Nonuniform Potential Research Articles

Exploring an Electrochemical Batch Reactor for Nutrient Recovery from Wastewater: Continuum Modeling Analysis of Hydrodynamics and Tertiary Current Distribution

Advancing electrochemical reactors for nutrient recovery from wastewater requires an integration of continuum modeling alongside experimental investigations to appropriately capture transport effects on electrode performance. This continuum modeling approach facilitates the comprehensive evaluation and optimization of electrochemical reactor performance, especially with respect to intricate phenomena that may be challenging to observe solely through experimentation. The optimization process not only enhances the efficacy of existing batch reactors but also lays the foundation for designing and scaling up continuous electrochemical reactors for nutrient recovery [1].A key transport phenomenon in electrochemistry is hydrodynamics because flow dynamics around electrodes dictate mass transport magnitude and uniformity, thereby impacting current distribution, efficiency, and electrolytic energy consumption during electrolysis. Achieving homogeneous velocity fields while avoiding undesirable flow features is essential to prevent non-uniform potential and current density distributions along the electrodes, mitigating side reactions and ensuring the overall efficacy of the electrochemical processes [2].In this study, a two-dimensional model of an electrochemical batch reactor was developed using COMSOL Multiphysics software to investigate reactor hydrodynamics, electrochemical reactions, and mass transfer of species. Employing the finite element method, the model incorporated the k-epsilon turbulence model for hydrodynamics simulation, widely used in literature for simulating fluid flow and mixing behavior [3]. Electrochemical reactions at the cathode (oxygen reduction) were modeled using the Butler-Volmer equation, while the Tafel equation was applied at the anode (hydrogen evolution). Boundary conditions were a grounded counter electrode (anode) and a potential of -1.1 vs Ag/AgCl(sat.) applied to the working electrode (cathode). Fick's second law diffusion-convective equation was employed to model the mass transfer of species, including hydroxide and oxygen.Preliminary findings indicate that while impellers contribute to turbulence and affect local conditions around electrodes, the impact on the backside of the modeled electrodes is relatively weak (Figure 1). This observation may adversely influence mass transfer rates and electrochemical reactions, underscoring the significance of integrating these results with electrochemical reactions for a comprehensive understanding of reactor behavior. Additional results will be presented at the meeting.

Particle and wave dynamics of nonlocal solitons in external potentials

We study nonlocal bright solitons subject to external spatially nonuniform potentials. If the potential is slowly varying on the soliton scale, we derive analytical soliton solutions behaving like Newtonian particles. If the potential has the form of an attractive delta-like point defect, we identify different dynamical regimes, defined by the relative strength of the nonlocality and the point defect. In these regimes, the soliton can be trapped at the defect's location, via a nonlinear resonance with a defect mode –which is found analytically– reflected by or transmitted through the defect, featuring a wave behavior. Our analytical predictions are corroborated by results of direct numerical simulations.

Critical exponents and fluctuations at BEC in a 2D harmonically trapped ideal gas

The critical properties displayed by an ideal 2D Bose gas trapped in a harmonic potential are determined and characterized in an exact numerical fashion. Beyond thermodynamics, addressed in terms of the global pressure and volume which are the appropriate variables of a fluid confined in a non-uniform harmonic potential, the density-density correlation function is also calculated and the corresponding correlation length is found. Evaluation of all these quantities as Bose–Einstein condensation (BEC) is approached manifest its critical continuous phase transition character. The divergence of the correlation length as the critical temperature is reached, unveils the expected spatial scale invariance proper of a critical transition. The logarithmic singularities of this transition are traced back to the non-analytic behavior of the thermodynamic variables at vanishing chemical potential, which is the onset of BEC. The critical exponents associated with the ideal BEC transition in the 2D inhomogeneous fluid reveals its own universality class.

Stacking order modulated anomalous valley Hall effect in antiferromagnetic MXene

The valley index is a promising degree of freedom for information processing in electronic devices. However, the researches on valley polarization are mainly focused on ferromagnetic order, which breaks the time reversal symmetry simultaneously. Here, a novel paradigm for achieving stacking order modulated anomalous valley Hall (AVH) effect is proposed in antiferromagnetic monolayers. The paradigm involves the introduction and reversal of nonuniform potentials by modulating the position of substrate, to break the combined symmetry of spatial inversion and time reversal (PT symmetry) and achieve stacking-dependent valley spin splitting. Based on first-principles calculations, we discover spontaneous valley polarization in antiferromagnetic Cr2CH2 MXene and stacking-dependent valley spin splitting in Cr2CH2/Sc2CO2 heterostructure. Furthermore, switching the ferroelectric polarization of monolayer Sc2CO2 results in a semiconductor-metal transition in Cr2CH2/Sc2CO2, accompanied by the disappearance of valley physics. Our findings provide an alternative way to develop controllable valleytronics devices based on antiferromagnetic monolayers.

