Molten Salt-Derived RuO2 Nanocrystals and Nanowires: Unveiling Correlations of Morphology, Microstructure, and Electrocatalytic Performance.

Ruthenium oxide (RuO2), due to its comparable binding energy with *H and cost-effectiveness against Pt, has emerged as a pivotal electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In the present study, RuO2 nanocrystals (NCs) and nanowires (NWs) were obtained by a molten salt process and the morphology, crystal structure, and local bonding features were examined by using electron microscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. From the electrochemical measurement, both RuO2 NCs and NWs exhibit favorable stability and activity toward oxygen evolution reaction in an alkali medium, althought NCs exhibit higher activity, which is likely attributed to the larger surface area and the high local structural disorder. The theoretical calculation reveals that RuO2 NWs with a primary (110) orientation show a higher overpotential due to its d-band center's proximity to the Fermi level versus (101). The present work suggests that the molten salt process could be an efficient method for producing metal oxide catalysts with tailorable geometry and performances.

Surface Roughness Effects on the Vibration Characteristics of AT-Cut Quartz Crystal Plate.

With the miniaturization and high-frequency requirements of quartz crystal sensors, microscopic issues affecting operating performance, e.g., the surface roughness, are receiving more and more attention. In this study, the activity dip caused by surface roughness is revealed, with the physical mechanism clearly demonstrated. Firstly, the surface roughness is considered as a Gaussian distribution, and the mode coupling properties of an AT-cut quartz crystal plate are systematically investigated under different temperature environments with the aid of two-dimensional thermal field equations. The resonant frequency, frequency-temperature curves, and mode shapes of the quartz crystal plate are obtained through the partial differential equation (PDE) module of COMSOL Multiphysics software for free vibration analysis. For forced vibration analysis, the admittance response and phase response curves of quartz crystal plate are calculated via the piezoelectric module. The results from both free and forced vibration analyses demonstrate that surface roughness reduces the resonant frequency of quartz crystal plate. Additionally, mode coupling is more likely to occur in a crystal plate with a surface roughness, leading to activity dip when temperature varies, which decreases the stability of quartz crystal sensors and should be avoided in device fabrication.

Selective Detection of Liquid Viscosity Using Acoustic Plate Waves with In-Plane Polarization.

Using plates of weak piezoeletcric crystal (quartz) loaded with various liquids, it is shown that along with common modes, whose sensitivity towards different liquid parameters comparable with each other, there are some uncommon modes, whose amplitude responses towards viscosity η are much larger than towards temperature T and electric conductivity σ. The search of the modes with the selective properties is accomplished by varying plate thickness h, crystal orientation, wave length λ, and mode order n. It is found that all modes possessing the property are characterized by small surface-normal displacement, avoiding wave radiation into adjacent liquid, large in-plane displacements, enhancing viscous coupling the modes and liquids, and small electro-mechanical constant, reducing electro-acoustic interaction. Basing on the modes, the sensor prototypes with selective operation are developed and tested for η from 1 to 1500 cP, σ from 0 to 1.2 S/m, and t from 0 to 55 °C. Because of operation at ultrasonic frequency (tens MHz) the prototypes have different sensitivities in various η-ranges: 0.3 dB/cP for 1−20 cP, 0.12 dB/cP for 20−100 cP, and 0.015 dB/cP for 100−1500 cP. Viscosity responses of the prototypes become comparable with their electric outputs only for η < 2 cP. Temperature responses are almost zero in air, but when plate is coated with liquid they increase depending on liquid properties, allowing measurements of the temperature dependence of the liquid viscosity.

Multimode Design and Piezoelectric Substrate Anisotropy Use to Improve Performance of Acoustic Liquid Sensors.

Using acoustic wave modes propagation in piezoelectric plates loaded with conductive liquids, peculiarities of the mode-liquid acoustoelectric interaction are studied. It is found that (i) in contrast to bulk and surface acoustic waves propagating in piezoelectric semiconductors, the acoustoelectric attenuation of the modes is not symmetric in respect to its maximum, (ii) a large increase in attenuation may be accompanied by a small decrease in phase velocity and vice versa, (iii) the peculiarities are valid for "pure" (without beam steering) and "not pure" (with beam steering) modes, as well as for modes of different orders and polarizations, and (iv) conductivity of test liquid increases electromagnetic leakage between input and output transducers, affecting results of the measurements. To decrease the leakage, the liquid should be localized between transducers, outside the zone over them. If so, the mode sensitivity may be as large as 8.6 dB/(S/m) for amplitude and 107°/(S/m) for phase. However, because of comparable cross-sensitivity towards viscosity and dielectric permittivity, modes with selective detection of liquid conductivity are not found.

