We developed a microelectromechanical-system optical interferometer based on an elastomer nanosheet using a polystyrene-polybutadiene-polystyrene (SBS) triblock copolymer for a suspended membrane as a way to improve the stress sensitivity for surface stress detection. The elastomeric SBS nanosheet provides a low Young's modulus of 28 ± 11 MPa, a large elastic strain of 24 ± 12%, and high adhesiveness, of which the surface charge and mechanical property are tunable by layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition of polysaccharides. A freestanding SBS nanosheet can be formed above a microcavity using a dry transfer technique without applying vacuum or high-temperature processes. The maximum deflection associated with molecular adsorption increased by sevenfold compared with a parylene-C-based optical interferometric transducer.

The microstructural evolution of Fe–Mn–C austenitic steels, which exhibit outstanding high-ductile deformation in their plastic regions, was characterized by line-profile and texture analyses. The convolutional multiple whole profile fitting procedure was used for a line-profile analysis of 2θ−θ diffraction data to evaluate variations of crystallite size, dislocation density, and dislocation arrangement. A substantial refinement of the crystallite size proceeded at an early deformation stage. In addition, the dislocation density increased with an increase in the tensile strain. Texture evolution was characterized by the analysis of orientation distribution functions. Three texture components grew with an increase in the tensile strain. According to the pole figure describing the full width at half maximum (FWHM) distribution of the 220 reflection, the nontextured grains had more microstructural defects than the textured grains. To evaluate the microstructural defects in detail, the 220 reflection observed at each texture orientation was analyzed by the single-line-profile method. The crystallite size and dislocation density were almost comparable, irrespective of the kind of texture component. The crystallite size of the nontextured grains was also comparable to that of the textured grains, whereas the nontextured grains had a dislocation density several times that of the textured grains.

The growth of precipitates in a deformed Cu–Ni–Si alloy with an aging treatment and the rearrangement of dislocations were investigated using small-angle X-ray scattering method and XRD line-profile analysis. The small-angle X-ray scattering method was used for characterizing the growth behavior of the precipitates. The results showed that the precipitates grew gradually to a few nanometers in radius when aged under the condition that the alloy exhibited a maximum of the hardness due to precipitation hardening. The growth rate rose from the onset of the overaging, where the hardness started to decrease. The line-profile analysis of copper-based alloy diffraction peaks using modified Williamson–Hall and modified Warren–Averbach procedures yielded a variation in the dislocation densities of the alloy as a function of the aging time. The dislocation density of the alloy before the aging treatment was estimated to be 1.7×1015 m−2 and its high value was held up to the peak-aging time. With the onset of the overaging, however, the dislocation density distinctly decreased by about 1 order of magnitude indicating that a large amount of the dislocations rearranged to release the alloy from the high dislocation-density state. The results suggest that the massive rearrangement of dislocations was accompanied with coarsening of the precipitates.

Lanthanum-modified lead zirconate titanate and lead zirconate titanate epitaxial films with (100) and (111) orientations are grown respectively on (100) and (111) niobium, lending conductivity to strontium titanate through chemical solution deposition. This study investigates changes in the ordinary and extraordinary refractive index no and ne induced by the electric field in these films using the prism-coupling method. Anisotropic electrooptic effects arise from Pockels effect and switching among polar clusters. Isotropic electrooptic effect is realized on PLZT 8/65/35 and PZT 70/30 of (100) epitaxial films.

The anisotropic powder metallurgy of n-type Bi2Te2.85Se0.15 doped with bromines was studied by both x-ray diffraction and thermoelectric measurements. The statistical orientation of platelet-like grains in the samples was characterized using the orientation factor estimated by the Lotgering formula from (0,0,1) x-ray diffraction intensities. It is demonstrated that the orientation factor which is strongly influenced by the hot-pressing conditions and the particle size of the starting material has a strong effect on the thermoelectric properties of the samples in this system. This implies that the powder metallurgy has the additional freedom of controlling the thermoelectric properties in addition to the doping level in the grains.

Simulated radioactive waste glass was irradiated in a nuclear reactor and radiation damage was induced by 10B(n,0)7Li reaction up to 0.14 displacement per atom. Static leach tests of the activated waste glass were carried out at 40°C, up to 38 days. Concentration of elements in leachate was determined by gamma-spectrometry. The leach test of non-irradiated glass was also performed at 40°C up to 82 days in which the solution concentration of elements was determined by an atomic absorption analysis. Leach results are given in terms of normalized elemental mass loss for the seven elements Na, K, Cs, Ca, Zn, La and Ce. Normalized elemental mass loss of alkali ions was proportional to square root of time and then, was proportional to time. Normalized elemental mass loss of alkali earth ions did not show such a simple tendency. Build up of zinc on the waste glass surface was observed following its initial leaching. It was also found that theleach rate of Cs, Zn and Ce decreased with increase of irradiation exposure of waste glass.