This book introduces anisotropic innovations in liquid crystalline polymers as well as new nanocomposite materials and testing techniques. The authors detail the newest discoveries of material properties, material types and phases, and material characterization. This interdisciplinary work creates valuable links that strengthen the approach to the evolving field of liquid crystalline polymers/ materials.

Experimental Mechanics of Composite, Hybrid, and Multifunctional Materials, Volume 7 of the Proceedings of the 2015SEM Annual Conference& Exposition on Experimental and Applied Mechanics, the seventh volume of nine from the Conference, brings together contributions to this important area of research and engineering. The collection presents early findings and case studies on a wide range of areas, including: Multifunctional Materials Hybrid Materials Novel Composites Nano- and Particle-Reinforced Composites Additive Manufacturing of Composites Digital Imaging of Composites Damage Detection Non-Destructive Evaluation Fatigue and Fracture of Composites Manufacturing and Joining of Composites Advanced Composites Applications

Nanoscience stands out for its interdisciplinarity. Barriers between disciplines disappear and the fields tend to converge at the very smallest scale, where basic principles and tools are universal. Novel properties are inherent to nanosized systems due to quantum effects and a reduction in dimensionality: nanoscience is likely to continue to revolutionize many areas of human activity, such as materials science, nanoelectronics, information processing, biotechnology and medicine. This textbook spans all fields of nanoscience, covering its basics and broad applications. After an introduction to the physical and chemical principles of nanoscience, coverage moves on to the adjacent fields of microscopy, nanoanalysis, synthesis, nanocrystals, nanowires, nanolayers, carbon nanostructures, bulk nanomaterials, nanomechanics, nanophotonics, nanofluidics, nanomagnetism, nanotechnology for computers, nanochemistry, nanobiology, and nanomedicine. Consequently, this broad yet unified coverage addresses research in academia and industry across the natural scientists. Didactically structured and replete with hundreds of illustrations, the textbook is aimed primarily at graduate and advanced-undergraduate students of natural sciences and medicine, and their lecturers.

This book covers the state of the art of laser micro- and nanotechnology. The physical fundamentals of different processes and the application are presented. The book deals with different materials like phase change and memory alloys, thin films, polymers etc. New phenomena and mechanisms of laser-matter interaction in nano-domains are explained. This book is helpful for students, postgraduates, engineers and researches working not only in the field of laser microtechnology but also in high-tech industry, like photonics, microelectronics, information technology.

This book is a collection of experimental studies demonstrating structure-function relationships in various biological systems having particular surface specialization to increase/decrease friction and adhesion. Studies on snake skin, adhesive pads, wing-interlocking devices and sticky mouthparts of insects as well as anti-adhesive and adhesive surfaces of plants are included in the volume containing four main subsections: (1) adhesion, (2) friction, (3) attachment-devices, (4) attachment-related behavior. Numerous experimental methods for characterizing tribological properties of biological surfaces at macro-, micro-, and nanoscale levels are demonstrated. This book is an excellent collection of publications on biotribology for both engineers and physicists working with biological systems as well as for biologists studying friction and adhesion. Inspirations from biology reported here may be also potentially interesting for biomimetics.

The two volumes of Handbook of Gas Sensor Materials provide a detailed and comprehensive account of materials for gas sensors, including the properties and relative advantages of various materials. Since these sensors can be applied for the automation of myriad industrial processes, as well as for everyday monitoring of such activities as public safety, engine performance, medical therapeutics, and in many other situations, this handbook is of great value. Gas sensor designers will find a treasure trove of material in these two books.

This book reviews the recent development of fabrication methods and various properties of lotus-type porous metals and their applications. The nucleation and growth mechanism of the directional pores in metals are discussed in comparison with a model experiment of carbon dioxide pores in ice. Three casting techniques are introduced to produce not only metals and alloys but also intermetallic compounds, semiconductors, and ceramics: mold casting, continuous zone melting, and continuous casting. The latter has merits for mass production of lotus metals to control porosity, pore size and pore direction. Furthermore, anisotropic behavior of elastic, mechanical properties, thermal and electrical conductivity, magnetic properties, and biocompatibility are introduced as peculiar features of lotus metals.

