Upper Surface Research Articles

First report of Diaporthe eres causing leaf spot on Rosa roxburghii Tratt in Guizhou Province, China.

Rosa roxburghii Tratt is a plant from the Rosaceae family whose fruits are rich in vitamins, dietary fiber, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and other active components (Jiang, et al. 2024). In July 2023, about R. roxburghii 500 plants were investigated in a field of 6000 m2 in Guiding County (107°14'E, 26°45'N), Guizhou province, China, and the results showed a leaf spot incidence of s 20 to 30%. . The affected leaves had irregular, black lesions with a clear blackish brown boundary and faint black conidiomata in a brown center. Fifteen symptomatic leaves were collected from 10 plants washed with sterile distilled water, and 5 × 5 mm pieces of the infected tissues were cut. After surface sterilization for30 s with 75% ethanol, 2 min with 3% NaOCl, three washes in sterilized distilled water, the leaf pieces were dried and placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and incubated at 25℃ for 5 days. Three isolates (H3-Y-1-1, H3-Y-1-2, H3-Y-1-3) with identical morphology were obtained, and the isolate H3-Y-1-1was selected for further study. The colonies on PDA exhibited irregular growth patterns, with white felty aerial mycelium on the upper surface, and white mycelium on the lower surface. Conidiomata were irregularly distributed over the agar surface. The isolate H3-Y-1-1 produced darkly pigmented pycnidia on PDA after 30 days and oozed milky mucilaginous drops. The fungus produced two types of conidia, α and β. Regular α conidia were 4.74 - 5.96 × 1.52 - 2.24 μm (n = 50), hyaline, elongated, biguttulate and non-septate. Beta conidia were 20.13 - 25.74 × 0.86 - 1.29 μm (n = 50), aseptate, hyaline, smooth, spindle shaped, slightly curved to bent. The morphological features were consistent with the description of Diaporthe eres (Pereira, et al. 2022). The pathogen was confirmed to be D. eres by amplification and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS), the partial β-tubulin (TUB), the partial translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF) genes using primers ITS1/ITS4, Bt-2a/Bt-2b, EF1-728F/EF1-986R, respectively. Sequences from PCR amplification were deposited in GenBank with accession numbers PP411998 (ITS), PP502153 (TUB), PP502156 (TEF). BLAST searches of the sequences revealed (96%) (500/523nt), 97% (479/494 nt) and 99% (334/338 nt) homology with those of D. eres CBS 138594 from GenBank (OM698848, OM752196 and OM752197), respectively. Phylogenetic analysis using maximum-likelihood and Bayesian methods placed the isolate H3-Y-1-1 in a well-supported cluster with D. eres CBS 101742. The pathogen was thus identified as D. eres based on the morphological characterization and molecular analyses (Feng, et al. 2013; Tao, et al. 2020). To assess its pathogenicity, healthy R. roxburghii potted plants were inoculated with H3-Y-1-1 spore suspensions. Symptomatic leaves mirroring field symptoms were observed after XX days of incubations at XX°C, while control plants exhibited no symptoms. Diaporthe eres was consistently reisolated from the infected leaves showing brown irregular or round lesions at the initial stage of the disease, expanding and become more irregular over time ultimately causing leaf curling and plant death. To our knowledge, this is the first report of leaf spot on R. roxburghii caused by D. eres in China. The disease may become a serious threat to fruit of R. roxburghii production in China. Therefore, detection of this pathogen is very important to ensure timely disease management.

Linear dynamics of a thick liquid layer subjected to an oblique temperature gradient

