Damage Mechanism of Ultra-thin Asphalt Overlay(UTAO) based on Discrete Element Method

Aiming to analyze the damage mechanism of UTAO from the perspective of meso-mechanical mechanism using discrete element method(DEM),we conducted study of diseases problems of UTAO in several provinces in China,and found that aggregate spalling was one of the main disease types of UTAO.A discrete element model of UTAO pavement structure was constructed to explore the meso-mechanical mechanism of UTAO damage under the influence of layer thickness,gradation,and bonding modulus.The experimental results show that,as the thickness of UTAO decreasing,the maximum value and the mean value of the contact force between all aggregate particles gradually increase,which leads to aggregates more prone to spalling.Compared with OGFC-5 UTAO,AC-5 UTAO presents smaller maximum and average values of all contact forces,and the loading pressure in AC-5 UTAO is fully diffused in the lateral direction.In addition,the increment of pavement modulus strengthens the overall force of aggregate particles inside UTAO,resulting in aggregate particles peeling off more easily.The increase of bonding modulus changes the position where the maximum value of the tangential force appears,whereas has no effect on the normal force.

Mild polarization electric field in ultra-thin BN-Fe-graphene sandwich structure for efficient nitrogen reduction

The electrocatalytic N_(2)reduction reaction(NRR)is expected to supersede the traditional Haber-Bosch technology for NH3 production under ambient conditions.The activity and selectivity of electrochemical NRR are restricted to a strong polarized electric field induced by the catalyst,correct electron transfer direction,and electron tunneling distance between bare electrode and active sites.By coupling the chemical vapor deposition method with the poly(methyl methacylate)-transfer method,an ultrathin sandwich catalyst,i.e.,Fe atoms(polarized electric field layer)sandwiched between ultrathin(within electron tunneling distance)BN(catalyst layer)and graphene film(conducting layer),is fabricated for electrocatalytic NRR.The sandwich catalyst not only controls the transfer of electrons to the BN surface in the correct direction under applied voltage but also suppresses hydrogen evolution reaction by constructing a neutral polarization electric field without metal exposure.The sandwich electrocatalyst NRR system achieve NH3 yield of 8.9μg h^(−1)cm^(−2)and Faradaic Efficiency of 21.7%.The N_(2)adsorption,activation,and polarization electric field changes of three sandwich catalysts(BN-Fe-G,BN-Fe-BN,and G-Fe-G)during the electrocatalytic NRR are investigated by experiments and density functional theory simulations.Driven by applied voltage,the neutral polarized electric field induced by BN-Fe-G leads to the high activity of electrocatalytic NRR.

Regulation of interlayer channels of graphene oxide nanosheets in ultra-thin Pebax mixed-matrix membranes for CO_(2) capture

For the application of carbon capture by membrane process,it is crucial to develop a highly permeable CO_(2)-selective membrane.In this work,we reported an ultra-thin polyether-block-amide(Pebax)mixedmatrix membranes(MMMs)incorporated by graphene oxide(GO),in which the interlayer channels were regulated to optimize the CO_(2)/N_(2) separation performance.Various membrane preparation conditions were systematically investigated on the influence of the membrane structure and separation performance,including the lateral size of GO nanosheets,GO loading,thermal reduction temperature,and time.The results demonstrated that the precisely regulated interlayer channel of GO nanosheets can rapidly provide CO_(2)-selective transport channels due to the synergetic effects of size sieving and preferential adsorption.The GO/Pebax ultra-thin MMMs exhibited CO_(2)/N_(2) selectivity of 72 and CO_(2) permeance of 400 GPU(1 GPU=106 cm^(3)(STP)·cm^(2)·s^(-1)·cmHg^(-1)),providing a promising candidate for CO_(2) capture.

