High-temperature interactions of molten Ti-Al, Ni-Al and Ni-B alloys with TiB2 ceramic

Untersuchungen der Hochtemperaturbenetzung und Grenzfächeninteraktionen in Flüssigmetall/Übergangsmetall-Diborid-Systemen werden durch die technologische Nachfrage nach qualitative hochwertigen Metall-Matrix-Kompositen und verläßlichen Verbindungen von Ultrahochtemperaturkeramiken für aggressive chemische und/oder thermische Umgebungen angetrieben. Die physikalischen und chemischen Charakteristika der Metall/Keramik-Grenzflächen (z.B. die Benetzungskinetik, Grenzflächenreaktionen und die Phasenbildung) sind unerläßlich um die fundamentalen Mechanismen, die kontrollierenden technologischen Parameter, sowie die definierenden Eigenschaften und die Qualität des Endprodukts zu verstehen. Die Methode des liegenden Tropfens (engl. sessile drop method) ist die am häufigsten verwendete Verfahren für die quantitative Charakterisierung der Benetzungseigenschaften und für die direkte Untersuchung von Grenzflächeninteraktionen zwischen Flüssigmetall und festen Substraten unter Zuhilfenahme von Mikroskopie. Der Fokus dieser Arbeit liegt auf der Hochtemperaturbenetzung und den Grenzflächeninteraktionen von geschmolzenen reinem Al und Ti-Al, Ni-Al und Ni-B Schmelzen mit der TiB2 Ultrahochtemperaturkeramik. Die über die Methode des liegenden Tropfens hergestellten Metall/Keramik Verbunde werden hauptsächlich mittels Rasterelektronenmikroskopie gekoppelt mit energiedispersiver Röntgenspektroskopie sowie Röntgenbeugung untersucht. Die temperatur- und zeitabhängige Benetzung von flüssigem Al auf der TiB2 Keramik wurde mittels der klassischen Technik des liegenden Tropfens und der sogenannten dispensed drop technique (engl.) über einen weiten Temperaturbereich untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass mit ansteigender Temperatur die Benetzung bedeutend schneller abläuft. Die beiden Methoden liefern einen Unterschied in der Benetzungstemperatur von etwa 300°C aufgrund der nativen Oxidschicht auf der Al-Oberfläche bei dem klassischen Sessile-drop Versuch. Beginnend bei 1000°C füllt das flüssige Al entweder die intergranularen Poren auf oder dringt entlang der Korngrenzen in das TiB2 Substrat ein. Es wurde keine Reaktion im Al/TiB2 System beobachtet. Die Grenzflächeninteraktionen zwischen Ti-Al Schmelzen und der TiB2 Keramik wurden mit der klassischen Technik des liegenden Tropfens untersucht, da ein passender Tiegel für flüssiges Ti und Ti-haltige Schmelzen nicht vorhanden war. Für reines Ti auf TiB2 setzt das Schmelzen bei etwa 120 °C unter seinem Schmelzpunkt ein, wie aus Untersuchungen der Form und Struktur der erstarrten Ti/TiB2 Proben hervorgeht. Dies wird durch Festkörperdiffusion von B aus dem Substrat in die Ti Probe hinein und einer Verschiebung der Zusammensetzung von reinem Ti zu einer Ti-B Legierung in der substratnahen Region verursacht. Die Rolle von Al scheint für das Eindringen von Ti-Al Schmelzen entlang von Krongrenzen in das Keramiksubstrat von größerer Bedeutung zu sein als die Rolle der Temperatur. Die Benetzung und Grenzflächeninteraktionen zwischen Ni-Al Schmelzen und TiB2 wurden mit dem dispensed drop Verfahren untersucht. Flüssige Ni-Al Legierungen zeigen deutlich unterschiedliche Benetzungsverhalten auf dem TiB2 Substrat in Abhängigkeit von Legierungszusammensetzung und Testbedingungen. Das Verhalten von Ni-Al Schmelzen auf TiB2 Keramik verändert sich von einem auflösenden, reaktiven Benetzen (engl. dissolutive, reactive wetting) auf der Ni-reichen Seite zu einem nicht-reaktiven Benetzen auf der Al-reichen Seite. Die Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass der Ni-Gehalt in Ni-Al Legierungen eine Hauptursache für die Veränderungen der Substratauflösung und der geometrischen Konfiguration an der Metall/Keramik Grenzfläche ist. Um den Einfluss des Ni-Gehalts auf die Auflösung von TiB2 zu verstehen wurde das Schmelzen und Benetzen von Ni83B17 und Ni50B50 Legierungen auf der TiB2 Keramik mittels der klassischen Technik des liegenden Tropfens im Hinblick auf mögliches fügen von TiB2 Keramiken untersucht. Basierend auf den Benetzungstest wurden Zwischenschichten der Ni50B50 Legierung verwendet um TiB2 Keramiken zu Verbinden. In dieser Arbeit wurde die Technik des liegenden Tropfens erfolgreich angewandt um die Hochtemperaturbenetzung und die Grenzflächeninteraktionen