Confined Monolayer Ice Between CaF2 (111) and Graphene: Structure and Stability

Water monolayer can form in layered confined systems. Here, CaF2 (111) and graphene are chosen as modeling systems to explore the structure and stability of confined monolayer water. First, water molecules tend to intercalate into a confined space between graphene and CaF2, rather than on a bare surface of graphene. Water molecules can move fast in the confined space due to a low diffusion barrier. These water molecules are likely to aggregate together, forming monolayer ice. Four ice phases including ice II, ice III, ice IV, and ice Ih are compared in this confined system. Intriguingly, all the ice phases undergo very small deformation, indicating the 2D monolayer ice can be stable in the CaF2–graphene–confined system. Beyond, projected band structures are also plotted to understand the electronic behavior of these confined ice phases. Nearly all the bands originated from confined ices are flat and locate about 2–3 eV below the Fermi level. Binding energy calculations suggest that the stability sequence in this confined system as follows: Ih-up ≈ Ih-down ≈ II < IV < III. Our results bring new insights into the formation of water monolayer production in such a confined condition.

Anomalous dielectric behaviors of electrolyte solutions confined in graphene oxide nanochannels

Dielectric behavior of salt aqueous solutions with various concentration in pristine and oxide graphene nanochannels has been investigated by means of molecular dynamic simulations. The motivation in performing this integrated set of simulations was to provide deep insight into the interaction between the size of the enclosure and the oxidation degree of the membrane sheets on the dielectric properties. It was shown that the dielectric permittivity of both aqueous and NaCl solution in confined phase exhibits an anisotropic behavior. The in-plane component decreases with the increase of the concentration of NaCl solution while an increase of the out-of-plane dielectric is observed and these out-of-plane components exhibit a non-monotonous trend and thus exist a critical concentration of NaCl solution with 0.2 mol/L and 0.4 mol/L for both pristine and oxide graphene nanochannels, respectively. This peculiar dielectric behavior results from the addition of ions that significantly perturb the hydrogen bonding network of the confined system, and hence leading to a fluctuation of dipolar of water molecules and dielectric permittivity.

Productive and Reproductive Aspects in Dairy Cows Raised with and Without Access to Pasture in Southern Brazil

Since productive performance in dairy cows is directly linked to the manner in which cows are raised, the breeding system can have a direct influence on the parameters of a farm. Unlike the main European and North American countries, in southern Brazil the use of confinement systems with access to pasture is widespread. Grazing cows are believed to be less stressed from the metabolic point of view. This study was conducted on nine commercial dairy farms located in the Serra Gaúcha, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, from September 2016 to November 2017. A total of 393 Holstein dairy cows were included immediately after birth. The dairy farms had an average of 45 lactating cows and were milked twice a day with an average milk production in 305 days of 9,500 kg / cow for the confinement system with access to pasture and 10,700 kg / cow for the confined system. The confinement system with access to pasture (CAP) was composed of five properties and was characterized by access to rotating pasture, while the confinement system without access to pasture (CNP) was composed of four properties. The study diagnosed uterine diseases, metabolic diseases and their correlations, and assessed the conception rate in the first service of the herds. Animals with access to pasture had generally lower production rates than animals reared in confinement, which suggests that the model with access to pasture used in the extreme south of the country can result in deleterious effects on animal production.

Effect of Hydrophobicity and Surface Potential of Silicon on SiO2 Etching in Nanometer-Sized Narrow Spaces

Wet etching in nanometer-sized three-dimensional spaces creates new challengesbecause of the scaling of semiconductor devices with complex 3D architecture. Wet etching withinspaces is affected by the mass transport of the etchant ions that are impacted by the hydrophobicityand surface potential of surface. However, the kinetics of chemical reactions within the spaces is stillunclear.In this paper, we studied the effect of hydrophobicity and surface potential of silicon surface on SiO2etching in nanometer-sized narrow spaces by adding various additive components to etching solutions.We found that the transport of etchant ions into narrow spaces is governed by controlling thehydrophobicity and surface potential of the confined system walls.

The Role of Elementary Dimensions in the Creation of the Source of Elementary Particles

It is agreed that before the creation of particles, space was completely devoid of matter and radiation. In this study, we assume that the absolute void comprises 4 dimensions, namely 3 spatial dimensions and a force equivalent representing the factor of change among the elementary dimensions. Our hypothesis is based on the expansion of the spatial dimensions and the subsequent space instability. We demonstrated that when the equivalent outward force strength exceeds a critical limit, it collapses inwardly to restore the equilibrium of the system. Subsequently, the void inside the collapsed force equivalent acts as a void in a confined system, and the energy of the system remains conserved at all stages. With the decrease in the spatial dimensions owing to the collapse, the energy density increases, and at the final stage, the energy in the confined system becomes concentrated, thereby forming a solid state of energy. In this solid state of energy, a particle becomes the source of the elementary particles. The created high-energy sources are controlled by the internal and external forces of the source and all the entities in its external force field until equilibrium is reached. This article gives a summary of the Big Bang theory and its problems, which are further discussed in detail. This article will help in understanding how elementary dimensions play a role in the formation of elementary particles. Quark-gluon plasma, inflation, gravitational collapse, and gravitational lensing provide evidence that supports the elementary dimensions theory presented in this paper.