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Automotive engine lubricants
(2019)
In 2003, ASTM Manual 37, Fuels and Lubricants Handbook: Technology, Properties, Performance and Testing, featured a chapter discussing automotive lubricants, including engine oils, automatic transmission fluids, manual transmission fluids, gear lubricants, and greases. This chapter, by Schwartz, Tung, and McMillan, surveyed all of these classes of lubricants, up to its publication in 2003.
More recently, the period between 2003 and 2010 has been addressed as part of a book copublished by ASTM and SAE International (coeditors Simon Tung and George Totten), where Fox surveyed the development of engine oil specifications that emerged during those years.
This chapter surveys the evolution of engine oil design and testing since 2002 and concludes with insights into future directions offered by recent tribological research. Our objective is to provide a reader new to the field with an understanding of the following:
- Engine oil composition and formulation
- North American engine oil specification development, and an outline of emergent European specifications
- How emergent specifications and legislative requirements are linked to the introduction of new engine hardware
- How tribological innovation can contribute to future enhancements in engine efficiency
In parallel, we will provide several tables comparing groups of contemporaneous specifications.
To increase the competitiveness of jacket substructures compared to monopiles a changeover from an individual towards a serial jacket production based on automated manufactured tubular joints com-bined with standardized pipes has to be achieved. Therefore, this paper addresses fatigue tests of automatical-ly welded tubular X-joints focusing on the location of the technical fatigue crack. For this X-joint, the detect-ed location of the technical crack is then compared to numerical investigations predicting the most fatigue prone notch considering the structural stress approach as well as the notch stress approach. Additionally, the fatigue prone hot spot according to both approaches is compared for a typical offshore jacket double-K-joint to emphasize the significance of the presented outcomes for the existing offshore structures. Besides, the welding process of the automated manufactured tubular X-joints is presented.
Carbidic Austempered Ductile Iron (CADI) microstructures containing eutectic carbides can be produced by the addition of carbide stabilizing elements, such as chromium. Carbides formed from the addition of Cr are eutectic of M3C type. The presence of such hard phases can enhance the abrasion wear resistance of ductile iron. A new CADI can be produced by the addition of Nb. Niobium carbide particles are formed in the beginning of solidification and remain stable once they are insoluble in solid iron matrix. The dry sand abrasive wear resistance of ductile irons alloyed with 1.0, 1.8, and 2.4 wt% Nb were tested in both “as-cast” and “heat treated” conditions using standard ASTM G65. Results were compared to abrasive wear data obtained on ductile iron alloyed with 1 wt% Cr, CADI (1 wt% Cr), and the basic composition of iron without carbide stabilizing elements. In the “ascast” condition, the addition of Nb did not lead to a reduction in wear, while CADI with Nb is a promising substitute for CADI with Cr addition, because both materials showed very similar values of abrasion resistance.
Micro-ploughing and micro-cutting mechanisms were observed on the worn surfaces of ductile irons. Abrasive wear resistance of these alloys was correlated with the volume fraction of carbides.
Eu2+ is used to replace toxic Pb2+ in metal halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs). The synthesis implies injection of cesium oleate into a solution of europium (II) bromide at an experimentally determined optimum temperature of 130 ○C and a reaction time of 60 s. Structural analysis indicates the formation of spherical CsEuBr3 nanoparticles with a mean size of 43 ± 7 nm. Using EuI2 instead of EuBr2 leads to the formation of 18-nm CsI nanoparticles, while EuCl2 does not show any reaction with cesium oleate forming 80-nm EuCl2 nanoparticles.
The obtained CsEuBr3 NCs exhibit bright blue emission at 413 nm (FWHM 30 nm) with a room temperature photoluminescence quantum yield of 39%. The emission originates from the Laporte-allowed 4f7–4f65d1 transition of Eu2+ and shows a PL decay time of 263 ns.
The long-term stability of the optical properties is observed, making inorganic lead-free CsEuBr3 NCs promising deep blue emitters for optoelectronics.
In this paper, the impact problem and the subsequent wave Propagation are considered. For the contact discretization an intermediate non-uniform rational B-spline (NURBS) layer is added between the contacting finite element bodies, which allows a smooth contact formulation and efficient element-based integration.
