Browsing by Subject "Liquids"

Now showing 1 - 20 of 22

Open Access
2D material liquid crystals for optoelectronics and photonics
(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2017) Hogan, Ben T.; Kovalska, Evgeniya; Craciun, Monica F.; Baldycheva, Anna
The merging of the materials science paradigms of liquid crystals and 2D materials promises superb new opportunities for the advancement of the fields of optoelectronics and photonics. In this review, we summarise the development of 2D material liquid crystals by two different methods: dispersion of 2D materials in a liquid crystalline host and the liquid crystal phase arising from dispersions of 2D material flakes in organic solvents. The properties of liquid crystal phases that make them attractive for optoelectronics and photonics applications are discussed. The processing of 2D materials to allow for the development of 2D material liquid crystals is also considered. An emphasis is placed on the applications of such materials; from the development of films, fibers and membranes to display applications, optoelectronic devices and quality control of synthetic processes. © 2017 The Royal Society of Chemistry.
Open Access
AC electrowetting modulation of low-volatile liquids probed by XPS: dipolar vs ionic screening
(American Chemical Society, 2019) Aydoğan-Göktürk, Pınar; Ülgüt, Burak; Süzer, Şefik
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) data have been recorded for a low-molecular-weight poly(ethylene glycol) microliter-sized sessile liquid drops sitting on a dielectric covered planar electrode while imposing a ±6 V square-wave actuation with varying frequencies between 10–1 and 105 Hz to tap into the information derivable from (AC) electrowetting. We show that this time-varying XPS spectra reveal two distinct behaviors of the device under investigation, below and above a critical frequency, measured as ∼70 Hz for the liquid poly(ethylene glycol) with a 600 Da molecular weight. Below the critical frequency, the liquid complies faithfully to the applied bias, as determined by the constant shift in the binding energy position of the XPS peaks representative of the liquid throughout its entire surface. The liquid completely screens the applied electrical field and the entire potential drop takes place at the liquid/dielectric interface. However, for frequencies above the critical value, the resistive component of the system dominates, resulting in the formation of equipotential surface contours, which are derived from the differences in the positions of the twinned O 1s peaks under AC application. This critical frequency is independent of the size of the liquid drop, and the amplitude of the excitation, but increases when ionic moieties are introduced. The XP spectra under AC actuation is also faithfully simulated using an equivalent circuit model consisting of only resistors and capacitors and using an electrical circuit simulation software. Moreover, a mimicking device is fabricated and its XP spectra are recorded using the Sn 3d peaks of the solder joints at different points on the circuit to confirm the reliability of the measured and simulated AC behaviors of the liquid. These new findings indicate that in contrast to direct current case, XPS measurements under variable frequency AC actuation reveal (through differences in the frequency response) information related to the chemical makeup of the liquid(s) and brings the laboratory-based XPS as a powerful complimentary arsenal to electrochemical analyses of liquids and their interfaces.
Open Access
Acoustic microscopy with mechanical scanning—A review
(IEEE, 1979-08) Quate, C. F.; Atalar, Abdullah; Wickramasinghe, H. K.
Acoustic waves in liquids are known to have wavelengths comparable to that of visible light if the frequency is in the gigahertz range. The phenomena of Brillouin scattering in liquids is based on such waves. In helium near 2 K acoustic waves with a wavelength of 2000 Å were studied some ten years ago at UCLA. It follows from these observations that an imaging system based on acoustic radiation with a resolving power competitive with the optical microscope is within reach if an ideal lens free from aberrations could be found. Such a lens, which was so elusive at the beginning, is now a simple device and it is the basic component in the acoustic microscope that forms the basis for this review. In this article we will establish the characteristic properties of this new instrument. We will review some of the simple properties of acoustic waves and show how a single spherical surface formed at a solid liquid interface can serve as this ideal lens free from aberrations and capable of producing diffraction limited beams. When this is incorporated into a mechanical scanning system and excited with acoustic frequencies in the microwave range images can be recorded with acoustic wavelengths equal to the wavelength of visible light. We will present images that show the elastic properties of specimens selected from the fields of material science, integrated circuits, and cell biology. The information content in these images will often exceed that of the optical micrographs. In the reflection mode we illuminate the smooth surface of a crystalline material with a highly convergent acoustic beam. The reflected field is perturbed in a unique way that is determined by the elastic properties of the reflecting surface and it shows up in the phase of the reflected acoustic field. There is a distinct and characteristic response at the output when the spacing between the object and the lens is varied. This behavior in the acoustic ieflection microscope provides a rather simple and direct means for monitoring the elastic parameters of a solid surface. It is easy to distinguish between different materials, to determine the layer thickness, and to display variations in the elastic constants on a microscopic scale. These features lead us to believe there is a promising future for the field of acoustic microscopy.
