Study on the Magnetic Noise Characteristics of Amorphous and Nanocrystalline Inner Magnetic Shield Layers of SERF Co-Magnetometer

With the widespread use of magneto-sensitive elements, magnetic shields are an important part of electronic equipment, ultra-sensitive atomic sensors, and in basic physics experiments. Particularly in Spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) co-magnetometers, the magnetic shield is an important component for maintaining the SERF state. However, the inherent noise of magnetic shield materials is an important factor limiting the measurement sensitivity and accuracy of SERF co-magnetometers. In this paper, both amorphous and nanocrystalline materials were designed and applied as the innermost magnetic shield of an SERF co-magnetometer. Magnetic noise characteristics of different amorphous and nanocrystalline materials used as the internal magnetic shielding layer of the magnetic shielding system were analyzed. In addition, the effects on magnetic noise due to adding aluminum to amorphous and nanocrystalline materials were studied. The experimental results show that compared with an amorphous material, a nanocrystalline material as the inner magnetic shield layer can effectively reduce the magnetic noise and improve the sensitivity and precision of the rotation measurement. Nanocrystalline material is very promising for inner shield composition in SERF co-magnetometers. Furthermore, its ultra-thin structure and low cost have significant application value in the miniaturization of SERF co-magnetometers

Preparation and characterisation of laterally monofluorinated mesogenic benzimidazole-based compounds

<p>Series of laterally monofluorinated compounds, 2-(4ʹ-alkoxy-3-fluorobiphenyl-4-yl)-1<i>H</i>-benzimidazole derivatives (nPPF(3)Mx) bearing different substituents (H, CH₃, NO₂, coded as nPPF(3)MH, nPPF(3)MM and nPPF(3)MN, respectively) at 5-position, were prepared and their structures were characterised. According to the results from differential scanning calorimetry and polarising optical microscopy, the present compounds nPPF(3)Mx exhibit enantiotropic smectic mesophases, for which the mesophase ranges are 13–67 and 47–111°C on heating and cooling for nPPF(3)MH, 84–112 and 126–154°C for nPPF(3)MM, and 23–102 and 49–117°C for nPPF(3)MN, respectively. Compared to non-fluorinated analogues, monofluorinated nPPF(3)Mx have low melting/clearing points and display enhanced mesophase range both in heating and cooling, which are attributed to the disruption of the side-to-side intermolecular packing caused by the <i>ortho</i> lateral fluoro substituents and the increased dipole–dipole interaction between the polar fluoro-substituted molecules, respectively. It is noted that nPPF(3)MM and nPPF(3)MN show a much wider mesophase range than nPPF(3)MH, which suggest that the substituent at benzimidazole moiety can improve the mesophase stability.</p

Preparation and properties of laterally multifluorinated benzoxazole-based nematic mesogens

<p>Series of laterally multifluorinated heterocyclic compounds, 2-(2ʹ,3-difluoro-4ʹ-alkoxy-1,1ʹ-biphenyl-4-yl)-benzoxazole derivatives (nPF(2)PF(3)Bx), are prepared and characterised. They mainly display enantiotropic nematic mesophases with wider mesophase ranges of 12–107°C (heating process) and 22–134°C (cooling process) than the corresponding analogues. The enhanced nematic mesophase stability is achieved via slightly increasing inter-ring twist angle with inter-ring lateral fluorine substitute in biphenyl unit, as well as through improving the molecular polarity with multifluorine substitutes. Meanwhile, two inter-ring lateral fluorine atoms lead to a decrease in melting/clearing points and a wide nematic mesophase range, which makes it possible for heterocyclic mesogens nPF(2)PF(3)Bx to use in nematic liquid crystal display mixtures.</p

Synthesis and mesomorphic properties of benzoxazole derivatives with lateral multifluoro substituents

<p>Fluorinated aromatics is generally chosen as mesogenic cores to design novel liquid crystal compounds. Here, a series of benzoxazole derivatives with laterally multifluorinated biphenyl units, 2-(3′,3-difluoro −4′-alkoxy-1,1′-biphenyl-4-yl)-benzoxazole derivatives (coded as nPF(3)PF(3)Bx), are synthesized and characterized, where methyl and nitro moieties are selected as terminal groups to investigate the effects of different polar substituents on the liquid crystal properties. The compounds nPF(3)PF(3)Bx show enantiotropic mesophases with mesophase ranges of 0–40°C and 0–63°C on heating and cooling for hydrogen-terminated derivatives (nPF(3)PF(3)BH), 43–93°C and 54–123°C for methyl-terminated ones (nPF(3)PF(3)BM), 60–108°C and 74–152°C for nitro terminated ones (nPF(3)PF(3)BN), respectively. They exhibit photoluminescence emission peaks at 390–392 nm and UV–vis absorption bands with maxima at 327–330 nm, respectively. The results reveal that lateral multifluoro substituents lead to a decrease in melting/clearing points, while electron-withdrawing terminal nitro moiety results in increases in both melting point and mesophase range.</p