Role of Na in structural and polarization characteristics of prototype lead-free K0.5Na0.5NbO3 piezoelectrics
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Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Wang, Na.
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Negative thermal expansion (NTE) alloys possess great practical merit as thermal offsets for positive thermal expansion due to its metallic properties. However, achieving a large NTE with a wide temperature range remains a great challenge. Herein, a metallic framework-like material FeZr 2 is found to exhibit a giant uniaxial (1D) NTE with a wide temperature range (93-1078 K, $\overline{α}_{l}$=–34.01×10 –6 K –1 ). Such uniaxial NTE is the strongest in all metal-based NTE materials. The direct experimental evidence and DFT calculations reveal that the origin of giant NTE is the couple with phonons, flexible framework-like structure, and soft bonds. Interestingly, the present metallic FeZr 2 excites giant 1D NTE mainly driven by high-frequency optical branches. It is unlike the NTE in traditional framework materials, which are generally dominated by low energy acoustic branches. In the present study, a giant uniaxial NTE alloy is reported, and the complex mechanism has been revealed. It is of great significance for understanding the nature of thermal expansion and guiding the regulation of thermal expansion.
Chemical design of lead-free relaxors with simultaneously high energy density (W rec ) and high efficiency (η) for capacitive energy-storage has been a big challenge for advanced electronic systems. The current situation indicates that realizing such superior energy-storage properties requires highly complex chemical components. Herein, we demonstrate that, via local structure design, an ultrahigh W rec of 10.1 J/cm 3 , concurrent with a high η of 90%, as well as excellent thermal and frequency stabilities can be achieved in a relaxor with a very simple chemical composition. By introducing 6s 2 lone pair stereochemical active Bi into the classical BaTiO 3 ferroelectric to generate a mismatch between A- and B-site polar displacements, a relaxor state with strong local polar fluctuations can be formed. Through advanced atomic-resolution displacement mapping and 3D reconstructing the nanoscale structure from neutron/X-ray total scattering, it is revealed that the localized Bi enhances the polar length largely at several perovskite unit cells and disrupts the long-range coherent Ti polar displacements, resulting in a slush-like structure with extremely small size polar clusters and strong local polar fluctuations. This favorable relaxor state exhibits substantially enhanced polarization, and minimized hysteresis at a high breakdown strength. This work offers a feasible avenue to chemically design new relaxors with a simple composition for high-performance capacitive energy-storage.
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In this work, we evaluate the transport of respiratory droplets that carry SARS-CoV-2 through central air handling systems in multiroom buildings. Respiratory droplet size modes arise from the bronchioles representing the lungs and lower respiratory tract, the larynx representing the upper respiratory tract including vocal cords, or the oral cavity. The size distribution of each mode remains largely conserved, although the magnitude of each droplet mode changes as infected individuals breathe, speak, sing, laugh, cough, and sneeze. Here we evaluate how each type of respiratory droplet transits through central ventilation systems and the implications thereof for infectivity of COVID-19. We find that while larger oral droplets can transmit through the air handling systems, their size and concentration are greatly reduced with but few oral droplets leaving the source room. In contrast, the smaller droplets that originate from the bronchioles and larynx are much more effective in transiting through the air handling system into connected rooms. This suggests that the ratio of lower respiratory or deep lung infections may increase relative to upper respiratory infections in rooms connected by central air handling systems. Also, increasing the temperature and humidity in the range considered after the droplets have achieved an “equilibrium” size reduces the probability of infection.
This article presents results from an experimental study to ascertain the transmissibility of the SARS-CoV-2 virus between rooms in a building that are connected by a central ventilation system. Respiratory droplet surrogates made of mucus and virus mimics were released in one room in a test building and measurements of concentration levels were made in other rooms connected via the ventilation system. The paper presents experimental results for different ventilation system configurations, including ventilation rate, filtration level (up to MERV-13), and fractional outdoor air intake. The most important finding is that respiratory droplets can and do transit through central ventilation systems, suggesting a mechanism for viral transmission (and COVID-19 specifically) within the built environment in reasonable agreement with well-mixed models. We also find the deposition of these droplets on room walls to be negligibly small. Furthermore, the energy use impact of the different configuration settings is also quantified to help inform intelligent building operation that can simultaneously address energy use and occupant health.