Competitive Growth of Ge Quantum Dots on a Si Micropillar with Pits for a Precisely Site-Controlled QDs/Microdisk System.

Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs)/microdisks promise a unique system for comprehensive studies on cavity quantum electrodynamics and great potential for on-chip integrated light sources. Here, we report on a strategy for precisely site-controlled Ge QDs in SiGe microdisks via self-assembly growth of QDs on a micropillar with deterministic pits and subsequent etching. The competitive growth of QDs in pits and at the periphery of the micropillar is disclosed. By adjusting the growth temperature and Ge deposition, as well as the pit profiles, QDs can exclusively grow in pits that are exactly located at the field antinodes of the corresponding cavity mode of the microdisk. The inherent mechanism of the mandatory addressability of QDs is revealed in terms of growth kinetics based on the non-uniform surface chemical potential around the top of the micropillar with pits. Our results demonstrate a promising approach to scalable and deterministic QDs/microdisks with strong light-matter interaction desired for fundamental research and technological applications.

The impact of non-uniformity and resistivity on the homogenised corrosion parameters of rebars in concrete – a circuit model analysis

ABSTRACT When rebar corrosion parameters are characterised from an electrochemical polarisation curve, the non-uniform rebar surface conditions need to be considered. In this research, a circuit model was developed to simulate the polarisation behaviour of rebar in concrete. It is found that the resistivity of concrete leads to non-uniform potential on the rebar, which causes the polarisation curve of the entire rebar to deviate from the Butler–Volmer kinetics. This, in turn, leads to an overestimation of the Tafel constants and the corrosion current density. Such deviations are more pronounced with higher concrete resistivity, especially when the active and passive rebar surfaces have a similar area ratio. The study recommends using potentiodynamic scans of representative reinforced concrete samples of the field conditions or the calculated parameters using an averaging technique, such as the proposed circuit model, to obtain accurate E-I curves or parameters for electrochemical modelling and corrosion rate prediction.

Two-dimensional Dirac fermions in a mass superlattice

We study two-dimensional (2D) Dirac fermions in the presence of a periodic mass term alternating between positive and negative values along one direction. This scenario could be realized for a graphene monolayer or for the surface states of topological insulators. The low-energy physics is governed by chiral Jackiw-Rebbi modes propagating along zero-mass lines, with the energy dispersion of the Bloch states given by an anisotropic Dirac cone. By means of the transfer matrix approach, we obtain exact results for a piecewise constant mass superlattice. On top of Bloch states, two different classes of boundary and/or interface modes can exist in a finite-size geometry or in a nonuniform electrostatic potential, respectively. We compute the dispersion relation for both types of boundary and interface modes, which originate either from states close to the superlattice Brillouin zone (BZ) center or, via a Lifshitz transition, from states near the BZ boundary. In the presence of a potential step, we predict that the interface modes, the Bloch wave functions, and the electrical conductance will sensitively depend on the step position relative to the mass superlattice.

To See Space

The following paper provides a critical and storied account of how my literal and literary encounters with Eastern Tent Caterpillars invites me to re-encounter space as a concept and a living reality that shapes my research, my perception of myself as a researcher, and my perception of myself as a body. More specifically, observing caterpillars’ spatial relations challenges me to embrace space(s) as lively and packed with non-uniform potentials for world-building; accepting space as alive demands that the body-in-space (in my case, a white, settler, woman, and former anorexic body) be marked as a non-neutral world-building agent alongside other spatial bodies. This paper ponders some of the discomforts, tensions, and promises of embracing embodied research as an always-creative and potentially intrusive spatial act, and it explains how my research has helped me shift my focus from how much space my body inhibits—where less is always good, more is always bad— to what relationships I am building through and in my embodied research.

