Self-Healing Liquid Metal Magnetic Hydrogels for Smart Feedback Sensors and High-Performance Electromagnetic Shielding

Hydrogels exhibit potential applications in smart wearable devices because of their exceptional sensitivity to various external stimuli.However,their applications are limited by challenges in terms of issues in biocompatibility,custom shape,and self-healing.Herein,a conductive,stretchable,adaptable,self-healing,and biocompatible liquid metal GaInSn/Ni-based composite hydrogel is developed by incorporating a magnetic liquid metal into the hydrogel framework through crosslinking polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)with sodium tetraborate.The excellent stretchability and fast self-healing capability of the PVA/liquid metal hydrogel are derived from its abundant hydrogen binding sites and liquid metal fusion.Significantly,owing to the magnetic constituent,the PVA/liquid metal hydrogel can be guided remotely using an external magnetic field to a specific position to repair the broken wires with no need for manual operation.The composite hydrogel also exhibits sensitive deformation responses and can be used as a strain sensor to monitor various body motions.Additionally,the multifunctional hydrogel displays absorption-dominated electromagnetic interference(EMI)shielding properties.The total shielding performance of the composite hydrogel increases to~62.5 dB from~31.8 dB of the pure PVA hydrogel at the thickness of 3.0 mm.The proposed bioinspired multifunctional magnetic hydrogel demonstrates substantial application potential in the field of intelligent wearable devices.

Experimental research based on a C-band compact transit-time oscillator with a novel diode loading an embedded soft magnetic material and shielding structure

In order to reduce the external magnetic field and improve the conversion efficiency of high-power microwave generation devices with low external magnetic field,a novel diode with an embedded soft magnetic and shielding structure is proposed.The soft magnetic material is designed to enhance the local magnetic field in the diode region.Moreover,the diode applies a shielding structure which can reduce the radial electric field.From simulation research,it is found that the emission and transmission quality of the electron beam with low magnetic field is greatly improved when loading this diode.Through simulation research,it is verified that the diode can increase the conversion efficiency of the transit-time oscillator(TTO)from 30%to 36.7%.In our experimental study,under the conditions of a diode voltage of 540 kV and a current of 10.5 kA,the output microwave power is 1.51 GW when loading the novel diode and the microwave frequency is 4.27 GHz when an external guiding magnetic field of 0.3 T is applied.The corresponding conversion efficiency is improved from 20.0%to 26.6%,which is 6.6%higher than that of a device loaded with a conventional diode.Our experiments have verified that this novel diode can effectively improve the conversion efficiency of high-power microwave sources operating with low magnetic field,and contribute to the miniaturization and compactness of high-power microwave devices.

Gradient coil design with enhanced shielding constraint for a cryogen-free superconducting MRI system

The relatively fragile low-temperature stability of cryogen-free superconducting magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)magnets requires the careful management of exogenous heat sources.A strongly shielded gradient magnetic field is important for the optimal operation of cryogen-free MRI systems.In this study,we present an enhanced shielding method incorporating a regionalized stray field constraining strategy.By optimizing the constraint parameters,we could develop engineering-feasible gradient coil schemes without increasing system complexity but with the stray field intensity reduced by half.In real measurement in an integrated MRI system,the developed gradient assembly demonstrated good performance and supported to output images of excellent quality.Our findings suggested that the proposed method could potentially form a useful design paradigm for cryogen-free MRI magnets.

High Magnetic Field Shielding for Sensitive Devices Relevant to ITER

High magnetic field shielding has been increasingly important for engineering design in recent years. In this report, a cylindric shield made from soft iron is studied using FEM （finite element method） analysis and COlnpared with experiments. The residual fields inside the shield are calculated and measured in both parallel and perpendicular fields up to 2000 Gs. The calculated results are compared with the experiments, and the input B-H curve is modified for a better conformity. The results indicate that the covers could greatly improve the shielding performance of the cylindric shield in our research. The comparison result shows that a proper B-H curve, which can well describe the material properties, is very important in FEM analysis and should be selected carefully.

Tailorable,Lightweight and Superelastic Liquid Metal Monoliths for Multifunctional Electromagnetic Interference Shielding

Liquid metal(LM)has become an emerging material paradigm in the electromagnetic interference shielding field owing to its excellent electrical conductivity.However,the processing of lightweight bulk LM composites with finite package without leakage is still a great challenge,due to high surface tension and pump-out issues of LM.Here,a novel confined thermal expansion strategy based on expandable microsphere(EM)is proposed to develop a new class of LM-based monoliths with 3D continuous conductive network.The EM/LM monolith(EM/LMm)presents outstanding performance of lightweight like metallic aerogel(0.104 g cm^(-1)),high strength(3.43 MPa),super elasticity(90%strain),as well as excellent tailor ability and recyclability,rely on its unique gas-filled closed-cellular structure and refined LM network.Moreover,the assembled highly conducting EM/LMm exhibits a recorded shielding effectiveness(98.7 dB)over a broad frequency range of 8.2-40 GHz among reported LM-based composites at an ultra-low content of LM,and demonstrates excellent electromagnetic sealing capacity in practical electronics.The ternary EM/LM/Ni monoliths fabricated by the same approach could be promising universal design principles for multifunctional LM composites,and applicable in magnetic responsive actuator.

