Geir Helgesen

Carbon nanocones: wall structure and morphology

Abstract Large-scale production of conical carbon nanostructures is possible through pyrolysis of hydrocarbons in a plasma torch process. The resulting carbon cones occur in five distinctly different forms, and disc-shaped particles are produced as well. The structure and properties of these carbon cones and discs have been relatively little explored until now. Here we characterize the structure of these particles using transmission electron microscopy, synchrotron x-ray and electron diffraction. The carbon nanocones are found to exhibit several interesting structural features; instead of having a uniform cross-section, the walls consist of a relatively thin inner graphite-like layer with a non-crystalline envelope, where the amount of the latter can be modified significantly by annealing. The cones appear with a well-defined faceting along the cone edge, demonstrating strict long-range atomic ordering; they also present occasional examples of symmetry breaking, such as two apexes appearing in the same carbon nanocone.

Conductivity Enhancement in Carbon Nanocone Adhesive by Electric Field Induced Formation of Aligned Assemblies

We show how an alternating electric field can be used to assemble carbon nanocones (CNCs) and align these assemblies into microscopic wires in a commercial two-component adhesive. The wires form continuous pathways that may electrically connect the alignment electrodes, which leads to directional conductivity (∼10(-3) S/m) on a macroscopic scale. This procedure leads to conductivity enhancement of at least 2-3 orders of magnitude in the case where the CNC fraction (∼0.2 vol %) is 1 order of magnitude below the percolation threshold (∼2 vol %). The alignment and conductivity are maintained on curing that joins the alignment electrodes permanently together. If the aligned CNC wires are damaged before curing, they can be realigned by an extended alignment period. This concept has implications in areas such as electronic packaging technology.

LATERAL FORCE ON A MAGNET PLACED ABOVE A PLANAR YBA2CU3OX SUPERCONDUCTOR

The lateral force interaction between a permanent bar magnet and a large slab of high Tc superconductor has been investigated at 77 K, under conditions of a constant vertical separation of 2 mm. The restoring force as a function of lateral displacement rises very steeply, and reaches 90% of its saturation value, 5.1 mN, after 1.8 mm. The profile of the force‐displacement curve is in qualitative agreement with the existing theory. A significant quantitative discrepancy is interpreted as due to a theoretical penetration depth exceeding the sample thickness. The lateral magnetic stiffness or spring constant, is found to be independent of displacement away from lateral equilibrium.

Pore characteristics and water absorption in a synthetic smectite clay

Information on size and shape of pores in layered silicates can be obtained via analysis of the relative scattered intensity for different scattering vectors. In this study the small-angle neutron scattering technique was used to investigate the synthetic clay Na-fluorohectorite. The anisotropically shaped pores showed an average correlation length ratio of about 1:2 between the direction of sedimentation and the direction perpendicular to this. The absorption of water, which can be controlled via the temperature and humidity of the surrounding air, consists both in the intercalation of water molecules between the clay platelets and the filling of the mesopores between the platelet stacks.

Dynamic roughening and fluctuations of dipolar chains

Nonmagnetic particles in a carrier ferrofluid acquire an effective dipolar moment when placed in an external magnetic field. This fact leads them to form chains that will roughen due to Brownian motion when the magnetic field is decreased. We study this process through experiments, theory and simulations, three methods that agree on the scaling behavior over 5 orders of magnitude. The rms width goes initially as t(1/2), then as t(1/4) before it saturates. We show how these results complement existing results on polymer chains, and how the chain dynamics may be described by a recent non-Markovian formulation of anomalous diffusion.

Order-disorder transition in a system of magnetic holes

Polystyrene spheres of the same size (10–100μm) dispersed in ferrofluid produce voids, which have been denoted magnetic holes. A two-dimensional system of interacting magnetic holes confined between two glass plates and subject to rotating magnetic fields in the sample plane are studied in a light microscope. For low frequencies of the field rotation, the holes form pairs, which arrange themselves in a regular triangular lattice when stabilized with a weak constant field normal to the sample plane. By increasing the frequency of the rotating field, we observe that above a critical frequency, the steady forward rotation of the pairs is interrupted by backward rotations in short time intervals. Because the intervals of backward rotation occur at different times for each individual pair, disorder is introduced in the system, and the triangular lattice of pairs “melts” and forms a liquid-like structure at high rotation frequencies of the field. This “melting” transition is observed both directly and in light scattering experiments using a laser.

An experimental system for studying dynamic behavior of magnetic microparticles

Optical microscopy combined with digital image analysis is used to study the properties of magnetically interacting colloidal microparticles in constant and time‐varying magnetic fields. This represents model experiments to observe directly cooperative behavior of many‐body systems. Some typical results are presented for experiments related to magnetic aggregation, nonlinear microparticle dynamics, and two‐dimensional melting.

Interaction model for magnetic holes in a ferrofluid layer

Nonmagnetic spheres confined in a ferrofluid layer (magnetic holes) present dipolar interactions when an external magnetic field is exerted. The interaction potential of a microsphere pair is derived analytically, with precise care for the boundary conditions along the glass plates confining the system. Considering external fields consisting of a constant normal component and a high frequency rotating in-plane component, this interaction potential is averaged over time to exhibit the average interparticular forces acting when the imposed frequency exceeds the inverse of the viscous relaxation time of the system. The existence of an equilibrium configuration without contact between the particles is demonstrated for a whole range of exciting fields, and the equilibrium separation distance depending on the structure of the external field is established. The stability of the system under out-of-plane buckling is also studied. The dynamics of such a particle pair is simulated and validated by experiments.

Microelectromechanical strain and pressure sensors based on electric field aligned carbon cone and carbon black particles in a silicone elastomer matrix

Methods for developing microelectromechanical strain and pressure sensors based on aligned carbon particle strings within dielectric elastomer matrices are presented. Two different types of carbon particles were used: a mixture of carbon cone and carbon disk particles and spherical carbon black particles. The particles were assembled and aligned into strings by an alternating electric field with a strength of 4 kV/cm and a frequency of 1 kHz, utilizing the dielectrophoretic effect. The particle fraction was about 0.1 vol. %, which is an order of magnitude lower than their percolation threshold (∼2 vol. %). The aligned strings were produced in a couple of minutes. The matrices were subsequently cured thus stabilizing the strings. Micromechanical strain sensors with a capacitive readout were produced by aligning the particles into a single string-like formation in the in-plane direction, the string dimensions being 3 μm width and 30 μm length. The pressure sensors with piezoresistive readout were made by al...

A strain sensor based on an aligned carbon particle string in a UV-cured polymer matrix

We demonstrate micro-mechanical strain sensors by aligning carbon black particles into single wirelike strings in a polymer matrix using an alternating electric field (dielectrophoresis) when the particle fraction is 0.1 vol. %. The strings are stabilized by UV-curing the polymer matrix and characterized electrically and electromechanically. Particle alignment makes the material conductive, and the stretching of such strings in polymer matrices gives a reversible change in resistivity. A gauge factor of about 150 is demonstrated. Nonaligned films containing 12 vol. % of carbon particles in the same polymer are conductive but not sensitive to similar stretching.