zwischen flüssigen Al, Ti-Al, Ni-Al und Ni-B Legierungen und keramischem TiB2 zu untersuchen. Die in dieser Arbeit erhaltenen Ergebnisse ermöglichen ein besseres Verständis der Interaktionsmechanismen zwischen flüssigen Al, Ti-Al, Ni-Al und Ni-B Legierungen und TiB2 keramik in diesen Systemen ermöglichen und Erstellung von Richtlinien für die Herstellung von Metall-Matrix-Verbunden und/oder Keramik-Matrix-Verbunden sowie für die Verbindung von keramischen TiB2 Teilen für strukturelle Hochtemperaturanwendungen dar.Investigations of high-temperature wetting and interfacial interactions in liquid metal/transition-metal diboride systems are driven by technological demand in obtaining high-quality metal matrix composites and reliable joining of ultrahigh-temperature ceramics for aggressive chemical and/or thermal environments. The physical and chemical characteristics of metal/ceramic interface (e.g. wetting kinetics, interfacial reactions and phase formation) are indispensable for understanding the fundamental mechanisms, controlling technological parameters, and defining the properties and quality of final products. The sessile drop method is the most commonly used for quantitative characterization of the wetting properties and direct investigations of the interfacial interactions between a liquid metal and a solid substrate with the help of microscopy. This thesis is focused on the high-temperature wetting and interfacial interactions of molten pure Al and Ti-Al, Ni-Al and Ni-B alloys with TiB2 ultra-high-temperature ceramic. The metal/ceramic couples after the sessile drop tests are mainly characterized using scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The temperature- and time-dependent wetting between the liquid Al and TiB2 ceramic over a wide temperature range was investigated using the classical sessile drop and dispensed drop techniques. The results showed that the wetting was significantly accelerated with increasing temperature. A difference of the wetting temperature by these two techniques was about 300 °C, due to the native oxide film present on the Al surface in the classical sessile drop tests. Starting from 1000 °C, liquid Al either filled the inter-grain pores or penetrated along the grain boundaries of the TiB2 substrate but there was no reaction observed in the Al/TiB2 system. The interfacial interactions between Ti-Al melts and TiB2 ceramic were studied by the classical sessile drop technique due to the absence of appropriate crucible for liquid Ti and Ti-containing melts. Pure Ti on TiB2 exhibited an incipient melting at about 120 °C below its melting point in view of the shape and structure of the solidified Ti/TiB2 couple. It was caused by the solid state diffusion of boron from the substrate into the Ti sample and a composition shift from pure Ti to a Ti-B alloy in the near-substrate region. In comparison to pure Ti, the role of Al in the penetration of Ti-Al melts penetration along the grain boundaries in the ceramic seemed to be more important than that of temperature in this study. The wetting and interfacial interactions between Ni-Al molten alloys and TiB2 were investigated using the dispensed drop technique. Liquid Ni-Al alloys showed a strong dependence of the wetting behavior on the TiB2 substrates, both on the alloy composition and testing conditions. It changed from a dissolutive, reactive wetting on the Ni-rich side to a non-reactive wetting on the Al-rich side. The results suggest that Ni content in Ni-Al alloys plays a major role in the changes of substrate dissolution and geometrical configuration at the metal/ceramic interface. To understand the effect of the Ni content on TiB2 dissolution, the melting and wetting of Ni83B17 and Ni50B50 alloys on TiB2 ceramic were investigated using the classical sessile drop technique in view of possible joining of TiB2 ceramics. Based on the wetting tests, TiB2 ceramics have been joined using Ni50B50 melt-spun ribbon as an interlayer. The results obtained in this work provide a better understanding of the interaction mechanisms in between liquid Al, Ti-Al, Ni-Al and Ni-B alloys and TiB2 ceramic and make basis for development of guidelines for the preparation of metal matrix composites and/or ceramic matrix composites and joining of TiB2 ceramic parts for high-temperature structural applications

