Time Reversal Aided Bidirectional OFDM Underwater Cooperative Communication Algorithm with the Same Frequency Transmission

In underwater acoustic channel, signal transmission may experience significant latency and attenuation that would degrade the performance of underwater communication. The cooperative communication technique can solve it but the spectrum efficiency is lower than traditional underwater communication. So we proposed a time reversal aided bidirectional OFDM underwater cooperative communication algorithm. The algorithm allows all underwater sensor nodes to share the same uplink and downlink frequency simultaneously to improve the spectrum efficiency. Since the same frequency transmission would produce larger intersymbol interference, we adopted the time reversal method to degrade the multipath interference at first; then we utilized the self-information cancelation module to remove the self-signal of OFDM block because it is known for sensor nodes. In the simulation part, we compare our proposed algorithm with the existing underwater cooperative transmission algorithms in respect of bit error ratio, transmission rate, and computation. The results show that our proposed algorithm has double spectrum efficiency under the same bit error ratio and has the higher transmission rate than the other underwater communication methods

Prominent Size Effects without a Depolarization Field Observed in Ultrathin Ferroelectric Oxide Membranes

The increasing miniaturization of electronics requires a better understanding of material properties at the nanoscale. Many studies have shown that there is a ferroelectric size limit in oxides, below which the ferroelectricity will be strongly suppressed due to the depolarization field, and whether such a limit still exists in the absence of the depolarization field remains unclear. Here, by applying uniaxial strain, we obtain pure in-plane polarized ferroelectricity in ultrathin SrTiO3 membranes, providing a clean system with high tunability to explore ferroelectric size effects especially the thickness-dependent ferroelectric instability with no depolarization field. Surprisingly, the domain size, ferroelectric transition temperature, and critical strain for room-temperature ferroelectricity all exhibit significant thickness dependence. These results indicate that the stability of ferroelectricity is suppressed (enhanced) by increasing the surface or bulk ratio (strain), which can be explained by considering the thickness-dependent dipole-dipole interactions within the transverse Ising model. Our study provides new insights into ferroelectric size effects and sheds light on the applications of ferroelectric thin films in nanoelectronics

Multiple local symmetries result in a common average polar axis in high strain BiFeO3 based ceramics

For the first time, the origin of large electrostrain in pseudocubic BiFeO3-based ceramics is verified with direct structural evidence backed by appropriate simulations. We employ advanced structural and microstructural characterisations of BiFeO3 based ceramics that exhibit large electrostrain (>0.4%) to reveal the existence of multiple, nanoscale local symmetries, dominantly tetragonal/orthorhombic, which have a common, averaged direction of polarisation over larger, meso/micro-scale regions. Phase-field simulations confirm the existence of local nanoscale symmetries, thereby providing a new vision for designing high-performance lead-free ceramics for high strain actuators

Design of super-elastic freestanding ferroelectric thin films guided by phase-field simulations

Understanding the dynamic behavior of domain structures is critical to the design and application of super-elastic freestanding ferroelectric thin films. Phase-field simulations represent a powerful tool for observing, exploring and revealing the domain-switching behavior and phase transitions in ferroelectric materials at the mesoscopic scale. This review summarizes the recent theoretical progress regarding phase-field methods in freestanding ferroelectric thin films and novel buckling-induced wrinkled and helical structures. Furthermore, the strong coupling relationship between strain and ferroelectric polarization in super-elastic ferroelectric nanostructures is confirmed and discussed, resulting in new design strategies for the strain engineering of freestanding ferroelectric thin film systems. Finally, to further promote the innovative development and application of freestanding ferroelectric thin film systems, this review provides a summary and outlook on the theoretical modeling of freestanding ferroelectric thin films

A comparison study of solving diffusion equations with different algorithm methods

A comparison study for solving diffusion equations with different algorithm methods is studied to understand the oxygen vacancy defect transport under the electric field. We compare computational efficiency and numerical accuracy with different algorithm methods, including finite difference, finite element (COMSOL), and Fourier-Chebysev spectral methods. All the results of oxygen vacancy distribution under an electric field from different algorithm methods are compared with the analytical solution results. Two kinds of boundary conditions are used in solving diffusion equations and the absolute error of different methods are discussed. The main purpose of these results is to provide guidance for studying the role of point defect transport in the degradation and breakdown of devices

Thickness Dependence of Switching Behavior in Ferroelectric BiFeO3 Thin Films: A Phase-Field Simulation

A phase-field approach to the analysis of the thickness effects in electric-field-induced domain switching in BiFeO3 thin films has been formulated. Time evolutions of domain switching percentage for films with different thicknesses were explored to reveal the primary switching path and its dependence on film thickness. In addition, hysteresis loop for these films were calculated to obtain their coercive fields. Results show a nonlinear thickness dependence of coercive field for ultrathin films. A parametric study of the interactions between film thickness, coercive field, current-voltage (I-V) response, and polarization switching behavior is herein discussed, which could provide physical insights into materials engineering

Simulation of Magnetically-Actuated Functional Gradient Nanocomposites

Magnetically-actuated functional gradient nanocomposites can be locally modulated to generate unprecedented mechanical gradients that can be applied to various interfaces and surfaces through following the design principles of natural biological materials. However, a key question is how to modulate the concentration of magnetic particles using an external magnetic field. Here, we propose a model to obtain the gradient concentration distribution of magnetic particles and mechanical gradients. The results show that three states exist when the magnetic force changes in the z direction, including the unchanging state, the stable gradient state, and the over-accumulation state, which are consistent with experiment results. If both radial and axial magnetic forces are present, the inhomogeneity of magnetic–particle distribution in two dimensions was found to break the functional gradient. Furthermore, the size effects of a functional gradient sample were studied, which indicated that adjusting the magnetic force and diffusion constant would enable larger nanocomposites samples to generate functional gradients