The present study aims to demonstrate the application of the oblique temperature gradient (OTG) to manipulate the buoyancy instabilities and resulting mixing. To accomplish this, we consider a model consisting of a liquid layer supported by a perfectly conducting bottom wall from below and the upper surface is exposed to ambient inert gas in a shallow container. The stability analysis employs the pseudospectral method and perturbation energy budget approach. The imposed OTG consists of a negative vertical temperature gradient (VTG), which leads to unstable density stratification, and a negative horizontal temperature gradient (HTG) component responsible for the Hadley circulation, which can be utilised to control instabilities. Without the HTG, a Rayleigh–Bénard mode of instability exists due to the imposed VTG termed as a VTG mode. The imposed HTG induces a linear VTG term and a quintic polynomial VTG term in the bottom wall-normal coordinate $y$ . The induced linear VTG term reinforces the imposed VTG, while the induced quintic polynomial VTG term opposes the imposed VTG. For the vanishing Biot number ( $Bi$ ), the induced quintic VTG term stabilises the VTG mode for the Prandtl number, $Pr=7$ . However, for $Pr=0.01$ , the Reynolds stresses associated with the Hadley circulation destabilise the VTG mode. For non-zero $Bi$ , new streamwise and spanwise instability modes arise for $Pr=7$ due to the induced linear VTG term. Physical arguments show that the unstable density stratification near the gas–liquid interface caused by the synergistic effect of the imposed VTG and the induced linear VTG term lead to the existence of the predicted new modes. The present study thus shows that the strength of the HTG can be utilised to control the instability modes and critical parameters, thereby demonstrating the utility of the OTG in manipulating the buoyancy instabilities.

Characteristics of pebble shape and the amount of pebble abrasion measured with a replica reproduced on a curling rink

The shape of pebbles on a curling rink was measured using a replica of the ice surface of the rink to understand the characteristics of pebbles after being in contact with stones. We focused on pebbles with flat tops for which the average shape was 3.81 mm in diameter at the lower base, 1.16 mm in diameter at the upper surface, 0.12 mm in maximum height, and 5.4° in contact angle. A scratch of about 1 µm in depth and 40 µm in width (traces of pebbles cut by a running band at the bottom of the stone) was observed on the upper surface. The pebbles were also found to have a moderate lower base diameter that preferentially contacted the nipper or stone due to its large maximum height value immediately after formation. Experiments to determine the amount of pebble abrasion associated with the passing of stones revealed that the average height of their upper surface decreased by 1 µm and the area of the upper surface increased by 0.21 mm2 for each stone passing as the stone cut the pebbles.

Pteridophytic Flora of Simla Hills (North Western Himalayas) Family: Athyriaceae

The paper deals with the taxonomic account of family Athyriaceae from Simla hills. Twenty one species are described and illustrated. The members of Athyrium nigripes group (A. nigripes, A. clarkei and A. setiferum) are characterised by the presence of setae on upper surface along costae and costules and possess non-perisporiate spores. The western Himalayan samples of Cystopteris fragilis possess rugoseverrucose spores in strong contrast to the spiny spores in several European examples. Athyrium mackinnoni is very distinct from A. nigripes under which its specimens have often been described. The Simla samples of Athyrium fimbriatum, in comparison to those from Darjeeling-Sikkim area, are of much smaller size and less divided. Diplazium polypodioides of the area is a polymorphic species and the different forms can hardly be taxonomically separated.

Numerical study of pedicle screw construction and locking compression plate fixation in posterior pelvic ring injuries: Analyzed by finite element method.

The aim of this study was to compare the biomechanical performance of pedicle screw construction and locking compression plate fixation in posterior pelvic ring injuries analyzed by finite element method. A 3-dimensional finite element model of the spine-pelvis-femur complex with ligaments was reconstructed from computed tomography images. An unstable posterior pelvic ring injury was created, which was fixed with a pedicle screw construction or locking compression plate. A follower load of 400 N was applied to the upper surface of the vertebrae to simulate the upper body weight, while the ends of the proximal femurs were fixed. The construct stiffness, the maximum vertical displacement, the maximum posterior displacement, the maximum right displacement, and the overall maximum displacement of the sacrum, and stress distributions of the implants and pelvises were assessed. The construct stiffness of the pedicle screw model (435.14 N/mm) was 2 times that of the plate model (217.01 N/mm). The maximum vertical displacement, the maximum posterior displacement, the maximum right displacement, and the overall maximum displacement of the sacrum in the pedicle screw model were smaller than those in the plate model (0.919, 1.299, 0.259, and 1.413 mm in the pedicle screw model, and 1.843, 2.300, 1.053, and 2.895 mm in the plate model, respectively). The peak stresses of the implant and pelvis in the pedicle screw model decreased by 80.4% and 25% when compared with the plate model (44.57 and 34.48 MPa in the pedicle screw model, and 227.47 and 45.97 MPa in the plate model, respectively). The study suggested that the pedicle screw construction could provide better fixation stability than the locking compression plate and serves as the recommended fixation method for the treatment of posterior pelvic ring injuries.

