602 research outputs found
Nuclear recoil energy scale in liquid xenon with application to the direct detection of dark matter
We show for the first time that the quenching of electronic excitation from
nuclear recoils in liquid xenon is well-described by Lindhard theory, if the
nuclear recoil energy is reconstructed using the combined (scintillation and
ionization) energy scale proposed by Shutt {\it et al.}. We argue for the
adoption of this perspective in favor of the existing preference for
reconstructing nuclear recoil energy solely from primary scintillation. We show
that signal partitioning into scintillation and ionization is well-described by
the Thomas-Imel box model. We discuss the implications for liquid xenon
detectors aimed at the direct detection of dark matter
Evaluation of the performance of self-healing concrete at small and large scale under laboratory conditions
HEALCON is an EU-FP7 project which aims to develop self-healing concrete to create durable and
sustainable concrete structures. While during the first years of the project the self-healing materials
(including the healing agents and suitable encapsulation methodologies) and monitoring techniques
were designed and tested at lab-scale, large scale elements have been tested near the end of the
project to verify the feasibility and efficiency of the self-healing concrete under conditions closer to
reality.
For this paper, two types of healing agents were investigated for use in mortar and concrete. The
first type of healing agent studied was a coated superabsorbent polymer (C-SAP). It is known that
the autogenous healing capacity is increased by incorporation of superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) in
mortar/concrete. The agents present in the crack can absorb intruding water, swell and block the
crack, leading to immediate sealing, but can also exude moisture to the surrounding concrete
environment stimulating healing of the concrete by hydration of unreacted cement particles or by
CaCO3 precipitation. The disadvantage of these SAPs in the fresh mortar/concrete mix is however
that they absorb large quantities of mixing water, leading to unwanted effects (e.g. loss of
workability and macro-pore formation). By coating of the SAPs, we want to eliminate this
disadvantage. The fluid bed spraying of the different layers was applied by VTT. A second healing
agent studied, is a biogenic healing agent, namely a Mixed Ureolytic Culture (MUC). This type of
healing agent was developed by Avecom in order to reduce the cost associated with the production
of pure bacterial strains. This mixed ureolytic culture is moreover self-protecting and does not need
any further encapsulation.
At first, the performance of the healing agents itself was evaluated. For the coated SAPs, the
swelling performance and swelling rate were determined, showing that the coating can limit the
uptake of water during the first 10-15 minutes. For the MUC, the ureolytic and CaCO3 precipitating
capacity was determined, immediately after production of the MUC and after 3 months of storage.
The results show the potential of these mixed cultures to be used as self-healing agent in
mortar/concrete, but also show a decrease of their effectiveness with time.
Subsequently, the healing agents were incorporated in mortar mixes at UGent. A dosage of 1 wt%
relative to the cement content caused a large reduction of the mechanical properties of the mortar
(up to ~ 50%), except for the coated SAP. The sealing efficiency was evaluated with the water flow
test, as designed by one of the project partners in HEALCON. The performance of reference mixes
was compared to that of self-healing mixes with SAP, coated SAP or MUC (+ urea). Results
showed that for cracks with a width less than 0.150 mm, all mortars were sealed (almost)
completely after storage for 28 days in wet-dry environment (12 h wet – 12 h dry) after crack
creation. For cracks with a larger width, differences were noticed between the different specimens.
Moreover, also the immediate sealing effect induced by the presence of SAPs could be noticed. It
has to be noted however that the crack width plays an important role but is varying along the crack
length (within a specimen) and between specimens, making the analysis more difficult.
In order to extend the application to concrete, self-healing and reference reinforced concrete beams
(2500 x 400 x 200 mm) were produced at the Danish Technological Institute. The self-healing
concretes contained coated SAPs or MUC. Moreover, the beams were equipped with corrosion
sensors that are connected to a wireless monitoring system, developed by the Technology-Transfer-
Initiative at the University of Stuttgart. The multi reference electrodes (MuRE) were installed
alongside the reinforcements and measure the corrosion potential at certain positions. Data is
collected in sufficiently dense intervals by battery powered nodes that transmit the data wirelessly to
a base station and further on to a database where it can be accessed through a web based application
for data analysis over the internet.