High-temperature interactions of molten Ti-Al, Ni-Al and Ni-B alloys with TiB2 ceramic

Untersuchungen der Hochtemperaturbenetzung und Grenzfächeninteraktionen in Flüssigmetall/Übergangsmetall-Diborid-Systemen werden durch die technologische Nachfrage nach qualitative hochwertigen Metall-Matrix-Kompositen und verläßlichen Verbindungen von Ultrahochtemperaturkeramiken für aggressive chemische und/oder thermische Umgebungen angetrieben. Die physikalischen und chemischen Charakteristika der Metall/Keramik-Grenzflächen (z.B. die Benetzungskinetik, Grenzflächenreaktionen und die Phasenbildung) sind unerläßlich um die fundamentalen Mechanismen, die kontrollierenden technologischen Parameter, sowie die definierenden Eigenschaften und die Qualität des Endprodukts zu verstehen. Die Methode des liegenden Tropfens (engl. sessile drop method) ist die am häufigsten verwendete Verfahren für die quantitative Charakterisierung der Benetzungseigenschaften und für die direkte Untersuchung von Grenzflächeninteraktionen zwischen Flüssigmetall und festen Substraten unter Zuhilfenahme von Mikroskopie. Der Fokus dieser Arbeit liegt auf der Hochtemperaturbenetzung und den Grenzflächeninteraktionen von geschmolzenen reinem Al und Ti-Al, Ni-Al und Ni-B Schmelzen mit der TiB2 Ultrahochtemperaturkeramik. Die über die Methode des liegenden Tropfens hergestellten Metall/Keramik Verbunde werden hauptsächlich mittels Rasterelektronenmikroskopie gekoppelt mit energiedispersiver Röntgenspektroskopie sowie Röntgenbeugung untersucht. Die temperatur- und zeitabhängige Benetzung von flüssigem Al auf der TiB2 Keramik wurde mittels der klassischen Technik des liegenden Tropfens und der sogenannten dispensed drop technique (engl.) über einen weiten Temperaturbereich untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass mit ansteigender Temperatur die Benetzung bedeutend schneller abläuft. Die beiden Methoden liefern einen Unterschied in der Benetzungstemperatur von etwa 300°C aufgrund der nativen Oxidschicht auf der Al-Oberfläche bei dem klassischen Sessile-drop Versuch. Beginnend bei 1000°C füllt das flüssige Al entweder die intergranularen Poren auf oder dringt entlang der Korngrenzen in das TiB2 Substrat ein. Es wurde keine Reaktion im Al/TiB2 System beobachtet. Die Grenzflächeninteraktionen zwischen Ti-Al Schmelzen und der TiB2 Keramik wurden mit der klassischen Technik des liegenden Tropfens untersucht, da ein passender Tiegel für flüssiges Ti und Ti-haltige Schmelzen nicht vorhanden war. Für reines Ti auf TiB2 setzt das Schmelzen bei etwa 120 °C unter seinem Schmelzpunkt ein, wie aus Untersuchungen der Form und Struktur der erstarrten Ti/TiB2 Proben hervorgeht. Dies wird durch Festkörperdiffusion von B aus dem Substrat in die Ti Probe hinein und einer Verschiebung der Zusammensetzung von reinem Ti zu einer Ti-B Legierung in der substratnahen Region verursacht. Die Rolle von Al scheint für das Eindringen von Ti-Al Schmelzen entlang von Krongrenzen in das Keramiksubstrat von größerer Bedeutung zu sein als die Rolle der Temperatur. Die Benetzung und Grenzflächeninteraktionen zwischen Ni-Al Schmelzen und TiB2 wurden mit dem dispensed drop Verfahren untersucht. Flüssige Ni-Al Legierungen zeigen deutlich unterschiedliche Benetzungsverhalten auf dem TiB2 Substrat in Abhängigkeit von Legierungszusammensetzung und Testbedingungen. Das Verhalten von Ni-Al Schmelzen auf TiB2 Keramik verändert sich von einem auflösenden, reaktiven Benetzen (engl. dissolutive, reactive wetting) auf der Ni-reichen Seite zu einem nicht-reaktiven Benetzen auf der Al-reichen Seite. Die Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass der Ni-Gehalt in Ni-Al Legierungen eine Hauptursache für die Veränderungen der Substratauflösung und der geometrischen Konfiguration an der Metall/Keramik Grenzfläche ist. Um den Einfluss des Ni-Gehalts auf die Auflösung von TiB2 zu verstehen wurde das Schmelzen und Benetzen von Ni83B17 und Ni50B50 Legierungen auf der TiB2 Keramik mittels der klassischen Technik des liegenden Tropfens im Hinblick auf mögliches fügen von TiB2 Keramiken untersucht. Basierend auf den Benetzungstest wurden Zwischenschichten der Ni50B50 Legierung verwendet um TiB2 Keramiken zu Verbinden. In dieser Arbeit wurde die Technik des liegenden Tropfens erfolgreich angewandt um die Hochtemperaturbenetzung und die Grenzflächeninteraktionen