The impact event is ill-posed and requires a regularization to avoid propagating stress oscillations. A nonlinear mesh-dependent penalty regularization is used, where the stiffness of the penalty regularization increases upon mesh refinement. Explicit time integration methods are well suited for wave propagation problems, but are efficient only for diagonal mass matrices. Using a spectral element discretization in combination with a NURBS contact layer the bulk part of the mass matrix is diagonal.
Singlet oxygen can severely damage biological tissue, which is exploited in photodynamic therapy (PDT). In PDT, the effective range is limited by the distribution of the photosensitizer (PS) and the illuminated area. However, no distinction is made between healthy and pathological tissue, which can cause undesired damage. This encouraged us to exploit the more acidic pH of cancerous tissue and design pH-controllable singlet oxygen-generating boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) dyes. A pH sensitivity of the dyes is achieved by the introduction of an electronically decoupled, photoinduced electron transfer (PET)-capable subunit in meso-position of the BODIPY core. To favor triplet-state formation as required for singlet Oxygen generation, iodine substituents were introduced at the chromophore core. The resulting pH-controlled singlet oxygen-generating dyes with pKa values in the physiological range were subsequently assessed regarding their potential as pH-controlled PS for PDT.
Using HeLa cells, we could successfully demonstrate markedly different pH-dependent cytotoxicities upon illumination.
The hydration process of Portland cement in a cementitious system is crucial for development of the high-quality cementbased construction material. Complementary experiments of Xray diffraction analysis (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and time-resolved laser fluorescence spectroscopy (TRLFS) using europium (Eu(III)) as an optical probe are used to analyse the hydration process of two cement systems in the absence and presence of different organic admixtures.
We Show that different analysed admixtures and the used sulphate carriers in each cement system have a significant influence on the hydration process, namely on the time-dependence in the formation of different hydrate phases of cement. Moreover, the effect of a particular admixture is related to the type of sulphate carrier used.
The quantitative information on the amounts of the crystalline cement paste components is accessible via XRD analysis. Distinctly different morphologies of ettringite and calcium-silicate-hydrates (C-S-H) determined by SEM allow visual conclusions about formation of these phases at particular ageing times. The TRLFS data provides information about the admixture influence on the course of the silicate reaction. The dip in the dependence of the luminescence decay times on the hydration time indicates the change in the structure of C-S-H in the early hydration period. Complementary information from XRD, SEM and TRLFS provides detailed information on distinct periods of the cement hydration process.
Due to the penetration of harmful chlorides into concrete, e.g. from de-icing salt, damage processes such as chloride-related pitting corrosion can occur if critical values are exceeded. In this study, multiphase materials such as chloride-contaminated concrete are examined in detail. A direct comparison is made by analyzing the spectroscopic information of simultaneously measured atomic and molecular emissions with laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). In addition, the influence on the calibration is examined on the basis of the combined spectral information of both reaction paths of the penetrated chlorides. The calibration models of univariate and multivariate methods were validated using reference samples with wet chemical analysis. The results are applied to a concrete sample of a parking deck, which was also analyzed by potentiometric wet chemistry. In order to account for the heterogeneity of concrete, spatially (200 μm) and spectroscopically (0.1 nm) resolved LIBS measurements were performed using a fully automated laboratory system. Simultaneous measurements with three spectrometers allow the analysis of the emission processes of several elements such as Cl, Ca, O, Si and Mg as well as the newly formed molecules CaO and CaCl. The evaluation of the molecular emission in combination with atomic lines extends the analytical performance, since different concrete phases such as aggregates and cement matrix can be better represented. The measurements were carried out in ambient air and with helium purge gas. The limit of detection (LOD) achieved for a combined evaluation of atomic and molecular emission was determined to be 0.028 wt%.
In this paper, we investigate the evaporation mass flow originating from spills of gas-oline. Large spills of gasoline may form during partial or complete roof sinkings or inthe case of perforations at various deck fittings at external floating roof tanks usedfor the storage. Additionally, spills may form in the retention area in the case of leak-ages at pipes or at the hull. The aim is to predict the order of magnitude of real-scaleevaporation mass flow. The determined evaporation mass flows will be used in arelated project as input values for subsequent dispersion modeling in the vicinity ofthe tanks. This is relevant for questions of fire and explosion protection as well as forenvironmental protection aspects in tank farms or refineries, which use externalfloating roof tanks. The measurements presented in this paper were compared withpredictions by empirical models and investigations of evaporations from small floorspills, round-bottom flask, or from Petri dishes published in the literature. The maingoal of this paper is to test the applicability of empirical models to provide reasonableevaporation mass flows as input for CFD dispersion simulations.