Prevalence of trivial zero-energy subgap states in nonuniform helical spin chains on the surface of superconductors

Helical spin chains, consisting of magnetic (ad-)atoms, on the surface of bulk superconductors are predicted to host Majorana bound states (MBSs) at the ends of the chain. Here, we investigate the prevalence of trivial zero-energy bound states in these helical spin chain systems. First, we show that the Hamiltonian of a helical spin chain on a superconductor can be mapped to an effective Hamiltonian reminiscent of a semiconductor nanowire with strong Rashba spin-orbit coupling. In particular, we show that a varying rotation rate between neighbouring magnetic moments maps to smooth non-uniform potentials in the effective nanowire Hamiltonian. Previously it has been found that trivial zero-energy states are abundant in nanowire systems with smooth potentials. Therefore, we perform an extensive search for zero-energy bound states in helical spin chain systems with varying rotation rates. Although bound states with near zero-energy do exist for certain dimensionalities and rotation profiles, we find that zero-energy bound states are far less prevalent than in semiconductor nanowire systems with equivalent non-uniformities. In particular, utilising varying rotation rates, we do not find zero-energy bound states in the most experimentally relevant setup consisting of a one-dimensional helical spin chain on the surface of a three-dimensional superconductor, even for profiles that produce near zero-energy states in equivalent one- and two- dimensional systems. Although our findings do not rule them out, the much reduced prevalence of zero-energy bound states in long non-uniform helical spin chains compared with equivalent semi-conductor nanowires, as well as the ability to measure states locally via STM, should reduce the experimental barrier to identifying MBSs in such systems.

Electroosmotic mixing in a microchannel with heterogeneous slip dependent zeta potential

We investigate the electroosmotic mixing characteristics for flow through a hydrophobic microchannel with interfacial slip dependent heterogeneous surface charge. A comprehensive theoretical framework is developed to solve the Poisson–Boltzmann equation for the induced potential within the electrical double layer, mass and momentum conservation equations for fluid flow, and species transport equation with appropriate boundary conditions. We identify two different flow regimes based on diffusive Peclet number such that in the first regime the value of mixing efficiency is almost 100% as the recirculation zones formed due to the non-uniform surface potential provide sufficient convection mixing and the flow rate enhances with the slip length. The critical value of Peclet number increases with both the slip length and Debye parameter. In the next regime the effect of interfacial slip is significant in altering the mixing performance and the mixing efficiency decreases both with the slip and Debye parameter. The patch surface potential modulates the flow rate and mixing performance and, in this context, different range of patch surface potential for the considered physicochemical parameters is identified for which both the flow rate and mixing efficiency enhances due to the interfacial slip.

Astrophysical chiral dynamos and strain-torsioned Weyl materials

Our goal in this paper is two-fold: First we show that in the absence of four-fermion interactions, from Einstein–Cartan–Maxwell (ECM) anisotropy cosmology, one may derive instabilities in chiral dynamo equations from magnetic perturbations. They are obtained from a model, where the spinning-fluid does not couple directly to the Einstein–Maxwell model. Instead spin fluid enter into the evolution equation of density perturbations. Chiral dynamo equation is obtained from magnetic perturbations in the particular case where the perturbations in the chiral magnetized plasma can be neglected in second order of perturbations. The vanishing of the Nieh–Yan (NY) topological density in this Bianchi type-I model is also investigated. In the second example, use of the magnetic and torsion perturbations are given by the technique of encoding the magnetic perturbations in the metric constrained by teleparallelism. We consider non-uniform chiral chemical potential in the chiral flipping equation in order to obtain the magnetic field dynamo amplification. Dynamo effects are obtained from current perturbations expressed in terms of chiral chemical potential when number density of left-handed chiral particles is approximately zero. The damping found in magnetic field by the end of inflation, may help to explain why so weak galactic dynamo seeds are found at present universe. Furthermore, damping depends upon the strain–torsion relation of the Weyl topological materials. Though in general, torsion does not couple to electromagnetic fields, it influences the magnetic field through strain–torsion pseudo-magnetic potential.

Anomalous valley Hall effect in antiferromagnetic monolayers

Anomalous valley Hall (AVH) effect is a fundamental transport phenomenon in the field of condensed-matter physics. Usually, the research on AVH effect is mainly focused on 2D lattices with ferromagnetic order. Here, by means of model analysis, we present a general design principle for realizing AVH effect in antiferromagnetic monolayers, which involves the introduction of nonuniform potentials to break of PT symmetry. Using first-principles calculations, we further demonstrate this design principle by stacking antiferromagnetic monolayer MnPSe3 on ferroelectric monolayer Sc2CO2 and achieve the AVH effect. The AVH effect can be well controlled by modulating the stacking pattern. In addition, by reversing the ferroelectric polarization of Sc2CO2 via electric field, the AVH effect in monolayer MnPSe3 can be readily switched on or off. The underlying physics are revealed in detail. Our findings open up a new direction of research on exploring AVH effect.

