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Now showing 1 - 10 of 21
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    Supramolecular assemblies of block copolymers as templates for fabrication of nanomaterials
    (New York, NY [u.a.] : Elsevier, 2011) Nandan, B.; Kuila, B.K.; Stamm, M.
    Self-assembled polymeric systems have played an important role as templates for nanofabrication; they offer nanotemplates with different morphologies and tunable sizes, are easily removed after reactions, and could be further modified with different functional groups to enhance the interactions. Among the various self-assembled polymeric systems, block copolymer supramolecular assemblies have received considerable attention because of the inherent processing advantages. These supramolecular assemblies are formed by the non-covalent interactions of one of the blocks of the block copolymer with a low molar-mass additive. Selective extraction of the additive leads to porous membranes or nano-objects which could then be used as templates for nanofabrication leading to a variety of ordered organic/inorganic nanostructures. In this feature article, we present an over-view of the recent developments in this area with a special focus on some examples from our group.
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    Evaluation of Expert Reports to Quantify the Exploration Risk for Geothermal Projects in Germany
    (Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, 2015) Ganz, Britta; Ask, Maria; Hangx, Suzanne; Bruckman, Viktor; Kühn, Michael
    The development of deep geothermal energy sources in Germany still faces many uncertainties and high upfront investment costs. Methodical approaches to assess the exploration risk are thus of major importance for geothermal project development. Since 2002, expert reports to quantify the exploration risk for geothermal projects in Germany were carried out. These reports served as a basis for insurance contracts covering the exploration risk. Using data from wells drilled in the meantime, the reports were evaluated and the stated probabilities compared with values actually reached.
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    Ontology Modelling for Materials Science Experiments
    (Aachen, Germany : RWTH Aachen, 2021) Alam, Mehwish; Birkholz, Henk; Dessì, Danilo; Eberl, Christoph; Fliegl, Heike; Gumbsch, Peter; von Hartrott, Philipp; Mädler, Lutz; Niebel, Markus; Sack, Harald; Thomas, Akhil; Tiddi, Ilaria; Maleshkova, Maria; Pellegrini, Tassilo; de Boer, Victor
    Materials are either enabler or bottleneck for the vast majority of technological innovations. The digitization of materials and processes is mandatory to create live production environments which represent physical entities and their aggregations and thus allow to represent, share, and understand materials changes. However, a common standard formalization for materials knowledge in the form of taxonomies, ontologies, or knowledge graphs has not been achieved yet. This paper sketches the e_orts in modelling an ontology prototype to describe Materials Science experiments. It describes what is expected from the ontology by introducing a use case where a process chain driven by the ontology enables the curation and understanding of experiments.
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    Origami-Inspired Shape Memory Folding Microactuator
    (Basel : MDPI, 2020) Seigner, Lena; Bezsmertna, Olha; Fähler, Sebastian; Tshikwand, Georgino; Wendler, Frank; Kohl, Manfred
    This paper presents the design, fabrication and performance of origami-based folding microactuators based on a cold-rolled NiTi foil of 20 µm thickness showing the one-way shape memory effect. Origami refers to a variety of techniques of transforming planar sheets into three-dimensional (3D) structures by folding, which has been introduced in science and engineering for, e.g., assembly and robotics. Here, NiTi microactuators are interconnected to rigid sections (tiles) forming an initial planar system that self-folds into a set of predetermined 3D shapes upon heating. While this concept has been demonstrated at the macro scale, we intend to transfer this concept into microtechnology by combining state-of-the art methods of micromachining. NiTi foils are micromachined by laser cutting or photolithography to achieve double-beam structures allowing for direct Joule heating with an electrical current. A thermo-mechanical treatment is used for shape setting of as-received specimens to reach a maximum folding angle of 180°. The bending moments, bending radii and load-dependent folding angles upon Joule heating are evaluated. The shape setting process is particularly effective for small bending radii, which, however generates residual plastic strain. After shape setting, unloaded beam structures show recoverable bending deflection between 0° and 140° for a maximum heating power of 900 mW. By introducing additional loads to account for the effect of the tiles, the smooth folding characteristic evolves into a sharp transition, whereby full deflection up to 180° is reached. The achieved results are an important step towards the development of cooperative multistable microactuator systems for 3D self-assembly.
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    Steps towards a Dislocation Ontology for Crystalline Materials
    (Aachen, Germany : RWTH Aachen, 2021) Ihsan, Ahmad Zainul; Dessì, Danilo; Alam, Mehwish; Sack, Harald; Sandfeld, Stefan; García-Castro, Raúl; Davies, John; Antoniou, Grigoris; Fortuna, Carolina
    The field of Materials Science is concerned with, e.g., properties and performance of materials. An important class of materials are crystalline materials that usually contain “dislocations" - a line-like defect type. Dislocation decisively determine many important materials properties. Over the past decades, significant effort was put into understanding dislocation behavior across different length scales both with experimental characterization techniques as well as with simulations. However, for describing such dislocation structures there is still a lack of a common standard to represent and to connect dislocation domain knowledge across different but related communities. An ontology offers a common foundation to enable knowledge representation and data interoperability, which are important components to establish a “digital twin". This paper outlines the first steps towards the design of an ontology in the dislocation domain and shows a connection with the already existing ontologies in the materials science and engineering domain.