Due to the stochastic nature of crack nucleation by Vickers indentation, a statistical analysis of propagation rates of 185 radial cracks was performed. Crack growth was observed directly using a video camera with high Image acquisition rate. It is found that propagation rates are controlled by the environmental reactions at the crack-tip shortly after their initiation (< 1 s). Calibration of the stress intensity KI showed that the residual stress factor χ and the exponent n of the equation KI==χPc−n (with P==load and c==crack length) are broadly distributed among the 185 analyzed cracks, ranging from 10−16 to 104 and from 0.1 to 5, respectively. For the most frequent crack, the equation KI==0.052Pc−1.47 holds. The results show that correlations of indentation-induced crack length to stress intensity necessitate the use of statistical significant data that are calibrated by the environmental reactions at the crack-tip.
Hydrogen gas diffusivity of fourteen glasses of the Na2O-Al2O3-SiO2 system are studied along the joins quartzalbite-jadeite-nepheline (Qz-Ab-Jd-Np, fully polymerized) and albite-sodium disilicate (Ab-Ds, depolymerized).
Density measurements show that ionic porosity decreases from 54.4% (Qz) to 51.5% (Np) and from 52.4% (Ab) to 50.2% (Ds). Hydrogen diffusivity D follows similar trends but at another scale. D at 523 K decreases from 4×10−12 to 3×10−14m2 s−1 (Qz-Np) and from 4×10−13 to 3×10−15m2 s−1 (Ab-Ds). Charge compensating Na+ acting as a filling agent in fully polymerized network structures leads to up to one order of Magnitude higher diffusivities as depolymerized glass structures of the same SiO2 content where Na+ takes the role of a
modifier ion. Temperature dependence of the diffusivity indicates that both the activation energy involved with the moving H2 molecule as well as the accessible volume in the structure contribute to this compositional trend.
CCQM key comparison K-153 Measurement of Specific Adsorption A [mol/kg] of N-2 and Kr on nonporous SiO2 at LN temperature (to enable a traceable determination of the Specific Surface Area (BET) following ISO 9277) has been performed by the Surface Analysis Working Group (SAWG) of the Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance (CCQM). The objective of this key comparison is to compare the equivalency of the National Metrology Institutes (NMIs) and Designated Institutes (DIs) for the measurement of specific adsorption, BET specific surface area) of nonporous substances (sorbents, ceramics, catalytic agents, etc) used in advanced technology.
In this key comparison, a commercial nonporous silicon dioxide was supplied as a sample. Eight NMIs participated in this key comparison, but only five NMI's have reported in time. All participants used a gas adsorption method, here nitrogen and (or) krypton adsorption at 77.3 K, for analysis according to the international standards ISO 15901-2 and 9277.
In this key comparison, the degrees of equivalence uncertainties for specific adsorption nitrogen and krypton, BET specific surface area were established.
During R/V Meteor cruise 141/1, pore fluids of near surface sediments were investigated to find indications for hydrothermal activity in the Terceira Rift (TR), a hyperslow spreading center in the Central North Atlantic Ocean. To date, submarine hydrothermal fluid venting in the TR has only been reported for the D. João de Castro seamount, which presently seems to be inactive. Pore fluids sampled close to a volcanic cone at 2,800‐m water depth show an anomalous composition with Mg, SO4, and total alkalinity concentrations significantly higher than seawater and a nearby reference core. The most straightforward way of interpreting these deviations is the dissolution of the hydrothermally formed mineral caminite (MgSO4 0.25 Mg (OH)2 0.2H2O). This interpretation is corroborated by a thorough investigation of fluid isotope systems (δ26Mg, δ30Si, δ34S, δ44/42Ca, and 87Sr/86Sr). Caminite is known from mineral assemblages with anhydrite and forms in hydrothermal recharge zones only under specific conditions such as high fluid temperatures and in altered oceanic crust, which are conditions generally met at the TR. We hypothesize that caminite was formed during hydrothermal activity and is now dissolving during the waning state of the hydrothermal system, so that caminite mineralization is shifted out of its stability zone. Ongoing fluid circulation through the basement is transporting the geochemical signal via slow advection toward the seafloor.
