This study aims to identify an optimal heat-treatment parameter set for an additively manufactured AlSi10Mg alloy in terms of increasing the hardness and eliminating the anisotropic microstructural characteristics of the alloy in as-built condition. Furthermore, the influence of these optimized parameters on the fatigue properties of the alloy investigated. In this respect, microstructural characteristics of an AlSi10Mg alloy manufactured by Laser-Based Powder Bed Fusion in non-heat-treated and heat-treated conditions were investigated. Their static and dynamic mechanical properties were evaluated, and fatigue behavior was explained by a detailed examination of fracture surfaces. Much of the microstructure in the non-heat-treated condition was composed of columnar grains oriented parallel to the build direction. Further analysis revealed a high fraction of pro-eutectic α-Al. Through heat-treatment, the alloy was successfully brought to its peak-hardened condition, while eliminating the anisotropic microstructural features. Yield strength and ductility increased simultaneously after heat-treatment, which is due to the relief of residual stresses, preservation of refined grains, and introduction of precipitation strengthening. The fatigue strength, calculated at 10^7 cycles, improved as well after heat-treatment and finally detailed fractography reviled that a more ductile fracture mechanism has happened in the heat-treated condition compared to the non-heat-treated condition.

Iron powders having average particle sizes of ~40µm are mechanically mixed thoroughly with aluminum powders ranging from 1 to 10 in wt.% with an average particle size of ~10µm. Two different powder metallurgical techniques cold and hot pressing are used to study the effect of the additive element powder on the mechanical properties, wear properties and the microstructure of the iron based alloys. The hot pressing technique was performed at a temperature up to 500°C at 445.6 MPa. The cold pressing technique was performed at 909 MPa in room temperature. By increasing the Al content to 10 wt. % in the base Fe-based matrix, the hardness was decreased from 780 to 690 MPa and the radial strength was decreased from 380 to 202 MPa with reductions of 11.5% and 40%, respectively. Improvement of the wear resistance with the increase addition of the Al powder to the Fe matrix up to 5 times was achieved compared to the alloy without Al addition for different wear parameters namely; wear time and sliding speed.

The rapid development of the photovoltaic (PV) industry will result in an increase in the amount of electrical and electronic waste from used PV panels. Only in Poland, the total capacity installed in photovoltaic sources in Poland in May 2020 exceeded 1,950 MW, and the installation weight was approximately 120,000. tone. The problem arises in the recycling or management of this waste. This work presents methods used to recycle waste into photovoltaic modules. The authors investigated the possibility of mechanical and chemical processing of crystalline silicon. A method of thermal treatment of the panel was also proposed. As a result of the research, it was found that the stage of separating materials (crystalline cream, EVO foil, aluminum frame) plays an important role in the recycling process, which is not easy. Chemical treatment allows the silicon to become plastic and the temperature melts the back layer of the panel.

Drought is an important factor seriously affects agricultural production worldwide. Agricultural practices that can increase resistance to drought are gaining importance. In this study the role of nano-silicon dioxide (NaSiO2) in countering drought stress in invitro strawberry plantlets were investigated. In the experiment, the effects of PEG 6000 concentrations (0, 4, 8%) and NaSiO2 concentrations (0, 50, 100 mg L-1) on invitro strawberry plants were determined. Plantlets treated with PEG 6000 showed reduced vegetative growth parameters, but this decrease was reduced with NaSiO2 application. NaSiO2 at 50 mg L−1 induced the maximum shoot and root fresh weight (1.20 g, 1.24 g, respectively) and length (40.09 mm, 34.26 mm, respectively), leaves number (16.67 pieces/plant) and SPAD index 53.57 among 4% and 8% PEG applications. When the SOD and CAT activities were examined, the results showed that application of NaSiO2 enhancement drought stress tolerance by promoted certain antioxidant response by increasing SOD and catalase (CAT) activities under drought stress. According to the results NaSiO2, limited the devastating impact of drought stress and markedly enhanced all the examined parameters.

The fabrication of thin-film multilayer structures by sputtering technique usually requires multi-cathode deposition machine. This study proposes a simpler approach based on the RF power modulation: silicon nitride (SiN$_x$) thin films were prepared by RF reactive sputtering in (Ar + N$_2$) atmosphere at room temperature. The samples were analyzed to highlight the effects of different deposition conditions on the morphological and optical properties of the films in the visible and near/mid-IR regions. The refractive index of the films was changed in the range of 1.5 - 2.5 (at $\lambda$=800 nm) by tuning the sputtering power. IR reflectance measurements revealed the absence of spurious (oxygen- or hydrogen-based) phases, while atomic force and scanning electron microscopies confirmed the presence of flat and defect-free samples surfaces.

The tandem Solar cell has high power conversion efficiency (PCE), so they are taken as the next step in photovoltaic evolution. The tandem solar cell also overcome the limitations of Single-junction solar cells by reducing thermalization losses and also reduce the fabrication cost. The fabrication of tandem solar cells is highly efficient after the origination of halide perovskite absorber material, this material will shape the future of tandem solar cells. Researchers have already shown that this material can convert light more efficiently than standalone sub cell. Today, researchers around the world are keeping the configuration of a tandem solar cell as their agenda. A Tandem solar cell is a stacking of multiple layers having different bandgaps with specific maximum absorption and width. We reviewed perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells with different sub-module configurations. Move forward, we discuss the tandem module technology, sub cell of a tandem can be wired in several ways two terminals 2T monolithic and mechanically stacked, a four-terminal 4T mechanically stacked, and three-terminal 3T monolithic stack devices. This review paper provides a side-by-side comparison of theoretical efficiencies of multijunction solar cells. The highest efficiency has been evaluated at 39.4% for a three-level structure.

Single nanowires (NWs) are of great importance for optoelectronic applications, especially solar cells serving as powering nanoscale devices. However, weak off-resonant absorption can limit its light-harvesting capability. Here, we propose a single NW coated with the graded-index dual shells (DSNW). We demonstrate that with appropriate thickness and refractive index of the inner shell, the DSNW exhibits significantly enhanced light trapping compared with the bare NW (BNW), and the NW only coated with the outer shell (OSNW) and the inner shell (ISNW), which can be attributed to the optimal off-resonant absorption mode profiles due to the improved coupling between the reemitted light of the transition modes of the leak mode resonances of the Si core and the nanofocusing light from the dual shells with the graded refractive index. We found that the light absorption can be engineered via tuning the thickness and the refractive index of the inner shell, the photocurrent density is significantly enhanced by 134% (56%, 12%) in comparison with that of the BNW (OSNW, ISNW). This work advances our understanding of how to improve off-resonant absorption by applying graded dual-shell design and provides a new choice for designing high-efficiency single NW photovoltaic devices.

Layered two-dimensional (2D) GO films are integrated with silicon-on-insulator (SOI) nanowire waveguides to experimentally demonstrate an enhanced Kerr nonlinearity, observed through self-phase modulation (SPM). The GO films are integrated with SOI nanowires using a large-area, transfer-free, layer-by-layer coating method that yields precise control of the film thickness. The film placement and coating length are controlled by opening windows in the silica cladding of the SOI nanowires. Owing to the strong mode overlap between the SOI nanowires and the highly nonlinear GO films, the Kerr nonlinearity of the hybrid waveguides is significantly enhanced. Detailed SPM measurements using picosecond optical pulses show significant spectral broadening enhancement for SOI nanowires coated with 2.2-mm-long films of 1−3 layers of GO, and 0.4-mm-long films with 5−20 layers of GO. By fitting the experimental results with theory, the dependence of GO’s n₂ on layer number and pulse energy is obtained, showing interesting physical insights and trends of the layered GO films from 2D monolayers to quasi bulk-like behavior. Finally, we show that by coating SOI nanowires with GO films the effective nonlinear parameter of SOI nanowires is increased 16 fold, with the effective nonlinear figure of merit (FOM) increasing by about 20 times to FOM > 5. These results reveal the strong potential of using layered GO films to improve the Kerr nonlinear optical performance of silicon photonic devices.

In this paper, we present a study of various ZnO/SiO2-stacked thin film structures for flexible micro-energy harvesting devices. Two groups of micro-energy harvesting devices, SiO2/ZnO/SiO2 micro-energy generators (SZS-MGs) and ZnO/SiO2/ZnO micro-energy generators (ZSZ-MGs), were fabricated by stacking both SiO2 and ZnO thin films, and the resulting devices were characterized. With a particular interest in the fabrication of flexible devices, all the ZnO and SiO2 thin films were deposited on ITO-coated PEN substrates using an RF magnetron sputtering technique. The effects of the thickness and/or position of the SiO2 films on the device performance were investigated by observing the variations of output voltage in comparison with that of a control sample. As a result, compared to the ZnO single-layer device, all the ZSZ-MGs showed much better output voltages, while all the SZS-MG showed only slightly better output voltages. Among the ZSZ-MGs, the highest output voltages were obtained from the ZSZ-MGs where the SiO2 thin films were deposited using a deposition power of 150 W. Overall, the device performance seems to depend significantly on the position as well as the thickness of the SiO2 thin films in the ZnO/ SiO2-stacked multilayer structures, in addition to the processing conditions.

A simple fabrication method in the surface modification of electroosmotic silicon microchannel using thermal dry oxidation is presented. The surface modification is done by coating the silicon surface with a silicon dioxide (SiO₂) layer using thermal oxidation process. The process is aimed not only to improve the surface quality of the channel to be suitable for electroosmotic fluid transport but also to reduce the channel width using a simple technique. Initially, the parallel microchannel array with dimensions of 0.5 mm length and width ranging from 1.8 µm to 2 µm are created using plasma etching on the 2x2 cm <100> silicon substrate. The oxidation of silicon channel in a thermal chamber is then conducted to create the SiO₂ layer. The layer properties and the quality of the surface are analyzed using SEM and surface profiler, respectively. The results show that the maximum oxidation growth rate occurs in the first 4 hours of oxidation time and the rate decreases by time as the oxide layer becomes thicker. It is also found that the surface roughness is reduced with the increase of process temperature and oxide thickness. The scallop effect on the vertical wall due to plasma etching process also improved with the presence of the oxide layer. After the oxidation, the channel width is reduced by ~40%. The demonstrated method is suggested for the fabrication of a uniform channel cross section with high aspect ratio in sub-micro and nanometer scale that will be useful for the electroosmotic flow (EOF) manipulation of the biomedical fluid sample.

Neural microprobes represent an important component of neural prosthetic systems where implanted microprobes record the electro-potentials generated by specific thoughts in the brain and convey the signals to algorithms trained to interpret these thoughts. Here, we present novel elongated multi-site neural probe that can reach depths greater than 10mm. We hypothesize that reaching such depth allows the recording of cognitive signals required to drive cognitive prosthetics. The impedance of the recording sites on the probes was on the order of 500 kΩ at 1 kHz, which is consistent with probes used for neurophysiological recordings. The probes were made porous using Xenon Difluoride (XeF₂) dry etching to improve the biocompatibility and their adherence to the surrounding neural tissue. Numerical studies were performed to determine the reliability of the porous probes. We implanted the elongated probe in rats and show that the elongated probes are capable of simultaneously recording both spikes and local field potentials (LFPs) from various recording sites.

A single mode waveguide grating coupler based on multiple Si-SiO₂ pairs onto Si substrate has been designed. Numerical analysis has been carried out to calculate optimum thickness of the layers of Si-SiO₂ that ensures the constructive interference between reflected waves and actual guided wave for high coupling efficiency. Based on the results, an optimal design is developed and modeled by using a 2-D finite difference time domain (2-D FDTD) simulator that dictates a coupling efficiency of as much as 78% (-1.07 dB) at the wavelength of 1550 nm, and a 1-dB bandwidth of 77 nm. The numerical method will be useful to calculate the optimum thicknesses of the layers for any reflector based grating coupler of different materials.

