Open microfluidics, the study of microflows having a boundary with surrounding air, encompasses different aspects such as paper or thread-based microfluidics, droplet microfluidics and open-channel microfluidics. Open-channel microflow is a flow at the micro-scale, guided by solid structures, and having at least a free boundary (with air or vapor) other than the advancing meniscus. This book is devoted to the study of open-channel microfluidics which (contrary to paper or thread or droplet microfluidics) is still very sparsely documented, but bears many new applications in biology, biotechnology, medicine, material and space sciences. Capillarity being the principal force triggering an open microflow, the principles of capillarity are first recalled. The onset of open-channel microflow is next analyzed and the fundamental notion of generalized Cassie angle (the apparent contact angle which accounts for the presence of air) is presented. The theory of the dynamics of open-channel microflows is then developed, using the notion of averaged friction length which accounts for the presence of air along the boundaries of the flow domain. Different channel morphologies are studied and geometrical features such as valves and capillary pumps are examined. An introduction to two-phase open-channel microflows is also presented showing that immiscible plugs can be transported by an open-channel flow. Finally, a selection of interesting applications in the domains of space, materials, medicine and biology is presented, showing the potentialities of open-channel microfluidics.

This first book devoted to this hot field of science covers materials with bimodal, trimodal and multimodal pore size, with an emphasis on the successful design, synthesis and characterization of all kinds of hierarchically porous materials using different synthesis strategies. It details formation mechanisms related to different synthesis strategies while also introducing natural phenomena of hierarchy and perspectives of hierarchical science in polymers, physics, engineering, biology and life science.
Examples are given to illustrate how to design an optimal hierarchically porous material for specific applications ranging from catalysis and separation to biomedicine, photonics, and energy conversion and storage.
With individual chapters written by leading experts, this is the authoritative treatment, serving as an essential reference for researchers and beginners alike.

Since the discovery in 1921 of ferroelectric properties in Rochelle salt by Valasek, no new ferroelectric material was found until Busch and Scherrer in Switzerland in 1935 discovered ferroelectricity in Potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP). However, during the Second World War, researchers in the US in 1943 discovered ferroelectric materials such as BaTiO3 having ferroelectric properties well above room temperature, that led to an explosion of research after the war in Western and Central Europe, Russia, and Japan, because of their promising and potential applications.This book gives an overview of relevant experimental and theoretical work in ferroelectricity. It is organized into three Sections, corresponding to three time periods. The first (1921-1960) includes early work by Valasek, works by Busch and Scherrer, Mason and Mattias, Shirane and Takeda, ending with theoretical work by Cochran on crystal stability and the soft mode theory of ferroelectricity. The second one (1961-2002) includes a number of experimental and theoretical publications on ferroelectric materials and ferroelectric transitions. The number of international meetings began to increase, and the number of papers increased exponentially. New subfields at that time included ferroelectric liquid crystals, thin films, dipolar glasses and relaxors.The last and final section (2002-2021) includes more recent publications on fundamental structural studies, neutron diffraction work on PZT, quantum tunneling and zero-point energy in ferroelectrics, investigations on the anomalous temperature dependence behavior of liquid water and other recent developments.The book will be a useful compendium on ferroelectrics for materials scientists, and/or PhD graduate students on ferroelectrics all around the world.

This book presents state-of-the-art coverage of synthesis of advanced functional materials. Unconventional synthetic routes play an important role in the synthesis of advanced materials as many new materials are metastable and cannot be synthesized by conventional methods. This book presents various synthesis methods such as conventional solid-state method, combustion method, a range of soft chemical methods, template synthesis, molecular precursor method, microwave synthesis, sono-chemical method and high-pressure synthesis. It provides a comprehensive overview of synthesis methods and covers a variety of materials, including ceramics, films, glass, carbon-based, and metallic materials. Many techniques for processing and surface functionalization are also discussed. Several engineering aspects of materials synthesis are also included. The contents of this book are useful for researchers and professionals working in the areas of materials and chemistry.

Hydraulic gates are utilized in multiple capacities in modern society. As such, the failure of these gates can have disastrous consequences, and it is imperative to develop new methods to avoid these occurrences. Dynamic Stability of Hydraulic Gates and Engineering for Flood Prevention is a critical reference source containing scholarly research on engineering techniques and mechanisms to decrease the failure rate of hydraulic gates. Including a range of perspectives on topics such as fluid dynamics, vibration mechanisms, and flow stability, this book is ideally designed for researchers, academics, engineers, graduate students, and practitioners interested in the study of hydraulic gate structure.

Many physical properties of our universe, such as the relative strength of the fundamental interactions, the value of the cosmological constant, etc., appear to be fine-tuned for existence of human life. One possible explanation of this fine tuning assumes existence of a multiverse, which consists of a very large number of individual universes having different physical properties. Intelligent observers populate only a small subset of these universes, which are fine-tuned for life. In this book we will review several interesting metamaterial systems, which capture many features of important cosmological models and offer insights into the physics of many other non-trivial spacetime geometries, such as microscopic black holes, closed time-like curves (CTCs) and the Alcubierre warp drive.

Written in the perspective of an experimental chemist, this book puts together some fundamentals from chemistry, solid state physics and quantum chemistry, to help with understanding and predicting the electronic and optical properties of organic semiconductors, both polymers and small molecules. The text is intended to assist graduate students and researchers in the field of organic electronics to use theory to design more efficient materials for organic electronic devices such as organic solar cells, light emitting diodes and field effect transistors. After addressing some basic topics in solid state physics, a comprehensive introduction to molecular orbitals and band theory leads to a description of computational methods based on Hartree-Fock and density functional theory (DFT), for predicting geometry conformations, frontier levels and energy band structures. Topological defects and transport and optical properties are then addressed, and one of the most commonly used transparent conducting polymers, PEDOT:PSS, is described in some detail as a case study.

This book is a profound compendium on strain gages and their application in materials science and all fields of engineering. It covers both the theoretical and practical aspects of strength and stress analysis using the technique of strain gages. A brief historical review about strain gage inventions is looking at the "who, when and how". The comprehensive bibliography leads to additional background information. Particular consideration is given to the stress analysis in order to verify the mechanical properties and capacity of components with focus on stability and serviceability, optimization, and safety checks, as well as in order to foresee inspection and monitoring. The practice-oriented descriptions of the principles of the measurement, installation and experimental set-ups derives from the author`s own experiences in the field. Particular emphasis is laid on the correct planning and assessment of measurements, and on the interpretation of the results. Step-by-step guidance is given for many application examples, and comments help to avoid typical mistakes. The book is an indispensable reference work for experts who need to analyze structures and have to plan measurements which lead to reliable results. The book is instructive for practitioners who must install reliable measurement circuits and judge the results. The book is also recommended for beginners to get familiar with the problems and to learn about the possibilities and the limits of the strain gage technique. (Package: Print + ePDF)

The book presents up-to-date thermal control film materials, technologies and applications in spacecraft. Commonly used thermal control film materials and devices for spacecraft are discussed in detail, including single-structure passive thermal control film materials, composite structure passive thermal control film materials, intelligent thermal control film materials, and microstructure thermal control thin film devices.