Advancement of Optical Methods in Experimental Mechanics, Volume 3 of the Proceedings of the 2015SEM Annual Conference& Exposition on Experimental and Applied Mechanics, the third volume of nine from the Conference, brings together contributions to this important area of research and engineering. The collection presents early findings and case studies on a wide range of optical methods ranging from traditional photoelasticity and interferometry to more recent DIC and DVC techniques, and includes papers in the following general technical research areas: Advanced optical interferometry Developments in Image correlation (Digital &Volumetric ) Full Field Methods Novel Optical Methods for Stress/Strain Analysis Advances in Optical Methods

The book presents a series of concise papers by researchers specialized in various fields of continuum and computational mechanics and of material science. The focus is on principles and strategies for multiscale modeling and simulation of complex heterogeneous materials, with periodic or random microstructure, subjected to various types of mechanical, thermal, chemical loadings and environmental effects. A wide overview of complex behavior of materials (plasticity, damage, fracture, growth, etc.) is provided. Among various approaches, attention is given to advanced non-classical continua modeling which, provided by constitutive characterization for the internal and external actions (in particular boundary conditions), is a very powerful frame for the gross mechanical description of complex material behaviors, able to circumvent the restrictions of classical coarse-graining multiscale approaches.

This book is written for scientists involved in the calibration of viscometers. A detailed description for stepping up procedures to establish the viscosity scale and obtaining sets of master viscometers is given in the book. Uncertainty considerations for standard oils of known viscosity are presented. The modern viscometers based on principles of tuning fork, ultrasonic, PZT, plate waves, Love waves, micro-cantilever and vibration of optical fiber are discussed to inspire the reader to further research and to generate improved versions. The primary standard for viscosity is pure water. Measurements of its viscosity with accuracy/uncertainty achieved are described. The principles of rotational and oscillation viscometers are explained to enhance the knowledge in calibration work. Devices used for specific materials and viscosity in non SI units are discussed with respect to the need to correlate viscosity values obtained by various devices. The description of commercial viscometers meets the needs of the user.

In two parts, the book focusses on materials science developments in the area of 1) Materials Data and Informatics: - Materials data quality and infrastructure - Materials databases - Materials data mining, image analysis, data driven materials discovery, data visualization. 2) Materials for Tomorrow's Energy Infrastructure: - Pipeline, transport and storage materials for future fuels: biofuels, hydrogen, natural gas, ethanol, etc. -Materials for renewable energy technologies This book presents selected contributions of exceptional young postdoctoral scientists to the 4th WMRIF Workshop for Young Scientists, hosted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, at the NIST site in Boulder, Colorado, USA, September 8 to September 10, 2014.

"Handbook of Thin Film Technology" covers all aspects of coatings preparation, characterization and applications. Different deposition techniques based on vacuum and plasma processes are presented. Methods of surface and thin film analysis including coating thickness, structural, optical, electrical, mechanical and magnetic properties of films are detailed described. The several applications of thin coatings and a special chapter focusing on nanoparticle-based films can be found in this handbook. A complete reference for students and professionals interested in the science and technology of thin films.

This book presents studies on the inelastic behavior of materials and structures under monotonic and cyclic loads. It focuses on the description of new effects like purely thermal cycles or cases of non-trivial damages. The various models are based on different approaches and methods and scaling aspects are taken into account. In addition to purely phenomenological models, the book also presents mechanisms-based approaches. It includes contributions written by leading authors from a host of different countries.

This book presents a comprehensive review of the most important methods used in the characterisation of piezoelectric, ferroelectric and pyroelectric materials. It covers techniques for the analysis of bulk materials and thick and thin film materials and devices. There is a growing demand by industry to adapt and integrate piezoelectric materials into ever smaller devices and structures. Such applications development requires the joint development of reliable, robust, accurate and – most importantly – relevant and applicable measurement and characterisation methods and models. In the past few years there has been a rapid development of new techniques to model and measure the variety of properties that are deemed important for applications development engineers and scientists. The book has been written by the leaders in the field and many chapters represent established measurement best practice, with a strong emphasis on application of the methods via worked examples and detailed experimental procedural descriptions. Each chapter contains numerous diagrams, images, and measurement data, all of which are fully referenced and indexed. The book is intended to occupy space in the research or technical lab, and will be a valuable and practical resource for students, materials scientists, engineers, and lab technicians.

This book delivers a comprehensive evaluation of organic and hybrid solar cells and identifies their fundamental principles and numerous applications. Great attention is given to the charge transport mechanism, donor and acceptor materials, interfacial materials, alternative electrodes, device engineering and physics, and device stability. The authors provide an industrial perspective on the future of photovoltaic technologies.