3D Profile Reconstruction and Internal Defect Detection of Silicon Wafers Using Cascaded Fiber Optic Fabry-Pérot Interferometer and Leaky Field Detection Technologies

Abstract Wafer quality control is one of the important processes to improve the yield rate of semiconductor products. Profile quality and defects in the wafer are two key factors that should be taken into consideration. In this research, we introduce a method that measures the profile of the upper surface and the thickness of the wafer at the same time using an optical fiber cascaded Fabry-Pérot interferometer working at wavelength of 1550 nm. Therefore, the 3D profile of the wafer can be reconstructed directly. Testing results show that both accuracy and precision of the Fabry-Pérot interferometer are within a nanometer scale. Defects, especially those embedded inside the wafer, will be detected by monitoring the leaky field with treating wafers as slab waveguides. With the leaky field detection, defects on the lower surface of the wafer were successfully detected by monitoring the leaky field above the upper surface of the wafer. Compared with traditional methods such as radiographic testing (RT) or computed tomography (CT) testing, the proposed methods provide a cost-effective alternative for wafer quality evaluation.

Indium Tin Oxide Induced Internal Positive Feedback and Indium Ion Transport in Perovskite Solar Cells.

Stability is the most pressing challenge hindering the commercialization of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), and previous efforts focused more on enhancing the resistance of PSCs to external stimulus. Here, we found that the indium tin oxide (ITO) will deteriorate the photovoltaic performance of PSCs through positive feedback cycles. Specifically, the perovskite degradation products will cross the electron transport layer to chemically etch the electrode ITO to generate In3+, which will migrate upwards into the perovskite film. Then, the reaction that corrodes ITO consumes the decomposition products of perovskite and shifts the balance of the perovskite decomposition reaction, further promoting the degradation and thus falling into a positive feedback cycle. Moreover, the In3+ in the perovskite film was found to accumulate at the upper surface, which would lead to n-type doping of perovskite film to form the energy barrier for interface carrier extraction. Subsequently, the chelating molecule ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt (EDTA-2Na) was introduced onto ITO to firmly chelate the In3+ and prevent it from migrating upward, thus breaking this internal positive feedback cycle and significantly enhancing the efficiency and stability of PSCs. This work provides new perspectives for understanding the mechanism of photovoltaic performance loss and ionic transport in PSCs.

Indium Tin Oxide Induced Internal Positive Feedback and Indium Ion Transport in Perovskite Solar Cells

Stability is the most pressing challenge hindering the commercialization of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), and previous efforts focused more on enhancing the resistance of PSCs to external stimulus. Here, we found that the indium tin oxide (ITO) will deteriorate the photovoltaic performance of PSCs through positive feedback cycles. Specifically, the perovskite degradation products will cross the electron transport layer to chemically etch the electrode ITO to generate In3+, which will migrate upwards into the perovskite film. Then, the reaction that corrodes ITO consumes the decomposition products of perovskite and shifts the balance of the perovskite decomposition reaction, further promoting the degradation and thus falling into a positive feedback cycle. Moreover, the In3+ in the perovskite film was found to accumulate at the upper surface, which would lead to n‐type doping of perovskite film to form the energy barrier for interface carrier extraction. Subsequently, the chelating molecule ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt (EDTA‐2Na) was introduced onto ITO to firmly chelate the In3+ and prevent it from migrating upward, thus breaking this internal positive feedback cycle and significantly enhancing the efficiency and stability of PSCs. This work provides new perspectives for understanding the mechanism of photovoltaic performance loss and ionic transport in PSCs.

