The study of phase transition processes in liquid crystals(LCs)remains challenging.Most thermotropic LCs exhibit a narrow temperature range and a rapid phase transition from the isotropic(ISO)to the nematic(N)phase,wh...The study of phase transition processes in liquid crystals(LCs)remains challenging.Most thermotropic LCs exhibit a narrow temperature range and a rapid phase transition from the isotropic(ISO)to the nematic(N)phase,which make it difficult to capture and manipulate the phase transition process.In this study,we observed the evolution of small droplets during the ISO–N phase transition in ferroelectric nematic(NF)LC RM734.After doping with metal nanoparticles(NPs),the temperature range of the phase transition broadened,and the droplets formed during the phase transition remained stable,with their diameter increasing linearly with temperature.In addition,droplets doped with NPs can be well controlled by an external electric field.This discovery not only aids in understanding the fundamental mechanisms of LC phase transitions but also provides a simple alternative method for preparing droplets,which is potentially valuable for applications in optoelectronic devices and sensors.展开更多
The dynamic characteristic of complex network failure and recovery is one of the main research topics in complex networks. Real world systems such as traffic jams and Internet recovery could be described by the comple...The dynamic characteristic of complex network failure and recovery is one of the main research topics in complex networks. Real world systems such as traffic jams and Internet recovery could be described by the complex network theory. We propose a model to study the recovery process in complex networks. Two different recovery mechanisms are considered in three kinds of networks： external recovery and internal recovery. By simulating the process of the nodes recovery in networks, it is found that the system exhibits the feature of first-order phase transition only when the external recovery is considered. Internal recovery cannot induce such a kind of transitions. As external recovery and internal recovery coexist on networks, the systems will retain the most efficient part of external recovery and internal recovery. Meanwhile, a hysteresis could be observed when increasing or decreasing the failure probability. Finally, a largest degree node protection strategy is proposed for improving the robustness of networks.展开更多
The stimuli-responsive polymers with upper critical solution temperatures(UCST) are highly attractive for drug delivery applications. However, the phase transition process of UCST polymer is usually characterized by t...The stimuli-responsive polymers with upper critical solution temperatures(UCST) are highly attractive for drug delivery applications. However, the phase transition process of UCST polymer is usually characterized by turbidity measurement and electron microscopy, which are significantly restricted by low sensitivity and static observation. In contrary, the fluorescence technique has significant advantages in terms of high sensitivity, easy operation, and dynamic observation. However, the conventional fluorophores suffer from the drawbacks of aggregation-caused quenching(ACQ) after being encapsulated by UCST polymers, which are not suitable for direct visualization of the phase transition process. To tackle this challenge, we herein developed a series of UCST polymers based on polyacrylamides decorated with bile acid and aggregation-induced emission(AIE)-active tetraphenylethene(TPE) groups, which can be used for direct fluorescence monitoring of the phase transition process. Moreover, the AIE-active UCST polymers can serve as drug carriers, which can not only monitor the drug release process under thermal stimuli, but also verify the drug release by fluorescence recovery after thermal stimuli. It is expected that the AIE-active UCST polymers with self-monitoring ability are promising for biomedical applications.展开更多
Heat storage properties of phase change materials(PCMs) are essential characteristics that perform a key role in thermal heat energy storage systems.The thermal properties of PCMs can be improved by developing metal f...Heat storage properties of phase change materials(PCMs) are essential characteristics that perform a key role in thermal heat energy storage systems.The thermal properties of PCMs can be improved by developing metal foam/PCM composites.The addition of metal foam in PCMs has a significant effect on the thermal characteristics of PCMs.In this paper,the heat storage properties of two different metal foam/PCM composites were experimentally examined.The behavior of paraffin in metal foam(copper and iron-nickel)/paraffin composites concerning pure paraffin at a constant heat flux of 1000 W/m^(2) in three directions simultaneously(x,y,and z) was studied.Paraffin was infiltrated into copper and iron-nickel foams to develop composite materials which resulted in enhancing the thermal conductivity of the paraffin.A comparative analysis is made on the heat storage properties of paraffin in copper and iron-nickel foams/paraffin composites.Inner temperature distribution during the phase transition process is experimentally evaluated.This comparison indicates that temperature uniformity in copper foam/paraffin composite is better than in iron-nickel foam/paraffin composite and pure paraffin at the same heat flux.Experimental results show that at heat flux of 1000 W/m^(2),the heat storage time for copper foam/paraffin composite is 20.63% of that of iron-nickel foam/paraffin composite.展开更多
基金Project supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant No.2022YFA1405000)the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province(Grant No.BK20211277)+2 种基金the Frontier Leading Technology Basic Research Project of Jiangsu Province(Grant No.BK20212004)the Postgraduate Research&Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province(Grant No.KYCX230971)the Natural Science Foundation of Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications(Grant No.NY223087).