Structural evolution, mechanical and tribological properties of Al-Mg alloy admixed with 5, 10 and 15 vol.% of iron powder using multi-pass friction stir processing (FSP) have been studied. Homogeneous distribution of intermetallic compound (IMC) particles were achieved after 4 FSP passes what resulted in increasing the stir zone hardness and ultimate tensile stress with simultaneous loss in the ductility. The reinforcement of the aluminum alloy matrix with IMCs allowed reducing wear at the same magnitude of friction. Subsurface composite tribological layer was formed on the FSPed samples as a result of rubbing against a steel counterbody.

Statistical analysis of mechanical properties of thin-walled samples (~500 microns) obtained by selective laser melting from AlSi10Mg material and subjected to heat treatment for 1 hour at temperatures from 260 °C to 440 °C (step of aging temperature change 30 °C) has shown that the maximum strain hardening in the stretching diagram section from yield strength to tensile strength is achieved at the heat treatment temperature equal to 290 °C. At carrying out of correlation analysis statistically significant positive correlation between deformation corresponding to yield strength and the sum of heights of the largest protrusions and depths of the largest depressions of the surface roughness profile within the basic length of the sample (Rz) and the full height of the surface roughness profile (Rmax) was established. It was found that the reason for the correlation is the presence of cohesive states between the extreme values of the surface roughness profile that persist along the entire length of the specimen.

Al-6%Mg-Sc-Zr alloys with the total ratio of Sc + Zr = 0.32 wt.% make up the target of this research. The content of scandium and zirconium varied with an increment of 0.02%. The alloys were produced by induction casting. Their ultrafine-grained (UFG) microstructure was formed with Equal Channel Angular Pressing (ECAP). Such cast alloys have a homogeneous macrostructure formed by small equiaxed grains in the central part of the ingot and columnar crystals along the edges of the cross section. After ECAP, the average grain size in the alloy specimens is 0.5–1 µm. The average grain size does not depend on the ratio of Sc and Zr in these alloys. Superplasticity tests were performed at temperatures ranging from 300 to 500 °C and at a strain rate varying between 3.3·10-3 and 3.3·10-1 s-1. UFG Al-6%Mg-0.20%Sc-0.12%Zr and Al-6%Mg-0.18%Sc-0.14%Zr alloys exhibit the highest superplasticity. It was suggested that changes in Sc:Zr ratio affect spatial distribution and composition of the following precipitating particles: Al3Sc, Al3Zr, Al3(ScxZr1-x). An increase in Zr concentration is shown to reduce the susceptibility of UFG alloys to cavitation fracture.

The supramolecular aggregation processes occurring on metallic (aluminum and gold) surfaces in aqueous solutions of bovine serum albumin (BSA) during drying were studied using advanced scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The possible mechanism for the formation of amazing intricate fractal structures on metallic surfaces was proposed based on the analysis of SEM images, size distribution diagrams and EDX-scanning elements distribution maps.

In this article, it is proposed to use aluminum breakage scraps to obtain Green Hydrogen through the aluminum-water reaction with caustic soda as a catalyst. From this exothermic reaction, both hydrogen and the heat generated can be used. Due to the low price of aluminum chips, this allows us to produce Green hydrogen below the current price that is obtained using renewable energy sources and electrolyzers. On the other hand, we have developed a process that is sustainable since it is obtained as alumina and caustic soda waste that can be reused. This alumina obtained, once filtered, has high purity which allows us to produce high-quality primary aluminum without the need to use bauxite and reducing the production of red sludge. A comparative study-analysis has been carried out of two of the types of forms in which the most common aluminum is presented in the industry to analyze which one performs better by studying key factors such as the hydrogen produced, and the waste generated during the process. Finally, the mathematical model has been defined to be able to control the flow based on different key parameters such as temperature, molarity, and geometry. Undoubtedly, the study that we present represents a milestone for the recovery of metallic aluminum waste and may be of great interest to industries that use aluminum in their processes, such as recuperators, but also the vehicle or aerospace industry.

This article discuss the effects of heat treatment and lubrication modes on the machinability of an A356 alloy (Al-Si-Mg); the alloy is studied as-received, with solution heat-treated alloy (SHT) as well as with an alloy that is solution heat-treated and then aged at 155, 180 and 220 °C. In the course of machinability evaluation, several criteria including cutting force, surface roughness, tool wears and burr analysis (chip) were studied. The results and analysis in this work indicated that the selected machinability criteria are important and necessary to effectively evaluate the machinability of A356 alloys. The machinability of both materials and tools were estimated in terms of cutting force, chip thickness ratio and burr formation, flank wear and roughness. The effects of different cutting parameters (cutting speed and feed rate) and lubrication modes (dry, mist and wet) on the machinability of the A356 cast alloy were also examined. The influence of heat treatments on the burr formation and surface quality was clearly revealed by the experimental results. Experimental work revealed that cutting forces were influenced significantly by aging and cutting speed. However, the different aging at 155, 180, and 220 °C and the cutting speed significantly affected the machinability of the A356 cast alloy. The results obtained show that a better drilling performance in terms of surface quality occurs at a high feed rate, with dry drilling and artificial aging at T6.

Owing to the reduction of rupture instability and the avoidance of wrinkle defect, hydrodynamic deep drawing (HDD) process is gradually becoming attractive for fabricating lightweight and complicated products. Meanwhile, since metallic material presents anisotropic deformation behavior, it is necessary to select an appropriate constitutive model for the prediction of plastic deformation behavior of applied material with high precision. In the present research, several anisotropic yield criteria namely, Hill’48, Yld2000-2d and BBC2005 are implemented to investigate the effect of yield functions on the prediction accuracy of the critical process window and deformation behavior for HDD process of 2024 and 5754 aluminum alloys. Material constants in the yield criteria are determined by applying uniaxial and equi-biaxial tension tests and optimizing an error-function by using the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm. Furthermore, the process window diagram is computed utilizing the stress analytical model combined material properties with workpiece geometrical features. Numerical simulation results of predicted material anisotropic parameters, process window and HDD deformation for aluminum alloys are compared with the experimental data. Through the comparison of diverse yield criteria based on materials anisotropic coefficients, critical process window prediction, earing profile, and thickness distribution, it is revealed that the Yld2000-2d and the BBC2005 yield criteria can offer more precise models of material behavior in planar anisotropy properties for HDD process of 2024 and 5754 aluminum alloys.

Lightweight composite sandwich structures are laminated composite structures that are composed of thin stiff face sheets bonded to a thicker lightweight core in between. These structures have high potential to be used in marine, aerospace, defense and civil engineering applications due to their high strength to weight ratios and energy absorption capacity.In this study, composite sandwich structures were developed with carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite face sheets and aluminum honeycomb core materials with various thicknesses. Carbon fiber/epoxy composite face sheets were fabricated with lamination of [0/90]_s carbon fabrics by vacuum infusion technique. Al honeycomb layers were sandwiched together with the face sheets using a thermosetting adhesive. Mechanical tests were carried out to determine the mechanical behavior of face sheets, Al cores and the composite structure. Effect of core thickness on the mechanical properties of the sandwich was investigated.

Shot peening is an attractive technique for fatigue enhanced performance of metallic components, because it promotes crack initiation retardation and later crack growth. Engineering design based on fatigue crack propagation predictions applying the principles of fracture mechanics is commonly used in aluminum structures for aerospace engineering. The main purpose of present work was to analyze the effect of shot peening on the fatigue crack propagation of the 7475 aluminum alloy, under both constant amplitude loading and periodical overload blocks. The tests were performed on 4 and 8 mm thickness specimen's with stress ratios of 0.05 and 0.4. The analysis of the shot-peened surface showed a small increase of the micro-hardness values, due to the plastic deformations imposed by shot peening. The beneficial effect of surface peening on fatigue crack growth rates is quite limited to an increasing near the threshold. The specimens’ thickness has only marginal influence on the crack propagation, in opposite to the stress ratio. Periodic overload blocks of 300 cycles promotes a reduction of the fatigue crack growth rate for both intervals of 7,500 and 15,000 cycles.

Field-effect transistor (FET)-based biosensors stand as powerful analytical tools for detecting trace-specific biomolecules in diverse sample matrices, especially in the realms of pandemics and infectious diseases. The primary concern in applying these biosensors is their stability, a factor directly impacting the accuracy and reliability of sensing over extended durations. The risk of biosensor degradation is substantial, potentially jeopardizing sensitivity and selectivity and leading to inaccurate readings, including the possibility of false positives or negatives. This paper delves into the documented degradation of silicon nanobelt FET (NBFET) biosensors induced by buffer solutions. The results highlight a positive correlation between immersion time and the threshold voltage of NBFET devices. Secondary ion mass spectrometry analysis demonstrates a gradual increase in sodium and potassium ion concentrations within the silicon as immersion days progress. This outcome is ascribed to the nanobelt's exposure to the buffer solution during the biosensing period, enabling ion penetration from the buffer into the silicon. The study emphasizes the critical need to address buffer solution-induced degradation to ensure the long-term stability and performance of FET-based biosensors in practical applications.

Semiconductors play a very important role in modern society. The improvement in performance of semiconductors is what has enabled the world to grow at such a fast pace. For decades scaling has been done through Moore’s law i.e performance improvements have been obtained due to transistor scaling where the number of transistors per unit area increase is what has contributed to the increase in performance. However, with transistor scaling reaching its limitations we need to find alternate methods to enhance silicon design to suit the computational need of modern society. To address this problem we will be looking into a few methods that enable performance scaling with a focus on analysing the most popular implementation of each in the industry.

The processes of hydrogen reduction of silicon and germanium chlorides under the conditions of high-frequency (40.68 MHz) counteracted arc discharge stabilized between two rod electrodes are investigated. The main gas-phase and solid products of plasma-chemical transformations are determined. Thermodynamic analysis of SiCl4 + H2 and GeCl4 + H2 systems for optimal process parameters was carried out. Using the example of hydrogen reduction of SiCl4 by the method of numerical modeling, gas-dynamic and thermal processes for this type of discharge are investigated. The impurity composition of gas-phase and solid reaction products is investigated. The possibility of single-stage production of high-purity Si and Ge mainly in the form of compact ingots, as well as high-purity chlorosilanes and trichlorogermane, is shown.

Aluminum matrix nanocomposites have been the subject of much attention due to their extraordinary mechanical properties and thermal stability. This research focuses on producing and characterizing an aluminum matrix reinforced with silicon carbide (SiC) nanometric particles. The conventional powder metallurgy route was used to produce the nanocomposites, and the dispersion and mixing process was carried out by ultrasonication. The conditions of the dispersion and the volume fraction of the SiC were evaluated in the production of the nanocomposites. Microstructural characterization was carried out using optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Mechanical characterization was carried out using hardness and tensile tests. The dispersion agent was investigated, and isopropanol leads to better dispersion with fewer agglomerates. Increasing the volume fraction of the reinforcement improves the hardness of the nanocomposites. However, greater agglomeration of the reinforcement is observed for larger volume fractions. The greatest increase in hardness (77% increase compared to the hardness of the Al matrix) is obtained with 1.0 vol % of SiC, corresponding to the sample with the best dispersion. The mechanical characterization through tensile tests attests to the effect of the reinforcement on the Al matrix. The main strengthening mechanisms identified were the load transfer, the texture hardening, Orowan strengthening, and the increase in the density of dislocations in the nanocomposites.

In this paper, we propose a novel approach to utilize silicon nanowires as high-sensitivity pH sensors. Our approach works based on fixing the current bias of silicon nanowires Ion Sensitive Field Effect Transistors (ISFETs) and monitor the resulting drain voltage as the sensing signal. By fine tuning the injected current levels, we can optimize the sensing conditions according to different sensor requirements. This method proves to be highly suitable for real-time and continuous measurements of biomarkers in human biofluids. To validate our approach, we conducted experiments, with real human sera samples to simulate the composition of human interstitial fluid (ISF), using both the conventional top-gate approach and the optimized constant current method . We successfully demonstrated pH sensing within the physiopathological range of 6.5 to 8, achieving an exceptional level of accuracy in this complex matrix. Specifically, we obtained a maximum error as low as 0.92\% (equivalent to 0.07 pH unit) using the constant-current method at the optimal current levels (1.71\% for top-gate). Moreover, by utilizing different pools of human sera with varying total protein content, we demonstrated that the protein content among patients does not impact the sensors' performance in pH sensing. Furthermore, we tested real-human ISF samples collected from volunteers. The obtained accuracy in this scenario was also outstanding, with an error as low as 0.015 pH unit using the constant-current method and 0.178 pH unit in traditional top-gate configuration.