Study on Magnetic Shielding for Performance Improvement of Axial-Field Dual-Rotor Segmented Switched Reluctance Machine

A category of permanent-magnet-shield(PM-shield)axial-field dual-rotor segmented switched reluctance machines(ADS-SRMs)are presented in this paper.These topologies are featured by using the magnetic material to shield the flux leakage in the stator and rotor parts.Besides,the deployed magnets weaken the magnetic saturation in the iron core,thus increasing the main flux.Hence,the torque-production capability can be increased effectively.All the PM-shield topologies are proposed and designed based on the magnetic equivalent circuit(MEC)model of ADS-SRM,which is the original design deploying no magnet.The features of all the PM-shield topologies are compared with the original design in terms of the magnetic field distributions,flux linkages,phase inductances,torque components,and followed by their motion-coupled analyses on the torque-production capabilities,copper losses,and efficiencies.Considering the cost reduction and the stable ferrite-magnet supply,an alternative proposal using the ferrite magnets is applied to the magnetic shielding.The magnet demagnetization analysis incorporated with the thermal behavior is performed for further verification of the motor performance.

Maintained Exposure to Spring Water but Not Double Distilled Water in Darkness and Thixotropic Conditions to Weak (~1 µT) Temporally Patterned Magnetic Fields Shift Photon Spectroscopic Wavelengths: Effects of Different Shielding Materials

Spring water but not double-distilled water was exposed, in darkness, to a temporally patterned weak magnetic field that has been shown to affect planarian behavior and slow the rate of cancer cell proliferation. Exposure to the magnetic field caused a reliable shift in the peak (longer) wave-length of ~10 nm for fluorescence emissions and a ~20% increase (~100 counts) in fluorescence intensity. Spectral analyses verified a shift of 5 and 10 nm, equivalent to ~1.5 × 10-20 J “periodicity” across the measured wavelengths, which could reflect a change in the an intrinsic energy as predicted by Del Giudice and Preparata and could correspond to two lengths of O-H bonds. Wrapping the water sample containers during exposure with copper foil, aluminum foil, or plastic altered these fluorescent profiles. The most conspicuous effect was the elimination of a ~280 nm peak in the UV-VIS emission spectra only for samples wrapped with copper foil but not aluminum or plastic. These results suggest that weak magnetic fields produce alterations in the water-ionic complexes sufficient to be reliably measured by spectrophotometry. Because the effect was most pronounced when the spring water was exposed in darkness and was not disturbed the role of thixotropic phenomena and Del Giudice entrapment of magnetic fields within coherent domains of Pollack virtual exclusion zones (EZ) may have set the conditions for subsequent release of the energy as photons.

EFFECTIVE SHIELDING OF UNIDIRECTIONAL CURRENT GENERATED MAGNETIC FIELDS

This paper presented an effective shielding design of magnetic fields generated by unidirectional current. Theoretical formulas and numerical computation software based on boundary element method (BEM) are employed to evaluate the shielding effectiveness (SE) of cylindrical shell. It is shown that ungrounded or one end grounded metal shell is ineffective for such magnetic fields. SE can be obtained by connecting the two ends of the conducting shell with low impedance connector, or alternatively, grounding the two ends. The experimental results also support these conclusions.

A Novel Magnetic Configuration for Space Radiation Active Shielding

Space radiation has been identified as the main health hazard to crews involved in manned Mars missions.Active shielding is more effective than passive shielding to the very energetic particles from cosmic rays.Particle motion in a magnetic field is studied based on the single-particle theory and Monte Carlo method.By comparing the shielding efficiency of different magnetic field configurations,a novel active magnetic shielding configuration with lower mass cost and power consumption is proposed for manned Mars missions.The new magnetic configuration can shield 92.8%of protons and 84.4%of alpha particles with E<4 GeV·n^(-1),when considering the passive shielding contribution of 10.0 g·cm^(-2) Al Shielding,the required magnetic stiffness can be reduced from 27 Tm to 16 Tm.The detailed analysis of mass cost and power consumption shows that active shielding will be a promising means to protect crews from space radiation exposure in manned Mars missions.