Mechanism analysis of the vortex ring and its effects on an axial descending rotor

A vortex ring is a flow phenomenon involving a complex toroidal vortex system. When a rotor is in descending flight, it may enter the vortex ring state (VRS), which will affect the rotor’s aerodynamic characteristics and even endanger it. In this paper, to clarify the aerodynamic mechanism by which the vortex ring exerts its effects on an axial descending rotor, an unsteady numerical simulation method for the rotor integrated with structured moving overset grids is proposed and validated using experimental data. This numerical simulation method is then applied to analyze the aerodynamic characteristics of the rotor in descending flight. The variations of the aerodynamic forces and the flow characteristics in the slipstream are analyzed to elucidate the physical mechanisms responsible for the relationships between the aerodynamic loads, flow field, and vortices when the rotor is in the VRS. The effects of the VRS cause a sharp drop in the average aerodynamic forces, which directly affects the safety and reliability of a rotor aircraft. In the slipstream of the descending rotor, a distinct vortex ring forms and moves upward as the velocity of descent increases. The most severe VRS occurs at a nondimensional velocity of descent of 1.13 when the center of the highly unsteady vortex ring is right at the blade tip, and this can be used as an indicator of the VRS. The physical mechanism by which the VRS exerts its effects can be attributed to the low pressure induced by strong vortices. The VRS decreases the pressure on the lower surface of the blade and increases the pressure on the upper surface, resulting in a reduction in the aerodynamic loads. In comparison with the hovering state, the VRS results in a much larger vortex strength and possesses a different vortex structure.

Numerical investigation of nitrogen spontaneous condensation over airfoils in cryogenic wind tunnel

Cryogenic wind tunnels (CWT) provide the aerodynamic tests that occur at high Reynolds numbers by operating under cryogenic environment to meet the requirements of hypersonic flight simulation. However, condensation in cryogenic environment near the limited condition destroys the reliability of the test measurement results. Accordingly, research on condensation in CWT is imperative for devising effective control strategies. This study introduces a transonic non-equilibrium condensation model, tailored to evaluate the complex phenomena of nitrogen condensation over airfoils. The model was applied to assess condensation effects on the NACA 0012–64 airfoil and the RAE 2822 airfoil under various operating conditions. Furthermore, the study examined the effect of the angle of attack and airfoil shape on the condensation process. The result show that nitrogen condensation near the airfoil is observable only under operating conditions within the pre-condensation zone. Operating conditions of CWT can be tailored to prevent condensation with specific airfoil profiles. The effect of condensation on the pressure coefficient includes advancing the position of the pressure jump and increasing the pressure coefficient of the airfoil intermediate region, particularly within the 20 %–70 % chord length span on the airfoil's upper surface. This primarily affects the measurement of lift coefficients in CWT. In the operating conditions of this study, the lift coefficient exhibits a maximum deviation of 31.4 %, and the drag coefficient shows a maximum deviation of 2.4 %. The transonic spontaneous condensation model offers an approach to evaluate condensation's impact on airfoil tests within CWT. The findings introduce a methodological framework for effectively controlling condensation phenomena.

One Stone Two Birds: Anomalously Enhancing the Cross‐Plane and In‐Plane Heat Transfer in 2D/3D Heterostructures by Defects Engineering

AbstractThis study addresses a crucial challenge in two‐dimensional (2D) material‐based electronic devices—inefficient heat dissipation across the van der Waals (vdW) interface connecting the 2D material to its three‐dimensional (3D) substrate. The objective is to enhance the interfacial thermal conductance (ITC) of 2D/3D heterostructures without compromising the intrinsic thermal conductivities (κ) of 2D materials. Using 2D‐MoS2/3D‐GaN as an example, a novel strategy to enhance both the ITC across 2D/3D interface and κ of 2D material is proposed by introducing a controlled concentration (ρ) of vacancy defects to substrate's bottom surface. Molecular dynamics simulations demonstrate a notable 2.1‐fold higher ITC of MoS2/GaN at ρ = 4% compared to the no‐defective counterpart, along with an impressive 56% enhancement in κ of MoS2 compared to the conventional upper surface modification approaches. Phonon dynamics analysis attributes the ITC enhancement to increased phonon coupling between MoS2 and GaN, resulting from polarization conversion and hybridization of phonons at the defective surface. Spectral energy density analysis affirms that the improved κ of MoS2 directly results from the proposed strategy, effectively reducing phonon scattering at the interface. This work provides an effective approach for enhancing heat transfer in 2D/3D vdW heterostructures, promisingly advancing electronics’ heat dissipation.

