Flat State Research Articles

Nodal Line Spin-Gapless Semimetals and High-Quality Candidate Materials.

Spin-gapless semimetals (SGSMs), which generate 100% spin polarization, are viewed as promising semi-half-metals in spintronics with high speed and low consumption. We propose and characterize a new Z_{2} class of topological nodal line (TNL) in SGSMs. The proposed TNLSGSMs are protected by space-time inversion symmetry or glide mirror symmetry with two-dimensional (2D) fully spin-polarized nearly flat surface states. Based on first-principles calculations and effective model analysis, a series of high-quality materials with R3[over ¯]c and R3c space groups are predicted to realize such TNLSGSMs (chainlike). The 2D fully spin-polarized nearly flat surface states may provide a route to achieving equal spin pairing topological superconductivity as well as topological catalysts.

Strain Rate Effect on the Mechanical Properties and Fracture Surface Roughness of Sandstone Subjected to Dynamic Direct Tension

Dynamic properties of rocks are extremely important in a variety of rock mechanics and rock engineering problems. The split Hopkinson tensile bar (SHTB) system is used in this paper to measure the mechanical properties of sandstone specimens under dynamic direct tension, and the full stress-strain curves of the specimens at different strain rates is obtained. The experimental results indicate that the tensile strength, the tensile modulus and the peak strain of the specimen increase almost linearly with the strain rate. The increases in the tensile strength, the tensile modulus and the peak strain reach 125 %, 37 % and 98 % respectively as the strain rate increases by 252 %. The microscopic structure characteristics of the fracture surfaces after the tensile failure of the specimens are investigated by three-dimensional scanning. The results suggest that the fracture surface roughness of the sandstone under direct tension is significantly sensitive to the strain rate. Both the roughness coefficient and the fractal dimension of the specimen increase with the strain rate. The fracture surface of the specimen changes from a relatively flat two-dimensional state to a three-dimensional state, and its relative area gradually increases. Finally, it is manifested from the aspect of energy consumption that both the energy consumed in the fracture process and the dynamic direct tensile strength enhance with the fracture surface roughness. It is believed that the investigation results can provide an important reference for the research on dynamic properties of rocks involved in experimental research and engineering practice.

Differential flatness theory‐based approach to the control of gas‐turbine electric power generation units

A differential flatness theory-based control and state estimation method has been developed for electric power units that consist of synchronous generators connected to gas turbines. The dynamic model of the power unit satisfies the properties of differential flatness and this allows for its transformation into an input–output linearized form. Moreover, it is shown that the state-space description of the power system can be written in the canonical (Brunvsky) form. Using this, a solution for the power unit's control and state estimation problem is given. First, a stabilizing feedback controller is designed. Moreover, with the use of differential flatness theory-based implementation of the Kalman Filter it becomes possible to solve the state and disturbances estimation problem of the gas-turbine power unit. The considered filtering method, under the name of Derivative-free nonlinear Kalman Filter, consists of application of the Kalman Filter's recursion on the linearized equivalent model of the power system, and of an inverse transformation that allows for computing estimates for the state variables of the initial nonlinear system. By redesigning the aforementioned Kalman Filter as a disturbance observer one can also identify and annihilate in real time exogenous perturbations.

Flat bands and nontrivial topological properties in an extended Lieb lattice

We report the appearance of multiple numbers of completely flat band states in an extended Lieb lattice model in two dimensions with five atomic sites per unit cell. We also show that this edge-centered square lattice can host intriguing topologically nontrivial phases when intrinsic spin-orbit (ISO) coupling is introduced in the microscopic description of the corresponding tight-binding Hamiltonian of the system. This ISO coupling strength acts like a complex next-nearest-neighbor hopping term for this model and can be, in principle, tuned in a real-life experimental setup. In the presence of this ISO coupling, the band spectrum of the system gets gapped out, leading to nonzero integer values of the spin Chern number for different bands, indicating the nontrivial topological properties of the system. Furthermore, we show that for certain values of the ISO coupling, nearly flat bands with nonzero Chern numbers emerge in this lattice model. This opens up the possibility of realizing interesting fractional quantum spin Hall physics in this model when interaction is taken into account. This study might be very useful in an analogous optical lattice experimental setup. A possible application of our results can also be anticipated in the field of photonics using single-mode photonic waveguide networks.