Calculating magnetic shielding effectiveness for high-power dc comparator by magnetic circuit method

Magnetic shielding is very important in the design of a high-power dc comparator. This paper addressed the application of magnetic circuit method to calculate the magnetic shielding effectiveness of high-power dc comparators when an external radial magnetic field is added. The mathematical relationship between the magnetic shielding effectiveness and the parameters of the magnetic shielding body were obtained. To verify the validity of the calculation method, we developped a procedure to measure the magnetic shielding effectiveness of the magnetic body by measuring the induction voltage of the detection winding instead of the magnetic intensity at a point in the magnetic shielding body, making the manipulation much easier. The result calculated with the magnetic circuit method turns out to be closer to the measured one compared with that calculated with a conventional algorithm proposed by Ren, suggesting that the magnetic circuit method is an applicable tool for estimating the toroidal cavity magnetic shielding effectiveness of a heavy current comparator when a radial magnetic field is added.

Magnetic shielding property for cylinder with circular, square, and equilateral triangle holes

The shielding property of cylinder with circular, square, and equilateral triangle holes was investigated by finite element analysis(FEA). The hole area(S_(hole)) plays an important role in magnetic circuit on the surface of cylinder. When Sholeis less than the critical area(S_(H)), cylinder with three shapes of holes obtained the same remanent magnetization inside,indicating that the shielding property is unaffected by the shape of the hole. Hence, high-permeability material is the major path of the magnetic field. On the condition of S_(hole)> S_(H), the sequence of the shielding property is equilateral triangle >square > circular, resulting from magnetoresistance of leakage flux in air dielectric. Besides, the anisotropy of shielding property caused by hole structural differences of the cylinder is evaluated. We find that a good shielding effectiveness is gained in the radial direction, compared with the axis direction. This research focuses on providing a theoretical support for the design of magnetic shield and improvement on the magnetic shielding ability.

Analysis on the Magnetic Shielding Effectiveness of DC Current Comparator

There are magnetic interference problems in the applications of DC current comparator. Analysis on the magnetic effectiveness which is applied by the external magnetic field is introduced in this paper. The effectiveness is proved by the actual results which are compared with the magnetic- circuit method and the finite element method. In addition, the reference comment is given which can be used in the practical work of DC current comparator shield design.

Effect of Anode Magnetic Shield on Magnetic Field and Ion Beam in Cylindrical Hall Thruster

Numerical simulation of the effect of the anode magnetic shielding on the magnetic field and ion beam in a cylindrical Hall thruster is presented. The results show that after the anode is shielded by the magnetic shield, the magnetic field lines near the anode surface are obviously convex curved, the ratio of the magnetic mirror is enhanced, the width of the positive magnetic field gradient becomes larger than that without the anode magnetic shielding, the radial magnetic field component is enhanced, and the discharge plasma turbulence is reduced as a result of keeping the original saddle field profile and the important role the other two saddle field profiles play in restricting electrons. The results of the particle in cell （PIC） numerical simulation show that both the ion number and the energy of the ion beam increase after the anode is shielded by the magnetic shield. In other words, the specific impulse of the cylindrical Hall thruster is enhanced.

Crustal structure of the western Indian shield: Model based on regional gravity and magnetic data

Regional surface gravity data and global satellite magnetic data have been utilized to generate a preliminary model of the crustal structure along a southwest-northeast profile （Gadra-Fatehpur） through western Rajasthan.The study area represents the western part of the Indian continental landmass which has undergone several major episodes of repeated subduction/collision,plume traces and rifting from Archaean to recent times.The temporal and spatial relationship between the various geotectonic provinces is quite complex,thereby limiting the emergence of a suitable crustal structure model for this region.Exposures of the Malani Igneous Suite （MIS）,a product of bimodal volcanism （～780 Ma）,and considered to be the third largest felsic magmatic province of the world,is evident along the profile and also to the southwest of the study area.The easternmost part of the profile is close to the DAFB （Delhi Aravalli Fold Belt）,a Proterozoic orogenic belt.This study probes the geometry of the different crustal units in terms of density and susceptibility variations in order to decipher the imprints of the major tectonic processes the region has undergone.In order to decipher the crustal geometry of the Gadra-Fatehpur profile,two NW-SE gravity and magnetic profile vertical sections （A-A＇ in the south and B-B＇ in the north） are modelled on the basis of the constraints provided from previous seismic models.The crustal model of the Gadra-Fatehpur profile is composed of alluvium,Tertiary sediments,MIS,Marwar Supergroup,low-density layers （LDLs） and the middle-lower crustal layers,with a distinct change in configuration from the southwest to northeast.The Moho dips from SW to NE,the MIS in the SW gives way to the thick pile of the Marwar Supergroup to the NE.The evolution of MIS has been suggested to have occurred as a consequence of delamination of the upper mantle.LDLs are incorporated in Gadra-Fatehpur model.In the SW,LDL （2550 kg/m3） lies below the MIS in the NE,another LDL （2604 kg/m3） is depicted below the mid-crustal layer.

