Entropic control of particle motion using passive surface microstructures
Article Abstract:
Phase separation phenomena in the bulk and flat surfaces help to position the larger particles of a binary mixture on a substrate, or else to move them in a preordained manner to control the entropy changes. Passive structures on the container walls develop localized entropic force fields that possess the ability to trap, repel or induce the controlled drift of particles. Manipulation techniques incorporating these effects may prove useful for making ordered particle arrays that find application in microelectronic masks and clinical assay materials.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1996
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A tough SiAlON ceramic based on alpha-Si3N4 with a whisker-like microstructure
Article Abstract:
It is possible to synthesize a tough alpha-Si3N4 solid solution with a microstructure resembling a whisker-reinforced composite. This material is just as strong and tough as beta-Si3N4, and has the advantage of being 40% harder. This research involved using alpha-Si3N4 as a starting powder. It was slowly converted to beta-Si3N4 in the presence of a sintering, bonding liquid of silicon oxynitride. The crystals that consume the unstable matrix generally take the shape of long rods.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1997
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The von Neumann relation generalized to coarsening of three-dimensional microstructures
Article Abstract:
The von Neumann derived an exact formula for the growth rate of a cell in a two-dimensional cellular structure forms the basis of modern grain growth theory however, further studies are conducted to extend this result into three dimensions. It is expected that the results of this study leads to the development of predictive models for capillarity-driven microstructure evolution in a wide range of industrial and commercial processing scenarios.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 2007
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