Preparation and thermal conductivity of bimodal diamond particles reinforced phenolic resin composites

AbstractThermal conductive polymer composites have broad application prospects in the field of thermal management. However, due to intrinsically low thermal conductivity of polymers, even if fillers with high mass fraction are filled, the thermal conductivity of polymer composites cannot be significantly improved. In this paper, bimodal diamond particles (70 wt.% 150 μm and 22 wt.% 25 μm) were incorporated into phenolic resin to construct continuous heat transfer pathways by close packing, thereby enhancing its thermal conductivity. The results indicated that diamond particles with smaller particle size can effectively bridge the gaps between larger ones, forming a continuous for heat conduction. As a result, a maximum thermal conductivity value of 12.45 W/(m·K) can be achieved, which is 65.5 times, 9.8 times and 8.4 times higher than pure phenolic resin, 25 μm diamond particles reinforced phenolic resin composite and 150 μm diamond particles reinforced phenolic resin composite, respectively. Furthermore, heat dissipation and water cooling experiments also confirm the superior heat dissipation performance of phenolic resin composites reinforced with bimodal diamond particles. When the heating voltage is 10 V and the water cooling rate is 30 mL/min, the upper surface temperature of bimodal diamond composites is 129.2°C lower than that of pure phenolic resin. This investigation provides a new type of polymer composite with high thermal conductivity, which has promising prospects for application in thermal management. It also provides new insights for preparing polymer composites with high thermal conductivity by close packing of bimodal particles.Highlights Surface modification of the filler enhances its combination with resin. The interfacial bonding will be enhanced by D–OH bond on diamond surface. Bimodal diamond particles lead to the formation of a closely packed structure. This special structure can form a three‐dimensional heat conduction network. The highest TC of the DD/PR composite is 12.45 W/(m·K).

Sustainable chitosan derived 3D hierarchically porous carbon aerogel toward advanced infrared-radar compatibility

Simultaneously achieving infrared-radar compatibility in one material is an important challenge for multi-spectral compatible stealth technology. Chitosan-derived three-dimensional (3D) hierarchically porous carbon aerogel can effectively solve the problem. Inspired by floors-pillars concept, this work elaborately designed and successfully fabricated 3D skeletons consisted of two-dimensional (2D) sheets and one-dimensional (1D) struts. Benefiting from esterification and directional freeze drying method, the entire network could provide sufficient space for reducing thermal conductivity and motivating dipole polarization sites. Thanks to the facile calcination process, conductive components could be obtained, which guarantee low infrared (IR) emissivity and high conduction loss performance. In this work, the as-prepared carbon aerogel with ultra-low density of 0.005 g cm−3 exhibits superb infrared stealth property. It shows a low thermal conductivity coefficient of only 0.0933 W m−1 K−1. In addition, the heating rate of the upper surface is slow when placed on a heating platform of 60 °C. The relevant IR emissivity value is as low as 0.563 in 3–5 μm band and 0.432 in 8–14 μm band. Under relatively thin thicknesses, the prominent radar stealth performance including the optimum reflection loss value of −75.90 dB, the maximum effective bandwidth of 3.93 GHz, and the simulated radar cross section reduction value of 27.66 dB m2, can be obtained. This study not only introduces innovative design ideas but also offers technical approaches, facilitating further development in the realm of infrared-radar compatible stealth.