Open Access
Analysis of the longitudinal component of the electric field generated by flat and pixelated liquid crystal displays
(IEEE, 2016-07) Külçe, Onur; Onural, Levent
The longitudinal, z, component of the electric field is investigated for the pixelated and flat liquid crystal displays (LCDs) for monochromatic case. The pixelation process is assumed to occur in free space. The z component is computed in the Fourier domain by using Gauss's Law from the x and y components of the output electric field. The effect of the display parameters are discussed for a y polarized display in a phase only operation. It is found that, in the low frequency regions, the size of the region of the large magnitudes becomes smaller as the width of the active region increases. Moreover, the validity of the scalar theory for a single pixel is evaluated for varying pixel sizes. It is shown that, when the ratio of the width of the active region to wavelength is between 1.5 and 5, the error decays with oscillations between 43% and 5%. When that ratio is larger than 15, the error does not exceed 3%. © 2016 IEEE.
Open Access
Archimedes' principle as an application of the divergence theorem
(Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 1990) Altintas, A.
A derivation is provided that allows one to obtain Archimedes' principle as an application of the divergence theorem.
Open Access
Describing droplet motion on surface-textured ratchet tracks with an inverted double pendulum model
(American Chemical Society, 2021-04-27) Naji, Mayssam; Yelekli Kirici, Ecem; Javili, Ali; Erdem, Emine Yegan
We describe the motion of a droplet on a textured ratchet track using a nonlinear resonator model. A textured ratchet track is composed of a semicircular pillar array that induces a net surface tension local gradient on a droplet placed on it. When a vertical vibration is applied, hysteresis is overcome, and the droplet moves toward the local lower energy barrier; however, due to the repetitive structure of texture, it keeps moving until the end of the track. The droplet motion depends on the amplitude and frequency of the vertical oscillation, and this dependence is nonlinear. Therefore, finding a fully analytic solution to represent this motion is not trivial. Consequently, the droplet motion remains poorly understood. In this study, we elaborate on the utility of a double pendulum as a basis for modeling the droplet motion on surfaces inducing asymmetric force. Similar to the droplet motion, resonators, such as a double pendulum, are simple, yet nonlinear systems. Moreover, an inverted double pendulum motion has key characteristics such as the two-phase motion and the double peak motion, which are also observed in the droplet motion. We use various data-processing methods to highlight the similarity between these two systems both qualitatively and quantitatively. After establishing this comparison, we propose a model that utilizes an inverted double pendulum mounted on a moving cart to successfully simulate the motion of a droplet on a ratchet track. This methodology will lead to the development of an accurate droplet-motion modeling approach, and we believe that it will be useful to understand droplet dynamics more deeply.
Open Access
Development of an iterative learning controller for polymer based micro-stereolithography prototyping systems
(IEEE, 2016) Türeyen, Erkan Buğra; Karpat, Yiğit; Çakmakcı, Melih
Additive manufacturing has become increasingly popular for a wide range of applications in recent years. Micro-stereolithography (μSLA) is a popular method for obtaining polymer-based parts. Systems using the μSLA approach usually consist of a vertical positioning system, a light source and a container where the component is built gradually as the polymer is cured at the locations where the ultraviolet light is projected. It has been noted that the motion of the positioning system and the intensity of the light source is an important factor to achieve high level dimensional precision. In this paper a three dimensional error based learning scheme is presented to improve the time varying process parameters of the system so that the dimensional accuracy of the product is improved. A mathematical model of the curing process is used for developing the error based learning algorithm. The current process parameters as a function of time and the dimensional error obtained at each layer of the production are used for increasing the quality and precision of the same part in the next iteration. Our initial simulation results show significant improvements can be obtained in a few iterations if the correct learning parameters are used based on the target parts dimensional properties.
