Homogeneous Absorption Research Articles

Spatial Sensitivity to Absorption Changes for Various Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Methods: A Compendium Review.

This compendium review focuses on the spatial distribution of sensitivity to localized absorption changes in optically diffuse media, particularly for measurements relevant to near-infrared spectroscopy. The three temporal domains, continuous-wave, frequency-domain, and time-domain, each obtain different optical data-types whose changes may be related to effective homogeneous changes in the absorption coefficient. Sensitivity is the relationship between a localized perturbation and the recovered effective homogeneous absorption change. Therefore, spatial sensitivity maps representing the perturbation location can be generated for the numerous optical data-types in the three temporal domains. The review first presents a history of the past 30 years of work investigating this sensitivity in optically diffuse media. These works are experimental and theoretical, presenting 1-, 2-, and 3-dimensional sensitivity maps for different near-infrared spectroscopy methods, domains, and data-types. Following this history, we present a compendium of sensitivity maps organized by temporal domain and then data-type. This compendium provides a valuable tool to compare the spatial sensitivity of various measurement methods and parameters in one document. Methods for one to generate these maps are provided in the appendix, including code. This historical review and comprehensive sensitivity map compendium provides a single source researchers may use to visualize, investigate, compare, and generate sensitivity to localized absorption change maps.

Numerical simulation of Sutterby hybrid nanoliquid flow between two concentric cylinders with thermal radiation

A numerical analysis is performed to scrutinize the heat transport of the Sutterby hybrid nanofluid flow between two concentric cylinders. This work incorporates ethylene glycol as a base liquid immersed with Al2O3 and TiO2 nanomaterials. A uniform magnetic field is employed in the existence of radiative heat, Ohmic heating, and in homogeneous heat production or absorption to investigate base fluid and hybrid nanofluids’ motion and thermal transfer properties. The flow model is constructed and solved mathematically utilizing the Keller–Box method and MATLAB software. Comparable outcomes for base liquid and cross-nanoliquid are discovered and explained. The subject of the research work is the use of solar energy with parabolic trough solar collectors. It is discovered that the thermal transmission rate of hybrid nanofluid is more remarkable than base liquid. The magnetic field’s drag force can control the flow and heat regions.

Low-temperature vibronic spectroscopy of condensed chromophore exhibiting inhomogeneous distribution of vibrational frequencies in a mixed quantum-classical environment.

This work has been motivated by the recent paper by the author [M. Toutounji, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2021, 23, 21981] whereby a mixed quantum-classical Liouville equation was used to probe the spectroscopy and dynamics of a spin-boson system. A mixed quantum-classical Liouville equation treats the system of interest quantum mechanically, the bath classically, and the coupling term mixed quantum-classical mechanically. This paper offers a two-fold advantage: correcting the treatment of the electronic transition decay (width in frequency domain) and assessing the local heterogeneous vibrational structure. The homogeneous linear absorption spectrum of a chromophore embedded in a mixed quantum-classical environment at low temperature is composed of a sharp peak called a zero-phonon line (ZPL) and a broad phonon sideband (PSB), whereby the ZPL and the PSB are assimilated by a Lorentzian function and Voigt profiles, respectively. The PSB, in this case, is characterized by a local heterogeneous structure due to a dispersive medium of vibrations, modeled by vibrational Gaussian distributions to represent the arising inhomogeneous broadening and Lorentzians to model the homogeneous vibrations. This description seems to model proteins and amorphous solids exhibiting a local heterogeneous structure as both electronic and vibrational inhomogeneous broadening seems to be large in these media. This work provides a derivation of linear absorption lineshape and vibronic transition dipole moment time correlation functions, both of which account for pure electronic dephasing (ZPL width) the Voigt profile description of the phonon profiles (PSB) in dispersive media.