Wave Pressures Acting On The Pavement Behind The Sloping Revetment

A physical experiment was performed to seek an empirical equation predicting the wave force acting on the upper surface of the pavement behind the revetment parapet due to wave overtopping as well as the uplift force acting on the underlayer of the pavement induced by the wave pressure passing through the core layers of the revetment. The experiment was carried out by installing pressure transducers along the upside and downside of the pavement with different configuration of the parapet, water depth, relative freeboard, and armor layer thickness. Then, the wave pressure and force on the pavement was analyzed under various incoming wave conditions. Based on the analysis results, major parameters affecting the wave forces were identified and an empirical equation for evaluating the forces on the pavement is suggested.

Influence of surface slip on hydrodynamics and flow field around a two-dimensional hydrofoil at a moderate Reynolds number

In the present study, the effects of surface slip on the hydrodynamics and flow around a two-dimensional National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics 0012 hydrofoil are systematically investigated by numerical methods. The objective is to fully understand the effects of surface slip on the streamlined body. Three slip positions (both surfaces, the upper surface, the lower surface) and eight slip lengths (in a wide range from 1 to 500 μm) under 0°–10° angles of attack are fully investigated at a moderate Reynolds number of 1.0 × 106. Surface slip has been found to increase lift and reduce drag by postponing the flow transition, laminar separation bubble, and flow separation on the hydrofoil surface under both surfaces and the upper surface slip conditions. Slip has also been found to induce upshift of the mean velocity profile, decrease the displacement thickness, and mitigate the turbulent kinetic energy in the flow field. However, counterintuitive phenomenon occurs under the lower surface slip condition, where the total drag of the hydrofoil is increased compared to that under the no slip condition. Total drag increase is found mainly due to the increase in the pressure drag under small slip lengths and relatively large angles of attack. Flow maps demonstrating the complex interaction between different surface slip conditions and the flow field are further presented. The results suggest that surface slip can not only reduce drag, but also increase the drag of the streamlined body, which shall provide valuable insights for practical applications of slippery materials.

Optix regulates nanomorphology of butterfly scales primarily via its effects on pigmentation

Previous studies have shown that Optix regulates lower lamina thickness and the type of pigment that is produced in wing scales of a few butterfly species. However, the role of Optix in regulating pigment production across species, and in regulating additional aspects of scale morphology remains to be investigated. By combining microspectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy, and focused ion beam technology on wild-type and Optix Bicyclus anynana crispants, we show that Optix regulates the production of orange pigments (ommochromes), represses the production of brown pigments (melanins), and regulates the morphology of the lower and upper surface of orange scales. Our findings suggest a conserved role of Optix as a switch gene that activates ommochrome and represses melanin synthesis across butterflies. By comparing these effects with other mutations, where only melanin is removed from scales, we propose that pigmentary changes, alone, affect the way that chitin polymerizes within a scale, changing lower lamina thickness as well as multiple intricate structures of the upper surface.

Structure and corrosion properties of multilayer metal/nitride/oxide ceramic coatings formed on austenitic-martensitic steel by magnetron deposition

The design of protective coatings preventing the degradation and failure of austenitic steels in humid climate is a relevant issue. In this work, a conventional magnetron sputtering method was utilized in order to fabricate a four-layer Ni/Al-Si-N/Ni/Al-Si-O coating onto austenitic-martensitic steel. At the first stage of deposition, a three-layer coating was formed in an Ar+N2 atmosphere using a mosaic target (Ni or Al-Si), while the second stage included the deposition of the outer ceramic Al-Si-O layer in an Ar+O2 gas mixture. The studies of the structure, hardness, adhesion strength and electrochemical behavior (in 3.5 wt. % NaCl) of the «coating/steel» system were performed by means of X-ray Diffraction, electron microscopy, mechanical (indentation and scratch) tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The ceramic Al-Si-O layer exhibits an amorphous structure. The adjacent nickel layers have submicrocrystalline columnar grains. The ceramic Al-Si-N layer possesses a nanocrystalline columnar structure based on AlN + Si3N4 phases. Hardness behavior of the multilayer coating varies nonmonotonically due to a contribution of the soft amorphous phase in the upper surface layer and high-strength nanocrystalline phases in the underlying sublayers. It has been revealed that as-deposited multilayer coating decreases a corrosion rate of the substrate. The layered structure of the coating hinders the transport and diffusion of chloride ions to the substrate and decreases the corrosion rate of the substrate. However, a transport of chloride ions into the inner layers of the coating may occur through the microstructural defects preserved in the amorphous Al-Si-O layer. The scheme describing an initiation of corrosion damage and formation of corrosion products under critical corrosion conditions was proposed.