Enhanced Adsorption and Separation of Xenon over Krypton via an Unsaturated Calcium Center in a Metal-Organic Framework.

Krypton (Kr) and xenon (Xe) are nowadays widely applied in technical and industrial fields. Separating and collecting highly pure Xe from nuclear facilities are necessary and urgent. However, the technology is limited due to the inert nature of Xe and other interferential factors. In this work, a calcium-based metal-organic framework, Ca-SINAP-1, which comprises a three-dimensional microporous framework with a suitable pore width, was researched for xenon and krypton separation through both experimental and theoretical methods. Ca-SINAP-1, synthesized in solvothermal and gamma ray conditions, features accessible open-metal sites, exhibits a high Xe/Kr selectivity of 10.32, and owns a Xe adsorption capacity of 2.87 mmol/g at room temperature (1.0 bar). Particularly, its excellent chemical stability (from pH 2 to 13) and thermal stability (up to 550 °C), as well as radiation-resistance (up to 400 kGy ß irradiations), render this material a promising candidate for radioactive inert gases treatment.

A New Inductive Debris Sensor Based on Dual-Excitation Coils and Dual-Sensing Coils for Online Debris Monitoring.

Lubricants are of key importance for mechanical processing, and exist in nearly every mechanical system. When the equipment is in operation, debris particles will be generated in mechanical lubricants. The detection of debris particles can indicate the wear degree of machinery components, and provide prognosis warning for the system before the fault occurs. In this work, a novel type of inductive debris sensor consisting of two excitation coils and two sensing coils is proposed for online debris monitoring. The developed sensor was proven to be of high sensitivity through experimental verification. The testing results show that, using the designed sensor, ferrous metal debris with a size of 115 µm and nonferrous metal debris with a size of 313 µm in a pipe with an inner diameter of 12.7 mm can be effectively detected. Moreover, the proposed inductive debris sensor structure has better sensitivity at higher throughput and its design provides a useful insight into the development of high-quality sensors with superior performances.

The Experimental Registration of the Evanescent Acoustic Wave in YX LiNbO3 Plate.

Evanescent acoustic waves are characterized by purely imaginary or complex wavenumbers. Earlier, in 2019 by using a three dimensional (3D) finite element method (FEM) the possibility of the excitation and registration of such waves in the piezoelectric plates was theoretically shown. In this paper the set of the acoustically isolated interdigital transducers (IDTs) with the different spatial periods for excitation and registration of the evanescent acoustic wave in Y-cut X-propagation direction of lithium niobate (LiNbO3) plate was specifically calculated and produced. As a result, the possibility to excite and register the evanescent acoustic wave in the piezoelectric plates was experimentally proved for the first time. The evanescent nature of the registered wave has been established. The theoretical results turned out to be in a good agreement with the experimental ones. The influence of an infinitely thin layer with arbitrary conductivity placed on a plate surface was also investigated. It has been shown that the frequency region of an evanescent acoustic wave existence is very sensitive to the changes of the electrical boundary conditions. The results obtained may be used for the development of the method of the analysis of thin films electric properties based on the study of evanescent waves.

The Design of a Frame-Like ZnO FBAR Sensor for Achieving Uniform Mass Sensitivity Distributions.

In this paper, an infinite circular ZnO thin film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) with a frame-like electrode operating at the thickness-extensional (TE) mode is studied. Two-dimensional scalar differential equations established for the problem in the Cartesian coordinate system are successfully solved by transforming them into normal Bessel equations and modified Bessel equations in the cylindrical coordinate system. Resonant frequencies and vibration distributions are obtained for this frame-like FBAR sensor. A nearly uniform mass sensitivity distribution in the active area is achieved by designing proper electrode size and mass ratio of the driving electrode to the ZnO film. Numerical results show that compared with the reported ring electrode FBAR sensor, the novel frame-like electrode FBAR can achieve a maximum optimization ratio (up to 97.90%) on the uniformity of the mass sensitivity distribution in the active area under the same structural parameters, which is also higher than the optimization ratio 77.63% obtained by the reported double-ring electrode design. Moreover, the mechanism to achieve a very uniform mass sensitivity distribution in the active area by the frame-like electrode is explained in detail according to dispersion curves. Namely, when the resonant frequency of the FBAR sensor is close to the cut-off frequency of the active region in the dispersion curve, the mass sensitivity distribution is nearly uniform. These conclusions provide a theoretical guidance for the design and optimization of ZnO FBAR mass sensors with high performance.