Stabilizing Lithium Anode Via Separator Engineering and in-Situ Electrolyte Additive Tuned SEI

Li metal anode is regarded as one of the rising stars in secondary batteries systems. Safety issues attributing from lithium dendrites, however, greatly hinders its practical application. Here we present an effective and scalable way of protecting lithium metal anode via separator engineering, and further through the tuning of solid electrolyte interface (SEI) via Li+/functional group bonding. The novel separator exhibits much higher specific surface area (~16.9x) and enhanced ionic conductivity (~3.25x) than Celgard separator. The -COOH/separator bonding is flexible and Li+/COOH is easily coupled thus a lower interfacial resistance and a more dynamically stable SEI are achieved. FTIR and UV-vis have confirmed the flexible bonding of –COOH. Contact angle measurements confirm the lithiophilic characteristic of the novel separator, which indicates a easy and homogenous absorption of the –COOH functional groups onto the Li metal surface. Consequently, the Li||Li symmetric cell achieves 3 times longer stable cycling. CV, Nyquist plots and in-depth XPS further confirm the chemically and physically stable SEI after fewer cycles with this novel separator than that with Celgard separator. In-situ optical microscopy reveals dendrites inhibition from Li+/COOH coupling effect under extreme current density of 10 mA cm-2. Cross-sectional SEM illustrates the dense, uniform and stable SEI on Li metal anode with novel separator, volume expansion problem is also tackled to a large degree. This separator can stand 43% of elastic deformation under more than 40 MPa of stress, and its structural stability is confirmed by SEM and AFM even after the separator loses the functional groups. It fits well with both LIBs and L-S batteries systems, and is promising for scalable manufacturing.

Extraction of tissue optical property and blood flow from speckle contrast diffuse correlation tomography (scDCT) measurements.

Measurement of blood flow in tissue provides vital information for the diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of various vascular diseases. A noncontact, camera-based, near-infrared speckle contrast diffuse correlation tomography (scDCT) technique has been recently developed for 3D imaging of blood flow index (αDB) distributions in deep tissues up to a centimeter. A limitation with the continuous-wave scDCT measurement of blood flow is the assumption of constant and homogenous tissue absorption coefficient (μ a ). The present study took the advantage of rapid, high-density, noncontact scDCT measurements of both light intensities and diffuse speckle contrast at multiple source-detector distances and developed two-step fitting algorithms for extracting both μ a and αDB. The new algorithms were tested in tissue-simulating phantoms with known optical properties and human forearms. Measurement results were compared against established near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) techniques. The accuracies of our new fitting algorithms with scDCT measurements in phantoms (up to 16% errors) and forearms (up to 23% errors) are comparable to relevant study results (up to 25% errors). Knowledge of μ a not only improved the accuracy in calculating αDB but also provided the potential for quantifying tissue blood oxygenation via spectral measurements. A multiple-wavelength scDCT system with new algorithms is currently developing to fit multi-wavelength and multi-distance data for 3D imaging of both blood flow and oxygenation distributions in deep tissues.

Plasma Spraying of a Microwave Absorber Coating for an RF Dummy Load

The European fusion reactor research facility, called International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), is one of the most challenging projects that involves design and testing of hundreds of separately designed reactor elements and peripheric modules. One of the core elements involved in plasma heating are gyrotrons. They are used as a microwave source in electron–cyclotron resonance heating systems (ECRH) for variable injection of RF power into the plasma ring. In this work, the development and application of an alumina-titania 60/40 mixed oxide ceramic absorber coating on a copper cylinder is described. The cylinder is part of a dummy load used in gyrotron testing and its purpose is to absorb microwave radiation generated by gyrotrons during testing phase. The coating is applied by means of atmospheric plasma spraying (APS). The absorber coating is deposited on the inner diameter of a one-meter cylindrical tube. To ensure homogeneous radiation absorption when the incoming microwave beam is repeatedly scattered along the inner tube surface, the coating shows a varying thickness as a function of the tube length. By this it is ensured that the thermal power is distributed homogeneously on the entire inner tube surface. This paper describes a modeling approach of the coating thickness distribution, the manufacturing concept for the internal plasma spray coating and the coating characterization with regard to coating microstructure and microwave absorption characteristics.

Metal-Free Antibacterial Additives Based on Graphene Materials and Salicylic Acid: From the Bench to Fabric Applications.