Open Access
Enhanced tunability of V-shaped plasmonic structures using ionic liquid gating and graphene
(Elsevier Ltd, 2016) Ozdemir, O.; Aygar, A. M.; Balci, O.; Kocabas, C.; Caglayan, H.; Özbay, Ekmel
Graphene is a strong candidate for active optoelectronic devices because of its electrostatically tunable optical response. Current substrate back-gating methods are unable to sustain high fields through graphene unless a high gate voltage is applied. In order to solve this problem, ionic liquid gating is used which allows substrate front side gating, thus eliminating the major loss factors such as a dielectric layer and a thick substrate layer. On the other hand, due to its two dimensional nature, graphene interacts weakly with light and this interaction limits its efficiency in optoelectronic devices. However, V-shaped plasmonic antennas can be used to enhance the incident electric field intensity and confine the electric field near graphene thus allowing further interaction with graphene. Combining V-shaped nanoantennas with the tunable response of graphene, the operation wavelength of the devices that utilize V-shaped antennas can be tuned in situ. In the present paper, we demonstrate a graphene-based device with ionic liquid gating and V- shaped plasmonic antennas to both enhance and more effectively tune the total optical response. We are able to tune the transmission response of the device for up to 389 nm by changing the gate voltage by 3.8 V in the mid-infrared regime.
Open Access
Experimental investigation of critical Casimir forces in binary liquid mixtures by blinking optical tweezers
(OSA, 2017) Magazzu, Alessandro; Schmidt, F.; Callegari, Agnese; Gambassi, A.; Dietrich, S.; Volpe, Giovanni
We investigate, for the first time and by blinking optical tweezers, the effects of critical Casimir forces (CCFs) on the free dynamics of a pair of spherical colloidal particles, immersed in binary liquid mixtures upon approaching their critical points.
Open Access
Fabrication of nanostructured medical-grade stainless steel by mechanical alloying and subsequent liquid-phase sintering
(Springer, 2012-05-10) Salahinejad, E.; Hadianfard, M. J.; Ghaffari, Mohammad; Mashhadi, S. B.; Okyay, Ali Kemal
This article focuses on the microstructure of medical-grade P558 (ASTM F2581) stainless steel produced by mechanical alloying and liquid-phase sintering. Rietveld X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy reflect that the mechanically alloyed stainless steel powder is a nanocrystal dispersed amorphous matrix composite.Mn-11.5 wt pct Si eutectic alloy as additive improves densification of the synthesized P558 alloy via liquid-phase sintering mechanism. X-ray mapping shows that after sintering at 1323 K (105°C) for 1 hour, a uniform distribution of dissolved Mn and Si is achieved. Moreover, the development of a nanostructured, fully austenitic stainless steel after sintering at the same temperature is realized by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy.
Open Access
A highly sensitive atomic force microscope for linear measurements of molecular forces in liquids
(American Institute of Physics, 2005) Patil, S.; Matei, G.; Dong, H.; Hoffmann, P. M.; Karaköse, M.; Oral, A.
We describe a highly improved atomic force microscope for quantitative nanomechanical measurements in liquids. The main feature of this microscope is a modified fiber interferometer mounted on a five axis inertial slider which provides a deflection sensitivity that is significantly better than conventional laser deflection based systems. The measured low noise floor of 572.0 fmHz provides excellent cantilever amplitude resolution. This allows us to operate the instrument far below resonance at extremely small cantilever amplitudes of less than 1 Å. Thus linear measurements of nanomechanical properties of liquid systems can be performed. In particular, we present measurements of solvation forces in confined octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane and water with amplitudes smaller than the size of the respective molecules. In general, the development of the instrument is important in the context of quantitative nanomechanical measurements in liquid environments.
Open Access
Liquid bulk rotation induced by electric field at free surface
(American Institute of Physics Inc., 2015) Saghaei, T.; Moradi, A.-R.; Shirsavar, R.; Habibi, M.
