33,517 research outputs found
Structure, bonding and morphology of hydrothermally synthesised xonotlite
The authors have systematically investigated the role of synthesis conditions upon the structure and morphology of xonotlite. Starting with a mechanochemically prepared, semicrystalline phase with Ca/Si=1, the authors have prepared a series of xonotlite samples hydrothermally, at temperatures between 200 and 250 degrees C. Analysis in each case was by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, environmental scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The authors’ use of a much lower water/solid ratio has indirectly confirmed the ‘through solution’ mechanism of xonotlite formation, where silicate dissolution is a key precursor of xonotlite formation. Concerning the role of temperature, too low a temperature (~200 degrees C) fails to yield xonotlite or leads to increased number of structural defects in the silicate chains of xonotlite and too high a temperature (>250 degrees C) leads to degradation of the xonotlite structure, through leaching of interchain calcium. Synthesis duration meanwhile leads to increased silicate polymerisation due to diminishing of the defects in the silicate chains and more perfect crystal morphologies
The Effects of Prehydration on Cement Performance
This study investigated the effects of cement prehydration on cement’s engineering properties. Anhydrous cement was exposed over a saturated KCl solution to maintain 85% RH, for 7 and 28 days. Mortar and cement pastes were tested for strength, workability and setting time, with sample analysis by XRD and DTA. Results showed a decreased reactivity of the prehydrated cements resulting in reduced strength and increased setting times. We propose that this may be due to an upset of the sulphate balance in the cement upon prehydration
The importance of electron-electron interactions in the RKKY coupling in graphene
We show that the carrier-mediated exchange interaction, the so-called RKKY
coupling, between two magnetic impurity moments in graphene is significantly
modified in the presence of electron-electron interactions. Using the
mean-field approximation of the Hubbard- model we show that the
-oscillations present in the bulk for
non-interacting electrons disappear and the power-law decay becomes more long
ranged with increasing electron interactions. In zigzag graphene nanoribbons
the effects are even larger with any finite rendering the long-distance
RKKY coupling distance independent. Comparing our mean-field results with
first-principles results we also extract a surprisingly large value of
indicating that graphene is very close to an antiferromagnetic instability.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
The possibility of measuring intrinsic electronic correlations in graphene using a d-wave contact Josephson junction
While not widely recognized, electronic correlations might play an important
role in graphene. Indeed, Pauling's resonance valence bond (RVB) theory for the
pp-bonded planar organic molecules, of which graphene is the infinite
extension, already established the importance of the nearest neighbor
spin-singlet bond (SB) state in these materials. However, despite the recent
growth of interest in graphene, there is still no quantitative estimate of the
effects of Coulomb repulsion in either undoped or doped graphene. Here we use a
tight-binding Bogoliubov-de Gennes (TB BdG) formalism to show that in
unconventional d-wave contact graphene Josephson junctions the intrinsic SB
correlations are strongly enhanced. We show on a striking effect of the SB
correlations in both proximity effect and Josephson current as well as
establishing a 1/(T-T_c) functional dependence for the superconducting decay
length. Here T_c is the superconducting transition temperature for the
intrinsic SB correlations, which depends on both the effects of Coulomb
repulsion and the doping level. We therefore propose that d-wave contact
graphene Josephson junctions will provide a promising experimental system for
the measurement of the effective strength of intrinsic SB correlations in
graphene.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
The effect of nearest neighbor spin-singlet correlations in conventional graphene SNS Josephson junctions
Using the self-consistent tight-binding Bogoliubov-de Gennes formalism we
have studied the effect of nearest neighbor spin-singlet bond (SB) correlations
on Josephson coupling and proximity effect in graphene SNS Josephson junctions
with conventional s-wave superconducting contacts. Despite the s-wave
superconducting state in the contacts, the SB pairing state inside the junction
has d-wave symmetry and clean, sharp interface junctions resemble a
'bulk-meets-bulk' situation with very little interaction between the two
different superconducting states. In fact, due to a finite-size suppression of
the superconducting state, a stronger SB coupling constant than in the bulk is
needed in order to achieve SB pairing in a junction. For both short clean
zigzag and armchair junctions a d-wave state that has a zero Josephson coupling
to the s-wave state is chosen and therefore the Josephson current decreases
when a SB pairing state develops in these junctions. In more realistic
junctions, with smoother doping profiles and atomic scale disorder at the
interfaces, it is possible to achieve some coupling between the contact s-wave
state and the SB d-wave states. In addition, by breaking the appropriate
lattice symmetry at the interface in order to induce another d-wave state, a
non-zero Josephson coupling can be achieved which leads to a substantial
increase in the Josephson current. We also report on the LDOS of the junctions
and on a lack of zero energy states at interfaces despite the unconventional
order parameters, which we attribute to the near degeneracy of the two d-wave
solutions and their mixing at a general interface.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures. Typos correcte
Odd-frequency superconducting pairing in topological insulators
We discuss the appearance of odd-frequency spin-triplet s-wave
superconductivity, first proposed by Berezinskii [{\it JETP} {\bf 20}, 287
(1974)], on the surface of a topological insulator proximity coupled to a
conventional spin-singlet s-wave superconductor. Using both analytical and
numerical methods we show that this disorder robust odd-frequency state is
present whenever there is an in-surface gradient in the proximity induced gap,
including superconductor-normal state (SN) junctions. The time-independent
order parameter for the odd-frequency superconductor is proportional to the
in-surface gap gradient. The induced odd-frequency component does not produce
any low-energy states.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures. v2 contains minor changes + supplementary
materia
The Behaviour of Finely Ground Bottom Ash in Portland Cement
The aim of this project was to assess the effects of finely ground MSWI bottom ash in Portland cement. Mortar mixes were prepared with 10% and 40% replacement of cement by ground IBA and then tested with regards to their material composition and engineering behaviour. IBA was found not to be inert, but showed some degree of reactivity. Replacement of cement with IBA was found to have no detrimental effects at low concentrations. This was not the case for 40% replacement, where cement replacement greatly affected strength, creep and drying shrinkage
Triplet proximity effect and odd-frequency pairing in graphene
We study the interplay between proximity-induced superconductivity and
ferromagnetism in graphene by self-consistently solving the Bogoliubov-de
Gennes equations on the honeycomb lattice. We find that a strong triplet
proximity effect is generated in graphene, leading to odd-frequency pairing
correlations. These odd-frequency correlations are clearly manifested in the
local density of states of the graphene sheet, which can be probed via
STM-measurements. Motivated by recent experiments on SNS graphene
Josephson junctions, we also study the spectrum of Andreev-bound states formed
in the normal region due to the proximity effect. Our results may be useful for
interpreting spectroscopic data and can also serve as a guideline for future
experiments.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to Physical Review
The Effect of Co-Combusted Biomass-Coal Fly Ash on the Behaviour Portland Cement
This project has investigated the hydration behaviour of pfa-OPC blended cements, comparing conventional pfa with that obtained from co-firing of coal with biomass (palm kernel expeller). Calorimetry, thermal analysis and electron microscopy have been used to investigate the compositions and microstructures of the hydrated pastes. These have been used to explain the materials’ engineering properties (strength development and workability). The results showed that, in the short term, the behaviour of the co-fired material is comparable with that of conventional pfa, there being no discernable differences between the two systems
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