Coupling Vibration Analysis of Trapped-Energy Rectangular Quartz Resonators by Variational Formulation of Mindlin's Theory.

Mindlin's two-dimensional theory has been derived and applied to research on quartz resonators for a long time. However, most works have focused on vibrations varying only in two directions, including thickness direction, while the effect of other directions like the length or width direction is normally neglected. Besides, researchers often model quartz resonators as fully electroded plates because of the resulting simplicity. Since a real device is finite in all directions and is only centrally electroded, results obtained in such works cannot offer quantitative information on vibrations with enough accuracy. In this paper, a theoretical analysis of a rectangular trapped-energy resonator of AT-cut quartz is studied using the Ritz method, associated with the variational formulation of Mindlin's first-order equations. Frequency spectra and mode shapes of a real-scaled trapped-energy resonator, which is finite in all directions, are obtained with the consideration of mode couplings among thickness-shear mode, thickness-twist mode, and flexural mode. Results show the existence of an energy-trapping and coupling phenomenon and are helpful for thorough and accurate understanding of quartz resonator vibrations. Detailed discussions on the effects of structural parameters on mode couplings and energy trapping are provided, and the results can helpfully guide the selection of aspect ratio, length/thickness ratio, and electrode inertia in device design.

A Semi-Analytical Solution for the Thickness-Vibration of Centrally Partially-Electroded Circular AT-Cut Quartz Resonators.

Vibration frequencies and modes for the thickness-shear vibrations of infinite partially-electroded circular AT-cut quartz plates are obtained by solving the two-dimensional (2D) scalar differential equation derived by Tiersten and Smythe. The Mathieu and modified Mathieu equations are derived from the governing equation using the coordinate transform and the collocation method is used to deal with the boundary conditions. Solutions of the resonant frequencies and trapped modes are validated by those results obtained from COMSOL software. The current study provides a theoretical way for figuring out the vibration analysis of circular quartz resonators.

A novel two-level approach to defect detection in braided CFRP using air-coupled ultrasonic testing.

Air-coupled ultrasonic testing and C-scan technique has been increasingly applied to the braided CFRP structures owing to its non-destruction, non-contact and high visualization characteristics. Due to the noise, structural vibration, and airflow in the process of detection, the accuracy of defect identification is easily deteriorated. To address this issue and further determine the relationship between the ultrasonic acoustical pressure attenuation and structural parameters, a novel two-level identification method based on the modified two-dimensional variational mode decomposition (2D-VMD) has been proposed. In the first level, C-scan images have been sparsely decomposed into ensembles of modes by 2D-VMD method. Then, the modes have been screened by mutual information method to realize the reconstruction of new image in the second level. Experimental results have shown that the proposed method has the good ability to identify defects with a minimum detectable diameter of 1-2 mm. It has been noted that the ultrasonic acoustical pressure attenuation has become remarkably higher in the twill weave CFRP than the plain weave CFRP and the ratio of pressure attenuation between two weave types of CFRP has decreased with the defect depth increase. Meanwhile, shadows around defects in C-scan images have been suppressed to a great extent. It has been demonstrated that the capability of denoising has enabled the developed method with the accurate detection in terms of the shape, size, depth and weave type. With these advantages, the proposed method has provided valuable insights into the development of an effective method for defect detection of braided CFRP structures.

On the Investigation of Frequency Characteristics of a Novel Inductive Debris Sensor.