In this paper, we induce rotation in a bulk of polar liquid with one free surface, by applying external crossed electric fields. We show that the induced rotation is due to the imposed stresses at the free surface of the liquid. A simple theoretical model was developed based on solving the Navier-Stokes equation that enables us to calculate the average induced stress in the liquid bulk, using experimental measurements of the angular velocity of the liquid. Our results indicate that the induced stresses and the angular velocities of the rotating liquid are independent from the electrical conductivity of the liquid. However, the induced stresses linearly depend on the external electric field and the applied electric voltage for passing the electric current through the bulk. Both experimental results and the theoretical model show that the angular velocity, linearly changes with depth. © 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.
Open Access
Liquid-phase sintering of medical-grade P558 stainless steel using a new biocompatible eutectic additive
(Elsevier, 2012-02-02) Salahinejad, E.; Hadianfard, M. J.; Ghaffari, M.; Mashhadi, S. B.; Okyay, Ali Kemal
One of the effective approaches to reduce residual pores in powder metallurgy parts is activated liquid-phase sintering process using proper additives. In this work, for the first time, a new biocompatible additive (Mn-11.5 wt.% Si, a eutectic alloy) is experimented for liquid-phase sintering of nanocrystalline/amorphous P558 stainless steel powders. It is realized that by increasing the sintering aid content and temperature, the density is effectively increased: a sharp densification progress when the sintering temperature increases from 1000 °C to 1050 °C and a slower densification rate when it exceeds 1050 °C. This preliminary study opens up the development of high-density medical-grade stainless steels produced by powder metallurgy, where suitable additives can lower sintering temperature and time, which is promising for retarding grain growth and commercial applications.
Open Access
Lyotropic liquid-crystalline mesophase of lithium triflate-nonionic surfactant as gel electrolyte for graphene optical modulator
(American Chemical Society, 2023) Balci, F. M.; Balci, S.; Kocabas, C.; Dag, Ö.
Lithium salt (noncoordinating anions, such as lithium triflate (Ltf)) gel electrolytes may be key for the practical use of electrochemical devices. We introduce a new lyotropic liquid-crystalline (LLC) mesophase using Ltf, a small amount of water (as low as 1.3 water per Ltf), and nonionic surfactant (C18H37(OCH2CH2)10OH, C18E10). The LLC phase forms over a broad range of Ltf/C18E10 mole ratios, 2-18. The clear ethanol solution of the ingredients can be either directly spin-coated over a glass substrate to form a gel phase or it can be prepared as a gel by mixing Ltf, water, and C18E10. The mesophase leaches out surfactant molecules at low salt concentrations, but at a salt/surfactant mole ratio of above 8, the phase is homogeneous with a cubic mesostructure, fully transparent in the visible optical region, mechanically flexible, and an effective gel electrolyte. We have observed a large electrostatic doping on graphene with the Fermi energy level of ∼1.0 eV using Ltf-C18E10 gel electrolytes. The Ltf-based gels demonstrate better properties than commonly used ionic liquid electrolyte in graphene optical modulators. The stability of the new gel electrolytes and their superior performance make them suitable electrolytes for use in graphene-based optical modulators.
Open Access
Microscopic engine powered by critical demixing
(OSA, 2017) Schmidt, F.; Magazzu, Alessandro; Callegari, Agnese; Biancofiore, Luca; Cichos, F.; Volpe, Giovanni
We propose a new type of engine that is powered by the local, reversible demixing of a critical binary liquid. A microscopic particle is optically trapped and performs revolutions due to the emergence of diffusiophoresis.
Open Access
Microwave heating induced on-demand droplet generation in microfluidic systems
(American Chemical Society, 2021-12-29) Cui, W.; Yesiloz, Gurkan; Ren, C. L.
In this note, we report a simple, new method for droplet generation in microfluidic systems using integrated microwave heating. This method enables droplet generation on-demand by using microwave heating to induce Laplace pressure change at the interface of the two fluids. The distance between the interface and junction and microwave excitation power have been found to influence droplet generation. Although this method is limited in generating droplets with a high rate, the fact that it can be integrated with microwave sensing that can be used as the feedback to tune the supply flow of materials presents unique advantages for applications that require dynamic tuning of material properties in droplets.