Roaldite – Fe4N – has been identified in the São Julião de Moreira iron meteorite using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and simultaneously acquired energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Mean-periodic-number images derived from raw EBSD patterns confirm this phase by an even higher spatial resolution compared to EDS.
Roaldite appears in the form of systematically and repetitively aligned plates. Despite the locally heavy plastic deformation, it is shown that the origin of the oriented precipitation of roaldite is linked to the orientation of the kamacite matrix. Roaldite can be considered to be precipitated from kamacite using an inverse Kurdjumov-Sachs (K-S) or Nishiyama-Wassermann (N-W) orientation relationship. A more accurate discrimination is impossible due to the accumulated shock deformation, which blurs the local reference orientation of kamacite. The habit plane of roaldite is found to be {112}R, which is most likely parallel to {120}K of kamacite. Some of the roaldite plates contain two orientation variants which repeatedly alternate. Their misorientation angle is about 12°.
The presence of any aflatoxin contamination in exported figs needs to be monitored and measured through reliable and traceable methods, which require pure and matrix certified reference materials. On the other hand, certified reference materials (CRM) for determination of aflatoxins in dried fig are not yet available. Moreover, there is a lack of CRMs to be used in routine testing laboratories for method validation and quality control. The routine testing laboratories, participating in commercial proficiency testing (PT) programs, use the results available from consensus values to evaluate the performance of the participating laboratories, rather than metrologically traceable assigned values. This study initially proposed as a key comparison and presented at the EURAMET TC-MC SCOA meeting in Malta in 2015 and subsequently at the CCQM OAWG meeting in April 2015, proposes a CRM candidate for determination of levels of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2 and their total in dried. Evidence of successful participation in formal, relevant international comparisons are needed to document measurement capability claims (CMCs) made by national metrology institutes (NMIs) and designated institutes (DIs).
In total nine NMI/DI participated in the Track C Key Comparison CCQM-K138 Determination of aflatoxins (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2 and Total AFs) in Dried Fig. Participants were requested to evaluate the mass fractions expressed in ng/g units, of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2 and total aflatoxin in a dried food matrix, dried fig. The CCQM-K138 results for the determination of aflatoxins (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2 and total AFs) are ranging from 5.17 to 7.27 ng/g with an %RSD of 10.47 for AFB1, ranging from 0.60 to 0.871 ng/g with an %RSD of 11.69 for AFB2, ranging from 1.98 to 2.6 ng/g with an %RSD of 10.36 for AFG1, ranging from 0.06 to 0.32 ng/g with an %RSD of 35.6 for AFG2, and ranging from 8.29 to 10.31 ng/g with an %RSD of 7.69 for Total AFs. All participants based their analyses on LC-MS/MS, HPLC-FLD, HR-LC/MS, and IDMS. Brief descriptions of the analytical methods used by the participants, including sample preparation, analytical technique, calibrants, and quantification approach are summarized in Appendix F. Linear Pool was used to assign the Key Comparison Reference Values (KCRVs) for B1, B2, G1, G2 and total aflatoxins. Due to the traceability requirements for the calibrants not being met, results of KEBS, INTI, VNIIM and BAM were excluded from KCRV determination.
Successful participation in CCQM-K138 demonstrates the following measurement capabilities in determining mass fraction of organic compounds, with molecular mass of 100 g/mol to 500 g/mol, having high polarity (pKow > -2), in mass fraction range from 0.05 ng/g to 500 ng/g in dried food matrices.
The preparation of new active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) multicomponent Crystal forms, especially co-crystals and salts, is being considered as a reliable strategy to improve API solubility and bioavailability. In this study, three novel imidazole-based salts of the poorly water-soluble salicylic acid (SA) are reported exhibiting a remarkable improvement in solubility and dissolution rate properties. All structures were solved by powder X-ray diffraction. Multiple complementary techniques were used to solve co-crystal/salt ambiguities: density functional Theory calculations, Raman and 1H/13C solid-state NMR spectroscopies. In all molecular salts, the Crystal packing interactions are based on a common charged assisted +N-H SA)...O-(co-former) hydrogen bond interaction. The presence of an extra methyl group in different positions of the co-former, induced different supramolecular arrangements, yielding salts with different physicochemical properties.