zwischen flüssigen Al, Ti-Al, Ni-Al und Ni-B Legierungen und keramischem TiB2 zu untersuchen. Die in dieser Arbeit erhaltenen Ergebnisse ermöglichen ein besseres Verständis der Interaktionsmechanismen zwischen flüssigen Al, Ti-Al, Ni-Al und Ni-B Legierungen und TiB2 keramik in diesen Systemen ermöglichen und Erstellung von Richtlinien für die Herstellung von Metall-Matrix-Verbunden und/oder Keramik-Matrix-Verbunden sowie für die Verbindung von keramischen TiB2 Teilen für strukturelle Hochtemperaturanwendungen dar.Investigations of high-temperature wetting and interfacial interactions in liquid metal/transition-metal diboride systems are driven by technological demand in obtaining high-quality metal matrix composites and reliable joining of ultrahigh-temperature ceramics for aggressive chemical and/or thermal environments. The physical and chemical characteristics of metal/ceramic interface (e.g. wetting kinetics, interfacial reactions and phase formation) are indispensable for understanding the fundamental mechanisms, controlling technological parameters, and defining the properties and quality of final products. The sessile drop method is the most commonly used for quantitative characterization of the wetting properties and direct investigations of the interfacial interactions between a liquid metal and a solid substrate with the help of microscopy. This thesis is focused on the high-temperature wetting and interfacial interactions of molten pure Al and Ti-Al, Ni-Al and Ni-B alloys with TiB2 ultra-high-temperature ceramic. The metal/ceramic couples after the sessile drop tests are mainly characterized using scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The temperature- and time-dependent wetting between the liquid Al and TiB2 ceramic over a wide temperature range was investigated using the classical sessile drop and dispensed drop techniques. The results showed that the wetting was significantly accelerated with increasing temperature. A difference of the wetting temperature by these two techniques was about 300 °C, due to the native oxide film present on the Al surface in the classical sessile drop tests. Starting from 1000 °C, liquid Al either filled the inter-grain pores or penetrated along the grain boundaries of the TiB2 substrate but there was no reaction observed in the Al/TiB2 system. The interfacial interactions between Ti-Al melts and TiB2 ceramic were studied by the classical sessile drop technique due to the absence of appropriate crucible for liquid Ti and Ti-containing melts. Pure Ti on TiB2 exhibited an incipient melting at about 120 °C below its melting point in view of the shape and structure of the solidified Ti/TiB2 couple. It was caused by the solid state diffusion of boron from the substrate into the Ti sample and a composition shift from pure Ti to a Ti-B alloy in the near-substrate region. In comparison to pure Ti, the role of Al in the penetration of Ti-Al melts penetration along the grain boundaries in the ceramic seemed to be more important than that of temperature in this study. The wetting and interfacial interactions between Ni-Al molten alloys and TiB2 were investigated using the dispensed drop technique. Liquid Ni-Al alloys showed a strong dependence of the wetting behavior on the TiB2 substrates, both on the alloy composition and testing conditions. It changed from a dissolutive, reactive wetting on the Ni-rich side to a non-reactive wetting on the Al-rich side. The results suggest that Ni content in Ni-Al alloys plays a major role in the changes of substrate dissolution and geometrical configuration at the metal/ceramic interface. To understand the effect of the Ni content on TiB2 dissolution, the melting and wetting of Ni83B17 and Ni50B50 alloys on TiB2 ceramic were investigated using the classical sessile drop technique in view of possible joining of TiB2 ceramics. Based on the wetting tests, TiB2 ceramics have been joined using Ni50B50 melt-spun ribbon as an interlayer. The results obtained in this work provide a better understanding of the interaction mechanisms in between liquid Al, Ti-Al, Ni-Al and Ni-B alloys and TiB2 ceramic and make basis for development of guidelines for the preparation of metal matrix composites and/or ceramic matrix composites and joining of TiB2 ceramic parts for high-temperature structural applications

