Progress on Microgravity Sciences in China

The main progress of the research activities on microgravity fluid physics, combustion, biotechnology research and fundamental Physics in China are briefly summarized in the present paper. The major space missions and experimental results obtained on board the Chinese recoverable/nonrecoverable satellites and the Chinese manned spaceship named "Shen Zhou" are presented summarily. The recent main activities of the ground-based studies in China are introduced in brief.

Observation of Diffusion Process of a Water Droplet Immersed in Protein Solution in Microgravity

Pure liquid-liquid diffusion driven by concentration gradients is hard to study in a normal gravity environment since convection and sedimentation also contribute to the mass transfer process. We employ a Math Zehnder interferometer to monitor the mass transfer process of a water droplet in EAFP protein solution under micro- gravity condition provided by the Satellite Shi Jian No 8, A series of the evolution charts of mass distribution during the diffusion process of the liquid droplet are presented and the relevant diffusion coefficient is determined.

Bubble Behavior and Heat Transfer of Nucleate Pool Boiling on Micro-Pin-Finned Surface in Microgravity

Nucleate pool boiling on micro-pin-finned surface structure is proposed for efficiently cooling electronic compo- nents with high heat flux in microgravity, and was verified by experiments performed utilizing the drop tower Beijing. Micro-pin-fins with tile dimensions of 50 × （30 μm2 （thickness × height） and the space of 50 μm were fabricated on the chip surface by the dry etching technique. FC-72 was used as the working fluid. Nucleate pool boiling of FC-72 on a smooth surface was also tested for comparison. Unlike much obvious deterioration of heat transfer of nucleate pool boiling on the smooth surface in microgravity, constant heater surface temperature of nucleate pool boiling for the micro-pin-finned surface was observed, even though a large coalesced bubble completely covered the surface under microgravity condition. The performance of high efficient heat transfer on micro-pin-finned surface is independent of the gravity, which stems from the sufficient supply of fresh liquid to the heater surface due to the capillary forces.

TWO-PHASE FLOW PATTERNS IN A 90° BEND AT MICROGRAVITY

Bends are widely used in pipelines carrying single-and two-phase fluids in both ground and space applications.In particular,they play more important role in space applications due to the extreme spatial constraints.In the present study,a set of experimental data of two-phase flow patterns and their transitions in a 90°bend with inner diameter of 12.7 mm and curvature radius of 76.5 mm at microgravity conditions are reported.Gas and liquid superficial velocities are found to range from (1.0～23.6)m/s for gas and(0.09～0.5)m/s for liquid,respectively.Three major flow patterns, namely slug,slug-annular transitional,and annular flows,are observed in this study.Focusing on the differences between flow patterns in bends and their counterparts in straight pipes,detailed analyses of their characteristics are made.The transitions between adjoining flow patterns are found to be more or less the same as those in straight pipes,and can be predicted using Weber number models satisfactorily. The reasons for such agreement are carefully examined.

Computational Analysis of the Vertical Bridgman Growth of Te Doped GaSb Under Microgravity

A transient analysis of Te doped GaSb melt growth process is performed using finite element method.The solute concentration at the growth interface increases with time because of k<1.The growth interface shape becomes a little flat at the beginning of the growth compared with the initial shape.Radial segregation occurs even under theμg condition.This segregation increases with the increase of gravity when gravity is small,and reaches a maximum at g=10^(-3)for our system.

Effect of Microgravity on Interface Structural Features in Space Crystal Growth

The distribution of Ca^(2+)at boundary layer ofα-LiIO3 crystal grown both in space and on earth was studied by the synchrotron x-ray fluorescence microanalysis.It was found that:(1)the Ca^(2+)concentration in the space-crystal is higher than that in the earth-crystal,(2)a sharp discontinuity of Ca^(2+)concentration is found at boundary layers of space-crystals alone.This finding provides an evidence of microgravity effect on interface structural features in space crystal growth.