Open Access
Reconfigurable nested ring-split ring transmitarray unit cell employing the element rotation method by microfluidics
(Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 2015) Erdil, E.; Topalli, K.; Esmaeilzad, N. S.; Zorlu, O.; Kulah, H.; Aydin, C. O.
A continuously tunable, circularly polarized X-band microfluidic transmitarray unit cell employing the element rotation method is designed and fabricated. The unit cell comprises a double layer nested ring-split ring structure realized as microfluidic channels embedded in Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) using soft lithography techniques. Conductive regions of the rings are formed by injecting a liquid metal (an alloy of Ga, In, and Sn), whereas the split region is air. Movement of the liquid metal together with the split around the ring provides 360° linear phase shift range in the transmitted field through the unit cell. A circularly polarized unit cell is designed to operate at 8.8 GHz, satisfying the necessary phase shifting conditions provided by the element rotation method. Unit cell prototypes are fabricated and the proposed concept is verified by the measurements using waveguide simulator method, within the frequency range of 8-10 GHz. The agreement between the simulation and measurement results is satisfactory, illustrating the viability of the approach to be used in reconfigurable antennas and antenna arrays.
Open Access
Swollen liquid crystals (SLCs): A versatile template for the synthesis of nano structured materials
(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2017) Dutt, S.; Siril, P. F.; Remita, S.
Liquid crystal (LCs) is the state of matter that exhibits properties between a conventional liquid and solid crystals. Liquid crystals mainly can be classified into two types: thermotropic and lyotropic liquid crystals. A thermotropic liquid crystal shows properties that are dependent on temperature conditions. On the other hand in lyotropic liquid crystals (LLCs), the amphiphiles are dissolved in a solvent and exhibit liquid crystalline properties in certain concentration ranges. In the literature, lot of reviews have been presented on thermotropic and lyotropic liquid crystals (LLCs). But nowadays, swollen liquid crystals (SLCs) have become a much more important area of research because of their easily tunable properties, their stability and versatility of the system. Swollen liquid crystals (SLCs) consist of infinite liquid crystalline non polar cylinders organized on a hexagonal lattice in a polar medium and are prepared with the proper ratios of salted water and non polar solvents with cationic or anionic or non ionic surfactants and co surfactants i.e. water:oil:surfactant:cosurfactant. In this review article, we will briefly discuss the synthesis of swollen liquid crystals (SLCs), factors affecting their stability, different kinds of nanomaterials such as metallic, bimetallic, polymeric nanostructures synthesized inside swollen liquid crystals (SLCs) using different methods and the effect of swollen liquid crystal (SLC) confinement on the final morphology of nanomaterials with their potential applications.
Open Access
Terahertz time-domain study of silver nanoparticles synthesized by laser ablation in organic liquid
(IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society, 2016-07) Koral, C.; Ortaç, B.; Altan, H.
We report the investigation of laser-synthesized Ag nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) in an organic liquid environment by using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) technique. Colloidal Ag-NPs with an average diameter of 10 nm in two-propanol solution through nanosecond pulsed laser ablation were synthesized. THz-TDS measurements were performed on different volumetric concentration of Ag-NPs suspensions placed in 2-mm path length quartz cuvette. Due to the dispersive and highly absorptive nature of the nano liquids, an approach based on extracting the optical properties through the changes in amplitude and phase solely around the main peak of THz waveform is developed. This approach allowed for an accurate estimation of the complex refractive index of the Metallic-NPs suspension for the different prepared volumetric concentrations. In addition, using Maxwell-Garnett theory, the NP concentration is also extracted. This method shows that the time-domain nature of the THz pulse measurement technique is extremely useful in instances where slight variations in highly dispersive samples need to be investigated.
Open Access
The use of a theorem prover to verifity a liquid flow control program
(1993) Uçar, Erkan
Program verification is an important task since it produces reliable software. Verification of real-time control programs needs special attention since these run in the real world and it is difficult to determine their mathematical properties. Besides, validating large real-time programs manually is impossible. Owing to these reasons, mechanical program verification systems have to be used. Boyer-Moore Theorem Prover (NQTHM) which, in fact, is a generalpurpose automated theorem prover, is such a system. We corroborated the control programs of a simple real-time system, viz. a water-tank complex, using NQTHM. A useful simulator (called WATERWORKS) has been implemented for this purpose.