Numerical Investigations on Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer Characteristics of an Ultra-Thin Heat Pipe with Separated Wick Structures

Thermal and fluid-flow characteristics were numerically analyzed for ultra-thin heat pipes.Many studies have been conducted for ultra-thin heat pipes with a centered wick structure,but this study focused on separated wick structures to increase the evaporation/condensation surface areas within the heat pipe and to reduce the concentration of heat flux within the wick structure.A mathematical heat-pipe model was made in the threedimensional coordinate system,and the model consisted of three regions:a vapor channel,liquid-wick,and container wall regions.The conservation equations for mass,momentum,and energy were solved numerically with boundary conditions by using a code developed by one of the authors.The numerical results with the separated wick structures were compared with those with the centered,which confirmed the effectiveness of the separation of the wick structure.However,the effectiveness of the separation was affected by the position of the separated wick structure.A simple equation was presented to determine the optimum position of the separated wick structures.Numerical analyses were also conducted when the width of the heat pipe was increased with the cooled section,which clarified that the increase in the cooled-section width with the addition of wick structures wasmore effective than the increase in the cooled-section length.A 44%reduction in the total temperature difference of the heat pipe was obtained under the present numerical conditions.Furthermore,a comparison wasmade between experimental results and numerical results.

Fabrication and Simulation of an AlGaAs/GaAs Ultra-Thin Base NDR HBT

A novel mesa ultra-thin base AlGaAs/GaAs HBT is designed and fabricated with wet chemical selective etch technique and monitor electrode technique. It has a particular and obvious voltage-controlled NDR whose PVCR is larger than 120. By use of device simulation,the cause of NDR is that increasing collector voltage makes the ultrathin base reach through and the device transforms from a bipolar state to a bulk barrier state. In addition, the simulated cutoff frequency is about 60-80GHz.

Stable zinc oxide field emitter-based backlight unit for liquid crystal display

A zinc oxide ZnO field emitter-based backlight unit for liquid crystal display with a gated structure is fabricated by screen-printing processes.The measured anode field emission current density reaches 0.62 mA/cm2 when the applied gate voltage is 570 V.Part of the anode current is contributed by the secondary electron emission which is excited from the MgO layer inside the gate apertures on the gate plate. The average emission current density and luminance are 0.47 mA/cm2 and 1 250 cd/m2 respectively with a fluctuation of about 10% during the 1 000 min measurement.By a finite element method calculation the gated structure shows a good electron beam focusing property. The driving performance of the backlight unit is characterized by SPICE simulation tools and measured by the oscilloscope. Stable field emission line-by-line scanning and fast response characteristics of the backlight unit indicate its promising application in the liquid crystal displays.

Spontaneous Orientation Polarization of Anisotropic Equivalent Dipoles Harnessed by Entropy Engineering for Ultra‑Thin Electromagnetic Wave Absorber

The synthesis of carbon supporter/nanoscale high-entropy alloys(HEAs)electromagnetic response composites by carbothermal shock method has been identified as an advanced strategy for the collaborative competition engineering of conductive/dielectric genes.Electron migration modes within HEAs as manipulated by the electronegativity,valence electron configurations and molar proportions of constituent elements determine the steady state and efficiency of equivalent dipoles.Herein,enlightened by skin-like effect,a reformative carbothermal shock method using carbonized cellulose paper(CCP)as carbon supporter is used to preserve the oxygencontaining functional groups(O·)of carbonized cellulose fibers(CCF).Nucleation of HEAs and construction of emblematic shell-core CCF/HEAs heterointerfaces are inextricably linked to carbon metabolism induced by O·.Meanwhile,the electron migration mode of switchable electronrich sites promotes the orientation polarization of anisotropic equivalent dipoles.By virtue of the reinforcement strategy,CCP/HEAs composite prepared by 35%molar ratio of Mn element(CCP/HEAs-Mn_(2.15))achieves efficient electromagnetic wave(EMW)absorption of−51.35 dB at an ultra-thin thickness of 1.03 mm.The mechanisms of the resulting dielectric properties of HEAs-based EMW absorbing materials are elucidated by combining theoretical calculations with experimental characterizations,which provide theoretical bases and feasible strategies for the simulation and practical application of electromagnetic functional devices(e.g.,ultra-wideband bandpass filter).

