Reconstruction and thermal stability of the cubic SiC(001) surfaces

The (001) surfaces of cubic SiC were investigated with ab-initio molecular dynamics simulations. We show that C-terminated surfaces can have different c(2x2) and p(2x1) reconstructions, depending on preparation conditions and thermal treatment, and we suggest experimental probes to identify the various reconstructed geometries. Furthermore we show that Si-terminated surfaces exhibit a p(2x1) reconstruction at T=0, whereas above room temperature they oscillate between a dimer row and an ideal geometry below 500 K, and sample several patterns including a c(4x2) above 500 K.Comment: 12 pages, RevTeX, figures 1 and 2 available in gif form at http://irrmawww.epfl.ch/fg/sic/fig1.gif and http://irrmawww.epfl.ch/fg/sic/fig2.gi

Aggregation and settling in aqueous polydisperse alumina nanoparticle suspensions

Nanoparticle suspensions (also called nanofluids) are often polydisperse and tend to settle with time. Settling kinetics in these systems are known to be complex and hence challenging to understand. In this work, polydisperse spherical alumina (Al2O3) nanoparticles in the size range of ~10-100nm were dispersed in water and examined for aggregation and settling behaviour near its isoelectric point (IEP). A series of settling experiments were conducted and the results were analysed by photography and by Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS). The settling curve obtained from standard bed height measurement experiments indicated two different types of behaviour, both of which were also seen in the SAXS data. But the SAXS data were remarkably able to pick out the rapid settling regime as a result of the high temporal resolution (10s) used. By monitoring the SAXS intensity, it was further possible to record the particle aggregation process for the first time. Optical microscopy images were produced on drying and dried droplets extracted from the suspension at various times. Dried deposits showed the rapid decrease in the number of very large particles with time which qualitatively validates the SAXS prediction, and therefore its suitability as a tool to study unstable polydisperse colloids. Keywords: Nanoparticles, nanofluids, polydisperse, aggregation, settling, alumina, microscopy, SAX

Acoustic measurements of a liquefied cohesive sediment bed under waves

In this article the response of a cohesive sediment deposit under the action of water waves is studied with the help of laboratory experiments and an analytical model. Under the same regular wave condition three different bed responses were observed depending on the degree of consolidation of the deposit: no bed motion, bed motion of the upper layer after the action of the first waves, and massive bed motion after several waves. The kinematic of the upper 3 cm of the deposit were measured with an ultrasound acoustic profiler, while the pore-water pressure inside the bed was simultaneously measured using several pore pressure sensors. A poro-elastic model was developed to interpret the experimental observations. The model showed that the amplitude of the shear stress increased down into the bed. Then it is possible that the lower layers of the deposit experience plastic deformations, while the upper layers present just elastic deformations. Since plastic deformations in the lower layers are necessary for pore pressure build-up, the analytical model was used to interpret the experimental results and to state that liquefaction of a self consolidated cohesive sediment bed would only occur if the bed yield stress falls within the range defined by the amplitude of the shear stress inside the bed