Challenges in Mechanics of Time-Dependent Materials, Volume 2: Proceedings of the 2014 Annual Conference on Experimental and Applied Mechanics, the second volume of eight from the Conference, brings together contributions to this important area of research and engineering. The collection presents early findings and case studies on fundamental and applied aspects of Experimental Mechanics, including papers in the following general technical research areas: Metallic, Polymeric and Composite Materials o Effects of Extreme Environments including Radiation Resistance, Damage, and Aging o Challenges in Time-dependent Behavior Modeling of Low, Moderate and High Strain Rates o Effects of Inhomogeneities on the Time-Dependent Behavior o Time dependent granular materials * Composite, Hybrid and Multifunctional Materials o Challenges in Time-dependent Behavior Modeling Viscoelastoplasticity and Damage o Effects of Interfaces and Interphases on the Time-Dependent Behavior * Mechanics of materials from advanced manufacturing, such as additive manufacturing o Property characterization from AM o Process modeling and simulations of AM o Material design using AM * Time-dependent and Small-scale Effects in Micro/Nano-scale Testing

This thesis offers novel insights into the time-dependent structural evolution of polymers under deformation. In-situ tensile experiments at high-brilliance synchrotron sources allowed to characterize the material with unrivaled resolution in time and space. The strain-induced crystallization in natural rubber was studied by wide-angle X-ray diffraction. Special emphasis was put on the establishment of new structure-property relationships to give a more in-depth understanding of the mechanical performance of rubber parts, e.g. in tear fatigue loading. To this end, the kinetics of strain-induced crystallization were investigated, subjecting the material to high strain rates. The local structure around a crack tip was observed by scanning wide-angle X-ray diffraction. Ultra-small angle X-ray scattering served to study filled elastomers under deformation, from specially prepared model filler systems to industrially relevant carbon black filled rubbers. Other methods include electron microscopy coupled with in-situ tensile testing and optical dilatometry to examine cavitation in rubbers. The underlying theory as well as a literature review are covered by an extensive introductory chapter, followed by a description of the experimental techniques. The results are presented in more detail than in the original journal publications.

Li-Co-Mn-Ni oxides have been of extreme interest as potential positive electrode materials for next generation Li-ion batteries.  Though many promising materials have been discovered and studied extensively, much debate remains in the literature about the structures of these materials. There is no consensus as to whether the lithium-rich layered materials are single-phase or form a layered-layered composite on the few nanometer length-scales. Much of this debate came about because no phase diagrams existed to describe these systems under the synthesis conditions used to make electrode materials.  Detailed in this thesis are the complete Li-Co-Mn-O and Li-Mn-Ni-O phase diagrams generated by way of the combinatorial synthesis of mg-scale samples at over five hundred compositions characterized with X-ray diffraction. Selected bulk samples were used to confirm that the findings are relevant to synthesis conditions used commercially. The results help resolve a number of points of confusion and contradiction in the literature. Amongst other important findings, the compositions and synthesis conditions giving rise to layered-layered nano-composites are presented and electrochemical results are used to show how better electrode materials can be achieved by making samples in the single phase-layered regions.

This book presents a systematic approach in performing reliability assessment of solder joints using Finite Element (FE) simulation. Essential requirements for FE modelling of an electronic package or a single reflowed solder joint subjected to reliability test conditions are elaborated. These cover assumptions considered for a simplified physical model, FE model geometry development, constitutive models for solder joints and aspects of FE model validation. Fundamentals of the mechanics of solder material are adequately reviewed in relation to FE formulations. Concept of damage is introduced along with deliberation of cohesive zone model and continuum damage model for simulation of solder/IMC interface and bulk solder joint failure, respectively. Applications of the deliberated methodology to selected problems in assessing reliability of solder joints are demonstrated. These industry-defined research-based problems include solder reflow cooling, temperature cycling and mechanical fatigue of a BGA package, JEDEC board-level drop test and mechanisms of solder joint fatigue. Emphasis is placed on accurate quantitative assessment of solder joint reliability through basic understanding of the mechanics of materials as interpreted from results of FE simulations. The FE simulation methodology is readily applicable to numerous other problems in mechanics of materials and structures.

