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Liu, Bo

Publications and source records attributed to Liu, Bo.

At least 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Carbon nanotubes-dispersed TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles with their enhanced photocatalytic activity

Graphical abstract: Carbon nanotubes-dispersed TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles with their enhanced photocatalytic activity. - Abstract: A novel carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-dispersed route is used to prepare high-activity titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO{sub 2}). Field-emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy reveals that the irregular TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles with diameters of 10–20 nm are highly dispersed. X-ray diffraction and specific surface area measurement show that high-activity anatase crystal is formed and the specific surface area of TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles is 147.36 m{sup 2}/g. The photoactivity of TiO{sub 2} was tested by photodegradation of Rhodamine B. The result shows that the photocatalytic activity of TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles prepared by the CNTs-dispersed route is three times higher than that by conventional hydrothermal treatment.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Submicron diameter single crystal sapphire optical fiber

In this work, a submicron-diameter single crystal sapphire optical fiber was demonstrated via wet acid etching at elevated temperatures. Etch rates on the order 2.3 µm/hr were achievable with a 3:1 molar ratio sulfuric-phosphoric acid solution maintained at a temperature of 343°C. A sapphire fiber with an approximate diameter of 800 nm was successfully fabricated from a commercially available fiber with an original diameter of 50 µm. The simple and controllable etching technique provides a feasible approach to the fabrication of unique waveguide structures via traditional silica masking techniques. The ability to tailor the geometry of sapphire optical fibers is the first step in achieving optical and sensing performance on par with its fused silica counterpart.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Aconitine-induced Ca{sup 2+} overload causes arrhythmia and triggers apoptosis through p38 MAPK signaling pathway in rats

Aconitine is a major bioactive diterpenoid alkaloid with high content derived from herbal aconitum plants. Emerging evidence indicates that voltage-dependent Na{sup +} channels have pivotal roles in the cardiotoxicity of aconitine. However, no reports are available on the role of Ca{sup 2+} in aconitine poisoning. In this study, we explored the importance of pathological Ca{sup 2+} signaling in aconitine poisoning in vitro and in vivo. We found that Ca{sup 2+} overload lead to accelerated beating rhythm in adult rat ventricular myocytes and caused arrhythmia in conscious freely moving rats. To investigate effects of aconitine on myocardial injury, we performed cytotoxicity assay in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs), as well as measured lactate dehydrogenase level in the culture medium of NRVMs and activities of serum cardiac enzymes in rats. The results showed that aconitine resulted in myocardial injury and reduced NRVMs viability dose-dependently. To confirm the pro-apoptotic effects, we performed flow cytometric detection, cardiac histology, transmission electron microscopy and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling assay. The results showed that aconitine stimulated apoptosis time-dependently. The expression analysis of Ca{sup 2+} handling proteins demonstrated that aconitine promoted Ca{sup 2+} overload through the expression regulation of Ca{sup 2+} handling proteins. The expression analysis of apoptosis-related proteins revealed that pro-apoptotic protein expression was upregulated, and anti-apoptotic protein BCL-2 expression was downregulated. Furthermore, increased phosphorylation of MAPK family members, especially the P-P38/P38 ratio was found in cardiac tissues. Hence, our results suggest that aconitine significantly aggravates Ca{sup 2+} overload and causes arrhythmia and finally promotes apoptotic development via phosphorylation of P38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. - Highlights: • Aconitine-induced Ca{sup 2+} overload causes arrhythmia in rats. • Aconitine induces Ca{sup 2+} overload through the activation of L-type Ca{sup 2+} channels. • Aconitine-induced Ca{sup 2+} overload triggers apoptotic responses in vitro and in vivo. • Aconitine promotes apoptotic development via activation of P38 MAPK.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

The influence of the AlN barrier thickness on the polarization Coulomb field scattering in AlN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors

The electron mobility scattering mechanisms in AlN/GaN heterostuctures with 3 nm and 6 nm AlN barrier thicknesses were investigated by temperature-dependent Hall measurements. The effect of interface roughness (IFR) scattering on the electron mobility was found to be enhanced by increasing AlN barrier thickness. Moreover, using the measured capacitance-voltage and current-voltage characteristics of the fabricated heterostructure field-effect transistors (HFETs) with different Schottky areas on the two heterostuctures, the variations of electron mobility with different gate biases were investigated. Due to enhanced IFR scattering, the influence of polarization Coulomb field (PCF) scattering on electron mobility was found to decrease with increasing AlN barrier layer thickness. However, the PCF scattering remained an important scattering mechanism in the AlN/GaN HFETs.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Pressure-induced amorphization in orthorhombic Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5}: An intrinsic character of crystal

