Optothermal grid activation of microflow with magnetic nanoparticle thermophoresis for microfluidics

We report focused light-induced activation of intense magnetic microconvection mediated by suspended magnetic nanoparticles in microscale two-dimensional optothermal grids. Fully anisotropic control of microflow and mass transport fluxes is achieved by engaging the magnetic field along one or the other preferred directions. The effect is based on the recently described thermal diffusion–magnetomechanical coupling in synthetic magnetic nanofluids. We expect that the new phenomenon can be applied as an efficient all-optical mixing strategy in integrated microfluidic devices. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Transport phenomena in complex systems (part 2)’.

Seam welds quality control improvement using method of pseudo-color coding images

The method of seam welds quality control using X-ray is considered. The X-ray methods of control are based on the capability of gamma radiation to penetrate through a metal including welded areas. Regions having defects - pores, faulty welds, cracks, scale inclusions - look darker on images. Appearance, linear dimensions and depths of the defects usually are determined by a visual examination comparing the X-ray image with standard defects images. It is known that a human eye can distinguish not more than 12-15 shades on a black and white image but more than a hundred on a colored image. The paper considers possibilities of the developed method by the author and based on the optical mixing of two or three complementary colors - red, blue and green. The method can use only one pair of the colors at a time, i.e. it is possible to have three various pairs for a pseudo-color image. The obtained pseudo-color image has the same informational capacity as the original black and white image. But the greater fraction of the saved information becomes available for visual examination of the X-ray image. In the end the efficiency of the seam weld quality control increases.

Mini-LEDs with Diffuse Reflection Cavity Arrays and Quantum Dot Film for Thin, Large-Area, High-Luminance Flat Light Source

Mini-light-emitting diodes (mini-LEDs) were combined with multiple three-dimensional (3D) diffuse reflection cavity arrays (DRCAs) to produce thin, large-area, high-brightness, flat light source modules. The curvature of the 3D free-form DRCA was optimized to control its light path; this increased the distance between light sources and reduced the number of light sources used. Experiments with a 12.3-inch prototype indicated that 216 mini-LEDs were required for a 6 mm optical mixing distance to achieve a thin, large-area surface with high brightness, uniformity, and color saturation of 23,044 cd/m2, 90.13%, and 119.2, respectively. This module can serve as the local dimming backlight in next generation automotive displays.