Group-IV GeSn photodetectors (PDs) compatible with standard complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) processing have emerged as a new and non-toxic infrared detection technology to enable a wide range of infrared applications. The performance of GeSn PDs is highly dependent on the Sn composition and operation temperature. Here, we develop theoretical models to establish a simple rule of thumb, namely “GeSn-rule 23”, to describe GeSn PDs’ dark current density in terms of operation temperature, cutoff wavelength, and Sn composition. In addition, analysis of GeSn PDs’ performance shows that the responsivity, detectivity, and bandwidth are highly dependent on operation temperature. This rule provides a simple and convenient indicator for device developers to estimate the device performance at various conditions for practical applications.

conclusions. The blends of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene/polypropylene (UHMWPE/PP) possess excellent processability, but limited by its reduced mechnical properties. Herein, the high mechanical properties and wear—resistance UHMWPE/PP composites were fabricated by the addition of silicon carbide (SiC) nanoparticles under a consecutive elongational flow without any other additives or solvents. The morphology and thermal properties, mechanical properties, wear resistance as well as scratch resistance of UHMWPE/PP/SiC composites were investigated . The mechanical properties and friction resistance of composites increase initially then decrease with the increase content of SiC. The optimum mechanical properties of UHMWPE/PP/SiC composites are achieved when the content of SiC is 3 phr. In addition, both the hardness and scratch resistance of composites improved upon increasing the content of SiC. These improved mechanical properties and wear resistance originate from the well disperison of SiC nanoparticles along with favourable interfacial adhesive under a consecutive elongational flow.

We report a micro-ring resonator with adiabatic bends, non contact waveguide heaters and small bend radius. The ring has the lowest reported off resonance loss and can support 8 wavelength division multiplexed channels at 200 GHz spacing. We measure 0.49 nm/mW tuning efficiency and 0.085 dB off resonance loss.

The development of a stationary phase material for high performance liquid chromatography based on a surface of silica hydride as opposed to silanols on ordinary silica is discussed including synthetic approaches, characterization and applications. There are several synthetic approaches available to create a silica hydride surface. Modification of the Si-H moiety on the silica surface can be accomplished through use of a hydrosilation reaction. Both the intermediate silica hydride and the material modified with an organic moiety can be characterized by a number of spectroscopic as well as a variety of other methods. Further insights into the retention mechanism are provide through chromatographic measurements. The ultimate utility of any chromatographic stationary phase material is determined by its success for solving challenging analytical problems. A broad range of applications are reviewed to illustrate the versatility and usefulness of silica hydride-based stationary phases.

Silicon-based photoelectrochemical (PEC) conversion system has recently gained attention with its ability to provide cost-efficient and superior photoresponsive behavior in regard to other various semiconductor photoelectrodes. Carbon-based co-catalysts have always shared the spotlight for being rendered as alternative metal-free electrocatalysts intended for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In particular, a representative carbon-derived material, reduced Graphene Oxide (rGO) has attracted much attention as a non-metal catalyst for efficient and durable HER. Herein, we have deposited rGO on silicon nanowire (SiNW) structure which shows the highest reduction in the overpotential for HER up to date. This could be attributed to the synergistic effects of rGO and SiNW with unique anisotropic morphology, facile tuning capabilities, and scalable fabrication methods. Combined with nanostructured photocathode, rGO deposited SiNW showed better applied bias photon to current conversion efficiency of 3.16%, which is 158 times higher than that of bare planar Si system. In regard to this development we believe that rGO-SiNW photoelectrodes would pave the way for state-of-the-art highly efficient non-metal catalysts for energy conversion technologies.

The possibility of using Si-based anodes in lithium-ion batteries is actively investigated due to the increased lithium capacity of silicon. The paper reports the preparation of submicron silicon fibers on glassy carbon in the KI–KF–KCl–K2SiF6 melt at 720°C. For this purpose, the parameters of silicon electrodeposition in the form of fibers were determined by cyclic voltammetry, and ex-perimental samples of ordered silicon fibers with an average diameter from 0.1 to 0.3 μm were obtained under galvanostatic electrolysis conditions. Using the obtained silicon fibers, anode half-cells of lithium-ion battery was fabricated, and its electrochemical performance under mul-tiple lithiation and delithiation was studied. By means of voltametric studies, it is observed that charging and discharging of the anode based on the obtained silicon fibers occurs at potentials from 0.2 to 0.05 V and from 0.2 to 0.5 V, respectively. A change in discharge capacity from 520 to 200 mAh g-1 during the first 50 charge/discharge cycles at a charge current of 0.1C and a Coulomb ef-ficiency of 98-100% was shown. The possibility of charging silicon-based anode samples at charging currents up to 2C was also noted; the discharge capacity ranged from 25 to 250 mAh g-1.

Oxide additive-free α- ⇀ β-Si3N4 phase transformation of a high-purity commercial α-Si3N4 powder was investigated at 1600 to 1900 ℃ under nitrogen pressure of 980 kPa. The XRD analysis revealed that the α- ⇀ β-Si3N4 phase transformation proceeded mainly at 1900 ℃, and was completed by the extensive 1900 ℃-heat treatment for 20 h. This phase transformation temperature was 33 ℃ lower than the theoretical α-Si3N4 dissociation temperature and confirmed as completely different from that often discussed for the liquid phase sintering of α-Si3N4 powder by direct comparison with the phase transformation behavior of a reference powder, α-Si3N4 powder doped with 1 mol% Y2O3. The unique α- ⇀ β-Si3N4 phase transformation was further studied by a set of characterization techniques including elemental analysis, HAADF-STEM and STEM-EDS analyses. The results strongly suggested that the oxide additive-free α- ⇀ β-Si3N4 phase transformation was governed by the for-mation of metastable solid solution between α-Si3N4 and impurity oxygen of approximately 0.6 wt%, which promoted the dissociation below the theoretical α-Si3N4 dissociation temperature to afford thermodynamically favorable β-Si3N4. Along with the β-Si3N4 formation, the impurity oxygen was concentrated at the Si3N4 crystal grain boundaries and subsequently released from the sample via the grain boundary diffusion.

Silicon anodes have been considered one of the most promising anode candidates for the next generation of high-energy density lithium-ion batteries due to the high theoretical specific capacity (4200 mAh g-1) of Si. However, high lithiation capacity endows silicon anodes with severe volume expansion effects during the charge/discharge cycling. The repeated volume expansions not only lead to the pulverization of silicon particles and the separation of electrode materials from the current collector, but also brings rupture/formation of solid electrolyte interface (SEI) and also continuous electrolyte consumption, which seriously hinders the commercial application of silicon anodes. Structural design and optimization is the key to improving the electrochemical performances of silicon anodes, which has attracted wide attention and research in recent years. This paper mainly summarizes and compares the latest research progress for the structural design and optimization of silicon anodes.

A structural study of the 6√3 reconstruction conversion on 4H-SiC substrate surface in an Ar medium with a short sublimation annealing time into quasi-free epitaxial graphene by means of hydrogen intercalation between the upper layer of SiC and the adjacent reconstructed layer was carried out using the technique of reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) characterizing the surface of a crystalline material. A slight violation of the 6√3 reconstruction layer formation uniformity was found. The results of the study of the crystal structure of quasi-free graphene and single-layer graphene comprising a buffer layer formed on 4H-SiC in the traditional way in an Ar atmosphere without intercalation were compared.

Recently, the interest in silicon-based detectors capable of detecting single photons in the near-infrared is growing mainly due to LiDAR applications, autonomous driving in particular. Silicon single-photon avalanche diodes are one of the most interesting single-photon NIR technology available on the market, nevertheless, their efficiency is hindered by the low absorption coefficient of Si in the NIR. The idea is the integration of CMOS-compatible nanostructures, specifically, silver grating array supporting Surface Plasmons Polaritons (SPPs), to confine superficially the incoming NIR photons and therefore increase photons probability to generate an electron-hole pair. The plasmonic silver array is geometrically fine-tuned using time domain simulation software to achieve maximum detector performance at 950 nm. Then, the plasmonic silver array is integrated by means of the focused ion beam technique on the detector. Finally, the integrated detector is electro-optically characterized, demonstrating a quantum efficiency of 13 at 950 nm, 2,2 times more than the reference detector. This result suggests the production of a device capable of detecting single NIR photons, at a very low cost and compatible with CMOS, thus integrable on existing technology platforms.

The use of cobalt-iron (VaCoFe) core is investigated as an alternative to silicon-iron (FeSi) on the design of interior permanent magnet synchronous motors (IPMSM). A spoke-type IPMSM geometry is optimized considering FeSi and VaCoFe cores for a torque range up to 40 N.m, providing a general comparative analysis between materials, considering the application of a 4-motor competition vehicle’s powertrain. A genetic optimization algorithm is applied over a hybrid analytical/finite-element model of the motor to provide sufficiently accurate electromagnetic and thermal results within a feasible time. VaCoFe can result in an estimated increase of up to 5 % in efficiency for the same torque, or up to 64 % torque increase for the same efficiency level. After optimization, and using a detailed time-dependent model, a potential 3.2 % increase in efficiency, a core weight reduction of 4.1 %, and a decrease of 9.6 % in the motor’s core volume was found for the VaCoFe at 20 Nm. In addition, for the same motor volume, the VaCoFe allows an increase of 51.9 % of torque with an increase of 1.1 % of efficiency, when compared with FeSi.

In recent years, the dominant cementitious materials have been industrial by products such as fly ash. This present paper describes some of the cementitious products that are attracting attention in the global research community and the properties and characteristics of these materials that affect their performance such durability, mechanically properties and reduction of carbon dioxid (CO2). The present investigation deals with the chemical synthesis of cementitious material using fly ash of eggs shell rich in calcium(Ca) and sand dune(southern of Algeria) rich in silica(SiO2).The composition is the most compressive resistant with a maximum stress of 49.71 MPa, the most flexible (E = 2.63 GPa) and the most ductile (εr = 65.42 %).The characteristic properties of the chemically synthesized cementitious materials were analyzed by the chemical composition analysis XRF, XRD and SEM analyses.

In recent years graphene has attracted much interest due to its unique properties of flexibility, strong light-matter interaction, high carrier mobility and broadband absorption. In addition, graphene can be deposited on many substrates including silicon with which is able to form Schottky junctions opening the path to the realization of near-infrared silicon photodetectors based on the internal photoemission effect where graphene play the role of the metal. In this work, we review the very recent progress of the near-infrared photodetectors based on Schottky junctions involving graphene. This new family of device promises to overcome the limitations of the Schottky photodetectors based on metals showing the potentialities to compare favorably with germanium photodetectors currently employed in silicon photonics.

Effect of abrasive shape on the three-body abrasion behaviors of monocrystalline silicon was investigated by Molecular dynamics modelling. The axial ratio of abrasive particle was varied from 1.00, i.e., a complete sphere, to 0.40 to mimic abrasive shape. The particle’s movement turns toward sliding from rolling when the axial ratio becomes less than a critical value 0.46. In the abrasion process, the friction force and normal force showed an approximately sinusoid-like fluctuation for the rolling ellipsoidal particles, while the front cutting of particle caused that friction force increased and became larger than normal force for sliding particles. The phase transformation process was tracked under different particle’ movement patterns. The Si-II and Bct5 phase producing in loading process can partially transform to Si-III/Si-XII phase and backtrack to original crystal silicon under pressure release, which also occurred in the abrasion process. The secondary phase transformation showed difference for particles’ rolling and sliding movements after three-body abrasion. The rolling of particle induced the periodical and inhomogeneous deformation of substrates, while the sliding benefited producing high-quality surface in CMP process. This study aiming to construct more precise model to understand the wear mechanism benefits evaluating the MEMS wear and CMP process of crystal materials.