The phase transition of orthorhombic Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5} was investigated by in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The orthorhombic phase transforms into an amorphous form completely at 24.7 GPa. A bulk modulus B{sub 0} = 139 (9) GPa for the orthorhombic Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5} is derived from the P-V data. We suggest that the pressure-induced amorphization (PIA) in Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5} can be attributed to the unstability of the a axis under high pressure leads to the connections of polyhedral breaking down and even triggers disorder of the whole crystal frame. These results demonstrate that the PIA is an intrinsic character of Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5} which depends on its orthorhombic crystal structure rather than nanosize effects. This study provides a new kind of bulk material for investigating PIA in metal oxides.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Characteristic investigation and control of a modular multilevel converter-based HVDC system under single-line-to-ground fault conditions

This paper presents the analysis and control of a multilevel modular converter (MMC)-based HVDC transmission system under three possible single-line-to-ground fault conditions, with special focus on the investigation of their different fault characteristics. Considering positive-, negative-, and zero-sequence components in both arm voltages and currents, the generalized instantaneous power of a phase unit is derived theoretically according to the equivalent circuit model of the MMC under unbalanced conditions. Based on this model, a novel double-line frequency dc-voltage ripple suppression control is proposed. This controller, together with the negative-and zero-sequence current control, could enhance the overall fault-tolerant capability of the HVDC system without additional cost. To further improve the fault-tolerant capability, the operation performance of the HVDC system with and without single-phase switching is discussed and compared in detail. Lastly, simulation results from a three-phase MMC-HVDC system generated with MATLAB/Simulink are provided to support the theoretical analysis and proposed control schemes.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2014

Study on the nitrogen-doped W-Sb-Te material for phase change memory application

N doping is proposed to enlarge sensing margin of W{sub 0.08}(Sb{sub 2}Te){sub 0.92} based high-temperature phase-change memories (PCMs). The sensing margin is increased from 30 to 5 × 10{sup 3}, with an increase from 145 °C to 158 °C in data retention. The grain size is reduced to 10 nm. The PCM based on N-W{sub 0.08}(Sb{sub 2}Te){sub 0.92} shows the fast operation speed of 30 ns and good cycling ability of >10{sup 3}. By X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ab initio calculation, the W atoms are suggested to locate in the Sb positions and interstices of the lattice. The W atoms in interstice will bond to N atoms during N doping.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

A Novel Pressure-induced Phase Transition in CaZrO 3

The high pressure synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements on CaZrO 3 were carried out in a diamond anvil cell up to 50.1 GPa at room temperature. It was found that the orthorhombic phase can be stable up to 30 GPa. A new pressure-induced phase transition was observed in CaZrO 3 beyond 30 GPa. The high pressure structure of CaZrO 3 was determined to be a monoclinic phase which is distinct from the high pressure structures that were previously reported for other perovskite oxides. Upon release of pressure, the high pressure phase transforms into the initial orthorhombic phase. Likewise, a fit of the compression data to the third-order Birch–Murnaghan equation of state yields a bulk modulus K 0 of 193(14) GPa. We propose that the unique distorted structure probably plays a crucial role in the high pressure behavior of CaZrO 3 . Especially, the distinct phase transformation may be related to the rotation or tilting of the ZrO 6 octahedra.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Structural phase transition of BaZrO{sub 3} under high pressure

We studied the phase transition behavior of cubic BaZrO{sub 3} perovskite by in situ high pressure synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiments up to 46.4 GPa at room temperature. The phase transition from cubic phase to tetragonal phase was observed in BaZrO{sub 3} for the first time, which takes place at 17.2 GPa. A bulk modulus 189 (26) GPa for cubic BaZrO{sub 3} is derived from the pressure–volume data. Upon decompression, the high pressure phase transforms into the initial cubic phase. It is suggested that the unstable phonon mode caused by the rotation of oxygen octahedra plays a crucial role in the high pressure phase transition behavior of BaZrO{sub 3}.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Ab initio investigation of the first hydration shell of protonated glycine

The first hydration shell of the protonated glycine is built up using Monte Carlo multiple minimum conformational search analysis with the MMFFs force field. The potential energy surfaces of the protonated glycine and its hydration complexes with up to eight water molecules have been scanned and the energy-minimized structures are predicted using the ab initio calculations. First, three favorable structures of protonated glycine were determined, and the micro-hydration processes showed that water can significantly stabilize the unstable conformers, and then their first hydration shells were established. Finally, we found that seven water molecules are required to fully hydrate the first hydration shell for the most stable conformer of protonated glycine. In order to analyse the hydration process, the dominant hydration sites located around the ammonium and carboxyl groups are studied carefully and systemically. The results indicate that, water molecules hydrate the protonated glycine in an alternative dynamic hydration process which is driven by the competition between different hydration sites. The first three water molecules are strongly attached by the ammonium group, while only the fourth water molecule is attached by the carboxyl group in the ultimate first hydration shell of the protonated glycine. In addition, the first hydration shell model has predicted most identical structures and a reasonable accord in hydration energy and vibrational frequencies of the most stable conformer with the conductor-like polarizable continuum model.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2013