The custom functionalization of a graphene surface allows access to engineered nanomaterials with improved colloidal stability and tailored specific properties, which are available to be employed in a wide range of applications ranging from materials to life science. The high surface area and their intrinsic physical and biological properties make reduced graphene oxide and graphene oxide unique materials for the custom functionalization with bioactive molecules by exploiting different surface chemistries. In this work, preparation (on the gram scale) of reduced graphene oxide and graphene oxide derivatives functionalized with the well-known antibacterial agent salicylic acid is reported. The salicylic acid functionalities offered a stable colloidal dispersion and, in addition, homogeneous absorption on a sample of textile manufacture (i.e., cotton fabrics), as shown by a Raman spectroscopy study, thus providing nanoengineered materials with significant antibacterial activity toward different strains of microorganisms. Surprisingly, graphene surface functionalization also ensured resistance to detergent washing treatments as verified on a model system using the quartz crystal microbalance technique. Therefore, our findings paved the way for the development of antibacterial additives for cotton fabrics in the absence of metal components, thus limiting undesirable side effects.

Off/on switchable smart electromagnetic interference shielding aerogel

Summary Smart electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials with tunable EM wave response characteristics are attractive for future EM devices. Here, we report an off/on switchable EMI shielding material that can be tuned from EM wave transmission to shielding and vice versa by mechanical compression and decompression. This smart material is prepared by filling conductive carbon nanoparticles into wood-derived lamellar carbon aerogel, showing reversible compressibility and strain-sensitive conductivity. The original aerogel has good impedance matching and low dielectric loss, allowing the EM wave to pass through. Mechanical compression enables the carbon nanoparticles to establish highly conductive pathways in the aerogel, which significantly increases the conductivity of aerogel and thus activates its EMI shielding performance. This function switch is reversible by repeatedly compressing and decompressing the aerogel. The availability of such a never-before-realized off/on switchable EMI shielding material provides an opportunity for the development of advanced smart EM devices.

Characterization of Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Amyloid-β42 Oligomer Preparations with Biochemical Methods and Infrared Spectroscopy Reveals a Correlation between Infrared Spectrum and Oligomer Size.

Soluble oligomers of the amyloid-β(1-42) (Aβ42) peptide, widely considered to be among the relevant neurotoxic species involved in Alzheimer’s disease, were characterized with a combination of biochemical and biophysical methods. Homogeneous and stable Aβ42 oligomers were prepared by treating monomeric solutions of the peptide with detergents. The prepared oligomeric solutions were analyzed with blue native and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, as well as with infrared (IR) spectroscopy. The IR spectra indicated a well-defined β-sheet structure of the prepared oligomers. We also found a relationship between the size/molecular weight of the Aβ42 oligomers and their IR spectra: The position of the main amide I′ band of the peptide backbone correlated with oligomer size, with larger oligomers being associated with lower wavenumbers. This relationship explained the time-dependent band shift observed in time-resolved IR studies of Aβ42 aggregation in the absence of detergents, during which the oligomer size increased. In addition, the bandwidth of the main IR band in the amide I′ region was found to become narrower with time in our time-resolved aggregation experiments, indicating a more homogeneous absorption of the β-sheets of the oligomers after several hours of aggregation. This is predominantly due to the consumption of smaller oligomers in the aggregation process.

In Situ and Ex Situ Designed Hydroxyapatite: Bacterial Cellulose Materials with Biomedical Applications.

Hydroxyapatite (HAp) and bacterial cellulose (BC) composite materials represent a promising approach for tissue engineering due to their excellent biocompatibility and bioactivity. This paper presents the synthesis and characterization of two types of materials based on HAp and BC, with antibacterial properties provided by silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The composite materials were obtained following two routes: (1) HAp was obtained in situ directly in the BC matrix containing different amounts of AgNPs by the coprecipitation method, and (2) HAp was first obtained separately using the coprecipitation method, then combined with BC containing different amounts of AgNPs by ultrasound exposure. The obtained materials were characterized by means of XRD, SEM, and FT-IR, while their antimicrobial effect was evaluated against Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli), Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus), and yeast (Candida albicans). The results demonstrated that the obtained composite materials were characterized by a homogenous porous structure and high water absorption capacity (more than 1000% w/w). These materials also possessed low degradation rates (<5% in simulated body fluid (SBF) at 37 °C) and considerable antimicrobial effect due to silver nanoparticles (10–70 nm) embedded in the polymer matrix. These properties could be finetuned by adjusting the content of AgNPs and the synthesis route. The samples prepared using the in situ route had a wider porosity range and better homogeneity.

