Morphology and processing of aligned carbon nanotube carbon matrix nanocomposites

Intrinsic and scale-dependent properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have led aligned CNT architectures to emerge as promising candidates for next-generation multifunctional applications. Enhanced operating regimes motivate the study of CNT-based aligned nanofiber carbon matrix nanocomposites (CNT A-CMNCs). However, in order to tailor the material properties of CNT A-CMNCs, porosity control of the carbon matrix is required. Such control is usually achieved via multiple liquid precursor infusions and pyrolyzations. Here we report a model that allows the quantitative prediction of the CNT A-CMNC density and matrix porosity as a function of number of processing steps. The experimental results indicate that the matrix porosity of A-CMNCs comprised of ∼1% aligned CNTs decreased from ∼61% to ∼55% after a second polymer infusion and pyrolyzation. The model predicts that diminishing returns for porosity reduction will occur after 4 processing steps (matrix porosity of ∼51%), and that >10 processing steps are required for matrix porosity <50%. Using this model, prediction of the processing necessary for the fabrication of liquid precursor derived A-CMNC architectures, with possible application to other nanowire/nanofiber systems, is enabled for a variety of high value applications.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant CMMI-1130437

Process-morphology scaling relations quantify self-organization in capillary densified nanofiber arrays

Capillary-mediated densification is an inexpensive and versatile approach to tune the application-specific properties and packing morphology of bulk nanofiber (NF) arrays, such as aligned carbon nanotubes. While NF length governs elasto-capillary self-assembly, the geometry of cellular patterns formed by capillary densified NFs cannot be precisely predicted by existing theories. This originates from the recently quantified orders of magnitude lower than expected NF array effective axial elastic modulus (E), and here we show via parametric experimentation and modeling that E determines the width, area, and wall thickness of the resulting cellular pattern. Both experiments and models show that further tuning of the cellular pattern is possible by altering the NF-substrate adhesion strength, which could enable the broad use of this facile approach to predictably pattern NF arrays for high value applications.United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NNX17AJ32G

Global wellposedness for a certain class of large initial data for the 3D Navier-Stokes Equations

In this article, we consider a special class of initial data to the 3D Navier-Stokes equations on the torus, in which there is a certain degree of orthogonality in the components of the initial data. We showed that, under such conditions, the Navier-Stokes equations are globally wellposed. We also showed that there exists large initial data, in the sense of the critical norm $B^{-1}_{\infty,\infty}$ that satisfies the conditions that we considered.Comment: 13 pages, updated references for v

Spin Susceptibility of a 2D Electron System in GaAs towards the Weak Interaction Region

We determine the spin susceptibility $\chi$ in the weak interaction regime of a tunable, high quality, two-dimensional electron system in a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure. The band structure effects, modifying mass and g-factor, are carefully taken into accounts since they become appreciable for the large electron densities of the weak interaction regime. When properly normalized, $\chi$ decreases monotonically from 3 to 1.1 with increasing density over our experimental range from 0.1 to $4\times10^{11} cm^{-2}$. In the high density limit, $\chi$ tends correctly towards $\chi\to 1$ and compare well with recent theory.Comment: Submitted to Physical Review

Fine properties of self-similar solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations

We study the solutions of the nonstationary incompressible Navier--Stokes equations in $\R^d$, $d\ge2$, of self-similar form $u(x,t)=\frac{1}{\sqrt t}U\bigl(\frac{x}{\sqrt t}\bigr)$, obtained from small and homogeneous initial data $a(x)$. We construct an explicit asymptotic formula relating the self-similar profile $U(x)$ of the velocity field to its corresponding initial datum $a(x)$

Exohedral Physisorption of Ambient Moisture Scales Non-monotonically with Fiber Proximity in Aligned Carbon Nanotube Arrays

Here we present a study on the presence of physisorbed water on the surface of aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in ambient conditions, where the wet CNT array mass can be more than 200% larger than that of dry CNTs, and modeling indicates that a water layer >5 nm thick can be present on the outer CNT surface. The experimentally observed nonlinear and non-monotonic dependence of the mass of adsorbed water on the CNT packing (volume fraction) originates from two competing modes. Physisorbed water cannot be neglected in the design and fabrication of materials and devices using nanowires/nanofibers, especially CNTs, and further experimental and ab initio studies on the influence of defects on the surface energies of CNTs, and nanowires/nanofibers in general, are necessary to understand the underlying physics and chemistry that govern this system.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (NSF Grant No. CMMI-1130437)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (NSF Award Number ECS-0335765)United States. Army Research Office (contract W911NF-07-D-0004

Avaliação da inoculação de fungos micorrízicos arbusculares sobre a incidência da fusariose da pimenta-do-reino.

A fusariose (Fusarlum solani f. sp. piperis) da pimenta-do-reino (Piper nigrum) é a doença mais devastadora à cultura na região amazônica. As medidas de controle preconizadas são dispendiosas e não apresentam controle adequado da doença, sendo necessário estudos de novos métodos de controle. Objetiva-se avaliar a possibilidade de reduzir a incidência da fusariose, através da inoculação com fungos micorrízicos arbusculares (FMAs). Foi realizado um experimento com plântulas de pimenta-do-reino, cv. Guajarina, em casa de plástico. Utilizaram-se quatro espécies de FMA: Scutellospora sp., S_ heterogama, S. gilmorei e Entropliospora colombiana. A pré-inoculação foi feita pela deposição de solo-inóculo em contato direto com as raízes das plântulas, na fase cotiledônea, em copos de 500 mJ, contendo solo fumigado. Após três meses e meio, as plântulas foram transferidas para vasos de plásticos de quatro quilos, contendo mistura de solo fumigado e inóculo de F. solani f. sp. piperis na proporção de 0,2% (v/v). Durante o transplantio, foi feita urna reinoculação de FMA, colocando solo-inoculo das mesmas espécies no fundo do vaso de plástico. A incidência da doença foi avaliada quatro meses após o transplantio. A incidência da fusariose foi de 5%,10%,15%,35% e 85% para os tratamentos de S. gilmorei, E. colombiana, S. heterogama, Scutellospora sp. e a testemunha, respectivamente. A inoculação com FMA reduziu de 50 a 80% a incidência da doença, em relação à testemunha, sendo que S. gilmorei apresentou o maior potencial para redução da doença (80%), maior produção de matéria seca das plantas sobreviventes (11,7 g por planta) e maior percentagem do comprimento das raízes colonizadas pelo FMA (55,18%). Pelos resultados obtidos, há perspectiva de se incorporar o uso de FMA num programa de controle da fusariose de pimenta-do-reino