The possibility of applying Mo and Cr coatings by CVD method to the inner surfaces of tubular products Ø ˂ 60 mm has been studied.The process of applying Mo and Cr coatings by the method of gas-phase deposition was developed.The areas of parameters for obtaining coatings with a uniform structure, speed, hardness, as well as patterns of change in these characteristics when changing the main parameters of the process of obtaining such coatings are determined.The proven technological processes of applying Mo and Cr CVD coatings can be the basis for the development of pilot technologies for applying functional coatings to precision parts with small-diameter inner tubular surfaces in the mechanical engineering and aviation industries.A controlled process of applying two-component chromium-aluminum coatings by gas-phase deposition using organic and organometallic substances was developed. Optimization of the processes of applying high-quality two-component chromium-aluminum coatings on prototype models of the internal cavities of cooled turbine blades was carried out.The studies revealed the characteristics of two-component chromium-aluminum coatings comparable to those of coatings used in production, while ensuring good quality coatings in terms of adhesion strength to the turbine blade material. The reproducibility of the coatings obtained makes it possible to develop pilot technologies for production in the future.The lower toxicity of the precursors used makes it possible to create an environmentally friendly technology and significantly reduce environmental problems in production when applying two-component chromium-aluminum coatings to the internal cavities of cooled turbine blades.

Achieving the thermal conductivity required for efficient heat management in semiconductors and other devices requires the integration of thermally conductive ceramic fillers at concentrations of 60 vol% or higher. However, the increased filler content often negatively affects the mechanical properties of the composite matrix, limiting its practical applicability. To address this issue, in this paper, we present a new strategy to reduce the required ceramic filler content: the use of a thermally conductive ceramic composite filler with carbon nanotubes (CNT) grown on aluminum nitride (AlN). We have combined catalyst coating technology with vacuum filtration to ensure that the catalyst is uniformly applied to micrometer-sized AlN particles, followed by efficient and uniform synthesis of CNTs using a water-assisted process in a vertical furnace. By carefully controlling the number of vacuum filtration cycles and the growth time of the CNTs, we demonstrate precise control over the number and length of the CNT layers, thereby adjusting the properties of the composite to the intended specifications. When AlN/CNT hybrid fillers are incorporated into silicone rubber, while maintaining the mechanical properties of rubber, the thermal diffusivity achieved at reduced filler levels exceeds that of composites using AlN-only or simultaneous AlN and CNTs formulations. This demonstrates the critical role of CNTs on AlN surfaces. Our study represents a significant advancement in the design of thermally conductive materials with potential implications for a wide range of applications.

New composite with core-shell structure based on magnesium hydride and finely dispersed aluminum powder with aluminum oxide shell was mechanically synthesized. We used magnesium chips to produce magnesium hydride and aluminum wire after exploitation to produce nano-sized aluminum powder. The beginning of the hydrogen release from composite occurred at the temperature of 117°C. The maximum desorption temperature from the MgH₂-EEWAl composite (10 wt.%) is 336°C compared to pure magnesium hydride – 417°C. The mass content of hydrogen in the composite is 5.5 wt.%. The positive effect of aluminum powder produced by the electric explosion of wires method on reducing the activation energy of desorption was demonstrated. Calculations showed that the activation energy of desorption for the composite is 106±1 kJ/mol, compared with pure magnesium hydride, whose activation energy was 155±2 kJ/mol. The results obtained make it possible to expand the possibility of using magnesium and aluminum waste for hydrogen energy.

Fastener holes are among the most common natural stress concentrators in metal structures. The life cycles of various structural elements, such as those in aircraft structures, automobiles, and rail-end bolt joints are limited by fatigue damage around the holes. An effective approach to delay the formation and growth of fatigue macrocracks is to introduce residual hoop compressive stresses around the holes. Two methods have become established in the prestressing of fastener holes in aircraft components: split sleeve and split mandrel, which implement one-sided processes. The common disadvantage of both methods is the complex procedure due to the need for high accuracy of the initial holes. This article presents a new modified split mandrel method providing the same tightness (interference fit) with a wide tolerance of the pre-drilled hole diameters reducing the number of technological cycle steps and production costs. То implement the new method, a functionally connected tool and a device with a hydraulic drive were developed. An extensive experimental study of 2024-T3 AA specimens was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of the method under a high scattering of the pre-drilled holes. The new method provided a deep zone of residual hoop compressive stresses on both faces of the specimens after cold working and after hole final reaming. The removal of a plastically deformed layer around the hole of suitable thickness during the final reaming decreased the axial gradient of residual hoop stress distribution. Fatigue tests on a tensile pulsating cycle verified the effectiveness of the modified split mandrel method to significantly increase the fatigue life by 6.6 times based on cycle fatigue strength compared to the conventional case of machining the holes. The obtained S-N curves for three groups of samples with initial hole diameters of 8.0, 8.1, and 8.2 mm which were cold worked with the same tightness of 0.32 mm and final reamed, aligned well indicating that the new method can provide constant fatigue strength for a given stress amplitude.

Cathodic protection is widely used to protect metal structures from corrosion and is commonly applied on marine structures in seaports using sacrificial galvanic anodes. These anodes, either in Zinc, or preferen-tially nowadays in Al-Zn-In alloys, are expected to corrode instead of the metal to be protected. This leads to the release of specific dissolved species, Zn2+, Al3+, In3+ and solid phases like Al(OH)3. Few studies were conducted on the effects of anodes on marine organisms and concluded that further detailed investiga-tions are needed in controlled environments. We therefore propose an experimental approach to evaluate the effects of Zn and Al-Zn-In anodes on oysters stabulated in tanks, under conditions approaching those used in the ports. We chose a non-targeted metabolomic approach, using UHPLC coupled to HRMS, to study the effects on the entire metabolome, without any a priori. A modelling study of the chemical species, corresponding to the deg-radation products of the anodes, likely to be present near the exposed oysters, was also included. We identified 16 and 2 metabolites modulated by Zn- and Al-Zn-In-anodes respectively, involved in bi-ological functions, such as energy metabolism, osmoregulation, oxidative stress, lipid, nucleotide nucle-oside and amino acid metabolisms, defense and signaling pathways.

This study investigates the effects of the antiperspirant aluminum chlorohydrate on the development of antibiotic resistance in commensal Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates. The isolates were exposed to aluminum chlorohydrate for 30 days, respectively. The bacteria that developed resistance to oxacillin, and ciprofloxacin were isolated, and the expression levels of some antibiotic resistance genes were determined by quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR. Before and after the exposure, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of the bacteria were determined by the microdilution method. A time-dependent increase was observed in the number of bacteria that developed resistance and increased the MIC value. Consistent with the ciprofloxacin resistance observed after exposure, an increase in the norA, norB/C, gyrA, gyrB, parC, and parE gene expressions was observed. In addition to aluminum chlorohydrate exposure, oxacillin resistance was observed in all test bacteria in the group subcultured only in the medium, suggesting that phenotypic resistance cannot be correlated with chemical exposure in the light of these data. The increase in mecA gene expressions of selected test bacteria that acquired resistance to oxacillin after exposure compared with control groups suggests that the observed resistance may be related to aluminum chlorohydrate exposure. To our knowledge, this is the first time in the literature that the effects of aluminum chlorohydrate as an antiperspirant on the development of antibiotic resistance in Staphylococcus epidermidis have been reported.

To understand the enhanced protection mechanism of CoCrNiAlY-YSZ-LaMgAl11O19 dou-ble-layer ceramic coating with aluminum plating, a finite element simulation method was used to simulate the distribution of thermal stress in the coating in all directions. The results show that in the air exposure of the un-aluminized coating, high temperature causes a large radial thermal stress on the surface of the LaMgAl11O19 (LMA) layer, and it increases with the increase in temperature, which is the main reason for the initiation of axial cracks. After arc aluminum plating, the aluminum plating layer effectively inhibited the volume shrinkage of the coating through good adhesion to the coating and internal diffusion, the thermal stress of the coating was considerably reduced, and the CoCrNiAlY-YSZ-LMA coating had an effective enhancement and protection effect; however, there was still a certain amount of shear thermal stress inside the LMA layer, the top of the crack, and the bottom of the crack. This thermal stress caused the initi-ation of radial microcracks in the LMA layer, which also becomes a risk point for the failure of the aluminum coating.

Hazardous toxic metals, such as lead and cadmium, and to a lesser extent aluminum, are extensively recognized as detrimental for health following ingestion within food and water, or following inhalation. Gut and food-derived microbes, by interacting with heavy metals, may actively or passively modulate their bioavailability inside the gut, either by adsorption or by sequestration. Such a bioremediation within the gut implies the selection of safe microbes, based on their specific capacities to immobilize metals. We investigated the metal removal ability of 225 bacteria toward the potential harmful trace elements lead, cadmium and aluminum in vitro, using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry analysis. Interspecies and intraspecies comparisons were addressed and discussed among bacteria from the phylum Firmicutes, which are mostly lactic acid bacteria, including Lactobacillus spp, with some Lactococcus, Pediococcus and Carnobacterium representatives, Actinobacteria as well as Proteobacteria. The effect on mixture of lead and cadmium was also investigated. Although the purpose of such a screening is so far not to elucidate each of the various strain specific- and metal dependent- mechanisms of heavy metal removal, we identified potential bacteria which are able to alleviate Pb(II) and Cd(II) concerns in order to propose performing candidate probiotics for metal xenobiotic bioremediation.

The rapidly evolving field of additive manufacturing requires a periodic assessment of the progress made in understanding the properties of metallic components. Although extensive research has been undertaken by many investigators, the data on properties such as hardness from individual publications are often fragmented. When these published data are critically reviewed, several important insights that cannot be obtained from individual papers become apparent. We examine the role of cooling rate, microstructure, alloy composition, and post process heat treatment on the hardness of additively manufactured components. Hardness data for steels and aluminum alloys processed by additive manufacturing and welding are compared to understand the relative roles of manufacturing processes. Furthermore, the findings are useful to determine if a target hardness is easily attainable either by adjusting AM process variables or through appropriate alloy selection.

Silicon Photomultipliers find applications across various fields. One potential Silicon Photomultiplier application domain is neutrino telescopes, where they may enhance the angular resolution. However, the elevated dark count rate associated with Silicon Photomultipliers represents a significant challenge to their widespread utilization. To address this issue, it is proposed to use Silicon Photomultipliers and Photomultiplier Tubes together. The Photomultiplier Tubes signals would serve as a trigger to mitigate the dark count rate, thereby preventing undue saturation of the available bandwidth. This paper presents an investigation into a fast and resource-efficient method for filtering Silicon Photomultiplier dark count rate. A low-resource and fast coincident filter has been developed, which removes the Silicon Photomultiplier dark count rate by using as trigger the Photomultiplier Tube input signals. The architecture of the coincidence filter, together with the first results obtained, which validate the effectiveness of this method are presented.

The protection of grapevine from the diseases is now particularly focused on the development of environmentally friendly strategies. Although sulphur is not in itself a toxic substance, a large use towards powdery mildew, in organic vineyards especially, may cause problems to environment, health and safety of viticultural workers and plant phytotoxicity. The activity on powdery mildew of sulphur applied at doses reduced up to 50% in tank mixtures with silicates and Equisetum arvense based products, never tested on grapevine, was assessed. Two-year trials were carried out applying the products every 7-9 days in the period of greatest risk for spring ascosporic infections, in two organic vineyards in the Abruzzo region, Italy. The effectiveness towards the disease of the mixtures was demonstrated, often to a greater extent than that of full-dose sulphur, normally used in the vineyards. Furthermore, in vines treated with the mixtures, increases in yield quantity and quality, such as higher contents of soluble solids and lower levels of total acidity, have been shown. Due to the strong efficacy demonstrated on the leaves, silicon-based products + sulphur mixtures can also be recommended in eradicative applications, aimed at reducing the inoculum of the disease. The great activity of the mixtures demonstrated in this study suggests confirmation through further investigations on different cultivars and vine-growing areas at different levels of infection, also testing the effectiveness of individual silicon products against the disease.

