Growth of superconducting MgB2 thin films via postannealing techniques

We report the effect of annealing on the superconductivity of MgB2 thin films as functions of the postannealing temperature in the range from 700 C to 950 C and of the postannealing time in the range from 30 min to 120 min. On annealing at 900 C for 30 min, we obtained the best-quality MgB2 films with a transition temperature of 39 K and a critical current density of ~ 10^7 A/cm^2. Using the scanning electron microscopy, we also investigated the film growth mechanism. The samples annealed at higher temperatures showed the larger grain sizes, well-aligned crystal structures with preferential orientations along the c-axis, and smooth surface morphologies. However, a longer annealing time prevented the alignment of grains and reduced the superconductivity, indicating a strong interfacial reaction between the substrate and the MgB2 film.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures include

Reactive Air Aluminization

Ferritic stainless steels and other alloys are of great interest to SOFC developers for applications such as interconnects, cell frames, and balance of plant components. While these alloys offer significant advantages (e.g., low material and manufacturing cost, high thermal conductivity, and high temperature oxidation resistance), there are challenges which can hinder their utilization in SOFC systems; these challenges include Cr volatility and reactivity with glass seals. To overcome these challenges, protective coatings and surface treatments for the alloys are under development. In particular, aluminization of alloy surfaces offers the potential for mitigating both evaporation of Cr from the alloy surface and reaction of alloy constituents with glass seals. Commercial aluminization processes are available to SOFC developers, but they tend to be costly due to their use of exotic raw materials and/or processing conditions. As an alternative, PNNL has developed Reactive Air Aluminization (RAA), which offers a low-cost, simpler alternative to conventional aluminization methods

Accurate and effective multidrugresistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis detection method using gap-filling ligation coupled with high-resolution capillary electrophoresis-based single strand conformation polymorphism

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3D-Printed Microfluidic Device for the Detection of Pathogenic Bacteria Using Size-based Separation in Helical Channel with Trapezoid Cross-Section

A facile method has been developed to detect pathogenic bacteria using magnetic nanoparticle clusters (MNCs) and a 3D-printed helical microchannel. Antibody-functionalized MNCs were used to capture E. coli (EC) bacteria in milk, and the free MNCs and MNC-EC complexes were separated from the milk using a permanent magnet. The free MNCs and MNC-EC complexes were dispersed in a buffer solution, then the solution was injected into a helical microchannel device with or without a sheath flow. The MNC-EC complexes were separated from the free MNCs via the Dean drag force and lift force, and the separation was facilitated in the presence of a sheath flow. The concentration of the E. coli bacteria was determined using a light absorption spectrometer, and the limit of detection was found to be 10 cfu/mL in buffer solution and 100 cfu/mL in milk.open119188sciescopu