Transition to Film Boiling in Microgravity： Influence of Subcooling

The transition process to film pool boiling in microgravity is studied experimentally aboard the Chinese recoverable satellite S J-8. A quasi-steady heating method is adopted, in which the heating voltage is controlled to increase exponentially with time. Small, primary bubbles are formed and slid on the surface, which coalesce with each other to form a large coalesced bubble. Two ways are observed for the transition from nucleate to film boiling at different subcoolings. At high subcooling, the coalesced bubble with a smooth surface grows slowly. It is then difficult for the coalesced bubble to cover the whole heater surface, resulting in a special region of transition boiling in which nucleate boiling and local dry areas can coexist. In contrast, strong oscillation of the coalesced bubble surface at low subcooling may cause rewetting of local dry areas and activation of more nucleate sites, resulting in an abrupt transition to film boiling.

Manipulation of Colloidal Droplets in Space and the Instability of Thermocapillary Convection in Large Prandtl Number Liquid Bridge in Microgravity

In 2016 and 2017, SJ-10 and TG-2 satellites were launched. In this short paper, we report recent progress on the studies of manipulation of colloidal droplets and instability of thermocapillary convection in large Prandtl number liquid bridge that based on the space experiments boarding SJ-10 and TG-2 satellites,separately. It was shown that the colloidal droplets can be successfully formed and manipulated in microgravity through the patterned substrates. In another aspect, the coffee-ring effect was observed at the first time in space. For the studies of the instability of thermocapillary convection in large Prandtl number liquid bridge in microgravity, our experiments in TG-2 broadened the way of such kind of study and abundant experimental results are emerging.

Influence of Gravity on Structure of Colloidal Crystal Using Simulated Microgravity

Liquid mixtures of water and deuterium oxide as the liquid phase, were used to match the density of charged colloidal particles. Kossel diffraction method was used to detect the crystal structures. The experiments under the density-matched （g=0） and unmatched （g=1） conditions are compared to examine the influence of gravity on the crystal structures formed by self-assembly of 110 nm （in diameter） polystyrene microspheres. The result shows that the gravity tends to make the lattice constants of colloidal crystals smaller at lower positions, which indicates that the effect of gravity should be taken into account in the study of the colloidal crystals.

Microgravity Material Research in China:2012–2014

During 2012–2014, the main research activities from microgravity material research were focused on, which include study of microgravity effects on collagen fibrillogenesis and HAP crystallization, microgravity experiments using drop tube, and research of thermoelectric materials for space.This paper summarizes all these activities.

Effect of ion-beam assisted deposition on the film stresses of TiO_2 and SiO_2 and stress control

Based on Hartmann-Shack sensor technique, an online thin film stress measuring system was introduced to measure the film stresses of TiO2 and SiO2, and comparison was made between the film stresses prepared respectively by the conventional process and the ion-beam assisted deposition. The effect of ion-beam assisted deposition on the film stresses of TiO2 and SiO2 was investigated in details, and the stress control methodologies using on-line adjustment and film doping were put forward. The results show that the film stress value of TiO2 prepared by ion-beam assisted deposition is 40 MPa lower than that prepared by conventional process, and the stress of TiO2 film changes gradually from tensile stress into compressive stress with increasing ion energy; while the film stress of SiO2 is a tensile stress under ion-beam assisted deposition because of the ion-beam sputtering effect, and the film refractive index decreases with increasing ion energy. A dynamic film stress control can be achieved through in-situ adjustment of the processing parameters based on the online film stress measuring technique, and the intrinsic stress of film can be effectively changed through film doping.

An experimental research on surface oscillation of buoyant-thermocapillary convection in open cylindrical annuli

An experiment is carried out on the surface oscillation of buoyant-thermocapillary convection in an open cylindrical annulus. When the radial temperature difference AT reaches a critical value △Tc, a regular oscillation appears and soon disappears on the open surface, which varies when the liquid layer＇s thickness h and temperature difference △T are varied. With growth of △T, dominant frequency of the visible oscillation will grow too but is found within certain frequencies. Driving forces, buoyance and thermocapillarity, are responsible for this phenomanon and the ＂balance＂ point is considered to exist when h is between 4.5-5.0 mm. Surface oscillation region is also found restricted within a narrow gap when Bo is smaller than 3.7.