The evolution of photovoltaic cells is intrinsically linked to advancements in the materials from which they are fabricated. This review paper provides an in-depth analysis of the latest developments in silicon-based, organic, and perovskite solar cells, which are at the forefront of photovoltaic research. We scrutinize the unique characteristics, advantages, and limitations of each material class, emphasizing their contributions to efficiency, stability, and commercial viability. Silicon-based cells are explored for their enduring relevance and recent innovations in crystalline structures. Organic photovoltaic cells are examined for their flexibility and potential for low-cost production, while perovskites are highlighted for their remarkable efficiency gains and ease of fabrication. The paper also addresses the challenges of material stability, scalability, and environmental impact, offering a balanced perspective on the current state and future potential of these material technologies.

Crystalline silicon nanomembrane (Si NM) is promising in wearable and implantable bioelectronics due to its electrical and mechanical performances. However, the current explorations are not enough to firmly bridge ultrathin encapsulation strategies with high performance crystalline Si NM based transistors. In this work, we utilized Al2O3/alucone as the ultrathin encapsulation strategies aim to thoroughly investigate the effect of gate dielectric surface area on the electrical performance of crystalline Si NM based metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors (MOSCAPs). The comparative analysis was implemented on the three types of diameters (Ø) MOSCAPs with and without Al2O3/alucone encapsulation under planar and concave/convex bending conditions. Benefited from the Al2O3/alucone ultrathin encapsulations, the stability of gate leakage current density, and interfacial characteristics were maintained and improved under mechanical bending deformations for MOSCAPs with predefined Ø of 160, 240, and 320 μm compared to the bare MOSCAPs. Combined with the Ø-related mechanical analysis on the maximum strain in the critical layers and the practical measurements, the encapsulated MOSCAPs with Ø 160 μm showed the most stable electro-mechanical performances. The variations for encapsulated MOSCAPs with three types of Ø emerged in the oxide layer and the interface at dielectric/Si NM that were carefully evaluated according to the bending deformations. These findings are significant for leveraging the practical applications in the ultrathin encapsulation strategies for reliable operations of crystalline Si NM based integrated circuits (ICs).

Blood testing is a crucial application in the field of clinical studies for disease diagnosis and screening, biomarkers discovery, organ function assessment, and personalized medication. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to collect precise data in a short time. In this study, we utilized Raman spectroscopy to analyze blood samples and extracted comprehensive biological information, including the primary components and compositions present in the blood. We conducted short-wavelength (532 nm green light) Raman scattering spectroscopy on blood samples, plasma, and serum, and subsequently analyzed the biological characteristics detected in each sample type. Our results indicated that whole blood had high hemoglobin content, which suggests that hemoglobin is a major component of blood. The characteristic Raman peaks of hemoglobin were observed at 690, 989, 1015, 1182, 1233, 1315, and 1562–1649 cm−1. Analysis of plasma and serum samples indicated the presence of β-carotene, which exhibited characteristic peaks at 1013, 1172, and 1526 cm−1. Additionally, in the field of medical blood testing, the novel 3D Silicon micro-channel device technology holds immense potential. It can serve as a substrate and helps to detect various diseases and biomarkers, providing real-time data to help medical professionals and patients better understand their health conditions. Changes in biological data collected in this manner could potentially be used to diagnose clinical diseases.

Tamm Plasmon Polariton (TPP) is a nanophotonic phenomenon that has attracted much attention due to its spatial strong field confinement, ease of mode excitation and polarization independence. TPP has applications in sensing, storage, lasing, perfect absorber, solar cell, nonlinear optics, and many others. In this work, we demonstrate a biosensing platform based on TPP resonant mode. Both theoretical analyses based on Transfer Matrix Method and experimental validation through nonspecific detection of liquids of different refractive indices and specific detection of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein (N-protein) are presented. Results show that TPP biosensor has high sensitivity and good specificity. For N-protein detection, the sensitivity is 1.5 nm/(µg/ml) and the limit of detection can reach down to below 7 ng/ml with spectrometer of 0.01 nm resolution of wavelength shift. This work paves the way for design, optimization, fabrication, characterization, and performance analysis of TPP based biosensors

Silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs) are highly promising for biological and biomedical applications, including bioimaging, due to their unique opltical properties (i.e. strong fluorescence and very high photostability). Their low or negligible in vitro toxicity has been reported, but in vivo toxicity and biological effects of SiNPs are still uncertain. Uncoated SiNPs were dispersed in distilled water via sonication, and their rapid aggregation was observed (319.0 ± 2.4 nm particle size). In vivo toxicity was studied using Danio rerio embryos and larvae. Rapid aggregation in their incubation medium was observed; besides that, SiNPs at 25 mg/L or higher concentration induced swim bladder malformation and/or death of the fish. The estimated LC50 value for 7-day larvae was 180 mg/L. This is the first in vivo toxicity study of uncoated and unfunctionalized SiNPs. To achieve better stability in biological media and lower toxicity, SiNPs should be covered with hydrophilic layers, but their absorption by cellular membranes may be weaker in this case.

Silicon photonics is emerging as a competitive platform for electronic-photonic integrated circuits (EPICs) at the 2 µm wavelength band where GeSn photodetectors (PDs) have proven to be efficient PDs. Here, we present a comprehensive theoretical study of GeSn vertical p-i-n homojunction waveguide photodetectors (WGPDs) that have a strain-free and defect-free GeSn active layer for 2-µm Si-based EPICs. The use of a narrow-gap GeSn alloy as the active layer can fully cover entire the 2 µm wavelength band. The waveguide structure allows for decoupling the photon-absorbing path and the carrier-collection path, thereby allowing for simultaneous achievement of high-responsivity and high-bandwidth (BW) operation at the 2-µm wavelength band. We present the theoretical models to calculate the carrier saturation velocities, optical absorption coefficient, responsivity, 3-dB bandwidth, zero-bias resistance, and detectivity, and optimize this device structure to achieve highest performance at the 2-µm wavelength band. The results indicate that the performance of the GeSn WGPD has strong dependence on the Sn composition and geometric parameters. The optimally designed GeSn WGPD with 10% Sn concentration can give responsivity of 1.55 A/W, detectivity of 6.12×1010 cmHz½W-1 at 2 µm wavelength, and ~97 GHz BW. Therefore, this optimally designed GeSn WGPD is a potential candidate for silicon photonic EPICs offering high-speed optical communications.

We experimentally demonstrate enhanced spectral broadening of femtosecond optical pulses after propagation through silicon-on-insulator (SOI) nanowire waveguides integrated with two-dimensional (2D) graphene oxide (GO) films. Owing to the strong mode overlap between the SOI nanowires and the GO films with a high Kerr nonlinearity, the self-phase modulation (SPM) process in the hybrid waveguides is significantly enhanced, resulting in greatly improved spectral broadening of the femtosecond optical pulses. A solution-based, transfer-free coating method is used to integrate GO films onto the SOI nanowires with precise control of the film thickness. Detailed SPM measurements using femtosecond optical pulses are carried out, achieving a broadening factor of up to ~4.3 for a device with 0.4-mm-long, 2 layers of GO. By fitting the experimental results with theory, we obtain an improvement in the waveguide nonlinear parameter by a factor of ~3.5 and the effective nonlinear figure of merit (FOM) by a factor of ~3.8, relative to the uncoated waveguide. Finally, we discuss the influence of GO film length on the spectral broadening and compare the nonlinear optical performance of different integrated waveguides coated with GO films. These results confirm the improved nonlinear optical performance for silicon devices integrated with 2D GO films.

We report a self-assembly synthesis of silicon nanoparticles/nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide/ carbon nanofiber (Si@N-doped rGO/CNF) composites as potential high-performance anodes for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIB) through the electrostatic attraction between amino and carboxyl groups. Nitrogen atoms generate a large number of vacancies or defects on the graphite plane, providing additional transmission channels for the diffusion of lithium ions, and improving the conductivity of the electrode. Carbon nanofiber (CNF) can help maintain the stability of the electrode structure and prevent silicon nanoparticles from falling off the electrode, prevent silicon nanoparticles from being directly exposed to the electrolyte, and can form a stable solid electrolyte interface (SEI) film. The three-dimensional conductive structure composed of Si, nitrogen atom-doped reduced graphene oxide (N-doped rGO), and CNF can effectively buffer the volume changes of silicon nanoparticles, shorten the transmission distance of lithium ions (Li+) and electrons, and make the electrode have good conductivity and stability in mechanical properties. In addition, compared with the Si@N-doped rGO and Si/rGO/CNF composite electrode, the Si@N-doped rGO/CNF composite electrode shows good cycle performance and rate capability, and its reversible specific capacity can reach 1418.8 mAh/g. The capacity retention rate is 64.7%, and the coulomb efficiency is 95%.

We demonstrate hybrid integration of a lithium niobate microring resonator with a silicon nitride waveguide in the vertical configuration to achieve efficient light coupling. The microring resonator is fabricated on a lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI) substrate using photolithography assisted chemo-mechanical etching (PLACE). A fused silica cladding layer is deposited on the LNOI ring resonator. The silicon nitride waveguide is further produced on the fused silica cladding layer by first fabricating a trench in the fused silica using focused ion beam (FIB) etching for facilitating the evanescent coupling, followed by formation of the silicon nitride waveguide on the bottom of the trench. The FIB etching ensures the required high positioning accuracy between the waveguide and the ring resonator. We achieve Q-factors as high as 1.4*10^7 with the vertically integrated device.

In this paper, the preparation methods of porous silicon nitride materials with controllable dielectric constant and pore structure were systematically studied. By using microwave sintering technology, porous silicon nitride materials with high closed pore ratio were prepared by adjusting the content of sintering additives and sintering process parameters, and controlling the grain boundary phase and pore structure and size. The effects of sintering conditions on the total porosity, closed porosity, pore structure and dielectric properties of materials were systematically studied.

The NA61/SHINE experiment studies hadron production in hadron-hadron, hadron-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions. The physics programme includes the study of the onset of deconfinement and search for the critical point as well as reference measurements for neutrino and cosmic ray experiments. For strong interactions, future plans are to extend the programme of study of the onset of deconfinement by measurements of open-charm and possibly other short-lived, exotic particle production in nucleus-nucleus collisions. This new programme is planned to start after 2020 and requires upgrades to the present NA61/SHINE detector setup. Besides the construction of a large acceptance silicon detector, a 10-fold increase of the event recording rate is foreseen, which will necessitate a general upgrade of most detectors.

By means of density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we have investigated the effect of hydrostatic pressure on the structural, electronic and elastic properties of the barium-doped silicon clathrate Ba8Si46 in the type-VIII structure (α phase). Physical properties are calculated under different conditions of pressure (0 GPa to 45 GPa) using the GGA-PBE functional, those calculations have been performed using the Cambridge serial total energy package CASTEP code within the Materials Studio package. Electronic properties have shown that the type-VIII Ba8Si46 has metal-like properties with a fundamental bandgap of 1 eV. Under pressure the fundamental bandgap increases slightly and the positions of the valence band maximum VBM and the conduction band minimum CBM remain unchanged. We found that the compound is mechanically stable under the pressure range, but this needs to be confirmed experimentally through synthesis, a comparison with the type-I and the guest-free counterparts has exhibited promising features for the type-VIII Ba8Si46.

Due to the difficult metallurgical conditions during production, advanced processing techniques are required to produce functionally graded metal matrix composites. In this study, we explored a novel approach by using a combination of two different methods to produce Functionally Graded 7075 Al / SiCp composites. First process was direct semi-solid stirring that was used to prevent particle agglomeration, brittle reaction products, floating or settling of the reinforcements and poor wettability for the production of SiCp (wt. 5-20%) reinforced aluminum matrix composites. In the direct semi-solid mixing process, the matrix material remains in a semi-solid state until the reinforcement addition process is completed. The second novel process was sequential squeeze casting to provide liquid diffusion between two composite layers that were used to produce functionally graded aluminum matrix composite. The microstructure and interlayer zones were characterized by using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The resulting functionally graded material was subjected to spectrometer analyses, density measurements, and metallographic examinations in order to determine the characteristics of its layers and interfacial zones, as well as to assess the formation of the graded structure. The results obtained from this research provide the potential to use this new combined manufacturing method, which is relatively inexpensive, efficient and easily applicable, in order to produce functionally graded SiCp reinforced aluminum composites.