Here we evaluate the influence of mucus layers on the evaporation time and transport of enveloped viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. Enveloped viruses must remain moist to be fully infective. Yet, the Wells model based on water droplets divides respiratory droplets into either quickly evaporated aerosolized particles termed droplet nuclei (<10 s) or liquid droplets that fall to the nearest surface, leaving no physical mechanism for airborne transmission of fully infective enveloped viruses over large distances (greater than a few meters). Yet, the role of mucus layers on evaporation times has not been considered even though the formation of mucus shells around liquid cores of respiratory droplets has been shown experimentally. Here we show that mucus shells increase the drying time by orders of magnitude so that enveloped virions may remain well hydrated and, thus, fully infective at substantial distances. Further, this provides a mechanism by which infective enveloped virus particles can transmit as aerosols within buildings and between buildings over extended distances. This analysis is important because public health agencies typically follow the Wells model to establish health policies including social/physical distancing guidelines.
High sensitivity radio searches of unassociated γ-ray sources have proven to be an effective way of finding new pulsars. Using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) during its commissioning phase, we have carried out a number of targeted deep searches of Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) γ-ray sources. On February 27, 2018 we discovered an isolated millisecond pulsar (MSP), PSR J0318+0253, coincident with the unassociated γ-ray source 3FGL J0318.1+0252. PSR J0318+0253 has a spin period of 5.19 ms, a dispersion measure (DM) of 26 pc cm –3 corresponding to a DM distance of about 1.3 kpc, and a period-averaged flux density of (~11±2) µJy at L-band (1.05–1.45 GHz). Among all high energy MSPs, PSR J0318+0253 is the faintest ever detected in radio bands, by a factor of at least ~4 in terms of L-band fluxes. With the aid of the radio ephemeris, an analysis of 9.6 years of Fermi-LAT data revealed that PSR J0318+0253 also displays strong γ-ray pulsations. Follow-up observations carried out by both Arecibo and FAST suggest a likely spectral turn-over around 350 MHz. This is the first result from the collaboration between FAST and the Fermi-LAT teams as well as the first confirmed new MSP discovery by FAST, raising hopes for the detection of many more MSPs. Finally, such discoveries will make a significant contribution to our understanding of the neutron star zoo while potentially contributing to the future detection of gravitational waves, via pulsar timing array (PTA) experiments.
Oxide superlattices have drawn great attentions owing to the intriguing coupling among elastic, electrical, and magnetic orderings at the interfaces and the emerging of improper ferroelectricity. Here, superlattices composed of hexagonal LuFeO 3 (h-LuFeO 3 ) and LuFe 2 O 4 are investigated via density functional theory calculations. h-LuFeO 3 is a well-known multiferroic material that is stable only in thin-film or doped bulk state, while LuFe 2 O 4 is a charge ordered material where the existence of ferroelectricity is still in controversy. We have found that the charge ordering (CO) induced polarizations in LuFe 2 O 4 layers coexist with the geometric polarizations in h-LuFeO 3 layers in the (LuFe 2 O 4 ) m /(LuFeO 3 ) n superlattices with different periodicities, and the ferroelectric states are generally preferred over the antiferroelectric states for LuFe 2 O 4 in superlattices. The out-of-plane polarizations in h-LuFeO 3 and LuFe 2 O 4 layers tend to be aligned in parallel, and the overall polarization increases with the ratio of h-LuFeO 3 . The influence of layered polarizations on the local electrostatic potential is not significant except the detected small trend caused by the CO-induced polarization within a FeO bilayer. Besides, the local electronic structures show that the Fermi level position in a certain layer can be tuned by the valences of Fe in this layer and the polarization distributions in neighboring layers. LuFe 2 O 4 layers sandwiched between thick h-LuFeO 3 layers are more susceptible. The calculated configurations of the superlattices are supported by atomic-resolution transmission electron microscopy experiments. Our results pave a way for tunable ferroelectricity in superlattice systems and create a new playground for manipulating the coupling between various degrees of freedom.