Optimization of nitrate removal from aqueous solutions using clinoptilolite /CoFe2O4 by surface response methodology

In this study, Merwinite (MW), has been successfully prepared by a modifiedsol-gel method. Optimization in calcination temperature and mechanical millingresulted in a pure and nano-sized powder which characterized by means of(XRD), (SEM), (TEM) and (FT–IR). We hypothesized that nano-sized MW wouldmimic more efficiently the nanocrystal structure and function of natural boneapatite, owing to the higher surface area, compared to conventional micronsizeMW. Mechanical grinding in a ceramic ball mill for 6 hours resulted in (MW)nanoparticles in the range of about 33- 55 nm. Conventional micron-size MWhad been previously investigated by many researchers but it is obviously differentfrom bone mineral in aspect of mimicking the mineral resorption process. Bonecrystals of natural hydroxyapatite (NHA ) are in nano-size dimensions and possessvery large surface area. In contrast micron-size particles with lower surface arealack the potency of homogeneous absorption by osteoclasts and miss the uniqueadvantage of nanotechnology for bioactivity and resorbability. Hence, we usedthe unique advantage of nano- biotechnology to improve novel nano merwinite(NMW) particles as a good candidate for tissue regeneration whether as a peri -implant filling powder or in combination with other biomaterials as a compositescaffold.

Hall and ion slip current’s impact on magneto-sodium alginate hybrid nanoliquid past a moving vertical plate with ramped heating, velocity slip and Darcy effects

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to analyze an unsteady MHD Darcy flow of nonNewtonian hybrid nanoliquid past an exponentially accelerated vertical plate under the influence of velocity slip, Hall and ion slip effects in a rotating frame of reference. The fluids in the flow domain are assumed to be viscously incompressible electrically conducting. Sodium alginate (SA) has been taken as a base Casson liquid. A strong uniform magnetic field is applied under the assumption of low magnetic Reynolds number. Effect of Hall and ion-slip currents on the flow field is examined. The ramped heating and time-varying concentration at the plate are taken into consideration. First-order homogeneous chemical reaction and heat absorption are also considered. Copper and alumina nanoparticles are dispersed in base fluid sodium alginate to be formed as hybrid nanoliquid.Design/methodology/approachThe model problem is first formulated in terms of partial differential equations (PDEs) with physical conditions. Laplace transform method (LTM) is used on the nondimensional governing equations for their closed-form solution. Based on these results, expressions for nondimensional shear stresses, rate of heat and mass transfer are also determined. Graphical presentations are chalked out to inspect the impacts of physical parameters on the pertinent physical flow characteristics. Numerical values of the shear stresses, rate of heat and mass transfer at the plate are tabulated for various physical parameters.FindingsNumerical exploration reveals that a significant increase in the secondary flow (i.e. crossflow) near the plate is guaranteed with an augmenting in Hall parameter or ion slip parameter. MHD and porosity have an opposite effect on velocity component profiles for both types of nanoliquids. Result addresses that both shear stresses are strongly enhanced by the Casson effect. Also, hybrid nanosuspension in Casson fluid (sodium alginate) exhibits a lower rate of heat transfer than usual nanoliquid.Social implicationsThis model may be pertinent in cooling processes of metallic infinite plate in bath and hybrid magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) generators, metallurgical process, manufacturing dynamics of nanopolymers, magnetic field control of material processing, synthesis of smart polymers, making of paper and polyethylene, casting of metals, etc.Originality/valueThe originality of this study is to obtain an analytical solution of the modeled problem by using the Laplace transform method (LTM). Such an exact solution of nonNewtonian fluid flow, heat and mass transfer is rare in the literature. It is also worth remarking that the influence of Hall and ion slip effects on the flow of nonNewtonian hybrid nanoliquid is still an open question.