X-ray backlighting of two-wire Z-pinch plasma using X-pinch

Two 50-μm Mo wires in parallel used as a Z-pinch load are electrically exploded with a pulsed current rising to 275 kA in 125 ns and their explosion processes are backlighted using an X-pinch as an x-ray source. The backlighting images show clearly the processes similar to those occurring in the initial stages of a cylindrical wire-array Z-pinch, including the electric explosion of single wires characterised by the dense wire cores surrounded by a low-density coronal plasma, the expansion of the exploding wire, the sausage instability （m = 0） in the coronal plasma around each wire, the motion of the coronal plasma as well as the wire core toward the current centroid, the formation of the precursor plasma column with a twist structure something like that of higher mode instability, especially the kink instability （m = 1）.

Research on the Influence of Cutting Condition on the Surface Microstruct ure of Ultra-thin Wall Parts in Ultrasonic Vibration Cutting

In many fields of high-tech industry the ultra-t hi n wall parts are employed. In this paper the experiments were carried out to dis cuss the surface microstructure of the camera’s guided drawtube by applying ult rasonic vibration cutting device to the traditional lathe. The influence rule of the cutting condition on the surface roughness was put forward, which was drawn by comparing the ultrasonic cutting with the common cutting by use of the cemen ted carbide tool and the polycrystalline diamond (PCD) tool. The test results sh owed that the ultrasonic cutting performs better than the common cutting in the same condition. According to the test results analyzing, the surface characteriz ation is influenced clearly by the rigidity of the acoustic system and the machi ne tool, as well the setting height of the tool tip. Otherwise, the dense regula r low frequency vibration ripples will be scraped on the machined surface. When the tool tip is set higher than the rotating center of the work piece by three t imes of the amplitude of ultrasonic vibration, the vibration ripples behave alig ht; they turn light and shade alternatively when the tool tip is lower than the rotating center of the work piece by three times of the amplitude of ultrasonic vibration. According to the test result analyzing, the following conclusions are put forward: 1) The surface roughness in ultrasonic cutting is better than that in common cutting. Under a one third critical cutting velocity, the value of th e surface roughness in ultrasonic cutting rise slightly along with the cutting v elocity, while in common cutting it decreases contrast to the cutting velocity; the curves of the surface roughness in ultrasonic cutting and common cutting see m to be alike, both increase along with the feed rate and the cutting depth, but the value in ultrasonic cutting is smaller in the same condition.2) The influen ce of the coolant on the surface roughness cannot be ignored. The kerosene can b e employed to improve the surface roughness in ultrasonic machining.3) In ultras onic cutting process of aluminum alloy ultra-thin wall work piece, the PCD tool performs better than the cemented carbide tools.4) The vibration ripples result from the not enough rigidity of the acoustic system and the improper setting he ight of the tool tip. The departure of the tool tip from the rotating center of the work piece to some extent causes the vibration ripples on the machined surfa ce.

Parameters Optimization and Energy-Saving of Highway Tunnel Backlighting with LED

In order to acquire the most energy-saving luminairedistribution-parameters(LDPs)of highway tunnel interior zone backlighting,the parameters optimization model(POM)of backlighting for tunnel interior zone was established.Yanlieshan tunnel of Jiujing highway was taken as an example for the optimization.The optimal LDPs of the backlighting system of the tunnel interior zone were obtained by the POM,a comparison between the optimization results and those of Yanlieshan tunnel’s actual lighting system was performed,which showed that the optimized backlighting system with LED lamps installed according to the optimized LDPs could save energy remarkablely even under full capacity lighting condition.Illuminance and illuminance uniformity of the tunnel road surface still met the lighting demands even the LED lamp’s luminance decreased by 30%.A backlighting simulation experiment with the optimized backlighting LDPs for Yanlieshan tunnel was accomplished in the software Dialux.The simulation results basically agreed with the optimization calculated results from the POM which proved the correctness of the backlighting POM.