Modulation of persistent current in graphene quantum rings

We investigate the effect of long-range impurity potentials on the persistent current of graphene quantum rings in the presence of an uniform perpendicular magnetic field. The impurity potentials are modeled as finite regions of the ring with a definite length. We show that, due to the relativistic and massless character of the charge carriers in graphene, the effect of such non-uniform potentials on the energy spectrum and on the persistent current of the rings can be reliably modeled by assuming a non-perturbed ring and including an additional phase due to the interaction of the charge carriers with the potential. In addition, the results show the presence of localized states in the impurity regions. Moreover, we show that for the case of a potential created by a p-n-p junction, the persistent current can be modulated by controlling the voltage at the junction.

Exact Long-Range Dielectric Screening and Interatomic Force Constants in Quasi-Two-Dimensional Crystals

We develop a fundamental theory of the long-range electrostatic interactions in two-dimensional crystals by performing a rigorous study of the nonanalyticities of the Coulomb kernel. We find that the dielectric functions are best represented by 2×2 matrices, with nonuniform macroscopic potentials that are two-component hyperbolic functions of the out-of-plane coordinate z. We demonstrate our arguments by deriving the long-range interatomic forces in the adiabatic regime, where we identify a formerly overlooked dipolar coupling involving the out-of-plane components of the dynamical charges. The resulting formula is exact up to an arbitrary multipolar order, which we illustrate in practice via the explicit inclusion of dynamical quadrupoles. By performing numerical tests on monolayer BN, SnS2, and BaTiO3 membranes, we show that our method allows for a drastic improvement in the description of the long-range electrostatic interactions, with comparable benefits to the quality of the interpolated phonon band structure.1 MoreReceived 14 December 2020Revised 27 July 2021Accepted 8 September 2021DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.11.041027Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.Published by the American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasLattice dynamicsOptical phononsPhononsPhysical Systems2-dimensional systemsThin filmsTransition metal dichalcogenidesTechniquesDensity functional theoryFirst-principles calculationsCondensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Majorana bound states in topological insulators without a vortex

We consider a three-dimensional topological insulator (TI) wire with a nonuniform chemical potential induced by gating across the cross section. This inhomogeneity in chemical potential lifts the degeneracy between two one-dimensional surface state subbands. A magnetic field applied along the wire, due to orbital effects, breaks time-reversal symmetry and lifts the Kramers degeneracy at zero momentum. If placed in proximity to an $s$-wave superconductor, the system can be brought into a topological phase at relatively weak magnetic fields. Majorana bound states (MBSs), localized at the ends of the TI wire, emerge and are present for an exceptionally large region of parameter space in realistic systems. Unlike in previous proposals, these MBSs occur without the requirement of a vortex in the superconducting pairing potential, which represents a significant simplification for experiments. Our results open a pathway to the realization of MBSs in present-day TI wire devices.

Rainfall-induced recharge-dynamics of heavily exploited aquifers – A case study in the North-West region of Bangladesh

Declining groundwater level (GWL) has posed an immense threat to the groundwater-based irrigated agriculture in the North-West (NW) region of Bangladesh. This study determined time-lag after which GWL responds to rainfall, quantified threshold minimum rainfall to initiate rising of GWL, identified locations and durations of recharge deficit and rejection, and quantified these from locally recorded rainfall and GWL data to understand local aquifers’ dynamics and water storage. These objectives were realized by interpreting weekly total rainfall and weekly GWL data of 137 monitoring wells by dividing the data sets into 1985–1994 (10 years), 1995–2004 (10 years) and 2005–2016 (12 years) time spans and the region into three sub-regions: High Barind, Level Barind and Other area. The average lag period varied from 2.1 to 2.9 weeks and threshold rainfall from 34 to 75 mm. Recharge deficit occurred in some years and rejection in the other years at all monitoring well sites; both quantities greatly varied spatio-temporarily, revealing non-uniform development potential of the aquifers. Recharge rejection significantly decreased from 1995 to 2004 to 2005–2016 period in all sub-regions. In spite of clear evidence of continuously declining GWL, recharge rejection was obtained in both the High and Level Barind in each time span. This indicates presence of dominant recharge process(es) other than from rainfalls, and necessity of curtailing groundwater extraction or enhancing of recharge for further development of the aquifers. In contrast, recharge rejection period of 4.7–5.6 weeks per year and 7.8–8.2 years in each time span in Other area with no evidence of permanent decline in GWL reveals scope for further development of the aquifers. The reported parameters of the recharge–depletion characteristics, when estimated, would guide updating groundwater extraction and management policy for the concerned aquifers.

