstructure transformations and improving wear resistance of austenitic stainless steel additively fabricated by arc-based DED process

In this study, austenitic stainless steel(ASS) was additively fabricated by an arc-based direct energy deposition(DED) technique. Macrostructure, microstructure, mechanical characteristics at different spatial orientations(0°, 90°, and 45°), and wear characteristics were evaluated at the deposited structure top, middle, and bottom regions. Results show that austenite(γ) and delta-ferrite(δ) phases make up most of the microstructure of additively fabricated SS316LSi steel. Within γ matrix, δ phase is dispersed both(within and along) grain boundaries, exhibiting a fine vermicular morphology. The bottom, middle,and top regions of WAAM deposited ASS exhibit similar values to those of wrought SS316L in the tensile and impact test findings. Notably, a drop in hardness values is observed as build height increases. During SEM examinations of fractured surfaces from tensile specimen, closed dimples were observed, indicating good ductility of as-built structure. Wear test findings show signs of mild oxidation and usual adhesive wear. By depositing a mechanically mixed composite layer, an increase in the oxidation percentage was discovered to facilitate healing of worn surfaces. The findings of this study will help in design, production and renovation of products/components that are prone to wear. WAAM-deposited ASS has remarkable strength and ability to withstand impacts;it can be used in the production of armour plates for defence applications, mainly military vehicles and aircraft.

Electronic properties of 2D materials and their junctions

With an extensive range of distinctive features at nano meter-scale thicknesses,two-dimensional(2D)materials drawn the attention of the scientific community.Despite tremendous advancements in exploratory research on 2D materials,knowledge of 2D electrical transport and carrier dynamics still in its infancy.Thus,here we highlighted the electrical characteristics of 2D materials with electronic band structure,electronic transport,dielectric constant,carriers mobility.The atomic thinness of 2D materials makes substantially scaled field-effect transistors(FETs)with reduced short-channel effects conceivable,even though strong carrier mobility required for high performance,low-voltage device operations.We also discussed here about factors affecting 2D materials which easily enhanced the activity of those materials for various applications.Presently,Those 2D materials used in state-of-the-art electrical and optoelectronic devices because of the extensive nature of their electronic band structure.2D materials offer unprecedented freedom for the design of novel p-n junction device topologies in contrast to conventional bulk semiconductors.We also,describe the numerous 2D p-n junctions,such as homo junction and hetero junction including mixed dimensional junctions.Finally,we talked about the problems and potential for the future.

CuO–TiO_(2) based self-powered broad band photodetector

An efficient room-temperature self-powered,broadband(300 nm–1100 nm)photodetector based on a CuO–TiO_(2)/TiO_(2)/p-Si(100)heterostructure is demonstrated.The CuO–TiO_(2)nanocomposites were grown in a two-zone horizontal tube furnace on a 40 nm TiO_(2)thin film deposited on a p-type Si(100)substrate.The CuO–TiO_(2)/TiO_(2)/p-Si(100)devices exhibited excellent rectification characteristics under dark and individual photoillumination conditions.The devices showed remarkable photo-response under broadband(300–1100 nm)light illumination at zero bias voltage,indicating the achievement of highly sensitive self-powered photodetectors at visible and near-infrared light illuminations.The maximum response of the devices is observed at 300 nm for an illumination power of 10 W.The response and recovery times were calculated as 86 ms and 78 ms,respectively.Moreover,under a small bias,the devices showed a prompt binary response by altering the current from positive to negative under illumination conditions.The main reason behind this binary response is the low turn-on voltage and photovoltaic characteristics of the devices.Under illumination conditions,the generation of photocurrent is due to the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs within the built-in electric field at the CuO–TiO_(2)/TiO_(2)interface.These characteristics make the CuO–TiO_(2)/TiO_(2)broadband photodetectors suitable for applications that require high response speeds and self-sufficient functionality.

High Phenotypic Variation in Morus alba L. along an Altitudinal Gradient in the Indian Trans-Himalaya

Ten quantitative morphological characters were studied in 56 Morus alba L. trees representing three natural populations from the trans-Himalayan Ladakh region. The altitude of collection sites ranged from 2815 to 3177 m above the sea level(asl). Coefficient of variation(CV) showed high phenotypic variation in M. alba. Linear regression analysis revealed that leaf and fruit size decreases with an increase in altitude. High CV was observed for leaf length, leaf width, petiole length, leaf area, internodal distance, number of nodes, bud length, fruit length, fruit width and fruit weight. Similarly, a high phenotypic plasticity index was observed for bud length, leaf length, leaf width, petiole length, leaf area, inter-nodal distance, number of nodes, fruit length, fruit width and fruit weight. For every 100 m increase in altitude, leaf length, leaf width and leaf area decreased by 1 cm, 0.8 cm and 16.6 cm2, respectively. Analysis of covariance showed a predominant altitudinal effect on the morphological characters in comparison to the population effect. A small change in the altitude caused significant change in the plant morphological characteristics. The present investigation represents to our knowledge the first study addressing phenotypic variation in mulberryalong an altitudinal gradient.