FAST reveals new evidence for M94 as a merger

We report the first high-sensitivity HI observation toward the spiral galaxy M94 with the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). From these observations, we discovered that M94 has a very extended HI disk, twice larger than that observed by THINGS, which is accompanied by an HI filament and seven HVCs (high velocity clouds) at different distances. The projected distances of these clouds and filament are less than 50 kpc from the galactic center. We measured a total integrated flux (including all clouds/filament) of 127.3 ($\pm$1) Jy km s$^{-1}$, corresponding to a H I mass of (6.51$\pm$0.06)$\times$10$^{8}$M$_{\odot}$, which is 63.0% more than that observed by THINGS. By comparing numerical simulations with the HI maps and the optical morphology of M94, we suggest that M94 is likely a remnant of a major merger of two galaxies, and the HVCs and HI filament could be the tidal features originated from the first collision of the merger happened about 5 Gyr ago. Furthermore, we found a seemingly isolated HI cloud at a projection distance of 109 kpc without any optical counterpart detected. We discussed the possibilities of the origin of this cloud, such as dark dwarf galaxy and RELHIC (REionization-Limited HI Cloud). Our results demonstrate that high-sensitivity and wide-field HI imaging is important in revealing the diffuse cold gas structures and tidal debris which is crucial to understanding the dynamical evolution of galaxies.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figure

High-rate amorphous SnO2 nanomembrane anodes for Li-ion batteries with a long cycling life

Amorphous SnO2 nanomembranes as anodes for lithium ion batteries demonstrate a long cycling life of 1000 cycles at 1600 mA g−1 with a high reversible capacity of 854 mA h g−1 and high rate capability up to 40 A g−1. The superior performance is because of the structural features of the amorphous SnO2 nanomembranes. The nanoscale thickness provides considerably reduced diffusion paths for Li+. The amorphous structure can accommodate the strain of lithiation/delithiation, especially during the initial lithiation. More importantly, the mechanical feature of deformation can buffer the strain of repeated lithiation/delithiation, thus putting off pulverization. In addition, the two-dimensional transport pathways in between nanomembranes make the pseudo-capacitance more prominent. The encouraging results demonstrate the significant potential of nanomembranes for high power batteries

Cell-free miRNAs may indicate diagnosis and docetaxel sensitivity of tumor cells in malignant effusions

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Circulating cell-free microRNAs have been identified as potential cancer biomarkers. However, the existence and the potential application of cell-free miRNAs in effusion samples are still uncertain. In order to explore the potential role of cell-free miRNA in malignant effusions, we selected 22 miRNAs differentially expressed in the serum of lung cancer patients and studied their expression levels in body cavity effusion samples.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We measured the expression of 22 miRNAs using qRT-PCR in two samples, which were pooled with 18 malignant and 12 benign effusions, respectively. After discarding 9 lowly expressed miRNAs, a panel of 13 miRNAs were measured in 29 samples (benign n = 11, malignant n = 18). We also carried out a WST-8 test to evaluate the docetaxel sensitivity of tumor cells directly isolated from 15 malignant effusions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We compared the miRNA expression levels between benign and malignant effusions using a Mann-Whitney U test and found miR-24, miR-26a and miR-30d were expressed differently between the two groups (<it>P </it>= 0.006, 0.021 and 0.011, respectively). Cells isolated from effusions rich in cell-free miR-152 were more sensitive to docetaxel (r = 0.60, <it>P </it>= 0.016).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Collectively, our study demonstrated that cell-free miRNAs in the supernatant of effusions may aid in the diagnosis of malignancy and predict chemosensitivity to docetaxel.</p