Determining the width of the workpiece under bending conditions with stretching of the stamped part

Aims of research. This paper deals with the problem of determining the radius of the neutral surface of the bending strip at the same time the action of tensile stresses. Methods. In the development of technological processes of sheet bending and the calculation of the initial billet (sweep), most often considered a flat stress state and preference is given to the theory of pure bending, providing uniform curvature of the individual layers of metal under the action of the bending moment and neglecting the action of transverse tensile forces. However, in reality, bending is always accompanied by sliding of the metal along the deforming tool, causing the appearance of friction forces and creating a complex loading in the form of plastic bending with stretching in the metal, which will additionally displace the neutral surface, forcing the experienced one to adjust the technology of manufacturing bent parts. Provides an overview and analysis of the most famous works dedicated to the topic, specifying the distribution of the contact stresses from the inner surface to the center of curvature and developed the theory of complex bending, which allows to specify the radius of the neutral surface in conditions of stretching of the flexible strip of the additional tangential stresses. Results. The results obtained will allow to simulate the stress state of the metal in the development of technological processes of sheet stamping and, in particular, to assess the specific braking force during the bending (straightening) of the strip in the process of pulling through the thresholds and brake edges of the die tooling to eliminate possible defects in the elongated parts and to clarify the dimensions of the workpiece and the finished profile.

Dirac fermions and superconductivity in the two-dimensional transition metals MOH(M=Zr,Hf)

Discovery of the new two-dimensional (2D) Dirac semimetals incorporating both superconductivity and the topological band structure has provided a novel platform for realizing the intriguing applications of Dirac fermions and Majorana quasiparticles, ranging from high-speed quantum devices at the nanoscale to topological quantum computations. In this work, utilizing first-principles calculations and symmetry analysis, we introduce MOH (M= Zr, Hf) as a new topological superconductor with Dirac points close to a Fermi level which are connected with nearly flat edge states as a striking feature of topological semimetals. Our calculations show that ZrOH as a 2D topological semimetal can exhibit superconductivity and is a novel platform for studying the interplay between superconductivity and Dirac states in low-dimensional materials.

On a thin film model with insoluble surfactant

This paper studies the existence and asymptotic behavior of global weak solutions for a thin film equation with insoluble surfactant under the influence of gravitational, capillary, and van der Waals forces. We prove the existence of global weak solutions for medium sized initial data in large function spaces. Moreover, exponential decay towards the flat equilibrium state is established, where an estimate on the decay rate can be computed explicitly.

Impurity-induced resonant states in topological nodal-line semimetals

Nodal-line semimetals are characterized by a kind of topologically nontrivial bulk-band crossing, giving rise to almost flat surface states. Yet, a direct evidence of the surface states is still lacking. Here we study theoretically impurity effects in topological nodal-line semimetals based on the T-matrix method. It is found that for a bulk impurity, some in-gap states may be induced near the impurity site, while the visible resonant impurity state can only exist for certain strength of the impurity potentials. For a surface impurity, robust resonant impurity states exist in a wide range of impurity potentials. Such robust resonant states stem from the topological protected weak dispersive surface states, which can be probed by scanning tunneling microscopy, providing a strong signature of the topological surface states in the nodal-line semimetals.

Photonic zero-energy modes in a metal-based Lieb lattice

We design a photonic tight-binding system using the dispersive background, and observe the noncompact photonic zero-energy modes for both monopole and dipolar states in a finite Lieb lattice with flat truncations. In such a photonic Lieb system, the compact localization of s, p, and d flat bands is also checked. We show that this photonic zero-energy mode is provided by one dispersive band for singular touching, which has the same frequency with the flat band states. Specially, the zero-energy mode can be completely excited by merely one point source at the flat band frequency, covering all the minority sites and forming a noncompact state. This work may provide a deep understanding about the photonic zero-energy mode for higher order states in the Lieb or other flat band models.

All-room-temperature processed high flexibility resistive switching memory by ultraviolet-radioactive induction

Alumina-based materials are widely used in semiconductor industry due to the high reliability. However, they are usually employed as high-k gate dielectric rather than memory layer, and high temperature annealing process is also required to maintain the electrical characteristics. These factors enormously limit their further applications in new semiconductor devices such as new type non-volatile memory and flexible electronic devices. In this work, a one-step ultraviolet irradiation method was applied to rapidly achieve AlO–OH thin film at room temperature for flexible resistive memory. This flexible memory device shows satisfied electrical characteristics such as typical unipolar resistive switching behaviors, stable retention, good electrical reliability and mechanical endurance both in flat and bent states. Anion vacancies in AlO–OH layer were contributed to the formation of conductive filament. This technical route with low cost and efficient fabrication process paves a feasible way for developing flexible non-volatile memory and wearable electronics.