文摘The study of phase transition processes in liquid crystals(LCs)remains challenging.Most thermotropic LCs exhibit a narrow temperature range and a rapid phase transition from the isotropic(ISO)to the nematic(N)phase,which make it difficult to capture and manipulate the phase transition process.In this study,we observed the evolution of small droplets during the ISO–N phase transition in ferroelectric nematic(NF)LC RM734.After doping with metal nanoparticles(NPs),the temperature range of the phase transition broadened,and the droplets formed during the phase transition remained stable,with their diameter increasing linearly with temperature.In addition,droplets doped with NPs can be well controlled by an external electric field.This discovery not only aids in understanding the fundamental mechanisms of LC phase transitions but also provides a simple alternative method for preparing droplets,which is potentially valuable for applications in optoelectronic devices and sensors.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science foundation of China under Grant No 11474221
文摘The dynamic characteristic of complex network failure and recovery is one of the main research topics in complex networks. Real world systems such as traffic jams and Internet recovery could be described by the complex network theory. We propose a model to study the recovery process in complex networks. Two different recovery mechanisms are considered in three kinds of networks： external recovery and internal recovery. By simulating the process of the nodes recovery in networks, it is found that the system exhibits the feature of first-order phase transition only when the external recovery is considered. Internal recovery cannot induce such a kind of transitions. As external recovery and internal recovery coexist on networks, the systems will retain the most efficient part of external recovery and internal recovery. Meanwhile, a hysteresis could be observed when increasing or decreasing the failure probability. Finally, a largest degree node protection strategy is proposed for improving the robustness of networks.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(21704026,21788102,51620105009,21877040,U1801252,21602063,22075087)the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province,China(2019A1515011129)+4 种基金the Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou(201804020060,202007020002,201704030069,202002030229)Pearl River S&T Nova Program of Guangzhou(201806010152)Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(2018JQ01)Foundation for Xinghua Scholar of South China University of TechnologyNational Key R&D Program of China(2017YFC1103400,2017YFC1105004,2018YFC0311103)。
文摘The stimuli-responsive polymers with upper critical solution temperatures(UCST) are highly attractive for drug delivery applications. However, the phase transition process of UCST polymer is usually characterized by turbidity measurement and electron microscopy, which are significantly restricted by low sensitivity and static observation. In contrary, the fluorescence technique has significant advantages in terms of high sensitivity, easy operation, and dynamic observation. However, the conventional fluorophores suffer from the drawbacks of aggregation-caused quenching(ACQ) after being encapsulated by UCST polymers, which are not suitable for direct visualization of the phase transition process. To tackle this challenge, we herein developed a series of UCST polymers based on polyacrylamides decorated with bile acid and aggregation-induced emission(AIE)-active tetraphenylethene(TPE) groups, which can be used for direct fluorescence monitoring of the phase transition process. Moreover, the AIE-active UCST polymers can serve as drug carriers, which can not only monitor the drug release process under thermal stimuli, but also verify the drug release by fluorescence recovery after thermal stimuli. It is expected that the AIE-active UCST polymers with self-monitoring ability are promising for biomedical applications.
文摘Heat storage properties of phase change materials(PCMs) are essential characteristics that perform a key role in thermal heat energy storage systems.The thermal properties of PCMs can be improved by developing metal foam/PCM composites.The addition of metal foam in PCMs has a significant effect on the thermal characteristics of PCMs.In this paper,the heat storage properties of two different metal foam/PCM composites were experimentally examined.The behavior of paraffin in metal foam(copper and iron-nickel)/paraffin composites concerning pure paraffin at a constant heat flux of 1000 W/m^(2) in three directions simultaneously(x,y,and z) was studied.Paraffin was infiltrated into copper and iron-nickel foams to develop composite materials which resulted in enhancing the thermal conductivity of the paraffin.A comparative analysis is made on the heat storage properties of paraffin in copper and iron-nickel foams/paraffin composites.Inner temperature distribution during the phase transition process is experimentally evaluated.This comparison indicates that temperature uniformity in copper foam/paraffin composite is better than in iron-nickel foam/paraffin composite and pure paraffin at the same heat flux.Experimental results show that at heat flux of 1000 W/m^(2),the heat storage time for copper foam/paraffin composite is 20.63% of that of iron-nickel foam/paraffin composite.