Hydra -- A Federated Data Repository over NDN

Today's big data science communities manage their data publication and replication at the application layer. These communities utilize myriad mechanisms to publish, discover, and retrieve datasets - the result is an ecosystem of either centralized, or otherwise a collection of ad-hoc data repositories. Publishing datasets to centralized repositories can be process-intensive, and those repositories do not accept all datasets. The ad-hoc repositories are difficult to find and utilize due to differences in data names, metadata standards, and access methods. To address the problem of scientific data publication and storage, we have designed Hydra, a secure, distributed, and decentralized data repository made of a loose federation of storage servers (nodes) provided by user communities. Hydra runs over Named Data Networking (NDN) and utilizes the State Vector Sync (SVS) protocol that lets individual nodes maintain a "global view" of the system. Hydra provides a scalable and resilient data retrieval service, with data distribution scalability achieved via NDN's built-in data anycast and in-network caching and resiliency against individual server failures through automated failure detection and maintaining a specific degree of replication. Hydra utilizes "Favor", a locally calculated numerical value to decide which nodes will replicate a file. Finally, Hydra utilizes data-centric security for data publication and node authentication. Hydra uses a Network Operation Center (NOC) to bootstrap trust in Hydra nodes and data publishers. The NOC distributes user and node certificates and performs the proof-of-possession challenges. This technical report serves as the reference for Hydra. It outlines the design decisions, the rationale behind them, the functional modules, and the protocol specifications

Genetic deletion of Rnd3 results in aqueductal stenosis leading to hydrocephalus through up-regulation of Notch signaling

Rho family guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) 3 (Rnd3), a member of the small Rho GTPase family, is involved in the regulation of cell actin cytoskeleton dynamics, cell migration, and proliferation through the Rho kinase-dependent signaling pathway. We report a role of Rnd3 in the pathogenesis of hydrocephalus disorder. Mice with Rnd3 genetic deletion developed severe obstructive hydrocephalus with enlargement of the lateral and third ventricles, but not of the fourth ventricles. The cerebral aqueducts in Rnd3-null mice were partially or completely blocked by the overgrowth of ependymal epithelia. We examined the molecular mechanism contributing to this Rnd3-deficiency–mediated hydrocephalus and found that Rnd3 is a regulator of Notch signaling. Rnd3 deficiency, through either gene deletion or siRNA knockdown, resulted in a decrease in Notch intracellular domain (NICD) protein degradation. However, there was no correlated change in mRNA change, which in turn led to an increase in NICD protein levels. Immunoprecipitation analysis demonstrated that Rnd3 and NICD physically interacted, and that down-regulation of Rnd3 attenuated NICD protein ubiquitination. This eventually enhanced Notch signaling activity and promoted aberrant growth of aqueduct ependymal cells, resulting in aqueduct stenosis and the development of congenital hydrocephalus. Inhibition of Notch activity rescued the hydrocephalus disorder in the mutant animals

High sensitivity micro-fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometric temperature sensors with a high index ring layer

The influence of the high index ring layer (HIRL) in a tapered fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) on the interference observed, and thus on its potential applications in temperature sensing, has been investigated. The MZI was comprised of a tapered Ring Core Fiber (RCF), spliced between two single mode fibers (SMF). Since part of core mode from the SMF was converted into cladding modes in the RCF, due to the mismatch in the cores between the RCF and SMF, the residual power enters and then propagates along the center of the RCF (silica). The difference in phase between the radiation travelling along these different paths is separated by the HIRL to generate an interference effect. Compared with fiber interferometers based on core and cladding mode interference, the thin fiber HIRL is capable of separating the high order cladding modes and the silica core mode, under grazing incident conditions. Therefore, the optical path difference (OPD) and the sensitivity are both substantially improved over what is seen in conventional devices, showing their potential for interferometric temperature sensor applications. The optimum temperature sensitivity obtained was 186.6 pm/°C, which is ∼ 11.7 times higher than has been reported previously

Single “Swiss-roll” microelectrode elucidates the critical role of iron substitution in conversion-type oxides

Advancing the lithium-ion battery technology requires the understanding of electrochemical processes in electrode materials with high resolution, accuracy, and sensitivity. However, most techniques today are limited by their inability to separate the complex signals from slurry-coated composite electrodes. Here, we use a three-dimensional “Swiss-roll” microtubular electrode that is incorporated into a micrometer-sized lithium battery. This on-chip platform combines various in situ characterization techniques and precisely probes the intrinsic electrochemical properties of each active material due to the removal of unnecessary binders and additives. As an example, it helps elucidate the critical role of Fe substitution in a conversion-type NiO electrode by monitoring the evolution of Fe2O3 and solid electrolyte interphase layer. The markedly enhanced electrode performances are therefore explained. Our approach exposes a hitherto unexplored route to tracking the phase, morphology, and electrochemical evolution of electrodes in real time, allowing us to reveal information that is not accessible with bulk-level characterization techniques