All salts present much higher solubility and dissolution rate than pure SA. The most promising results were obtained for the salts with imidazole and 1-methylimidazole co-formers.
Mechanochemistry has become a valuable method for the synthesis of new materials and molecules, with a particular strength for screening and preparing multicomponent crystals. In this work, two novel cocrystals of pyrazinamide (PZA) with pimelic acid (PA) were prepared mechanochemically. Their formation was monitored in real time by in situ synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction. Control over the polymorphic form was obtained through the selective choice of liquid additive via liquid assisted grinding. Slurry experiments and dispersion-corrected density functional theory calculations suggest that Form I is the thermodynamically stable form under ambient conditions. Upon aging, Form II converts to Form I. The stability of Form II upon aging was found to depend strongly on the milling duration, intensity, and material of the milling vessels. Longer or higher energy milling drastically increased the lifetime of the Form II product. For the first time, this work also demonstrates that the choice of milling jar can have a decisive effect on the aging stability of a bulk polymorphic powder. In contrast to material prepared in steel milling vessels, the preparation of Form II in Perspex (PMMA) vessels increased its lifetime 3-fold. These findings offer a new dimension to garnering control over mechanochemical cocrystallization and demonstrate the critical importance of the careful and timely ex situ screening of ball mill grinding reactions. This will be of importance for potential industrial applications of mechanochemical cocrystallization where understanding polymorph longevity is crucial for the development of a robust preparative protocol.
A concept for the growth of silica shells with a thickness of 5–250 nm onto oleate-coated NaYF4:Yb3+/Er3+ upconversion nanoparticles (UCNP) is presented. The concept enables the precise adjustment of shell thicknesses for the preparation of thick-shelled nanoparticles for applications in plasmonics and sensing. First, an initial 5–11 nm thick shell is grown onto the UCNPs in a reverse microemulsion. This is followed by a stepwise growth of these particles without a purification step, where in each step equal volumes of tetraethyl orthosilicate and ammonia water are added, while the volumes of cyclohexane and the surfactant Igepal® CO-520 are increased so that the ammonia water and surfactant concentrations remain constant. Hence, the number of micelles stays constant, and their size is increased to accommodate the growing core–shell particles. Consequently, the formation of core-free silica particles is suppressed. When the negative zeta potential of the particles, which continuously decreased during the stepwise growth, falls below −40 mV, the particles can be dispersed in an ammoniacal ethanol solution and grown further by the continuous addition of tetraethyl orthosilicate to a diameter larger than 500 nm. Due to the high colloidal stability, a coalescence of the particles can be suppressed, and single-core particles are obtained. This strategy can be easily transferred to other nanomaterials for the design of plasmonic nanoconstructs and sensor systems.
A similar secretome disturbance as a hallmark of non-pathogenic Botrytis cinerea ATMT-mutants?
(2019)
The gray mold fungus Botrytis cinerea is a necrotrophic pathogen able to infect
hundreds of host plants, including high-value crops such as grapevine, strawberry and tomato. In order to decipher its infectious strategy, a library of 2,144 mutants was generated by random insertional mutagenesis using Agrobacterium tumefaciensmediated transformation (ATMT). Twelve mutants exhibiting total loss of virulence toward different host plants were chosen for detailed analyses. Their molecular characterization revealed a single T-DNA insertion in different loci. Using a proteomics approach, the secretome of four of these strains was compared to that of the parental strain and a common profile of reduced lytic enzymes was recorded. Significant variations in this profile, notably deficiencies in the secretion of proteases and hemicellulases, were observed and validated by biochemical tests. They were also a hallmark of the remaining eight non-pathogenic strains, suggesting the importance of these secreted Proteins in the infection process. In the twelve non-pathogenic mutants, the Differentiation of infection cushions was also impaired, suggesting a link between the Penetration structures and the secretion of proteins involved in the virulence of the pathogen.