High-efficiency ultra-thin Cu_(2)ZnSnS_(4) solar cells by double-pressure sputtering with spark plasma sintered quaternary target

In recent years,Cu_(2)ZnSnS_(4)(CZTS)semiconductor materials have received intensive attention in the field of thin-film solar cells owing to its non-toxic and low-cost elements.In this work,double-pressure sputtering technology is applied to obtain highly efficient and ultra-thin(-450 nm)pure Cu_(2)ZnSnS_(4)(CZTS)solar cell.Using mixed materials with sulfides and copper powder as a quaternary target via spark plasma sintering(SPS)method and adopting double-layer sputtering(high+low pressure),a highly adhesive and large-grained CZTS thin film is achieved.As a result,the damage to the surface of Mo contact is decreased so that the reflectivity of incident light can be improved.Moreover,the composition of CZTS film was more uniform and the secondary phase separation at the Mo interface was reduced.Therefore,the interface defect state and deep level defect density in corresponding device with double-pressure is reduced and the ratio of depletion thickness to absorption layer thickness can reached to 0.58,which promoted the collection of photogenerated carriers.Finally,an efficiency of 9.3%for ultra-thin(~450 nm)CZTS film solar cell is obtained.

Wide color gamut switchable autostereoscopic 3D display based on directional quantum-dot backlight

A switchable autostereoscopic 3-dimensional(3D) display device with wide color gamut is introduced in this paper. In conjunction with a novel directional quantum-dot(QD) backlight, the precise scanning control strategy, and the eye-tracking system, this spatial-sequential solution enables our autostereoscopic display to combine all the advantages of full resolution,wide color gamut, low crosstalk, and switchable 2D/3D. And also, we fabricated an autostereoscopic display prototype and demonstrated its performances effectively. The results indicate that our system can both break the limitation of viewing position and provide high-quality 3D images. We present two working modes in this system. In the spatial-sequential mode,the crosstalk is about 6%. In the time-multiplexed mode, the viewer should wear auxiliary and the crosstalk is about 1%,just next to that of a commercial 3D display(BENQ XL2707-B and View Sonic VX2268 WM). Additionally, our system is also completely compatible with active shutter glasses and its 3D resolution is same as its 2D resolution. Because of the excellent properties of the QD material, the color gamut can be widely extended to 77.98% according to the ITU-R recommendation BT.2020(Rec.2020).

Large energy-loss straggling of swift heavy ions in ultra-thin active silicon layers

Monte Carlo simulations reveal considerable straggling of energy loss by the same ions with the same energy in fully-depleted silicon-on-insulator （FDSOI） devices with ultra-thin sensitive silicon layers down to 2.5 rim. The absolute straggling of deposited energy decreases with decreasing thickness of the active silicon layer. While the relative straggling increases gradually with decreasing thickness of silicon films and exhibits a sharp rise as the thickness of the silicon film descends below a threshold value of 50 nm, with the dispersion of deposited energy ascending above ~10%. Ion species and energy dependence of the energy-loss straggling are also investigated. For a given beam, the dispersion of deposited energy results in large uncertainty on the actual linear energy transfer （LET） of incident ions, and thus single event effect （SEE） responses, which pose great challenges for traditional error rate prediction methods.