A General and Programmable Synthesis of Graphene-Based Composite Aerogels by a Melamine-Sponge-Templated Hydrothermal Process

Three-dimensional (3D) graphene networks are performance boosters for functional nanostructures in energy-related fields. Although tremendous intriguing nanostructures-decorated 3D graphene network...

Recovering the Homogeneous Absorption of Inhomogeneous Media.

The resonant absorption of light by an ensemble of absorbers decreases when the resonance is inhomogeneously broadened. Recovering the lost absorption cross section is of great importance for various applications of light-matter interactions, particularly in quantum optics, but no recovery mechanism has yet been identified and successfully demonstrated. Here, we formulate the limit set by the inhomogeneity on the absorption, and present a mechanism able to circumvent this limit and fully recover the homogeneous absorption of the ensemble. We experimentally study this mechanism using two different level schemes in atomic vapors and demonstrate up to fivefold enhancement of the absorption above the inhomogeneous limit. Our scheme relies on light shifts induced by auxiliary fields and is thus applicable to various physical systems and inhomogeneity mechanisms.

X-ray position-sensitive duo-lateral diamond detectors at SOLEIL.

The performance of a diamond X-ray beam position monitor is reported. This detector consists of an ionization solid-state chamber based on a thin single-crystal chemical-vapour-deposition diamond with position-sensitive resistive electrodes in a duo-lateral configuration. The detector's linearity, homogeneity and responsivity were studied on beamlines at Synchrotron SOLEIL with various beam sizes, intensities and energies. These measurements demonstrate the large and homogeneous (absorption variation of less than 0.7% over 500 µm × 500 µm) active area of the detector, with linear responses independent of the X-ray beam spatial distribution. Due to the excellent charge collection efficiency (approaching 100%) and intensity sensitivity (0.05%), the detector allows monitoring of the incident beam flux precisely. In addition, the in-beam position resolution was compared with a theoretical analysis providing an estimation of the detector's beam position resolution capability depending on the experimental conditions (X-ray flux, energy and readout acquisition time).

Gradient heating protocol for a diode-pumped alkali laser

A diode-pumped alkali laser (DPAL) has gained rapid development in the recent years. Until now, the structure with single heater has been widely utilized to adjust the temperature of an alkali vapor cell in most of the literatures about DPALs. However, for an end-pumped DPAL using single heater, most pump energy is absorbed by the gain media near the entrance cell window because of the large absorption cross section of atomic alkali. As a result, the temperature in the pumping area around the entrance window will go up rapidly, especially in a case of high pumping density. The temperature rise would bring about some negative influences such as thermal effects and variations in population density. In addition, light scattering and window contamination aroused by the chemical reaction between the alkali vapor and the buffer gas will also affect the output performance of a DPAL system. To find a solution to these problems, we propose a gradient heating approach in which several heaters are tandem-set along the optical axis to anneal an alkali vapor cell. The temperature at the entrance window is adjusted to be lower than that of the other side. By using this novel scheme, one can not only achieve a homogeneous absorption of the pump energy along the cell axis, but also decrease the possibility of the window damage in a DPAL configuration. The theoretical simulation of the laser output features has been carried out for a configuration of multiple heaters. Additionally, the DPAL output performance under different gradient temperatures is also discussed in this paper. The conclusions might be helpful for development of a high-powered and high-beam-quality DPAL.

Cutting-edge microangio-CT: new dimensions in vascular imaging and kidney morphometry.

In the last decades, the contrast-enhanced micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) imaging of a whole animal kidney became increasingly important. The visualization was mainly limited to middle-sized vessels. Since modern desktop micro-CT scanners provide the necessary detail resolution, we developed an approach for rapid visualization and consistent assessment of kidney vasculature and glomeruli number. This method is based on μAngiofil, a new polymerizing contrast agent with homogenous X-ray absorption, which provides continuous filling of the complete vasculature and enables correlative imaging approaches. For rapid and reliable kidney morphometry, the microangio-CT (µaCT) data sets from glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF)+/- mice and their wild-type littermates were used. The results were obtained much faster compared with the current gold standard, histology-based stereology, and without processing artifacts. The histology-based morphometry was done afterward on the same kidneys. Both approaches revealed that the GDNF+/- male mice had about 40% fewer glomeruli. Furthermore, our approach allows for the definition of sites of interest for further histological investigation, i.e., correlative morphology. The polymerized μAngiofil stays in perfused vessels and is autofluorescent, which is what greatly facilitates the matching of histological sections with µaCT data. The presented approach is a time-efficient, reliable, qualitative, and quantitative methodology. Besides glomerular morphometry, the µaCT data can be used for qualitative and quantitative analysis of the kidney vasculature and correlative morphology.