RAYLEIGH-MARANGONI-BENARD INSTABILITY IN TWO-LAYER FLUID SYSTEM

Rayleigh-Marangoni-Bénard instability in a system of two-layer fluids is studied nu- merically.The convective instabilities in the system of Silicon Oil(10cSt)and Fluorinert(FC70)liquids have been analyzed.The critical parameters at onset of convection are presented in a large range of two-layer depth ratios from 0.2 to 5.0.Numerical results show that the instability of the two-layer system depends strongly on its depth ratio.When the depth ratio increases,the instability mode changes from mechanical coupling to thermal coupling.Between these two typical coupling modes, a time-dependent oscillation is detected.Nevertheless,traveling wave states are found in the case of oscillatory instability.The oscillation mode results from the competition between Rayleigh instability and Marangoni effect.

Effect of Structural Relaxation on Deformation Behaviour of Zr-Based Metallic Glass

Structural relaxation through isothermal annealing at temperature below glass transition is conducted on Zr46.75 Ti8.25 CU7.5Ni11Be27.5 （Vitreloy-4） bulk metallic glass. Defect concentration is correlated with the annealing time t according to differential scanning calorimetry thermalgrams. The effects of structural relaxation on mechanical properties and deformation behaviour are investigated by using instrumented nanoindentation. It is found that the as-cast alloy exhibits pronounced serration flow during the loading process of nanoindentation, and the size and number of the serrations decrease with the annealing time. The change of the deformation behaviour with structural relaxation is explained using a free volume model.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Zr-Cu-Al bulk metallic glasses

Zr49Cu46Al5 and Zr48.5Cu46.5Al5 bulk metallic glasses(BMGs) with diameter of 5 mm were prepared through water-cooled copper mold casting. The phase structures of the two alloys were identified by X-ray diffractometry(XRD). The thermal stability was examined by differential scanning calorimetry(DSC). Zr49Cu46Al5 alloy shows a glass transition temperature, Tg, of about 689 K, an crystallization temperature, Tx, of about 736 K. The Zr48.5Cu46.5Al5 alloy shows no obvious exothermic peak. The microstructure of the as-cast alloys was analyzed by transmission electron microscopy(TEM). The aggregations of CuZr and CuZr2 nanocrystals with grain size of about 20 nm are observed in Zr49Cu46Al5 nanocrystalline composite, while the Zr48.5Cu46.5Al5 alloy containing many CuZr martensite plates is crystallized seriously. Mechanical properties of bulk Zr49Cu46Al5 nanocrystalline composite and Zr48.5Cu46.5Al5 alloy measured by compression tests at room temperature show that the work hardening ability of Zr48.5Cu46.5Al5 alloy is larger than that of Zr49Cu46Al5 alloy.

Laser Interferometer Used for Satellite-Satellite Tracking: an On-Ground Methodological Demonstration

A Chinese satellite gravity mission called SAGM (Space Advanced Gravity Measurements) is now taken into consideration.To meet its designed requirement,the measurement precision of the laser ranging system used to measure the inter-satellite distance change has to be better than l00nm/Hz1/2 within a broad bandwidth from 0.1mHz to 1Hz.An equal arm heterodyne Mach-Zehnder interferometer has been built on ground to demonstrate the measurement principle of a laser ranging system,which potentially can be used for both SAGM and future GW (gravitational wave) space antennas.Because of the equal arm length,the laser frequency noise has been significantly suppressed in the interferometer.Thus,the sensitivity better than 1nm/Hz1/2 in a frequency range of 0.15 mHz-0.375 Hz has been achieved.The result shows that the proposed methodology has very promising feasibility to meet the requirements of SAGM and of GW space antennas as well.