High-performance humidity sensor using Schottky-contacted SnS nanoflakes for noncontact healthcare monitoring

Humidity sensors based on flexible sensitive nanomaterials are very attractive in noncontact healthcare monitoring. However, the existing humidity sensors have some shortcomings such as limited sensitivity, narrow relative humidity (RH) range, and a complex process. Herein, we show that a tin sulphide (SnS) nanoflakes-based sensor presents high humidity sensing behaviour both in rigid and flexible substrate. The sensing mechanism based on the Schottky nature of a SnS-metal contact endows the as-fabricated sensor with a high response of 2491000% towards a wide RH range from 3% RH to 99% RH. The response and recovery time of the sensor are 6 s and 4 s, respectively. Besides, the flexible SnS nanoflakes-based humidity sensor with a polyimide substrate can be well attached to the skin and exhibits stable humidity sensing performance in the natural flat state and under bending loading. Moreover, the first-principles analysis is performed to prove the high specificity of SnS to the moisture (H2O) in the air. Benefiting from its promising advantages, we explore some application of the SnS nanoflakes-based sensors in detection of breathing patterns and non-contact finger tips sensing behaviour. The sensor can monitor the respiration pattern of a human being accurately, and recognize the movement of the fingertip speedily. This novel humidity sensor shows great promising application in physiological and physical monitoring, portable diagnosis system, and noncontact interface localization.

String of pyrolyzed ZIF-67 particles on carbon fibers for high-performance electrocatalysis

ZIF-67 comprises alternately arranged cobalt atoms and nitrogen-rich organic linkers, making it an ideal single source precursor to producing Co and N co-doped carbon (C-ZIF-67) catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). C-ZIF-67 particle catalyst in air-cathode, however, often shows limited activity and stability because of the particle-to-particle resistances and particle detachment issues. Herein, we introduce an in-situ approach to selectively growing ZIF-67 on electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers, forming an interesting “gems-on-string” structured PAN@ZIF-67 hybrid. Upon pyrolysis the hybrid is converted to conductive C-PAN@ZIF-67 with well-retained hierarchical structure, showing high ORR activity with excellent durability in alkaline electrolyte. A zinc-air battery (ZnAB) using C-PAN@ZIF-67 in air-cathode delivers a stable discharge voltage of 1.24 V at a high current density of 20 mA cm−2. With the regeneration of the cell after its full-discharges by mechanically replenishing the zinc anode and the electrolyte, a continuous operation over 38 days is demonstrated with the discharge voltage above 1.0 V at a current density of 10 mA cm−2. Significantly, a freestanding C-PAN@ZIF-67 mat serves directly as the flexible cathode for thin and bendable ZnABs to deliver high discharge voltages in both flat and bent states, promising great potential for future wearable electronics.

TiC supported amorphous MnOx as highly efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst for corrosion resistant oxygen electrode of Zn-air batteries

Zn-air batteries (ZABs) represent promising candidates for the next generation energy conversion and storage systems based on their superior features to those of lithium-ion batteries, including high theoretical energy density, low cost, and high safety. However, their further development and application is severely lagged due to the lack of high efficient and durable bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts. The widely applied carbon-based catalysts are thermodynamically instable during battery charging. Herein, TiC supported amorphous MnOx (a-MnOx/TiC) is reported for the first time as electrocatalyst for the corrosion resistant oxygen electrodes of ZABs. A-MnOx/TiC delivers a remarkable activity and stability toward both oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with a high half-wave potential (0.8 V) for ORR and a low potential (1.56 V) at 10 mA cm−2 for OER, which far outperforms the state of the art ORR catalyst (Pt/C) and OER catalyst (IrO2), as well as the Pt/C-IrO2 and a-MnOx/C bifunctional catalysts. The excellent bifunctional activity of a-MnOx/TiC can be attributed to the efficient synergistic effect between the active amorphous MnOx catalyst and the highly conductive and stable TiC support. More impressively, a-MnOx/TiC demonstrates an outstanding electrochemical stability in strong alkaline electrolyte under OER condition in contrast to the readily oxidized carbon-based a-MnOx/C catalysts. ZAB with a-MnOx/TiC delivers a greater discharge performance with a peak power density of 217.1 mW cm−2 than that of Pt/C-based ZAB, and a surpassing discharge and charge cycling performance and stability to ZABs with Pt/C-IrO2 and a-MnOx/C. Furthermore, a-MnOx/TiC can be applied for solid-state ZABs which exhibit excellent mechanical flexibility and cycle stability under their flat and bent states. The a-MnOx/TiC bifunctional electrocatalyst with extraordinarily high activity and electrochemical stability provides a promising approach for exploring corrosion resistant electrocatalysts for Zn-air batteries with high efficiency and long-term cycling stability.