K_(x)C_(y) phase induced expanded interlayer in ultra-thin carbon toward full potassium-ion capacitors

Carbonaceous materials have been regarded as highly promising anode candidates for potassium storage with their cost-effectiveness and environmental benignity.However,low specific capacity and difficulty in large-scale synthesis largely hinder their further development.Herein,a thermal-induced potassium–carbon alloy phase(K_(x)C_(y))with the expanded interlayer spacing strategy is first put forward.Through in situ high-temperature X-ray diffraction,a K_(2)C_(2) phase is evoked by thermal energy during the in-situ carbonization process of carbon quantum dots intermediate derived from potassium-containing precursors,whereas no lithium or sodium–carbon alloy phase is observed from lithium/sodium-containing precursors.The asobtained ultra-thin carbon nanosheets achieve adjustable layer spacing,preparation in bulk,delivering reversible potassium storage of 403.4 mAh g^(−1) at 100 mA g^(−1) and 161.2 mAh g^(−1) even at 5.0 A g^(−1),which is one of the most impressive K-storage performances reported so far with great potential application.Furthermore,the assembled potassium-ion hybrid capacitor by combining the impressive CFMs-900 anode with the three-dimensional framework-activated carbon delivers a high energy-power density of 251.7 Wh kg^(−1) at 250Wkg^(−1) with long-term stability.This study opens a scalable avenue to realize the expanded interlayer spacing,which can be extended to other multicarboxyl potassium salts and can provide approach for the design of high-performance carbon anode materials for potassium storage.

Oxygen migration triggering molybdenum exposure in oxygen vacancy-rich ultra-thin Bi_(2)MoO_(6) nanoflakes: Dual binding sites governing selective CO_(2) reduction into liquid hydrocarbons

Oxygen vacancy plays vital roles in regulating the electronic and charge distribution of the oxygen deficient materials.Herein,abundant oxygen vacancies are created during assembling the two-dimensional(2D)ultra-thin Bi_(2)MoO_(6) nanoflakes into three dimensional(3D)Bi_(2)MoO_(6) nanospheres,resulting in significantly improved performance for photocatalytical conversion of CO_(2) into liquid hydrocarbons.The increased performance is contributed by two primary sites,namely the abundant oxygen vacancy and the exposed molybdenum(Mo)atom induced by oxygen-migration,as revealed by the theoretical calculation.The oxygen vacancy(Ov)and uncovered Mo atom serving as dual binding sites for trapping CO_(2) molecules render the synchronous fixation-reduction process,resulting in the decline of activation energy for CO_(2) reduction from 2.15 eV on bulk Bi_(2)MoO_(6) to 1.42 eV on Ov-rich Bi_(2)MoO_(6).Such a striking decrease in the activation energy induces the efficient selective generation of liquid hydrocarbons,especially the methanol(C_(2)H_(5) OH)and ethanol(CH_(3) OH).The yields of CH_(3) OH and C_(2)H_(5) OH over the optimal Ov-Bi_(2)MoO_(6) is high up to 106.5 and 10.3μmol g^(-1) respectively,greatly outperforming that on the Bulk-Bi_(2)MoO_(6).

Research on Influence of Cutting Conditions on Roundness of Ultra-thin Wall Parts in Ultrasonic Vibration Cutting

In the paper, the experimental researches were carr ie d out to discuss the roundness forming rule and the influence of cutting paramet ers on roundness by ultrasonic vibration cutting of the camera’s guiding drawtu be with 47.75 mm diameter and 0.6～1.5 mm wall thickness. The research results s h ow that the roundness error of ultra-thin wall parts in ultrasonic vibration cu tting is only one third of that in common cutting. The relations between the rou ndness error and the cutting parameters behave as: (1) The roundness error in co mmon cutting decreases gradually with the rise of cutting speed, while in ultras onic cutting, the roundness changes not obviously till the cutting speed is up t o a value, which is nearly equal to one third of the critical velocity. Then the roundness of workpiece will begin to increase slowly. (2) The roundness error i ncreases along with the feed rate both in common cutting and ultrasonic cutting. (3) Within the range of cutting depth in experiment, the influence of cutting d epth on the roundness error is more obvious in common cutting than that in ultra sonic vibration cutting. The conclusions are useful in machining such precise ul tra-thin wall parts. According to the tests, the following conclusions can be o btained: 1) Compared with common cutting, ultrasonic cutting can decrease effect ively roundness error of the workpiece. Under the same condition, the roundness error of the ultra-thin wall part in ultrasonic turning is about one third of t hat in common cutting. 2) In common cutting, cutting depth and feed rate have mu ch influence on the roundness and the influence of cutting velocity is little. W hile in ultrasonic cutting, the roundness was influenced heavily only when feed rate is more than 0.1 mm/r and cutting speed is more than 1/3 of the critical ro tation speed, cutting depth has little influence on the roundness in the experim ent. 3) Kerosene-oil is an optimum cutting fluid in machining ultra-thin wall workpiece. 4) To machine the ultra-thin wall precision part, ultrasonic cutting is the perfect method which can decrease the roundness error effectively an d ensure high quality of the surface.

