Effect of Wetting and NiAl_2O_4 Spinel Formation on the Bonding between Al_2O_3 and Ni

Al2O3-Ni interface formed under vacuum condition is non-wetting and weak. Severe instantaneous intedecial reaction (i.e. wetting) at the Al2O3-Ni interface promoted by oxygen can create a strengthened interface. The NiAl2O4 spinel-Ni intedece is weak and growth of the spinel interphase is detrimental to the Al2O3-Ni intedecial bonding. A proper control of the oxygen partial pressure can achieve wetting while avoiding the existence of spinel at the interface, producing stronger interfaces by both mechanical interlocking and more intimate chemical bonding in an Al2O3-20 vol pct Ni composite.

Suppressing Effects of Ag Wetting Layer on Surface Conduction of Er Silicide/Si(001) Nanocontacts

Current-voltage electrical characteristics of Er silicide/Si（001） nanocontacts are measured in situ in a scanning tunneling microscopy system. Introduced as a new technique to suppress surface leakage conduction on Si（001）,a silver wetting layer is evaporated onto the substrate surface kept at room temperature with Er Si2 nanoislands already existing. The effects of the silver layer on the current-voltage characteristics of nanocontacts are discussed.Our experimental results reveal that the silver layer at coverage of 0.4–0.7 monolayer can suppress effectively the current contribution from the surface conduction path. After the surface leakage path of nanocontacts is obstructed, the ideality factor and the Schottky barrier height are determined using the thermionic emission theory, about 2 and 0.5 eV, respectively. The approach adopted here could shed light on the intrinsic transport properties of metal-semiconductor nanocontacts.

The capillary pressure curves from upscaling interfacial and unsaturated flows in porous layers with vertical heterogeneity

We provide the capillary pressure curves p_(c)(s)as a function of the effective saturation s based on the theoretical framework of upscaling unsaturated flows in vertically heterogeneous porous layers proposed recently(Z.Zheng,Journal of Fluid Mechanics,950,A17,2022).Based on the assumption of vertical gravitational-capillary equilibrium,the saturation distribution and profile shape of the invading fluid can be obtained by solving a nonlinear integral-differential equation.The capillary pressure curves p_(c)(s)can then be constructed by systematically varying the injection rate.Together with the relative permeability curves k_(rn)(s)that are already obtained.One can now provide quick estimates on the overall behaviours of interfacial and unsaturated flows in vertically-heterogeneous porous layers.

Carbon fixation and influencing factors of biological soil crusts in a revegetated area of the Tengger Desert,northern China

Biological soil crusts （BSCs） are an important type of land cover in arid desert landscapes and play an important role in the carbon source-sink exchange within a desert system. In this study, two typical BSCs, moss crusts and algae crusts, were selected from a revegetated sandy area of the Tengger Desert in northern China, and the experiment was carried out over a 3-year period from January 2010 to November 2012. We obtained the effec- tive active wetting time to maintain the physiological activity of BSCs basing on continuous field measurements and previous laboratory studies on BSCs photosynthesis and respiration rates. And then we developed a BSCs carbon fixation model that is driven by soil moisture. The results indicated that moss crusts and algae crusts had significant effects on soil moisture and temperature dynamics by decreasing rainfall infiltration. The mean carbon fixation rates of moss and algae crusts were 0.21 and 0.13 g C/（m2.d）, respectively. The annual carbon fixations of moss crusts and algae crusts were 64.9 and 38.6 g C/（m2.a）, respectively, and the carbon fixation of non-rainfall water reached 11.6 g C/（m2.a） （30.2% of the total） and 8.8 g C/（m2.a） （43.6% of the total）, respectively. Finally, the model was tested and verified with continuous field observations. The data of the modeled and measured CO2 fluxes matched notably well. In desert regions, the carbon fixation is higher with high-frequency rainfall even the total amount of seasonal rainfall was the same.