Lubricants have the ability to reduce frictions, prevent wear, convey metal debris particles and increase the efficiency of heat transfer; therefore, they have been widely used in mechanical systems. To assess the safety and reliability of the machine under operational conditions, the development of inductive debris sensors for the online monitoring of debris particles in lubricants has received more attention from researchers. To achieve a high-precision, high-efficiency sensor for accurate prediction on the degree of wear, the equivalent circuit model of the sensor coil has been established, and its equations discovering the relationship between the induced voltage and excitation frequency have been derived. Furthermore, the influence of excitation frequencies and metal debris on the magnetic flux density has been analyzed throughout the simulations to determine the sensor magnetic field. In order to identify a frequency range suitable for detecting both ferrous and non-ferrous materials with a high level of sensitivity, the analytical analysis and experiments have been conducted to investigate the frequency characteristics of the developed inductive debris sensor prototype and its improved inspection capability. Moreover, the developed inductive debris sensor with the noticeable frequency characteristics has been assessed and its theoretical model has been also validated throughout experimental tests. Results have shown that the detection sensitivity of non-ferrous debris by the developed sensor increases with the excitation frequency in the range of 50 kHz to 250 kHz, while more complex results for the detection of ferrous debris have been observed. The detection sensitivity decreases as the excitation frequency increases from 50 kHz to 300 kHz, and then increases with the excitation frequency from 300 kHz to 370 kHz. This leads to the effective selection of the excitation frequency in the process of inspection. In summary, the investigation into the frequency characteristics of the proposed novel inductive debris sensor has enabled its broad applications and also provided a theoretical basis and valuable insights into the development of inductive debris sensors with improved detection sensitivity.

Energy-Trapping Characteristics of Lateral Field Excited GdCOB Crystal Bulk Acoustic Wave Devices Based on Stepped Electrodes.

In this work, high-frequency forced vibrations of lateral field excitation (LFE) devices with stepped electrodes based on monoclinic crystals GdCOB are modeled, and the influence laws of the device parameters (the step number, size, and thickness of the stepped electrodes) on the energy-trapping effects of the device are revealed. The results show that the step number has a significant effect on the energy-trapping effect of the device: with the increase in the step number, the stronger energy-trapping effect of the device can be obtained; with the increase in the thickness difference of two layers of electrodes, the energy-trapping effect of the device becomes stronger; with the increase in the difference of the electrode radius, the energy-trapping effect of the device is enhanced gradually. The results of this work can provide an important theoretical basis for the design of stepped-electrode LFE resonators and sensors with high-quality factors based on monoclinic crystals.

Synthesis and structure of metal-TCPE (metal = Th, Ce) metal-organic frameworks based on 1,2,4,5-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl) ethylene.

Two new metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) (Th/ Ce -TCPE) based on 1,2,4,5-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)ethylene were obtained using a straightforward reaction under moderate conditions. Th and Ce formed the central units of this MOF in the mononuclear and in the unusual trinuclear cluster configurations, respectively. The resulting MOFs were analysed by fluorescence spectroscopy to understand their luminescence. The obtained data revealed that benzene's electron cloud density and torsion angle on the ligand were affected by the acetic acid molecule and Th(IV), which caused Th-TCPE to irradiate stronger blue emission, but Ce-TCPE showed no fluorescence due to the self-quenching. Such a unique luminescence property could be used for fluorescence or radiopharmaceutical sensing.

Impact of PN junction inhomogeneity on the piezoelectric fields of acoustic waves in piezo-semiconductive fibers.

Non-uniform mechanical strain can be easily induced at the interface of a piezoelectric semiconductive (PS) PN junction with variable cross sections by using piezoactive acoustic waves, and thus produces a giant piezoelectric field to significantly enhance the piezotronic effect. For revealing the piezotronic performance modulation in the non-uniform PS PN junction, the electromechanical field under a pair of applied end mechanical forces is studied from perspectives of theoretical analysis and numerical simulations. A one-dimensional linearized model for the PS fiber is established, which is applied for the mechanical analysis of a selected profile with the cross section varying in a specific quadratic function. Numerical results indicate that the acoustoelectric fields in the space charge region of the non-uniform PS PN junction are more sensitive to the applied mechanical forces, compared with that of the uniform junction, especially for a heterogeneous PN junction. Furthermore, the current-voltage relations of a necking PS PN junction can be modulated more easily by the end mechanical forces. Both qualitative conclusions and quantitative results can offer guidance for the piezotronic device design.

Design of a new type of omnidirectional shear-horizontal EMAT by the use of half-ring magnets and PCB technology.