Research on the Overall Influence of Magnus Cylinders on Airfoil Structures and Structural Optimization

With the coupling effect of Magnus cylinder and symmetric airfoil as the research object, the numerical analysis method is used to study the influence of Magnus cylinder layout position and protruding height ratio on the aerodynamic characteristics of the airfoil. Based on the aerodynamic law of Magnus airfoil and Optistruct deformer optimisation method, the optimisation model of Magnus airfoil structure is proposed. Results reveal that the placement of the Magnus cylinder near the leading edge of the upper surface and the trailing edge of the lower surface significantly impacts the aerodynamic characteristics of the Magnus airfoil. Moreover, as the protruding height ratio increases, the aerodynamic performance of the airfoil experiences an initial enhancement followed by a reduction. Under the conditions of an 8° angle of attack and a Reynolds number of 9.5×105, the optimized aerodynamic performance of the Magnus airfoil demonstrates a remarkable increase of 17.5% compared to the baseline airfoil, accompanied by a significant reduction of 28.1% in stress concentration.

Multi-layer composite thermal management coating strategy for efficient electrothermal ice removal

Effective anti/de-icing technologies are essential to the safety of equipment in freezing conditions. Currently, electrothermal deicing technology is widely adopted in engineering areas, but how to enhance the electrothermal deicing efficiency is currently focused by engineering technicians. Herein, we introduce a multi-layer composite thermal management coating strategy for effective and energy-saving electrothermal anti/de-icing. In the composite coating system, trilayer structures, containing an superhydrophobic surface layer, electrothermal middle layer, and heat insulation bottom layer, are involved that called superhydrophobic electrothermal insulation coating system (SEIC). The heat generated by the electrothermal layer is impeded by the bottom insulation layer to avoid the heat conduction loss, and rapidly conveys to the upper surface to melt ice, thereby greatly enhancing deicing efficiency. More importantly, the surface layer demonstrates superhydrophobic and anti-photothermal performances, which effectively keep the surface out of contaminant and solar overheating in summer. The synergism of superhydrophobicity and electric heating guarantees exceptional anti-icing properties of the composite coating system by reducing water-coating contact time, prolonging freezing time, reducing ice adhesion, and melting ice by electric heating. The efficient SEIC offers an eco-conscious, energy-saving path for anti-icing in the engineering field, which holds significant application in prospects.

Influence of micro and nanoporous TiO2 surface modifications on physical-chemical and biological interactions

Titanium is widely used in implants but can cause adverse reactions like inflammation and tissue rejection. Surface modifications like acid-etching and anodization improve implant properties and osseointegration. This study investigated how micro and nanoporous TiO2 films affect the implant-host interaction, focusing on physical–chemical and biological aspects. Surface treated implants were obtained by acid-etched and anodization of commercially pure titanium (CPTi). Samples were characterized by FE- and FIB-SEM, XRD, EDX, WCA, profilometry, and electrochemical behavior was also investigated. Biocompatibility was accessed by protein adsorption (albumin and serum proteins), hemolysis, and in vitro fibroblast interaction. Anodic samples exhibited the highest corrosion resistance and apatite deposition. Protein adsorption was related to surface roughness and wettability. Samples followed the Langmuir model isotherm (Type I), except for galvanostatic samples (Type III isotherm). Kinetic adsorption was modeled by a pseudo-first-order model, wherein rate-limiting step is albumin diffusion into pores. All surfaces met the hemocompatibility requirements for its use as biomaterial (hemolysis index < 2 %). The upper surface roughness threshold was identified at approximately Sa ≈ 1 µm for better fibroblast viability, adhesion, and proliferation. Combining the results, nanoporous samples present optimized surface conditions that enhance body-fluid contact and improve cell adhesion, thereby contributing to long-term stability.