At the age of 28 days, three-point bending cracks up to 0.6 mm were created in the beams.
Subsequently, the beams were regularly sprayed with water (four times one hour per day) for 6
weeks and afterwards, the beams were, once a week, exposed to 3 wt% NaCl solution for 24 h.
Evaluation of the self-healing performance by microscopic analysis (crack microscopy and analysis
of thin sections) showed that for the reference beam and beam with MUC no significant healing
could be noticed (probably because of insufficient supply of nutrients for the bacteria). For the
beams with coated SAPs, the smaller cracks (0.1 and 0.2 mm) were partly closed. Continuous
corrosion monitoring showed corrosion in the reference and MUC beams already after the first
exposure to NaCl solution. Onset of corrosion was delayed in the case the beams contained coated
SAPs
Adding some Dirt to Clean energy: Applying clay nanocomposites in solar cells
Polymer clay nanocomposite (PCN) thin films have found application across a number of applications, ranging from oxygen barriers to flame retardants, where their resistance to molecular gas diffusion has proven remarkably effective, even in films only a few hundred nanometers thick. Deposited using a layer-by-layer processing approach that takes advantage of self-assembly of the constituent components, these composite thin films comprise highly organized, alternating molecular layers of functional polymers and exfoliated clay platelets, commonly montmorillonite or vermiculite. Here, we explore the potential application and utility of PCN thin films in solar cells, where they serve as conformal, transparent barrier films with the potential to impact solar cell lifetime, reliability, and safety. Solar cell failures commonly result when environmental moisture and corrosive or reactive gases penetrate a cell’s encapsulant. Moreover, such cell degradation can manifest as a gradual decline in solar cell performance or, in the case when degradation leads to significantly damaged electrical elements, much more dramatic arc-faults that can lead to complete and dramatic module failure, even igniting module fires. Here, we describe how the unique nanostructure, materials chemistry, and gas barrier properties of PCNs offer promise toward addressing these challenges. Applying the PCN coatings to various elements of a solar cell module, we demonstrate the efficacy of PCNs as gas barriers, corrosion inhibitors, and arc-fault flammability mitigators. I will discuss here not only the results of our studies but also potential mechanisms for effective PCN function and present some apparent limitations of select approaches to PCN integration. These results reveal significant potential for PCNs to impact photovoltaic and other energy-related technologies, and our work highlights how these diverse, highly functional thin films may offer tremendous new opportunities for other next generation materials advances.
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On the single mode approximation in spinor-1 atomic condensate
We investigate the validity conditions of the single mode approximation (SMA)
in spinor-1 atomic condensate when effects due to residual magnetic fields are
negligible. For atomic interactions of the ferromagnetic type, the SMA is shown
to be exact, with a mode function different from what is commonly used.
However, the quantitative deviation is small under current experimental
conditions (for Rb atoms). For anti-ferromagnetic interactions, we find
that the SMA becomes invalid in general. The differences among the mean field
mode functions for the three spin components are shown to depend strongly on
the system magnetization. Our results can be important for studies of beyond
mean field quantum correlations, such as fragmentation, spin squeezing, and
multi-partite entanglement.Comment: Revised, newly found analytic proof adde
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Synchrotron X-Ray Study of the Thickness Dependence of the Phase Diagram of Thin Liquid-Crystal Films
The phase diagram of freely suspended thin films of heptyloxybenzylidene-heptylaniline shows dramatic changes for thicknesses below 22 layers. The most surprising feature of the phase diagram is the inclusion of two phases lacking long-range crystalline order (smectic-F and hexatic-B phases) between two crystalline phases (crystalline smectic B and smectic G). Neither the smectic F nor the hexatic B occurs in bulk samples. Between sixteen and ten layers the width, in temperature, of the hexatic-B phase increases.Engineering and Applied Science
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