The present work deals with the development of a strategy for the prevention of end crater defects in high-power laser welding of thick-walled circumferential welds. A series of experiments were performed to understand the influence of the welding Parameters on the formation of end crater defects such as pores, cracks, root excess weld metal and shrinkage cavities in the overlap area. An abrupt switch-off of the laser power while closing the circumferential weld leads to a formation of a hole which passes through the whole welded material thickness. A laser power ramp-down causes solidification cracks which are initiated on the transition from full-penetration mode to partial penetration. Defocusing the laser beam led to promising results in terms of avoiding end crater defects. Cracks and pores in the overlap area could be effectively avoided by using defocusing techniques.
A strategy for avoiding of end crater imperfections was tested on flat specimens of steel grade S355J2 with a wall thickness of between 8 mm and 10 mm and then transferred on the 10 mm thick pipe sections made of high-strength pipeline steel API5L-X100Q.
Grasses accumulate silicon in the form of silicic acid, which is precipitated as amorphous silica in microscopic particles termed phytoliths. These particles comprise a variety of morphologies according to the cell type in which the silica was deposited. Despite the evident morphological differences, phytolith chemistry has mostly been analysed in bulk samples, neglecting differences between the varied types formed in the same species. In this work, we extracted leaf phytoliths from mature plants of Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench. Using solid state NMR and thermogravimetric analysis, we show that the extraction methods alter greatly the silica molecular structure, its condensation degree and the trapped organic matter. Measurements of individual phytoliths by Raman and synchrotron FTIR microspectroscopies in combination with multivariate analysis separated bilobate silica cells from prickles and long cells, based on the silica molecular structures and the fraction and composition of occluded organic matter. The variations in structure and composition of sorghum phytoliths suggest that the biological pathways leading to silica deposition vary between these cell types.
For the vast majority of ellipsometric measurements, the application of planar substrates is mandatory and requires a proper sample alignment prior to the measurement. Here, the authors present a generalized approach of how to extract the isotropic ellipsometric sample parameters from an imaging Mueller-matrix measurement even if the sample is significantly misaligned. They validate the method by layer-thickness calculations based on imaging Mueller-matrix measurements of flat crystalline silicon samples that were misaligned on purpose. Furthermore, they also exploit this method’s capabilities to perform spatially resolved layer-thickness measurements of a single-layer indium-tin-oxide coating on a fused-silica microlens without the need of realignment or repositioning of the sample during the measurement.
Among the various welding technologies, resistance spot welding (RSW) and laser beam welding (LBW) play a significant role as joining methods for the automobile industry. The application of RSW and LBW for the automotive body alters the microstructure in the welded areas. It is necessary to identify the mechanical properties of the welded material to be able to make a reliable statement about the material behavior and the strength of welded components. This study develops a method by which to determine the mechanical properties for the weldment of RSW and LBW for two dual phase (DP) steels, DP600 and DP1000, which are commonly used for the automotive bodies. The mechanical properties of the resistance spot weldment were obtained by performing tensile tests on the notched tensile specimen to cause an elongation of the notched and welded area in order to investigate its properties. In order to determine the mechanical properties of the laser beam weldment, indentation tests were performed on the welded material to calculate its force-penetration depth-curve. Inverse numerical simulation was used to simulate the indentation tests to determine and verify the parameters of a nonlinear isotropic material model for the weldment of LBW. Furthermore, using this method, the parameters for the material model of RSW were verified. The material parameters and microstructure of the weldment of RSW and LBW are compared and discussed. The results show that the novel method introduced in this work is a valid approach to determine the mechanical properties of welded high-strength steel structures. In addition, it can be seen that LBW and RSW lead to a reduction in ductility and an increase in the amount of yield and tensile strength of both DP600 and DP1000.
The current establishment of stretchable electronics to form a seamless link between soft or even living materials and the digital world is at the forefront of multidisciplinary research efforts, bridging physics, engineering and materials science. Magnetic functionalities can provide a sense of displacement, orientation or proximity to this novel formulation of electronics. This work reviews the recent development of stretchable magnetic field sensorics relying on the combination of metallic thin films revealing a giant magnetoresistance effect with elastomeric materials. Stretchability of the magnetic nanomembranes is achieved by specific morphologic features (e.g. wrinkles or microcracks), which accommodate the applied tensile deformation while maintaining the electrical and magnetic integrity of the sensor device. The entire development, from the demonstration of the world’s first elastically stretchable magnetic sensor to the realization of a technology platform for robust, ready-to-use elastic magnetosensorics is described. Soft giant magnetoresistive elements exhibiting the same sensing performance as on conventional rigid supports, but with fully strain invariant properties up to 270% stretching have been demonstrated. With their unique mechanical properties, these sensor elements readily conform to ubiquitous objects of arbitrary shapes including the human skin. Stretchable magnetoelectronic sensors can equip soft and epidermal electronic systems with navigation, orientation, motion tracking and touchless control capabilities. A variety of novel technologies, like electronic skins, smart textiles, soft robotics and actuators, active medical implants and soft consumer electronics will benefit from these new magnetic functionalities.