Generation of virtual monochromatic CBCT from dual kV/MV beam projections

Purpose: To develop a novel on-board imaging technique which allows generation of virtual monochromatic (VM) cone-beam CT (CBCT) with a selected energy from combined kilovoltage (kV)/megavoltage (MV) beam projections. Methods: With the current orthogonal kV/MV imaging hardware equipped in modern linear accelerators, both MV projections (from gantry angle of 0°–100°) and kV projections (90°–200°) were acquired as gantry rotated a total of 110°. A selected range of overlap projections between 90° to 100° were then decomposed into two material projections using experimentally determined parameters from orthogonally stacked aluminum and acrylic step-wedges. Given attenuation coefficients of aluminum and acrylic at a predetermined energy, one set of VM projections could be synthesized from two corresponding sets of decomposed projections. Two linear functions were generated using projection information at overlap angles to convert kV and MV projections at nonoverlap angles to approximate VM projections for CBCT reconstruction. The contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs) were calculated for different inserts in VM CBCTs of a CatPhan phantom with various selected energies and compared with those in kV and MV CBCTs. The effect of overlap projection number on CNR was evaluated. Additionally, the effect of beam orientation was studied by scanning the CatPhan sandwiched with two 5 cm solid-water phantoms on both lateral sides and an electronic density phantom with two metal bolt inserts. Results: Proper selection of VM energy [30 and 40 keV for low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polymethylpentene, 2 MeV for Delrin] provided comparable or even better CNR results as compared with kV or MV CBCT. An increased number of overlap kV and MV projection demonstrated only marginal improvements of CNR for different inserts (with the exception of LDPE) and therefore one projection overlap was found to be sufficient for the CatPhan study. It was also evident that the optimal CBCT image quality was achieved when MV beams penetrated through the heavy attenuation direction of the object. Conclusions: A novel technique was developed to generate VM CBCTs from kV/MV projections. This technique has the potential to improve CNR at selected VM energies and to suppress artifacts at appropriate beam orientations.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2013

Foam-assisted delivery of nanoscale zero valent iron in porous media

Foam is potentially a promising vehicle to deliver nanoparticles for vadose zone remediation as foam can overcome the intrinsic problems associated with solution-based delivery, such as preferential flow and contaminant mobilization. In this work, the feasibility of using foam to deliver nanoscale zero valent iron (nZVI) in unsaturated porous media was investigated. Foams generated using surfactant sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) showed excellent ability to carry nZVI. SLES and nZVI concentrations in the foaming solutions did not affect the percentages of nZVI concentrations in foams relative to nZVI concentrations in the solutions. When foams carrying nZVI were injected through the unsaturated columns, the fractions of nZVI exiting the column were much higher than those when nZVI was injected in liquid. The enhanced nZVI transport implies that foam delivery could significantly increase the radius of influence of injected nZVI. The type and concentrations of surfactants and the influent nZVI concentrations did not noticeably affect nZVI transport during foam delivery. In contrast, nZVI retention increased considerably as the grain size of porous media decreased. Oxidation of foam-delivered nZVI due to oxygen diffusion into unsaturated porous media was visually examined using a flow cell. It was demonstrated that if foams are injected to cover a deep vadose zone layer, oxidation would only cause a small fraction of foam-delivered nZVI to be oxidized before it reacts with contaminants.

Ding, Yuanzhao↗
DOE OSTI2013

An unusual 3D interdigitated architecture assembled from Keggin polyoxometalates and dinuclear copper(II) complexes

A novel organic-inorganic hybrid compound, [Cu{sub 2}(bipy){sub 3}({mu}{sub 1}-H{sub 2}O){sub 2}({mu}{sub 2}-H{sub 2}O)({mu}{sub 2}-OH)(H{sub 2}BW{sub 12}O{sub 40})]{center_dot}4 H{sub 2}O (1) (bipy=4,4 Prime -bipy), has been synthesized in hydrothermal condition and characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectrum, TG analysis and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Compound 1 possesses poly-pendant layered motifs composed of 12-tungstoborates and dinuclear copper(II) complexes, in which the mono-coordinated bipy molecules are orderly appended to both sides of the layer, respectively. Adjacent layers mutually engage in a zipper-like pattern to result in a novel 3D interdigitated architecture. The variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility of 1 showed that there existed weak antiferromagnetic interaction in 1. Toward the reduction of hydrogen peroxide, 1 has good electrocatalytic activity and remarkable stability. - A new compound has been obtained, which represents the first interdigitated architecture assembled by POMs and dinuclear copper(II) complexes. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The first example of interdigitated architecture assembled by POMs and dinuclear copper(II) complexes is observed. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A zipper-like pattern is observed in the structure. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The IR, TG, XRPD, magnetism and electrochemical property of the title compound were studied.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