In recent years, in addition to the commonly known wire-based processes of Directed Energy Deposition using lasers, a process variant using the electron beam has also developed to industrial market maturity. The process offers particular potential for processing highly conductive, reflective or oxidation-prone materials. However, for industrial usage there is a lack of comprehensive data on performance, process limits and possible applications. The present study deals with this problem using the example of the high-strength aluminum bronze CuAl8Ni6. Multi-stage test welds are used to determine the physically possible process limits and draw conclusions about the suitability of the parameters for additive manufacturing. For this purpose, optimal ranges for energy input, possible welding speeds and the scalability of the process were investigated. Finally, additive test specimens in the form of cylinders and walls are produced and the hardness profile, microstructure and mechanical properties are investigated. It is found that the material CuAl8Ni6 can be well processed by wire electron beam additive manufacturing. The microstructure is similar to a cast structure, the hardness profile over the height of the specimens is constant and the tensile strength and elongation at fracture values achieved correspond to the specification of the raw material.

To obtain a given structure in 3D building-up modes, it is necessary to use optimal surfacing modes that determine the amount of heat input in local areas. For this purpose, aluminum bronze was surfacing onto a deformed base and the structure and its characteristics in the surfacing and heat-affected zones were studied by the EBSD method. The heterogeneity of the formation of the structure in each selected zone is established, which indicates the heterogeneity of heat input in local areas of the material in one mode of surfacing. For typical cases of crystallization, a molecular dynamics simulation of crystallization processes with different heat input to the base with characteristics specified based on experimental data was carried out. It has been established that the amount of heat input determines the degree of melting and the inherited defectiveness of growing crystals. The formation of misorientation boundaries and crystallization centers of new grains is determined by the conditions of joint growth of grains with given crystallographic parameters of the computational model. Numerical calculations agree with the experimentally observed results.

Atmospheric corrosion of aluminum aircraft structures occurs due to numerous reasons. A typical phenomenon leading to corrosion is the deliquescence of contaminants such as salts due to changes in relative humidity (RH) caused by aircraft operation at different altitudes and climate zones. Currently, corrosion of aircrafts is controlled by scheduled inspections. In contrast, the present contribution aims for a continuous monitoring approach by using the acoustic emission (AE) method to detect and further evaluate atmospheric corrosion. The AE method is frequently used for corrosion detection at typically immersion-like conditions or for corrosion types where stress-induced cracking is involved. However, it has not yet been demonstrated for atmospheric corrosion at unloaded aluminum structures. To address this question, the present investigation uses small droplets of a corrosive sodium chloride (NaCl) solution to induce atmospheric corrosion on aluminum alloy AA2024-T351. Operating conditions of an aircraft are simulated by a controlled variation in RH. In addition, videos of the corrosion site are recorded to visually observe the corrosion process. Pitting corrosion is generated and clearly measurable AE signals are detected. An automatic video processing algorithm looking for sudden changes on the corrosion site mainly detects hydrogen bubbles formed when aluminum reacts with aqueous solutions. A clear correlation between the observed pitting corrosion, the AE and the hydrogen bubble activity and the RH, i.e., the electrolyte present at the aluminum surface, is found. Thus, the findings demonstrate the applicability of the AE method for monitoring atmospheric corrosion of aluminum aircraft structures by today’s measurement equipment. Numerous potential effects that can cause measurable AE signals are investigated and discussed. Among these, bubble activity is clearly considered to be the most emissive one.

There always exist steel cuttings, holes and cracks at the interfaces in the explosive composite plate. Multi-pass friction stir processing (M-FSP) is proposed in this research to optimize the interface microstructure and the interface connection for 1060Al/Q235 explosive composite plate. Results show that the microstructures of 1060Al after M-FSP are fine and uniform owing to the strong stirring effect and recrystallization. Micro-defects formed by the explosive welding can be repaired by the M-FSP. However, M-FSP can also form tunnel defects in the aluminum, especially when the passes are one and two. The melting block and the melting lump in the composite plates are easy to become source of crack. The shear strengths and the bending properties for the 1060Al/Q235 explosive composite plate after M-FSP are the best when the passes are three, with the tool rotation speed of 1200rpm and the forward speed of 60mm/min. The optimized interfaces for the explosive composite plate after M-FSP are mainly by the metallurgical bondings, with a certain thickness and are discontinuous. Therefore, the crack extension stress is the largest and the mechanical properties are the best.

The thermal stabilizers, lubricant, and plasticizers are three crucial additives for processing poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC). In this study, a new mannitol stearate ester-based aluminum alkoxides (MSE-Al) was designed and synthesized as a novel additive for PVC. The thermal stability and processing performance of PVC stabilized by MSE-Al were evaluated by Congo red test, conductivity measurement, thermal aging test, ultravioletevisible (UV-vis) spectroscopy test, and torque rheometer test. Results showed that the addition of MSE-Al can not only markedly improve the long-term thermal stability of PVC, but also greatly accelerate the plasticizing and decrease the balance torque which demonstrated that MSE-Al possesses the lubricating property. Thus, MSE-Al was demonstrated to be able to provide tri-functional additive roles, e.g., thermal stabilizer, plasticizer, and lubricant. The test results for the thermal stability of PVC indicated that the initial whiteness of PVC stabilized with MSE-Al was not good enough, thus the synergistic effect of MSE-Al with zinc stearates (ZnSt₂) on the thermal stability of PVC was also investigated. The results showed that there exhibited an appreciable synergistic effect between MSE-Al and ZnSt₂. The thermal stabilization mechanism and synergism effect of MSE-Al with ZnSt₂ were then discussed.

Within the task of replacing bronze journal bearings with aluminum the processes taking part on friction surface of high-alloyed aluminum alloys working with steel are investigated. The surface and subsurface layer of experimental aluminum bearings were studied before and after tribological tests by scanning electron microscopy including energy-dispersive analysis. Both structural and composition changes in surface layer are shown. It has been revealed that secondary structures are formed on the surface during friction process and include all the chemical elements of the tribosystem which is a consequence of its self-organization. The interaction behavior of some chemical elements of tribological system is discussed.

The work presented in this paper represents a preliminary study on the performance of the new Silicon tracker layer, the Layer 0 (L0), that will be installed on top of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02), at the end of 2024. AMS-02 is a cosmic rays (CR) detector that has been operating on the International Space Stations (ISS) since May 2011. Thanks to its 9-layer Silicon tracker, this apparatus can perform high energy CR measurements with an unprecedented level of statistics and precision. However, high Z (Z $\ge 15$) CR nuclei statistic is strongly affected by fragmentation along the detector: with the installation of the new Silicon layer will be possible to achieve new unique high energy (TeV region) measures for those nuclei along with increased statistics for all nuclei up to Zinc. To achieve this, a Silicon ladder prototype, that will be part of the final Silicon layer, has been exposed to an ions test beam at the super-proton-synchrotron (SPS) of the CERN to characterize its charge resolution and the readout electronics. Preliminary results have shown a charge resolution of 10 $\%$ for nuclei up to Z=7.

The design and engineering of antibacterial materials is key for preventing bacterial adherence and proliferation in biomedical and house-hold instruments. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and chitosan (CHI) are broad-spectrum antibacterial materials with different properties, whose combined application is currently under optimization. This study proposes the formation of antibacterial films with AgNPs embedded in carboxymethylcellulose/chitosan multilayers by the layer-by-layer (LbL) method. The films were deposited onto nanoporous silicon (nPSi), an ideal platform for bioengineering applications, due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and bioresorbability. We focus on two alternative multilayer deposition processes: cyclic dip coating (CDC) and cyclic spin coating (CSC). The physicochemical properties of the films were the subject of microscopic, microstructural and surface-interface analyses. The antibacterial activity of each film was investigated against Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) bacteria strains as model microorganisms. According to the findings, CDC technique produced multilayer films with higher antibacterial activity for both bacteria compared to the CSC method. Bacteria adhesion inhibition was observed from only 3 cycles. The developed AgNPs-multilayer composite film offers advantageous antibacterial properties for biomedical applications.

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) can be produced by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) of SiH4 (Silane) mixed with Hydrogen. The resulting material shows outstanding radiation resistance properties and can be deposited on a wide variety of different substrates. These devices have been used to detect many different kinds of radiation namely: MIPs, x-rays, neutrons and ions as well as low energy protons and alphas. However, MIP detection using planar diodes has always been difficult due to the unsatisfactory S/N ratio arising from a combination of high leakage current, high capacitance and a limited charge collection efficiency (50% at best for a 30 µm planar diode). To overcome these limitations the 3D-SiAm collaboration proposes to use a 3D detector geometry. The use of vertical electrodes allows for a small collection distance to be maintained while conserving a large detector thickness for charge generation. The depletion voltage in this configuration can be kept below 400 V with consequent reduction in the leakage current. In this paper, following a detailed description of the fabrication process, the results of the tests performed on the planar p-i-n structures made with ion implantation of the dopants and with carrier selective contacts will be illustrated.

Abstract: Metal-air batteries provide a most promising battery technology given their outstanding potential energy densities, which are desirable for both stationary and mobile applications in a ‘beyond lithium-ion’ battery market. Silicon- and iron-air batteries underwent less research and development compared to lithium- and zinc-air batteries. Nevertheless, in the recent past, the two also-ran battery systems made considerable progress and attracted rising research interest due to the excellent resource-efficiency of silicon and iron. Silicon and iron are among the top five of the most abundant elements in the earth’s crust, which ensures almost infinite material supply of the anode materials, even for large scale applications. Furthermore, primary silicon-air batteries are set to provide one of the highest energy densities among all batteries, while iron-air batteries are frequently considered as a highly rechargeable system with decent performance characteristics. Considering fundamental aspects for the anode materials, i.e., the metal electrodes, in this review, we will first outline the challenges, which explicitly apply to silicon- and iron-air batteries and prevented them from a broad implementation so far. Afterwards, we provide an extensive literature survey regarding state-of-the-art experimental approaches, which are set to resolve the aforementioned challenges and might enable the introduction of silicon- and iron-air batteries into the battery market in the future.

We describe the direct formation of mixed-phase (1T and 2H) MoS2 layers on Si as a photocathode via atomic layer deposition (ALD) for application in the photoelectrochemical (PEC) reduction of water to hydrogen. Without typical series-metal interfaces between Si and MoS2, our p-Si/SiOx/MoS2 photocathode showed efficient and stable operation in hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs). The resulting performance could be explained by spatially genuine device architectures in three dimensions (that is, laterally homo and vertically heterojunction structures). The ALD-grown MoS2 overlayer with the mixed-phase 1T and 2H homojunction passivates light absorber and surface states and functions as a monolithic structure for effective charge transport within MoS2. It is also beneficial in the operation of p-i-n heterojunctions with inhomogeneous barrier heights due to the presence of mixed-phase cocatalysts. The effective barrier heights reached up to 0.8 eV with optimized MoS2 thicknesses, leading to a 670 mV photovoltage enhancement without employing buried Si p-n junctions. The fast-transient behaviors via light illumination show that the mixed-phase layered chalcogenides can serve as efficient cocatalysts by depinning the Fermi levels at the interfaces. A long-term operation of ~ 70 h was also demonstrated in a 0.5 M H2SO4 solution.

