scholarly journals Water intake of cellulose materials monitored by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy

Cellulose ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Resch ◽  
Anna Karner ◽  
Wolfgang Sprengel ◽  
Roland Würschum ◽  
Robert Schennach

AbstractIn this study, for the first time, the experimental technique of positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) has been applied to monitor in situ the microstructural changes of cellulose-based materials, i.e. paper, during water intake. For three different cellulose samples, bleached fine paper without filler, Kraft paper without filler, and a viscose fiber sheet, the mean positron lifetime $$\Delta \tau _{\mathrm {mean}}$$ Δ τ mean showed a strong increase with time in humid atmosphere, but exhibiting different trends depending on the type of sample. For all the cellulose samples investigated, the mean positron lifetime $$\Delta \tau _{\mathrm {mean}}$$ Δ τ mean shows an initial strong increase simultaneously occurring (t<10 h) to the mass increase of the samples due to water intake. Interestingly, the variations of $$\Delta \tau _{\mathrm {mean}}$$ Δ τ mean of the viscose fiber sheet and the Kraft paper sample both show a second increase on longer timescales (t>60 h in humid atmosphere) during which the mass increase of these samples has already been saturated. The results of this study show that by the means of PALS, water transport in paper can be reliably followed over a long timespan and it is even possible to distinguish between different types of cellulose materials. The second stage increase of the mean positron lifetime after long times in humid atmosphere for the Kraft paper sample and the pure viscose sheets even suggest that not only water intake itself can be monitored but also further atomistic processes in the material are accessible.

2010 ◽  
Vol 666 ◽  
pp. 71-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Yu ◽  
Günter Dlubek ◽  
Reinhard Krause-Rehberg ◽  
Mario Beiner ◽  
Elke Hempel

Positron lifetime annihilation spectroscopy (PALS) was used to study the temperature- dependence of sub-nanometer size local free volumes in two atactic poly(n-octadecyl methacrylate)s (PODMA) with different molecular weight. These materials exhibit short range layered structure with a self-assembly and crystallization of side chains. From the ortho-positronium (o-Ps) lifetime the size of free volume holes and its distribution are calculated. At a temperature Tm=311 ± 5 K, the mean hole volume <vh> shows an abrupt and strong increase from 0.15 nm3 to 0.2 nm3, which comes from the melting of side-chains. The reverse effect, attributed to side chain crystallization, was observed during cooling the samples at slightly lower temperatures. The lifetime result of PODMA is compared with semifluorinated polyesters in which the side chain has an oxydecylperfluorodecyl structure (-O-(CH2)10-(CF2)9-CF3). Long chain polymers without side-chains such as polyethylene and short side-chain poly(n-alkyl methacrylate)s: poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and poly(n-hexyl methacrylate) (PHMA) are also compared with these polymers.


2007 ◽  
Vol 261-262 ◽  
pp. 55-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.A. Abdel-Rahman ◽  
M.S. Abdallah ◽  
Emad A. Badawi

Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) is one of the nuclear techniques used in material science. (PALT) measurements are used to study the behaviour of the defect concentration in a set of AlSi10.9Mg0.17Sr0.06 alloys. It has been shown that positrons can become trapped at imperfect locations in solids, and that their mean lifetime can be influenced by changes in the concentration of such defects. No changes have been observed in the mean lifetime values following saturation of the defect concentration. The mean lifetime and trapping rates were studied for samples deformed up to 34.9 %. The concentrations of defects range vary from 5.194x1015 to 1.934x1018 cm-3 for thickness reductions of 2.2 to 34.9 %. The range of the dislocation density varies from 1.465x 108 to 5.454x1010 cm/cm3 over the same range of deformations.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1982
Author(s):  
Paul Desmarchelier ◽  
Alice Carré ◽  
Konstantinos Termentzidis ◽  
Anne Tanguy

In this article, the effect on the vibrational and thermal properties of gradually interconnected nanoinclusions embedded in an amorphous silicon matrix is studied using molecular dynamics simulations. The nanoinclusion arrangement ranges from an aligned sphere array to an interconnected mesh of nanowires. Wave-packet simulations scanning different polarizations and frequencies reveal that the interconnection of the nanoinclusions at constant volume fraction induces a strong increase of the mean free path of high frequency phonons, but does not affect the energy diffusivity. The mean free path and energy diffusivity are then used to estimate the thermal conductivity, showing an enhancement of the effective thermal conductivity due to the existence of crystalline structural interconnections. This enhancement is dominated by the ballistic transport of phonons. Equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations confirm the tendency, although less markedly. This leads to the observation that coherent energy propagation with a moderate increase of the thermal conductivity is possible. These findings could be useful for energy harvesting applications, thermal management or for mechanical information processing.


1993 ◽  
Vol 321 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Kruk ◽  
H. Schut ◽  
J. Sietsma ◽  
A. Van Veen

ABSTRACTThe first stages of the nano-crystallization process of amorphous Fe75.5Cu1Nb3Si12.5B8 into a nano-crystalline structure are investigated by the positron annihilation lifetime technique. Samples have been isothermally annealed at 643 K for times varying between 600 and 105 seconds. The positron lifetime spectra have been analyzed allowing for three lifetimes. The shortest and the longest lifetime, τ1 = 150 ± 2 ps and τ3 = 1500–2000 ps respectively, are attributed to annihilation of positrons in the amorphous phase and to the formation and annihilation of ortho-positronium at the surface of the stacked foils and did not change significantly upon the annealing. The intermediate positron lifetime τ2 increased from 324 ps to 387 ps. The intensity of this component increased from 5 to 15%. Comparison with resistivity measurements indicates that the change of this lifetime component occurs at an early stage in the crystallisation process, i.e. when the fraction of crystalline material is on the order of 10−3. The increase of τ2 is attributed to positrons annihilating in a region with lower average density surrounding the small crystallite.