In this paper, an electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) for generating and receiving omnidirectional shear-horizontal (OSH) wave in aluminum plate is developed. The proposed OSH-EMAT consists of a specially designed printed circuit board (PCB) coil and a pair of half-ring magnets. Vertical oriented static magnetic field and the radial alternative eddy current are applied to excite the Lorentz force along the circumferential direction. A three-dimensional finite element model has been established to simulate the distributions of the static magnetic flux, the eddy current, and the exciting process of SH wave. Further experimental results show that the proposed electromagnetic ultrasonic transducer has good consistency in the performance of omnidirectional excitation and reception. The new OSH-EMAT design has the potential for many non-destructive testing applications owing to its low cost, acceptable accuracy and convenient processing and fabrication.

A Theoretical Model for Analyzing the Thickness-Shear Vibration of a Circular Quartz Crystal Plate With Multiple Concentric Ring Electrodes.

A dynamic model to analyze the thickness-shear vibration of a circular quartz crystal plate with multiple concentric ring electrodes on its upper and bottom surfaces is established with the aid of coordinate transformation. The theoretical solution is obtained, which can be written in a superposition form of Mathieu functions and modified Mathieu functions. The convergence of the solution is demonstrated, and the correctness is numerically validated via results from the finite element method (FEM). Subsequently, a systematic investigation is carried out to quantify the effect of the electrode size on the energy trapping phenomenon, i.e., the resonant frequency and mode shape, which reveals that the ring electrode has a great influence on the work performance of resonators. With the increase of the electrode inertia, i.e., the radius and mass ratio, new trapped modes emergence with the vibration mainly focused on the plate with partial electrodes. Besides, owing to the anisotropy, degenerated trapped modes have different resonant frequencies and the frequency discrepancy between them will become smaller for higher modes. Finally, the influence of multiple ring electrodes is investigated, and the qualitative analysis and quantitative results demonstrate that multiple ring electrodes will lead to a more uniform mass sensitivity compared with a single ring electrode. The outcome is widely applicable, which can provide theoretical guidance for the structural design and manufacturing of quartz resonators, as well as a thorough interpretation about the underlying physical mechanism.

Synthesis of luminescent thorium-based metal-organic frameworks with 1,2,4,5-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)benzene.

Three new thorium-based MOFs based on 1,2,4,5-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)benzene (H4TCPB) were obtained under a similar reaction system (metal salt, ligand, solvent, and acid are the same). Th(iv) forms the central unit of the MOFs in mononuclear and binuclear clusters, respectively. All the MOFs show blue ligand-based luminescence under an ultraviolet environment. This is the first time that multiple thorium-based MOFs with luminescence have been found with the same ligand.

A microporous Ce-based MOF with the octahedron cage for highly selective adsorption towards xenon over krypton.

The collection of high-purity noble gases with recyclable nuclides provides substantial economic benefits and minimizes the risk of environmental pollution, which is a future development tendency for nuclear industries. Here, Ce-SINAP-1, with its radiation-resistance (up to 20 kGy of γ-ray irradiation) and suitable pore channels for the separation of noble gases (Ar, Kr and Xe), was synthesized. Ce-SINAP-1 exhibited the selective adsorption of Xe (2.02 mmol g-1) over Kr (0.67 mmol g-1) and Ar (0.27 mmol g-1) at 293 K (1 bar) with a Henry's selectivity of 8.24 (Xe/Kr), and an ideal adsorbed solution theory selectivity of 14.9 (Xe : Kr 20 : 80). The result of the dynamic breakthrough experiment also indicates a good separation for Xe/Kr with Ar.

Suppression of Spurious Lateral Modes and Undesired Coupling Modes in Frame-Like FBARs by 2-D Theory.

Thin-film bulk acoustic wave resonators (FBARs) are of significant interest for wireless applications due to their good performance. To achieve excellent characteristics, the frame-like FBARs were previously invented by researchers in this field to suppress the resonances of spurious lateral modes (or spurious modes). Another aspect that has an impact on the working performance of FBAR is the undesired coupling modes, which were rarely studied due to the lack of proper theoretical tools. In this article, we thoroughly investigate the coupling modes and spurious modes in frame-like FBARs by 2-D theory, which was already derived in our previous work. The widely used state-vector approach is applied here and both free and forced vibration problems are analyzed. Frequency spectra and mode shapes obtained from free vibration analysis show the coupling vibration characteristics in this structure. Moreover, the admittance resonance obtained from the forced vibration analysis shows the efficiency of the designed structure on the suppression of both undesired coupling and spurious modes. Results in this article provide a thorough understanding of the vibration in frame-like FBAR, and the method presented can work as an effective tool in engineering design process.