A compact Mach-zehnder interferometer with a novel design of directional couplers and a phase shifter has been presented as a thermo-optical sensor. With the aim of reducing device size to micro and nano dimension silicon-on-insulator technology was employed. That allowed miniaturization of device size through the reduction of its cross sectional area to 0.066 µm² and the radius of curvature of both the arms of the directional coupler and S-bends of the phase shifter to 5 µm and C-bends to 3 µm. These nano size device dimensions made it possible to reduce the coupling gap to 0.2 µm, which resulted in a significant reduction in the coupling length. The device geometry and its performance characteristics were analyzed and optimized using coupled mode analysis and finite difference time domain simulation tools, respectively. The wavelength dependent transmission loss of the device was measured at different temperature to verify and validate its performance characteristics. Tested devices showed a remarkable temperature dependent transmission characteristic offering significant changes in transmission loss band – with as low as 0.45 ⁰C change in substrate temperature. The extinction ratio and the free spectral range of the device were 26 dB and 0.26 nm respectively in the wavelength range of 1549.5 nm – 1550.5 nm. These results imply that the devices presented here can be used as compact and highly sensitive thermal sensors and optical switches.

Water pollution is the main problem in the current scenario which is being faced by mankind due to the industrial and commercial effects. Industrial effluents contain heavy metals and inorganic ions like nitrates and phosphate ions. These ions are being included in waterways through industrial runoff. When the concentration of these hazardous pollutants increases in aquatic flora and fauna causes severe health problems. So remediation of these toxicants from water reserves is of chief importance. Conventional processes along with modern processes are being used for the treatment of industrial wastes. Photo-degradation is a modern method used for the degradation of inorganic ions due to its environmentally friendly nature and cost-effectiveness. In a recent study Aluminum oxide (Al2O3) nanoparticles were synthesized via a green approach at different pH by using Cymbopogan citratus (lemongrass) plant extract and these nanoparticles were used for the removal of inorganic ions from wastewater. The nanoparticles of different pH showed different % degradation of the inorganic ions in acidic medium removal of inorganic waste was less, in basic media % degradation was more as compared to acidic media but maximum % degradation was observed in neutral media like that average % degradation 91% and 81% was observed for nitrate and phosphate ions. The maximum absorbance occurred at 212nm and Al2O3 nanoparticles showed absorbance from 210nm-217nm. The R2 values of pseudo1st, 2nd, and BMG models were 0.956, 0.837, 0.7007 0.95, 0.896, and 0.756 for the nitrate and phosphate ions. Characterizations of synthesized particles were investigated by using UV-visible spectroscopy and other analytical methods like X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The statistical analyses were done using Simple Linear regression (SLR).

Swarf of aluminum alloy with high corrosion resistance and ductility was successfully converted into fine hydroreactive powders via its ball milling with silver powder and either lithium chloride or gallium. The later substances significantly intensified particle size reduction, while silver formed ‘cathodic’ sites (Ag, Ag2Al) promoting Al corrosion in aqueous saline solutions with hydrogen generation. The diffraction patterns, microphotographs, and elemental analysis results demonstrated partial aluminum oxidation in the samples and their contamination with tungsten carbide from milling balls. Those effects were responsible for obtaining hydrogen yields lower than expected. For AlCl3 solution at 60 °C, Al–LiCl–Ag, Al–LiCl, Al–Ga–Ag, and Al–Ga composites delivered (84.6±0.2), (86.8±1.4), (80.2±0.5), and (76.7±0.7)% of the expected hydrogen respectively. Modification with Ag promoted Al oxidation thus providing higher hydrogen evolution rates. The samples with Ag were tested in CaCl2 solution as well, for which the reaction proceeded much slower. At a higher temperature (80 °C) after 3 h of experiment, the hydrogen yields for Al–LiCl–Ag and Al–Ga–Ag powders were (46.7±2.1) and (31.8±1.9)%. The tested Ag-modified composite powders were considered promising for hydrogen generation and had a potential for further improvement to provide higher performance.

Aluminum profile surface defects can greatly affect the performance, safety and reliability of products. Traditional human-based visual inspection is low accuracy and time consuming, and machine vision-based methods depend on hand-crafted features which need to be carefully designed and lack robustness. To recognize the multiple types of defects with various size on aluminum profiles, a multiscale defect detection network based on deep learning is proposed. Then, the network is trained and evaluated using aluminum profile surface defects images. Results show 84.6%, 48.5%, 96.9%, 97.9%, 96.9%, 42.5%, 47.2%, 100%, 100%, 43.3% average precision(AP) for the ten defect categories, respectively, with a mean AP of 75.8%, which illustrate the effectiveness of the network in aluminum profile surface defects detection. In addition, saliency maps also show the feasibility of the proposed network.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) and aluminum oxide (Al2O3) coatings have been investigated in a wide range of bio-applications due to their biodegradation and biocompatibility properties, that are key parameters for their use in the food packaging and biomedical devices fields. The present study evaluates and compares the electrochemical behavior of the non-coated, commercial resin-coated, TiO2-coated and Al2O3-coated aluminum in commercial beer electrolyte. For this, TiO2 and Al2O3 thin films were deposited on aluminum (Al) substrates using atomic layer deposition (ALD). The evaluation of the corrosion barrier layer properties was performed by linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). In addition, profilometry, grazing incidence X-ray diffractometry (GIXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analyses were performed to investigate the physical and chemical properties of the pristine and / or corroded samples. TiO2 and Al2O3 films presented an amorphous structure, a morphology that follows Al substrate surface, and a thickness of around 100 nm. Analysis of LSV data showed that ALD coatings promoted a considerable increase in corrosion barrier efficiency being 86.3% for TiO2-coated Al and 80% for Al2O3-coated Al in comparison with 7.1% of commercial resin-coated Al. This is mainly due to the lower electrochemical porosity, 11.4% for TiO2-coated Al and 20.4% for Al2O3-coated Al in comparison with 96% of the resin-coated Al, i.e. an increase of up to twofold in the protection of Al when coated with TiO2 compared to Al2O3 coated. The EIS results allow us to complement the discussions about the reduced corrosion barrier efficiency of the Al2O3 film for beer electrolyte once SEM and FT-IR analyzes did not show drastic changes in both investigated ALD films after the corrosion assays. The above results indicate that ALD TiO2 and Al2O3 films may be a viable alternative to replace the synthetic resin coatings frequently used in aluminum cans of use in the food industry.

This study scrutinizes the complexities of designing and exploring the potential energy surface (PES) of systems containing more than twenty atoms with planar tetracoordinate carbons (ptCs). To tackle this issue, we utilized an established design rule to design a Naphtho [1,2-b:4,3-b′:5,6-b′′:8,7-b′′′]tetrathiophene derivative computationally. This process began with substituting S atoms with CH– units, then replacing three sequential protons with two Si2+ units in the resultant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon polyanion. Despite not representing the global minimum, the newly designed Si8C22 system with four ptCs provided valuable insights into strategic design and PES exploration. Our results underscore the importance of employing adequate methodologies to confirm the stability of newly designed molecular structures containing planar hypercoordinate carbons.

Optical parametric amplification (OPA) represents a powerful solution to achieve broadband amplification in wavelength ranges beyond the scope of conventional gain media, for generating high-power optical pulses, optical microcombs, entangled photon pairs and a wide range of other applications. Here, we demonstrate optical parametric amplifiers based on silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) waveguides integrated with two-dimensional (2D) layered graphene oxide (GO) films. We achieve precise control over the thickness, length, and position of the GO films using a transfer-free, layer-by-layer coating method combined with accurate window opening in the chip cladding using photolithography. Detailed OPA measurements with a pulsed pump for the fabricated devices with different GO film thicknesses and lengths show a maximum parametric gain of ~24.0 dB, representing a ~12.2 dB improvement relative to the device without GO. We perform a theoretical analysis of the device performance, achieving good agreement with experiment and showing that there is substantial room for further improvement. This work demonstrates a new way of achieving high photonic integrated OPA performance by incorporating 2D materials.

Peptide nucleic acid (PNA) is a synthetic DNA mimic that outperforms the properties of traditional oligonucleotides (ONs). On account of its outstanding features, such as remarkable binding affinity towards complementary DNA or RNA as well as high thermal and chemical stability, PNA has been proposed as a valuable alternative to the ON probe in gene-sensor design. In this study, a hybrid transducer made-up of graphene oxide (GO) nano-sheets covalently grafted onto a porous silicon (PSi) matrix has been investigated for the early detection of a genetic cardiac disorder, the Brugada syndrome (BS). A functionalization strategy towards the realization of a potential PNA-based device is described. A peptide nucleic acid (PNA), able to detect the SCN5A associated with the BS has been properly synthesized and used as a bioprobe for the realization of a proof-of-concept label-free optical PNA-biosensor. PSi reflectance and GO photoluminescence (PL) signals were simultaneously exploited for the monitoring of the device functionalization and response.

This paper reports 2 × 4 hybrid Mach-zehnder interferometer (MZI) - multi-mode interferometers (MMI) based compact thermo-optical switch consisting of slab waveguides on silicon-on-insulator, SOI, platform. The device consists of two identical MMIs, each of 6 μm wide and 140 μm long connected with two phase shifters MMIs each with 2 μm wide and 8 μm long and linear tappers each 4 μm long, connected at both ends of the MMIs to minimize the power coupling loss. The loss for linear taper is found to be below 0.02dB. The footprint of the whole device is six 6 μm × 324 μm. This structure is based on unique multimode region shape, which leads optical switch to have less coupling loss and reduced cross-talk. The average thermo-optical switching power consumption is 1.4 mW, the excess losses are 0.8 dB, and the imbalances are 0.1 dB. Aluminum is used as a heating pad, and a trench is created around this pad to prevent from spreading of heat and reduce power loss almost by a factor of 2 to the adjacent phase shifter. Our new heating method has advantages of compact size and ease of fabrication with the current CMOS technology.

Integrated ultra-low-loss waveguides are highly desired for integrated photonics to enable applications that require long delay lines, high-Q resonators, narrow filters, etc. Here we present an ultra-low-loss silicon waveguide on 500 nm thick SOI platform. Meter-scale delay lines, million-Q resonators and tens of picometer bandwidth grating filters are experimentally demonstrated. We design a low-loss low-reflection taper to seamlessly integrate the ultra-low-loss waveguide with standard heterogeneous Si/III-V integrated photonics platform to allow realization of high-performance photonic devices such as ultra-low-noise lasers and optical gyroscopes.

Three-dimensional nanocomposite networks consisting of percolated Si nanowires in a SiO₂ matrix, Si:SiO₂, were studied. The structures were obtained by reactive ion beam sputter deposition of SiO_x (x ≈ 0.6) thin films at 450 °C and subsequent crystallization using conventional oven as well as millisecond line focus laser annealing. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, cross-sectional and energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy were applied for sample characterization. While oven annealing resulted in a mean Si wire diameter of 10 nm and a crystallinity of 72 % within the Si volume, almost single-domain Si structures with 30 nm in diameter and almost free of amorphous Si were obtained by millisecond laser application. The structural differences are attributed to the different crystallization processes: Conventional oven tempering proceeds via solid state, millisecond laser application via liquid phase crystallization of Si. The 5 orders of magnitude larger diffusion constant in the liquid phase is responsible for the three times larger Si nanostructure diameter. In conclusion, laser annealing offers not only significantly shorter process times but moreover a superior structural order of nano-Si compared to conventional heating.

In the literature, the chemical composition of Rhododendron tomentosum is mainly represented by the study of isoprenoid compounds of essential oil. In contrast, the study of the content of flavonoids will contribute to the expansion of the pharmacological action and the use of the medicinal plant for medical purposes. The paper deals with the technology of extracts from Rhododendron tomentosum shoots using ethanol of various concentrations and purified water as an extractant. Extracts from Rhododendron tomentosum were obtained by a modified method that combined the effects of ultrasound and temperature to maximize the extraction of biologically active substances from the raw material. By the method of high-performance thin-layer chromatography in the system of solvents ethyl acetate: formic acid: water (15:1:1) the following substances have been separated and identified: rutin, hyperoside, quercetin, and chlorogenic acid in all the extracts obtained. To quantify the total flavonoids content, a method of spectrophotometric determination based on the reaction of complexation with aluminum chloride has been developed. It has been proved that the course of the complexation reaction and, accordingly, the quantification of the flavonoid structure substances by the spectrophotometric method is influenced by some factors, including the environment, pH, the structure of the complexes, etc. Regardless of the chosen method, for the further production of Rhododendron tomentosum extracts with a higher content of flavonoid structure substance, it is advisable to use 60%, 70%, and 80% ethyl alcohol as extractant.