Effect of Simultaneous Mechanical and Electrical Stress on the Electrical Performance of Flexible In-Ga-Zn-O Thin-Film Transistors.

We investigated the effect of simultaneous mechanical and electrical stress on the electrical characteristics of flexible indium-gallium-zinc oxide (IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs). The IGZO TFTs exhibited a threshold voltage shift (∆VTH) under an application of positive-bias-stress (PBS), with a turnaround behavior from the positive ∆VTH to the negative ∆VTH with an increase in the PBS application time, whether a mechanical stress is applied or not. However, the magnitudes of PBS-induced ∆VTH in both the positive and negative directions exhibited significantly larger values when a flexible IGZO TFT was under mechanical-bending stress than when it was at the flat state. The observed phenomena were possibly attributed to the mechanical stress-induced interface trap generation and the enhanced hydrogen diffusion from atomic layer deposition-grown Al2O3 to IGZO under mechanical-bending stress during PBS. The subgap density of states was extracted before and after an application of PBS under both mechanical stress conditions. The obtained results in this study provided potent evidence supporting the mechanism suggested to explain the PBS-induced larger ∆VTHs in both directions under mechanical-bending stress.

Constrained online trajectory planning for nonlinear flat SISO systems using a switched state variable filter

The problem of constrained Online Trajectory Planning (OTP) for Flatness-based Feedforward Controllers (FFC) is discussed for online tracking problems with a-priori unknown reference signals for the system output. As plant, nonlinear minimum phase Single Input Single Output (SISO) systems with input constraints as well as polytopic constraints on the flat state are assumed. The goal is to achieve both, fast reference tracking and a prioritization-based constraint satisfaction despite avoiding an online optimization. Therefore, the OTP is set up by means of a switched State Variable Filter (SSVF). The switching results from the limitation of the filter’s highest derivative in accordance to the above requirements and is derived with a piecewise solution of an underlying optimization problem. The paper shows the derivation of the SSVF, discusses necessary stability conditions of the proposed concept, and finally demonstrates the SSVF’s performance by means of a simulation study. A comparison to a respective optimal control problem solution and model predictive controller (MPC) is furthermore provided.

Numerical study of groundwater flow cycling controlled by seawater/freshwater interaction in Woodville Karst Plain

Seawater intrusion due to sea level rise and climate change could significantly contaminate coastal groundwater resources, particularly in Florida, the flat low-land state in the United States. Based on the field investigation and hydrological measurements, a three-dimensional SEAWAT model is developed to evaluate the groundwater flow cycling and seawater intrusion to freshwater system in the Woodville Karst Plain (WKP), a typical karst groundwater system in the Floridan aquifer. The karst conduit network in the aquifer acts as fast flow pathway for groundwater flow and solute transport, so seawater could deeply intrude into the aquifer. Wakulla Spring, an inland spring 17 km from the coast and a coastal submarine spring, Spring Creek Spring Complex are connected through the conduit network. The flow direction between the two springs switches under various rainfall conditions in this region, thus the discharges at two karst springs are used to estimate the location of seawater/freshwater mixing interface. The SEAWAT modeling results indicate that the mixing interface, defined as 2 PSU (Practical Salinity Unit), intrudes 3 to 5 km through the subsurface karst conduit during the dry season and severely contaminates nearly 1 km width of groundwater around the conduit. The salinity distribution and the distance of seawater intrusion through the conduit system are very sensitive to precipitation variation and the sea level boundary condition. Furthermore, predictions are made for seawater intrusion to the aquifer under various sea level rise, precipitation scenarios and water pumping. The results show that the seawater intrusion could reach and contaminate inland freshwater systems if sea level rises 1.0 m or during a long-term no-precipitation season. This study provides insights for modeling and predicting the vulnerability of a coastal karst aquifer through the simulation of variable-density flow.

