Characterization of the MISG soot generator with an atmospheric simulation chamber

The performance of a Mini-Inverted Soot Generator (MISG) has been investigated at ChAMBRe (Chamber for Aerosol Modelling and Bio-aerosol Research) by studying the properties of soot particles generated by ethylene and propane combustion. Starting from an extensive classification of combustion conditions and resulting flame shapes, the MISG exhaust was characterized in terms of concentration of emitted particles and gases, particle size distribution and optical properties. Soot particles were also collected on quartz fibre filters and then analysed by optical and thermal-optical techniques, to measure the spectral dependence of the absorption coefficient b_abs, and their composition in terms of Elemental and Organic Carbon (EC and OC). Significant differences could be observed when the MISG is fuelled with ethylene and propane both in terms of particle size and optical behaviour (i.e., absorption coefficient). Values of the Mass Absorption Coefficient (MAC) and of the Angstrom Absorption Exponent (AAE) turned out to be compatible with the literature, even if with some specific difference. The comprehensive characterization of the MISG soot particles is an important piece of information to design and perform experiments in atmospheric simulation chambers.

Electric Field Dependent Textural Variation inside the Liquid Crystal Droplets with Homeotropic Alignment

The alignment of liquid crystal inside the droplets highly influences the electro-optical behaviour of polymer dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs). In PDLCs with initial transparent state, LC droplets exhibit homeotropic boundary conditions with darker zone at the centre with ring shaped boundary. In the present work, the textures were observed under parallel and crossed polarizers. The captured information revealed that there are no changes in the central zone of the droplets due to the perfect homeotropic alignment of liquid crystals inside the droplet. The count of the droplets with different ranges was measured using ImageJ software. Further, the effect of electric field on textural variation inside the droplets, measuring the ratio of the size of darker zone to the size of droplet (a/d) was analysed by applying image processing. The response curve was obtained for different range of sizes of droplets from the plot of a/d ratio vs applied voltage and found supportive to the measure of the textural variation inside the LC droplets. Therefore, the a/d ratio can be the valuable parameter for optimizing the parameters such as droplet size, area of darker zone and required voltage for energy efficient PDLC devices.

In-line measurement of absorbed solar irradiance using nanofluids

In this paper a novel technique for the in-line evaluation of the absorption rate of solar radiation by nanofluids in a volumetric solar receiver is presented. This method allows to experimentally investigate the optical behaviour of a nanofluid when circulating in a volumetric solar receiver under non-concentrated solar irradiance and it is based on the combined use of pyranometers. This technique is used in the present work to study the absorption capability of a Single-Wall-Carbon-NanoHorns (SWCNHs) based nanofluid. From the experiments, it can be seen that after some hours of circulation, the absorption rate of the nanofluid decreases, due to a loss of nanoparticles in the suspension.

The Effect of Layer-by-Layer Building in Selective Laser Sintering on the Performance of Polymer-Based THz Optical Systems

Additive manufacturing technologies have reached a point where ready-to-use items are directly produced from a PC-stored data file. Among these technologies, selective laser sintering has become a mature technology able to fabricate complex geometric structures using a variety of materials. Despite the versatility of this technology, it also has some drawbacks. One of those limitations, of major concern for building optical elements, is the step-like structure of the surface specific to the layer-by-layer building. In our paper, we present extensive full-wave electromagnetic calculations that consider the effect of those steps on the optical behaviour of refractive lenses made for the THz spectral domain. Our results show that at least up to 1.5 THz, the additively manufactured, stepwise lens behaves very close to its ideally smooth surface counterpart.

Tuning of Graphene-Based Optical Devices Operating in the Near-Infrared

Graphene is a material with exceptional optical, electrical and physicochemical properties that can be combined with dielectric waveguides. To date, several optical devices based on graphene have been modeled and fabricated operating in the near-infrared range and showing excellent performance and broad application prospects. This paper covers the main aspects of the optical behaviour of graphene and its exploitation as electrodes in several device configurations. The work compares the reported optical devices focusing on the wavelength tuning, showing how it can vary from a few hundred up to a few thousand picometers in the wavelength range of interest. This work could help and lead the design of tunable optical devices with integrated graphene layers that operate in the NIR.