Ultra-thin circularly polarized lens antenna based on single-layered transparent metasurface

Circularly polarized （CP） lens antenna has been applied to numerous wireless communication systems based on its unique advantages such as high antenna gain, low manufacturing cost, especially stable data transmission between the transmitter and the receiver. Unfortunately, current available CP lens antennas mostly suffer from high profile, low aperture efficiency as well as complex design. In this paper, we propose an ultra-thin CP lens antenna based on the designed single- layered Pancharatnam-Berry （PB） transparent metasurface with focusing property. The PB metasurface exhibits a high transmissivity, which ensures a high efficiency of the focusing property. Launched the metasurface with a CP patch antenna at its focal point, a low-profile lens antenna is simulated and measured. The experimental results show that our lens antenna exhibits a series of advantages including high radiation gain of 20.7 dB, aperture efficiency better than 41.3%, and also narrow half power beam width （HPBW） of 13°at about 14GHz. Our finding opens a door to realize ultra-thin transparent metasurface with other functionalities or at other working frequencies.

New process for production of ultra-thin grain oriented silicon steel

The Hi-B silicon steels were cold rolled by cross shear rolling (CSR) with different mismatch speed ratio(MSR)s and conventional rolling(CR) respectively, followed by primary recrystallization annealing. The effects of MSR and annealing temperature on magnetic properties of ultra-thin grain oriented silicon steel were analyzed. Experimental results show that, with the increase of MSR, the magnetic properties can be remarkably improved. The higher the annealing temperature is, the higher the magnetic induction and the lower the iron loss in ultra-thin silicon steel is.

The conduction mechanism of stress induced leakage current through ultra-thin gate oxide under constant voltage stresses

The conduction mechanism of stress induced leakage current （SILC） through 2nm gate oxide is studied over a gate voltage range between 1.7V and stress voltage under constant voltage stress （CVS）. The simulation results show that the SILC is formed by trap-assisted tunnelling （TAT） process which is dominated by oxide traps induced by high field stresses. Their energy levels obtained by this work are approximately 1.9eV from the oxide conduction band, and the traps are believed to be the oxygen-related donor-like defects induced by high field stresses. The dependence of the trap density on stress time and oxide electric field is also investigated.

Electrically Tunable Energy Bandgap in Dual-Gated Ultra-Thin Black Phosphorus Field Effect Transistors

The energy bandgap is an intrinsic character of semiconductors, which largely determines their properties. The ability to continuously and reversibly tune the bandgap of a single device during real time operation is of great importance not only to device physics but also to technological applications. Here we demonstrate a widely tunable bandgap of few-layer black phosphorus （BP） by the application of vertical electric field in dual-gated BP field-effect transistors. A total bandgap reduction of 124 meV is observed when the electrical displacement field is increased from 0.10 V/nm to 0.83 V/nm. Our results suggest appealing potential for few-layer BP as a tunable bandgap material in infrared optoelectronies, thermoelectric power generation and thermal imaging.