In Situ Observation of NaCl Crystal Growth by the Vapor Diffusion Method with a Mach–Zehnder Interferometer

Vapor diffusion experiments with different thicknesses of oil barriers are observed by a real-time optical diagnostic system consisting of a Mach–Zehnder interferometer,a microscope and an image processor.Spatiotemporal analysis is first employed to extract the absolute concentration evolution and supersaturation during the entire crystallization process.The nucleation and crystal growth processes are then analyzed.It is found that the crystallization process can be easily classified into four stages in our experiments,according to the analysis of interferograms and the absolute concentration curve.This can help us understand the details of crystal growth.The rule of quality change of crystals with increasing thickness of oil barriers is also analyzed,and could be interpreted by the absolute concentration variation and crystallization phase diagram.

Mechanokinetics of receptor-ligand interactions in cell adhesion

Receptor-ligand interactions in blood flow are crucial to initiate such biological processes as inflammatory cascade,platelet thrombosis,as well as tumor metastasis.To mediate cell adhesion,the interacting receptors and ligands must be anchored onto two apposing surfaces of two cells or a cell and a substratum,i.e.,two-dimensional（2D）binding,which is different from the binding of a soluble ligand in fluid phase to a receptor,i.e.,three-dimensional（3D） binding.While numerous works have been focused on3 D kinetics of receptor-ligand interactions in the immune system,2D kinetics and its regulations have been less understood,since no theoretical framework or experimental assays were established until 1993.Not only does the molecular structure dominate 2D binding kinetics,but the shear force in blood flow also regulates cell adhesion mediated by interacting receptors and ligands.Here,we provide an overview of current progress in 2D binding and regulations,mainly from our group.Relevant issues of theoretical frameworks,experimental measurements,kinetic rates and binding affinities,and force regulations are discussed.

An in-situ Observation on Initial Aggregation Process of Colloidal Particles near Three-Phase Contact Line of Air, Water and Vertical Substrate

The self-assembling process near the three-phase contact line of air, water and vertical substrate is widely used to produce various kinds of nanostructured materials and devices. We perform an in-situ observation on the selfassembling process in the vicinity of the three phase contact line. Three kinds of aggregations, i.e. particle-particle aggregation, particle-chain aggregation and chain-chain aggregation, in the initial stage of vertical deposition process are revealed by our experiments. It is found that the particle particle aggregation and the particle-chain aggregation can be qualitatively explained by the theory of the capillary immersion force and mirror image force, while the chain-chain aggregation leaves an opening question for the further studies. The present study may provide more deep insight into the self-assembling process of colloidal particles.

Experimental Study on Liquid Free Surface in Buoyant-Thermocapillary Convection

We investigate the surface deformations of buoyant-thermocapillary convection in a rectangular cavity due to gravity and temperature gradient between the two sidewalls. The cavity is 52mm×42 mm in horizontal cross section, the thickness of liquid layer h is changed from 2.5 mm to 6.5 mm. Surface deformations of h = 3.5 mm and 6.0mm are discussed and compared. Temperature difference is increased gradually, and the flow in the liquid layer will change from stable convection to unstable convection. Two kinds of optical diagnostic system with image processor are developed for study of the kinetics of buoyant-thermocapillary convection, they give out the information of liquid free surface. The quantitative results are calculated by Fourier transform and correlation analysis, respectively. With the increasing temperature gradient, surface deformations calculated are more declining. It is interesting phenomenon that the inclining directions of the convections in thin and thick liquid layers are different. For a thin layer, the convection is mainly controlled by thermocapillary effect. However, for a thick layer, the convection is mainly controlled by buoyancy effect. The surface deformation theoretically analysed is consistent with our experimental results. The present experiment proves that surface deformation is related to temperature gradient and thickness of the liquid layer. In other words, surface deformation lies on capillary convection and buoyancy convection.