2010 ◽  
Vol 666 ◽  
pp. 99-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Fatima Ferreira Marques ◽  
A.M.G. Moreira Da Silva ◽  
P.M. Gordo ◽  
Z. Kajcsos

Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy was used to study the free-volume parameters in various pure -, - and -cyclodextrins samples and, in the case of β-cyclodextrin, with inclusion of S-carvone and thymoquinone. The results clearly indicate the presence of long lifetime components related to Ps-formation. The data show that the addition of S-carvone to β-cyclodextrin results in a decrease of o-Ps lifetime that we ascribe to a reduction of free volume holes from 81.8 to 63.7 Å3. The long lifetime component disappears when thymoquinone is added to -cyclodextrin, indicating this substance acts as an o-Ps quencher. For all samples studied, a decrease in the long lifetime component values was observed with increasing source in situ time, a result that might be attributed to the irradiation of the sample by the 22Na positron source.


2008 ◽  
Vol 607 ◽  
pp. 134-136
Author(s):  
Y.J. Zhang ◽  
Ai Hong Deng ◽  
You Wen Zhao ◽  
J. Yu ◽  
X.X. Yu ◽  
...  

Positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) spectroscopy,photo-induced current transient spectroscopy (PICTS) and thermally stimulated current (TSC) have been employed to study the formation of compensation defects and their evolvement under iron phosphide (IP) ambience or pure phosphide (PP) ambience. In the formation of IP SI-InP, the diffusion of Fe atoms suppresses the formation of some open-volume defects. As to PP SI-InP, VInH4 complexes dissociate into acceptor vacancies VInHn(n-3)(n=0,1,2,3), which compensate residual donor type defects and make the sample semi-insulating. Electron irradiation-induced deep level defects have been studied by TSC in PP and IP SI-InP, respectively. In contrast to a high concentration of irradiation-induced defects in as-grown and PP annealed InP, IP SI-InP has a very low concentration of defects.


The Condor ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 102 (2) ◽  
pp. 441-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kobi Merom ◽  
Yoram Yom-Tov ◽  
Robin McClery

Abstract Philopatry to stopover site and changes in body condition of migrating Reed Warblers Acrocephalus scirpaceus were studied in Bet Shean Valley, Israel, where warblers were netted throughout the year. Although the majority of birds were seen only once, the proportion of transients seen twice or more in different years is comparable to the figure for summer residents returning between years, indicating a high degree of philopatry among transients. Transients get heavier with longer duration of stay, up to about 15 days, after which body mass increase appears to level off at about 3 g. Change in body condition, taken to be body mass divided by wing length, also was noted, albeit of less significance. The mean date of arrival in the autumn of birds in their first year was about 20 days later than that of older birds. Reed Warblers use their time effectively to replenish their body mass and improve their condition before starting the dangerous crossing of the Sahara Desert.


2017 ◽  
Vol 373 ◽  
pp. 189-192
Author(s):  
Hong Xia Xu ◽  
Jun Lin ◽  
Yu Chen ◽  
Bing Chuan Gu ◽  
Bang Jiao Ye ◽  
...  

The matrix graphite of fuel elements (FEs) with infiltration of 2LiF-BeF2(FLiBe) at different pressures varying from 0.4 MPa to 1.0 MPa, has been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) measurement. The result of XRD reveals that diffraction patterns of FLiBe appear in matrix graphite infiltrated with FLiBe at a pressure of 0.8 MPa and 1.0 MPa. The surface morphology from SEM shows that FLiBe mainly distributes within macro-pores of matrix graphite. PAL measurement indicates that there are mainly two positron lifetime components in all specimens:τ1~0.21 ns and τ2 ­~0.47 ns, ascribed to annihilation of positrons in bulk and trapped-positrons at surface, respectively. The average positron lifetime decreases with infiltration pressure, due to the decrease in annihilation fraction of positrons with surface after infiltration of FLiBe into macro-pores.


2017 ◽  
Vol 373 ◽  
pp. 162-166
Author(s):  
Er Yang Lu ◽  
Xing Zhong Cao ◽  
Shuo Xue Jin ◽  
Yi Hao Gong ◽  
Peng Zhang ◽  
...  

Dislocations would be induced after plastic deformation, which might change the mechanical properties of solids. FeCrNi austenitic model alloy and its Mo-diluted alloy were cold rolled with different degree of thickness reduction. Positrons are sensitive to point defects, which are easily trapped and annihilated around the trapping sites. The mean positron lifetimes have been used to estimate the average dislocation concentration in solids. Meanwhile, the trapping efficiency μ was calculated from the lifetime results. The trapping efficiency value is estimated about 3.31×10-7 cm3s-1 for FeCrNi alloy and 3.31×10-7 cm3s-1 for Mo-diluted alloy, respectively. The increment of the hardness value during plastic deformation is related to the increase of the dislocation density and dislocation pile up in solids.


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