Various types of electroconductive additives were evaluated for high C-rate capability in an attempt to extend practical application of high-areal-capacity lithium–sulfur batteries that employ an aluminum-foam current collector. Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) were found to be the most effective additive, with the ability to attain a high-sulfur-loading of 40 mg cm−2. A CNF-containing cell exhibited gravimetric capacities of 1094 and 758 mAh gsulfur−1 (46.8 and 32.4 mAh cm−2) at 0.05 and 0.1 C-rate, respectively, in an ether-based electrolyte. Because a CNF-containing slurry exhibits low viscosity even at a high solid ratio, it could be filled into the aluminum foam. Additionally, a lithium–sulfur battery with high-sulfur-loading had an energy density of ~120 Wh kg−1, a value that was calculated from the weight of the components of the cathode, anode, current collectors, electrolyte, and separator. Assuming that the amount of electrolyte decreases and that the energy density of cells accumulate, a theoretical energy density of 522 Wh kg−1 was estimated. Moreover, it was found that even if a high-areal-capacity was achieved, the discharge capacity converged at a high C-rate, unless there was an improvement in ion diffusion in the bulk electrolyte. This is considered a limitation of sulfur cathodes with high-sulfur-loading.

Intercalation of noble metals can produce giant Rashba-type spin-orbit splittings in graphene. The spin-orbit splitting more than 100 meV has not yet been achieved in graphene on a metallic or a semiconductor substrate. Here, we report the p-type graphene obtained by Pt intercalation of zero-layer graphene on SiC substrate. The spin splitting of ∼200 meV was observed at a wide range of binding energies. Comparing the results of theoretical studies of different models with the experimantal ones measured by spin-ARPES, XPS and STM methods, we came to the conclusion that inducing giant spin-orbit splitting requires not only a fairly close arrangement of graphene to Pt layer, but also the presence of graphene corrugation caused by non-flat Pt layer. This makes it possible to find a compromise between strong hybridization and increased spin-orbit interaction. In our case, this is achieved by forming Pt submonolayer ordered on a nanometer scale under graphene.

This research will examine the computational methods to calculate the nonlinear optical process of second harmonic generation (SHG) that will be hypothesized to be present during lithium ion insertion into silicon nanowires. First it will be determined whether the medium in which SHG is conveyed is non-centrosymmetric or whether the medium is inversion symmetric where SHG as a part of the second-order nonlinear optical phenomenon does not exist. It will be demonstrated that the main interaction that determines SHG is multiphoton absorption on lithium ions. The quantum harmonic oscillator (QHO) is used as the background that generates coherent states for electrons and photons that transverse the length of the silicon nanowire. The matrix elements of the Hamiltonian which represents the energy of the system will be used to calculate the probability density of second-order nonlinear optical interactions which includes collectively SHG, sum-frequency generation (SFG) and difference-frequency generation (DFG). As a result it will be seen that at varies concentrations of lithium ions (Li+) within the crystallized silicon (c-Si) matrix the second-order nonlinear optical process has probabilities substantial enough to create second harmonic generation that could possibly be used for such applications as second harmonic imaging microscopy.

Chronic exposure of workers to powder containing crystalline silica (SiO₂) can lead to chronic lung diseases (lung cancer, silicosis, etc.). The aim of the study was to evaluate the exposure of Greek construction workers to SiO₂ and describe their pulmonary function. The study involved 86 outdoor and underground workers. Medical and professional history was obtained, and breath samples were collected at morning hours through a mask for the determination of SiO₂ levels. Pulmonary function tests, radiological examination and evaluation of radiographs were, also performed. During the examination of the pulmonary function, the majority of the workers were within normal range (61.4%) while the rest were diagnosed with mild (26.5%) and more severe impairment (7.2%). Working conditions (underground-outdoor) were statistically significantly related to the categorization of pulmonary function (p = 0.038). During radiological examination, the type of working conditions (underground-outdoor) were statistically significantly related to the categorization of these findings (p = 0.044). Of the 69 employees, 52 did not present findings (75.4%) and five (5) were diagnosed with findings specific to occupational diseases (7.2%). The environmental exposure to RCS (Respirable crystalline silica) was detected at 0,0125 mg/ m³ in the workplace, which is not beyond the legal limits. Underground workers with more than 15 years of exposure to SiO₂ are more likely to present chronic silicosis compared to the workers of outdoor activities.

This article reports a novel and efficient method to synthesize graphene by thermal decomposition process. In this method, silicon carbide (SiC) thin films grown on Si(100) wafers with an AlN buffer layer were used as substrates. A CO₂ laser beam heating without vacuum or controlled atmosphere was applied for SiC thermal decomposition. The physical, chemical, morphological, and electrical properties of the laser-produced graphene were investigated for different laser energy densities. The results demonstrate that graphene was produced in form of small islands with quality, density and properties depending on the applied laser energy density. Furthermore, the produced graphene exhibits a sheet resistance characteristic similar to graphene grown on mono-crystalline SiC wafer, which indicates its potential for electronic device applications.

Numerous structures at the nano- and microscale manifest distinctive properties with far-reaching implications across diverse fields, including electronics, electricity, medicine, and surface engi-neering. Established methods such as nanoimprint lithography, photolithography, and self-assembly play crucial roles in the fabrication of nano- and microstructures; however, they exhibit limitations in generating high-aspect-ratio structures when utilizing high-viscosity pho-tocurable resins. In response to this inherent challenge, we propose a highly cost-effective ap-proach facilitating the direct replication of high-aspect-ratio structures, specifically nanowires, through the utilization of anodized aluminum substrates. This study elucidates the streamlined fabrication process for multiscale porous surfaces achieved through the evaporation-induced in-tegration of solid nanowires printed with high-viscosity photocurable resin.

In the paper the experimental methodology for the single-crystal circular plate deformation measurement and subsequent procedure for mechanical properties quantitation are developed. The procedure is based on a new numerical-analytical solution of nonlinear boundary-value problem for finite deformations of a circular anisotropic plate. Using the developed method, a study of the deformation of single-crystal circular plates formed on the basis of a silicon-on-insulator structure was carried out. The values of residual stresses are determined and it is shown that the presence of these stresses increases the flexural rigidity of the plate in several times.

NUSES is a planned space mission aiming to test innovative observational and technological approaches related to the study of low-energy cosmic rays, gamma rays and high-energy astrophysical neutrinos. Two scientific payloads will be hosted onboard the NUSES space mission: Terzina and Zirè. Terzina will be an optical telescope readout by SiPM arrays, for the detection and study of Cerenkov light emitted by Extensive Air Showers generated by high-energy cosmic rays and neutrinos in the atmosphere. Zirè will focus on the detection of protons and electrons up to a few hundred MeV and to 0.1-10 MeV photons and will include the Low Energy Module (LEM). The LEM will be a particle spectrometer devoted to the observation of fluxes of low-energy electrons in the 0.1-7 MeV range and protons in the 3-50 MeV range along the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) followed by the hosting platform. The detection of Particle Bursts (PBs) in this Physics channel of interest could give new insight into the understanding of complex phenomena such as eventual correlations between seismic events or volcanic activity with the collective motion of particles in the plasma populating van Allen belts. With its compact sizes and limited acceptance, the LEM will allow the exploration of hostile environments such as the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) and the inner van Allen belt, in which are expected electron fluxes of the order of 106−7 cm−2 sr−1 s−1. Concerning the vast literature of space-based particle spectrometers, the innovative aspect of the LEM resides in its compactness, within 10x10x10 cm3, and in its “active collimation” approach dealing with the problem of multiple scattering at these very low energies. In this work, the geometry of the detector, its detection concept, its operation modes and the hardware adopted will be presented. Some preliminary results from the Monte Carlo simulation (Geant4) will be shown.

The effect of neutron irradiation of Si-Ge/Si film structures obtained by gas-phase epitaxy on the processes of charge carrier generation and the magnitude of the dark short-circuit current and open-circuit voltage caused by it is studied, it is shown that their magnitude practically does not change with time. The results obtained indicate that all types of structural defects, both associated with dopant impurities and radiation exposure, contribute to the generation of charge carriers in heated silicon structures with the participation of deep energy levels, which indicates the applicability of neutron processing of silicon materials to create thermal energy converters, operating at high temperatures.

Cycling reliability is crucial for Si-based materials due to severe volume change during cycles that results in the fast capacity fading. Though the binder only occupies a very low amount of the total mass of anodes, it is proved to perform a key parameter to improve the cycle performance of Si-based anodes. Because they are eco-friendly and cost saving, water-based binders styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) are regarded as the better binder to substitute Poly (vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF) as the binder for Si-based anode. In this study, the anodes are fabricated by simply mixing the active materials (naso Si, graphite and conductive additive) together and using the mixture of SBR and CMC as a binder. The results showed that the retention capacities of the anodes are more than 440 mAh/g after 400 cycles. It indicates that it is an easy and simple way to make high performance anodes.

The blue sepal color of hydrangea is due to a metal complex anthocyanin composed of 3-O-glucosyldelphinidin (1) and an aluminum ion with the co-pigments 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid (2) and/or 5-O-p-coumaroylquinic acid (3). The three components, namely, anthocyanin, Al³⁺ and 5-O-acylquinic acids, are essential for blue color development, but the complex is unstable and only exists in aqueous solution. Furthermore, the complex did not give analyzable NMR spectra or crystals. Therefore, many trials to determine the detailed chemical structure of the hydrangea-blue complex have failed to date. Instead, via experiments mixing 1, Al³⁺ and 2 or 3 in a buffered solution at pH 4.0, we obtained the same blue solution derived from the sepals. However, the ratio was not stoichiometric but fluctuated. To determine the composition of the complex, we tried direct observation of the molecular ion of the complex using electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry. In a very low-concentration buffer solution (2.0 mM) at pH 4.0, we reproduced the hydrangea-blue color by mixing 1, 2 and Al³⁺ in ratios of 1:1:1, 1:2:1 and 1:3:1. All solution gave the same molecular ion peak at m/z = 843, indicating that the blue solution has a ratio of 1:1:1 for the complex. By using 3, the observed mass number was m/z = 827 and the ratio of 1, 3 and Al³⁺ was also 1:1:1. A mixture of 1, 3-O-caffeoylquinic acid (4) and Al³⁺ did not give any blue color but instead was purple, and the intensity of the molecular ion peak at m/z = 843 was very low. These results strongly indicate that the hydrangea blue-complex is composed of a ratio of 1:1:1 for 1, Al³⁺ and 2 or 3.

Helicobacter Pylori (H. Pylori) is a common pathogen with high prevalence of infection in human populations. Diagnosis of H. Pylori infection is critical for its treatment, eradication, and prognosis. Biosensors have been demonstrated to be powerful for rapid onsite detection of pathogens, particularly for point-of-care test (POCT) scenarios. In this work, we propose a novel optical biosensor, based on nanomaterial porous silicon (PSi) and photonic surface state Tamm Plasmon Polariton (TPP), for detection of cytotoxin-associated antigen A (CagA) antigen of H. Pylori bacterium. We fabricated the PSi TPP biosensor, analysed its optical characteristics and demonstrated through experiments towards sensing of CagA antigen, that TPP biosensor has sensitivity of 100 pm/(ng/ml), limit of detection of 0.01 ng/ml, and specificity in terms of positive-to-negative ratio of more than six. From these performance factors, it can be concluded that TPP biosensor can serve as an effective tool for diagnosis of H. Pylori infection, either in analytical labs or in POCT applications.

Recent developments in optical biosensors based on integrated photonic devices are reviewed with a special emphasis on silicon-on-insulator ring resonator. The review is mainly devoted to the following aspects: (1) Principles of sensing mechanism, (2) sensor design, (3) biofunctionalization procedures for specific molecule detection and (4) measurement set-ups and advances in chip-integration. The inherent challenges of implementing photonics-based biosensors to meet specific requirements of applications in medicine, food analysis, and environmental monitoring are discussed.