Described herein are methods, systems, and storage media having computer-processable instructions for assigning an n-dimensional asset identifier to an asset (n ≥ 3). The identifier can be generated by determining a position of the asset in n dimensions, wherein the position is based at least on the center of mass of the asset's geometry. Extents are determined for each of the n dimensions, wherein each extent is measured from the center of mass to a surface of an n-dimensional bounding polytope containing the asset. The position and the extents of the asset can then be encoded or embedded into a single, non-opaque, code string. The position and the extent information are intrinsic to the string.
The Pennsylvania Anthracite Fields are in a complex tectonic and metamorphic terrain, historically hosting one of the largest concentrations of coal mining in the USA. Anthracite mining now largely consists of the surface mining of the pillars remaining from the prime years of underground mining. The geochemical study of the sized coal products and the refuse (largely rock) from three preparation plants (breakers) demonstrates that Principal components analysis (PCA) of select major oxide, minor element, and rare earth elements illustrates some differentiation among the products from the individual plants. The rock samples, with abundant quartz and metamorphic Al-Si minerals and with a lower ash-basis REE concentration than the coals, were distinctly separated from the coal samples on the PCA plots. Plots of Gd N /Gd N * vs. Eu N /Eu N * and Ce N /Ce N * vs. Eu N / Eu N * showed differentiation between the individual suites of coals showed that the refuse samples had distinct REE distributions compared to the associated coals. Further, several minor and trace elements show enrichments in the coal samples. Lithium, with concentrations of up to 314 ppm on an ash basis, is among the most promising of the critical elements, exceeding the enrichment of the REY and Sc.
In 2017, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration succeeded in capturing the first direct image of the center of the M87 galaxy. The asymmetric ring morphology and size are consistent with theoretical expectations for a weakly accreting supermassive black hole of mass ∼6.5 × 109 M ⊙. The EHTC also partnered with several international facilities in space and on the ground, to arrange an extensive, quasi-simultaneous multi-wavelength campaign. This Letter presents the results and analysis of this campaign, as well as the multi-wavelength data as a legacy data repository. We captured M87 in a historically low state, and the core flux dominates over HST-1 at high energies, making it possible to combine core flux constraints with the more spatially precise very long baseline interferometry data. We present the most complete simultaneous multi-wavelength spectrum of the active nucleus to date, and discuss the complexity and caveats of combining data from different spatial scales into one broadband spectrum. We apply two heuristic, isotropic leptonic single-zone models to provide insight into the basic source properties, but conclude that a structured jet is necessary to explain M87’s spectrum. We can exclude that the simultaneous γ-ray emission is produced via inverse Compton emission in the same region producing the EHT mm-band emission, and further conclude that the γ-rays can only be produced in the inner jets (inward of HST-1) if there are strongly particle-dominated regions. Direct synchrotron emission from accelerated protons and secondaries cannot yet be excluded.
Here we evaluate the concentrations and probabilities of infection for both building interior and exterior exposure sources using a well-mixed model in a connected multizone building. As a central hub of many community and economic activities, buildings provide social connectivity, but the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced social connectivity due to concerns of viral spread within buildings. Although single zone models of infectious spread are well studied, the impact of aerosolized spread of SARS-CoV-2 via air handling systems in multizone buildings remains unexplored. Here we evaluate the influence of filtration, air exchange rates, and the fraction of outdoor air on the probability of infection using the well-known well-mixed modeling approach for a multizone. We find filtration lowers the concentration and probability of infection in both source and connected rooms provided at least some air is recirculated, but that probability is not zero. Filtration has no influence without recirculation or unless the outdoor air contains virus. We find that increasing the air exchange rate removes virus from the source room faster but also increases the rate of exposure to connected rooms. Therefore, slower air exchange rates reduce infectivity in connected rooms at shorter durations, but higher air exchange rates reduce infectivity at longer durations. We further find that when outdoor air is virus free, increasing the fraction of outdoor air is helpful, but, when outdoor air is infective, pathogen exposure inside can persist for hours after a short-term release.
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