Numerical study of the vortex-induced electroosmotic mixing of non-Newtonian biofluids in a nonuniformly charged wavy microchannel: Effect of finite ion size.

We propose a micromixer for obtaining better efficiency of vortex induced electroosmotic mixing of non-Newtonian bio-fluids at a relatively higher flow rate, which finds relevance in many biomedical and biological applications. To represent the rheology of non-Newtonian fluid, we consider the Carreau model in this study, while the applied electric field drives the constituent components in the micromixer. We show that the spatial variation of the applied field, triggered by the topological change of the bounding surfaces, upon interacting with the non-uniform surface potential gives rise to efficient mixing as realized by the formation of vortices in the proposed micromixer. Also, we show that the phase-lag between surface potential leads to the formation of asymmetric vortices. This behavior offers better mixing performance following the appearance of undulation on the flow pattern. Finally, we establish that the assumption of a point charge in the paradigm of electroosmotic mixing, which is not realistic as well, under-predicts the mixing efficiency at higher amplitude of the non-uniform zeta potential. The inferences of the present analysis may guide as a design tool for micromixer where rheological properties of the fluid and flow actuation parameters can be simultaneously tuned to obtain phenomenal enhancement in mixing efficiency.

Stationary Electro-osmotic Flow Driven by ac Fields around Insulators

Electric fields are commonly used for manipulating particles and liquids in microfluidic systems. In this work, we report stationary electro-osmotic flow vortices around dielectric micropillars induced by ac electric fields in electrolytes. The flow characteristics are theoretically predicted based on the well-known phenomena of surface conductance and concentration polarization around a charged object. The stationary flows arise from two distinct contributions working together: an oscillating nonuniform zeta potential induced around the pillar and a rectified electric field induced by the ion concentration gradients. We refer to this fluid flow as concentration-polarization electro-osmosis (CPEO). We present experimental data in support of the theoretical predictions. The magnitude and frequency dependence of the electro-osmotic velocity are in agreement with the theoretical estimates and are significantly different from predictions based on the standard theory for induced-charge electro-osmosis, which has previously been postulated as the origin of the stationary flow around dielectric objects. In addition to furthering our understanding of the influence of ac fields on fluid flows, we anticipate that this work will also expand the use of ac fields for flow control in microfluidic systems.

Liquid Mixing Based on Electrokinetic Vortices Generated in a T-Type Microchannel.

This article proposes a micromixer based on the vortices generated in a T-type microchannel with nonuniform but same polarity zeta potentials under a direct current (DC) electric field. The downstream section (modified section) of the outlet channel was designed with a smaller zeta potential than others (unmodified section). When a DC electric field is applied in the microchannel, the electrokinetic vortices will form under certain conditions and hence mix the solution. The numerical results show that the mixing performance is better when the channel width and the zeta potential ratio of the modified section to the unmodified section are smaller. Besides, the electrokinetic vortices formed in the microchannel are stronger under a larger length ratio of the modified section to the unmodified section of the outlet channel, and correspondingly, the mixing performance is better. The micromixer presented in the paper is quite simple in structure and has good potential applications in microfluidic devices.

Chiral separation effect in nonhomogeneous systems

We discuss chiral separation effect in the systems with spatial nonhomogeneity. It may be caused by nonuniform electric potential or by another reasons, which do not, however, break chiral symmetry of an effective low energy theory. Such low energy effective theory describes quasiparticles close to the Fermi surfaces. In the presence of constant external magnetic field the nondissipative axial current appears. It appears that its response to chemical potential and magnetic field (the CSE conductivity) is universal. It is robust to smooth modifications of the system and is expressed through an integral over a surface in momentum space that surrounds all singularities of the Green function. In itself this expression represents an extension of the topological invariant protecting Fermi points to the case of inhomogeneous systems.