Kirigami-enabled self-folding origami

Self-folding of complex origami-inspired structures from flat states allows for the incorporation of a multitude of surface-related functionalities into the final 3D device. Several self-folding techniques have therefore been developed during the last few years to fabricate such multi-functional devices. The vast majority of such approaches are, however, limited to simple folding sequences, specific materials, or large length scales, rendering them inapplicable to microscale (meta)materials and devices with complex geometries, which are often made from materials other than the ones for which these approaches are developed. Here, we propose a mechanical self-folding technique that only requires global stretching for activation, is applicable to a wide range of materials, allows for sequential self-folding of multi-storey constructs, and can be downscaled to microscale dimensions. We combined two types of permanently deforming kirigami elements, working on the basis of either multi-stability or plastic deformation, with an elastic layer to create self-folding basic elements. The folding angles of these elements could be controlled using the kirigami cut patterns as well as the dimensions of the elastic layer and be accurately predicted using our computational models. We then assembled these basic elements in a modular manner to create multiple complex 3D structures ( e.g. , multi-storey origami lattices) in different sizes including some with microscale feature sizes. Moreover, starting from a flat state enabled us to incorporate not only precisely controlled, arbitrarily complex, and spatially varied micropatterns but also flexible electronics into the self-folded 3D structures. In all cases, our computational models could capture the self-folding behavior of the assemblies and the strains in the connectors of the flexible electronic devices, thereby guiding the rational design of our specimens. This approach has numerous potential applications including fabrication of multi-functional and instrumented implantable medical devices, steerable medical instruments, and microrobots.

Robust flat band and flux induced engineering of dispersive band in a periodic lattice

We report the existence of flat band state in a periodic diamond dot lattice within the tight-binding framework. An analytical scheme to detect such non-dispersive state has been discussed elaborately. The dispersionless signature is clarified from the study of dispersion relation that is obtained by using real space renormalization group technique. The robustness of the flat band state with respect to the application of a uniform magnetic flux is analyzed along with the extensive numerical calculation of general spectral profile and two-channel transmission property. The amplitudes corresponding to this self-localized bound state are confined either within a finite size atomic cluster or pinned at a particular vertex making the particle immobile owing to the divergent effective mass. The challenging probability to engineer the band curvature (or equivalently the effective mass) using an external perturbation may inspire the experimentalists. The group velocity of the wave train can be manipulated (both in magnitude and sign) by virtue of the applied flux and hence the effective mass exhibits a re-entrant crossover as a function of the same external parameter.

Enabling Robust Self-Folding Origami by Pre-Biasing Vertex Buckling Direction.

Self-folding is a powerful approach to fabricate materials with complex 3D forms and advanced properties using planar patterning steps, but suffers from intrinsic limitations in robustness due to the highly bifurcated nature of configuration space around the flat state. Here, a simple mechanism is introduced to achieve robust self-folding of microscale origami by separating actuation into two discrete steps using different thermally responsive hydrogels. First, the vertices are pre-biased to move in the desired direction from the flat state by selectively swelling one of the two hydrogels at high temperature. Subsequently, the creases are folded toward their target angles by activating swelling of the second hydrogel upon cooling to room temperature. Since each vertex can be individually programmed to move upward or downward, it is possible to robustly select the desired branch even in multi-vertex structures with reasonably high complexity. This strategy provides key new principles for designing shaping-morphing materials that avoid undesired distractor states, expanding their potential applications in areas such as soft robotics, sensors, mechanical metamaterials, and deployable devices.

Structure design of reinforced honeycomb paperboard core and characterization of its out‐of‐plane bearing strength

Honeycomb paperboard's out‐of‐plane bearing performance is one of the important properties in packaging field application. Further improvement of its bearing performance has important value in engineering practice. In this paper, a honeycomb core structure was designed, and the bonding dimension and manufacturing process were designed. The mechanism of out‐of‐plane quasi‐static compression deformation of reinforced honeycomb paperboard was analyzed by experiments. The theoretical model of out‐of‐plane platform stress was constructed by applying the plastic deformation, plastic energy dissipation and energy conservation theory. The results show that the improved structure can be mechanically bonded in a flat state with less technological changes. Under the same honeycomb core material and core size parameters, the bearing strength of the improved structure increases by an average of 3.9 times to conventional structure. In order to meet the same compressive strength requirement, the improved structure can reduce the performance requirements of honeycomb core material or increase the core size compared with the conventional structure. When the honeycomb core cell is larger, the tension on the core layer required for the production process is reduced. The theoretical and experimental data are in good agreement with each other, and the relative errors are all less than 13%.