On the analytical calculation of the solar heat gain coefficient of a BIPV module

A closed-analytical expression for the solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) of a glass-glass photovoltaic module for building-integration is constructed ab initio, from the thermal study of the general case of any number of planar parallel layers with homogeneous absorption of solar radiation. By introducing the optical model of Baenas and Machado, the expressions for the SHGC of the opaque and transparent parts of the module will be provided. The scope of the calculation and the assumed working hypothesis are in line with those of international standards for multiple glazing systems and building-integrated photovoltaic modules. The proposed model has been applied to a real case of study, showing an excellent agreement with the numerical and experimental related data.

Baade’s window and APOGEE

Context. Baade’s window (BW) is one of the most observed Galactic bulge fields in terms of chemical abundances. Owing to its low and homogeneous interstellar absorption it is considered the perfect calibration field for Galactic bulge studies. Aims. In the era of large spectroscopic surveys, calibration fields such as BW are necessary for cross calibrating the stellar parameters and individual abundances of the APOGEE survey. Methods. We use the APOGEE BW stars to derive the metallicity distribution function (MDF) and individual abundances for α- and iron-peak elements of the APOGEE ASPCAP pipeline (DR13), as well as the age distribution for stars in BW. Results. We determine the MDF of APOGEE stars in BW and find a remarkable agreement with that of the Gaia-ESO survey (GES). Both exhibit a clear bimodal distribution. We also find that the Mg-metallicity planes of the two surveys agree well, except for the metal-rich part ([Fe/H] &gt; 0.1), where APOGEE finds systematically higher Mg abundances with respect to the GES. The ages based on the [C/N] ratio reveal a bimodal age distribution, with a major old population at ~ 10 Gyr, with a decreasing tail towards younger stars. A comparison of stellar parameters determined by APOGEE and those determined by other sources reveals detectable systematic offsets, in particular for spectroscopic surface gravity estimates. In general, we find a good agreement between individual abundances of O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, K, Ca, Cr, Mn, Co, and Ni from APOGEE with that of literature values. Conclusions. We have shown that in general APOGEE data show a good agreement in terms of MDF and individual chemical abundances with respect to literature works. Using the [C/N] ratio we found a significant fraction of young stars in BW.

Numerical investigation of MHD free convection flow of a non-Newtonian fluid past an impulsively started vertical plate in the presence of thermal diffusion and radiation absorption

A numerical investigation is carried out on an unsteady MHD free convection flow of a well-known non-Newtonian visco elastic second order Rivlin-Erickson fluid past an impulsively started semi-infinite vertical plate in the presence of homogeneous chemical reaction, thermal radiation, thermal diffusion, radiation absorption and heat absorption with constant mass flux. The presence of viscous dissipation is also considered at the plate under the influence of uniform transverse magnetic field. The flow is governed by a coupled nonlinear system of partial differential equations which are solved numerically by using finite difference method. The effects of various physical parameters on the flow quantities viz. velocity, temperature, concentration, Skin friction, Nusselt number and Sherwood number are studied numerically. The results are discussed with the help of graphs. We observed that the velocity decreases with an increase in magnetic field parameter, Schmidt number, and Prandtl number while it increases with an increase in Grashof number, modified Grashof number, visco-elastic parameter and Soret number. Temperature increases with an increase in radiation absorption parameter, Eckert number and visco-elastic parameter while it decreases with increasing values of radiation parameter, Prandtl number and heat absorption parameter. Concentration increases with increase in Soret number while it decreases with an increase in Schmidt number and chemical reaction parameter.