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    Formation dynamics of ultra-short laser induced micro-dots in the bulk of transparent materials
    (Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, 2013) Mermillod-Blondin, A.; Ashkenasi, D.; Lemke, A.; Schwagmeier, M.; Rosenfeld, A.
    In this paper, we study the formation dynamics of ultra-short laser-induced micro dots under the surface of transparent materials. Laser-induced micro dots find their application in direct part marking, to address full life cycle traceability. We first demonstrate the possibility of direct laser part marking into the cladding of an optical fiber. Then, we monitor the laser affected zone with the help of a time-resolved phase contrast microscopy setup in a fused silica substrate. We show that the transient energy relaxation processes affect the host material over a region that exceeds the micro dot size by several micrometers.
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    Nonlinear Optical Characterization of CsPbBr3 Nanocrystals as a Novel Material for the Integration into Electro-Optic Modulators
    (Millersville, PA : Materials Research Forum LLC, 2020) Vitale, Francesco; De Matteis, Fabio; Casalboni, Mauro; Prosposito, Paolo; Steglich, Patrick; Ksianzou, Viachaslau; Breiler, Christian; Schrader, Sigurd; Paci, Barbara; Generosi, Amanda; Prosposito, Paolo
    The present work is concerned with the investigation of the nonlinear optical response of green emissive CsPbBr3 nanocrystals, in the form of colloidal dispersions in toluene, synthesized via a room-temperature ligand-assisted supersaturation recrystallization (LASR) method. After carrying out a preliminary characterization via X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Absorption and Photoluminescence (PL) Spectroscopies, the optical nonlinearity of the as-obtained colloids is probed by means of a single-beam Z-scan setup. Results show that the material in question, within the sensitivity of the experimental apparatus, exhibits a nonlinear refractive index n2 that is the order of 10-15 cm2/W. Moreover, a three-photon absorption mechanism (3PA) is postulated, according to the fitting of the recorded Z-scan traces and the fundamental absorption threshold, which turns out to be off resonance with twice the energy of the laser radiation. A figure of merit is, then, calculated as an indicator of the quality of the CsPbBr3 nanocrystals as a candidate material for photonic devices, for instance, Kerr-like electro-optic modulators (EOMs).
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    Interaction of a free burning arc with regenerative protective layers
    (Bristol : Institute of Physics Publishing, 2014) Uhrlandt, D.; Gorchakov, S.; Brueser, V.; Franke, S.; Khakpour, A.; Lisnyak, M.; Methling, R.; Schoenemann, T.
    The possible use of protective layers made of ceramic powders for walls in thermal plasma applications is studied. A stable free burning arc of currents up to 5 kA between copper- tungsten electrodes is used to analyse the arc interaction with samples coated by mixtures of CaCO3, MgCO3, and Mg(OH)2 with plaster. By means of optical emission spectroscopy the maximum arc temperature and the radiation impact on the surfaces are estimated to be around 15000 K and 20 MWm-2, respectively. Thermographic measurements confirm the efficient protection of substrates by all layer materials. Layers containing CaCO3 lead to the lowest heating of ceramic samples which may be caused by a strong evaporation of the layer material.
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    Optimization of the energy deposition in glasses with temporally-shaped femtosecond laser pulses
    (Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, 2011) Mauclair, C.; Mishchik, K.; Mermillod-Blondin, A.; Rosenfeld, A.; Hertel, I.V.; Audouard, E.; Stoian, R.
    Bulk machining of glasses with femtosecond laser pulses enables the fabrication of embedded optical functions. Due to the nonlinear character of the laser-matter interaction, structural modifications can occur within the focal region. To reach a full control of the process, ways of controlling the deposition of the laser energy inside the material have to be unveiled. From static and time-resolved pictures of bulk-excitation of a-SiO2 and borosilicate glass, we show that particular laser temporal shapes such as picosecond sequences can better confine the energy deposition than the femtosecond sequence by reducing the propagation artifacts.
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    Laser Embossing of Micro-and Submicrometer Surface Structures in Copper
    (Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, 2012) Ehrhardt, M.; Lorenz, P.; Frost, F.; Zimmer, K.
    Micro- and submicrometer structures have been transferred from nickel foils into solid copper surfaces by laser microembossing. The developed arrangement for laser microembossing allows a large-area replication using multi- pulse laser scanning scheme, guaranties a low contamination of the embossed surface and enables the utilization of thick workpieces. In the micrometer range the replicated patterns feature a high accuracy regarding the shape. A significant difference between the master and the replication pattern could be observed for the laser embossing of submicrometer patterns. In conclusion, the results show that the proposed laser embossing process is a promising method with a number of applications in microengineering.