This book describes in detail the physical and mathematical foundations of ultrasonic phased array measurements. The book uses linear systems theory to develop a comprehensive model of the signals and images that can be formed with phased arrays. Engineers working in the field of ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation (NDE) will find in this approach a wealth of information on how to design, optimize and interpret ultrasonic inspections with phased arrays. The fundamentals and models described in the book will also be of significant interest to other fields, including the medical ultrasound and seismology communities. A unique feature of this book is that it presents a unified theory of imaging with phased arrays that shows how common imaging methods such as the synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT), the total focusing method (TFM), and the physical optics far field inverse scattering (POFFIS) imaging method are all simplified versions of more fundamental and quantitative imaging approaches, called imaging measurement models. To enhance learning, this book first describes the fundamentals of phased array systems using 2-D models, so that the complex 3-D cases normally found in practice can be more easily understood. In addition to giving a detailed discussion of phased array systems, Fundamentals of Ultrasonic Phased Arrays also provides MATLAB® functions and scripts, allowing the reader to conduct simulations of ultrasonic phased array transducers and phased array systems with the latest modeling technology.

This handbook provides an overview on wood science and technology of unparalleled comprehensiveness and international validity. It describes the fundamental wood biology, chemistry and physics, as well as structure-property relations of wood and wood-based materials. The different aspects and steps of wood processing are presented in detail from both a fundamental technological perspective and their realisation in industrial contexts. The discussed industrial processes extend beyond sawmilling and the manufacturing of adhesively bonded wood products to the processing of the various wood-based materials, including pulp and paper, natural fibre materials and aspects of bio-refinery. Core concepts of wood applications, quality and life cycle assessment of this important natural resource are presented. The book concludes with a useful compilation of fundamental material parameters and data as well as a glossary of terms in accordance with the most important industry standards. Written and edited by a truly international team of experts from academia, research institutes and industry, thoroughly reviewed by external colleagues, this handbook is well-attuned to educational demands, as well as providing a summary of state-of-the-art research trends and industrial requirements. It is an invaluable resource for all professionals in research and development, and engineers in practise in the field of wood science and technology.

This volume collects research findings presented at the 8th Edition of the Electronic Structure: Principles and Applications (ESPA-2012) International Conference, held in Barcelona, Spain on June 26-29, 2012. The contributions cover research work on methods and fundamentals of theoretical chemistry, chemical reactivity, bimolecular modeling, and materials science. Originally published in the journal Theoretical Chemistry Accounts, these outstanding papers are now available in a hardcover print format, as well as a special electronic edition. This volume provides valuable content for all researchers in theoretical chemistry, and will especially benefit those research groups and libraries with limited access to the journal.

Advances in Polymer Science enjoys a longstanding tradition and good reputation in its community. Each volume is dedicated to a current topic, and each review critically surveys one aspect of that topic, to place it within the context of the volume. The volumes typically summarize the significant developments of the last 5 to 10 years and discuss them critically, presenting selected examples, explaining and illustrating the important principles, and bringing together many important references of primary literature. On that basis, future research directions in the area can be discussed. Advances in Polymer Science volumes thus are important references for every polymer scientist, as well as for other scientists interested in polymer science - as an introduction to a neighboring field, or as a compilation of detailed information for the specialist.

This book presents the physical and technical foundation of the state of the art in applied scanning probe techniques. It constitutes a timely and comprehensive overview of SPM applications. The chapters in this volume relate to scanning probe microscopy techniques, characterization of various materials and structures and typical industrial applications, including topographic and dynamical surface studies of thin-film semiconductors, polymers, paper, ceramics, and magnetic and biological materials. The chapters are written by leading researchers and application scientists from all over the world and from various industries to provide a broader perspective.

Dynamic Behavior of Materials, Volume 1 represents the first of nine volumes of technical papers presented at the Society for Experimental Mechanics SEM 15th International Congress & Exposition on Experimental and Applied Mechanics, held at Costa Mesa, California, June 8-11, 2015. The full set of proceedings also includes volumes on: Challenges in Mechanics of Time Dependent Materials, Advancement of Optical Methods in Experimental Mechanics, Experimental and Applied Mechanics 16th International Symposium on MEMS and Nanotechnology, 5th International Symposium on the Mechanics of Biological Systems and Materials, International Symposium on the Mechanics of Composite and Multi-functional Materials, Fracture, Fatigue, Failure and Damage Evolution; and Residual Stress, Thermomechanics & Infrared Imaging, Hybrid Techniques and Inverse Problems.