Designing shielded radio-frequency phased-array coils for magnetic resonance imaging

In this paper, an approach to the design of shielded radio-frequency （RF） phased-array coils for magnetic resonance imaging （MRI） is proposed. The target field method is used to find current densities distributed on primary and shield coils. The stream function technique is used to discretize current densities and to obtain the winding patterns of the coils. The corresponding highly ill-conditioned integral equation is solved by the Tikhonov regularization with a penalty function related to the minimum curvature. To balance the simplicity and smoothness with the homogeneity of the magnetic field of the coll＇s winding pattern, the selection of a penalty factor is discussed in detail.

Design of the reflection magnet and its shielding effect analysis for the neutral beam injector of EAST

In this paper,a reflection magnet to be installed in the EAST neutral beam injection system is simulated and designed.The field intensity of reflection magnet of 42-cm maximum bending radius is about 1.539×10-1 T for 100 keV deuterium beam.The shielding cage is formed by rods.Using the ANSOFT software,the magnetic shielding effect was estimated at about 3% at the magnet pole region.

Matching characteristics of magnetic field configuration and chamfered channel wall in a magnetically shielded Hall thruster

To date, the selection of the magnetic field line used to match the chamfered inner and outer channel walls in a magnetically shielded Hall thruster has not been quantitatively studied. Hence, an experimental study was conducted on a 1.35 k W magnetically shielded Hall thruster with a xenon propellant. Different magnetic field lines were chosen, and corresponding tangentially matched channel walls were manufactured and utilized. The results demonstrate that high performance and a qualified anti-sputtering effect cannot be achieved simultaneously. When the magnetic field lines that match the chamfered wall have a strength at the channel centerline of less than 12% of the maximum field strength, the channel wall can be adequately protected from ion sputtering. When the magnetic field lines have a strength ratio of 12%–20%, the thruster performance is high. These findings provide the first significant quantitative design reference for the match between the magnetic field line and chamfered channel wall in magnetically shielded Hall thrusters.

Optimization on magnetic properties of Nd-doped Fe_(3)O_(4) nanoparticles for magnetic shielding fabrics

High magnetic protective fabrics with rare earth Nd doped Fe_(3)O_(4) nanoparticles were fabricated via a grafting method.The structure,crystal form,and elemental composition of nanoparticles were investigated by transmission electron microscopy,energy dispersive X-ray,X-ray powder diffraction,and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.The obtained NdFe_(2)O_(4) nanoparticles show spherical shape with fine dispersion and reasonable element composition.However,they demonstrate fine superparamagnetic properties with a magnetic saturation value of 29.25 A·m^(2)/g and low coercivity of 1.902 mT through the vibrating sample magnetometry technique,which can be well developed in magnetic shielding protective applications.Then,the cotton fabrics with plain weave were finished by a proofing rapier loom as a carrier.The NdFe_(2)O_(4) nanoparticles underwent some appropriate surface modification and then were grafted onto the cotton fabrics by a bridge agent of N,N’-dissuccinimidyl carbonate.The morphology,structure,dispersion effect,and electromagnetic protective properties of the fabrics were observed through scanning electron microscopy,Fourier infrared spectroscopy,thermogravimetric analysisdifferential scanning calorimetry(TG-DSC),and a vector network analyzer.The reliable fabrics with grafting reaction on the interface are expected to have potential applications in the field of electromagnetic protection and biomedicine fields.

General analytical method of designing shielded coils for arbitrary axial magnetic field

Magnetic coils for specific requirements are widely used in modern quantum physics. In this study, a general analytical method of designing the shielded coils for generating an arbitrary axial magnetic field is proposed. The theoretical formula for an axial magnetic field generated by a single shielded coil is obtained and used to construct specific coils. The structural parameters of these coils are determined by fitting the theoretical formula with their specific requirements. The feasibility of this method is proved by realizing four concrete kinds of coils: uniform magnetic field generating coils, gradient magnetic field generating coils, asymmetrical uniform magnetic field generating coils, and parabolic magnetic field generating coils. The correctness of these theoretical results is demonstrated by both the finite element simulations and the relevant experimental results. Furthermore, the application of this method is of great significance for developing the quantum physics and quantum devices in future.

Magnetic Field Design by Using Image Effect from Iron Shield

Permanent magnet rings are presented, which exploit the image effect in the surrounding circular iron shields. The theory is given for a general permanent ring when the magnetization orientation at each coordinate angle ψ changes by =(n+1)ψ, where n is a positive or negative integer. For the uniformly magnetized case n=-1, the permanent ring produces no field in its bore, and the field is that of a dipole outside. When the ring is surrounded by a soft iron shield, its field becomes uniform in the bore, and zero outside the ring. The field can be varied continuously by moving the iron shield along the magnet axis. A small variable field device was constructed by using NdFeB permanent rings, which produced a field flux density of 0-0.5 T in the central region.