Microorganisms perform multiple metabolic functions that shape the global cycling of elements, health and disease of their host organisms, and biotechnological processes. The rates, at which different metabolic activities are performed by individual cells, can vary between genetically identical cells within clonal populations. While the molecular mechanisms that result in such metabolic heterogeneity have attracted considerable interest, the environmental conditions that shape heterogeneity and its consequences have received attention only in recent years. Here, we review the environmental drivers that lead to metabolic heterogeneity with a focus on nutrient limitation, temporal fluctuations and spatial structure, and the functional consequences of such heterogeneity. We highlight studies using single-cell methods that allow direct investigation of metabolic heterogeneity and discuss the relevance of metabolic heterogeneity in complex microbial communities.
In various kinds of radiography, deficient transmission imaging may occur due to backlighting inside the detector itself arising from light or radiation scattering. The related intensity mismatches barely disturb the high resolution contrast, but its long range nature results in reduced attenuation levels which are often disregarded. Based on X-ray observations and an empirical formalism, a procedure is developed for a first order correction of detector backlighting. A backlighting factor is modeled as a function of the relative detector coverage by the sample projection. Different cases of sample transmission are regarded at different backlight factors and detector coverage. The additional intensity of backlighting may strongly affect the values of materials’ attenuation up to a few 10%. The presented scenario provides a comfortable procedure for corrections of X-ray or neutron transmission imaging data.
Acoustically levitated droplets have been suggested as compartmentalized, yet wall-less microreactors for high-throughput reaction optimization purposes. The absence of walls is envisioned to simplify up-scaling of the optimized reaction conditions found in the microliter volumes. A consequent pursuance of high-throughput chemistry calls for a fast, robust and sensitive analysis suited for online interrogation. For reaction optimization, targeted Analysis with relatively low sensitivity suffices, while a fast, robust and automated sampling is paramount. To follow this approach, in this contribution, a direct coupling of levitated droplets to a homebuilt ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) is presented. The sampling, Transfer to the gas phase, as well as the ionization are all performed by a single exposure of the sampling volume to the resonant output of a mid-IR laser. Once formed, the nascent spatially and temporally evolving analyte ion cloud needs to be guided out of the acoustically confined trap into the inlet of the ion mobility spectrometer. Since the IMS is operated at ambient pressure, no fluid dynamic along a pressure Gradient can be employed. Instead, the transfer is achieved by the electrostatic potential gradient inside a dual ring electrode ion optics, guiding the analyte ion cloud into the first stage of the IMS linear drift tube accelerator. The design of the appropriate atmospheric pressure ion optics is based on the original vacuum ion optics design of Wiley and McLaren. The obtained experimental results nicely coincide with ion trajectory calculations based on a collisional model.
The efficient and sensitive detection of pathogenic microorganisms in aqueous environments, such as water used in medical applications, drinking water, and cooling water of industrial plants, requires simple and fast methods suitable for multiplexed detection such as flow cytometry (FCM) with optically encoded carrier beads. For this purpose, we combine fluorescent Cd-free Ag−In−S ternary quantum dots (t-QDs) with fluorescence Lifetimes (LTs) of several hundred nanoseconds and superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles (SPIONs) with mesoporous CaCO3 microbeads to a magneto-fluorescent bead platform that can be surface-functionalized with bioligands, such as antibodies. This inorganic bead platform enables immuno-magnetic separation, target enrichment, and target quantification with optical readout. The beads can be detected with steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry (FCM). Moreover, they are suited for readout by time gated emission. In the following, the preparation of these magneto-fluorescent CaCO3 beads, their spectroscopic and analytic characterization, and their conjugation with bacteria-specific antibodies are presented as well as proof-of-concept measurements with Legionella pneumophila including cell cultivation and plating experiments for bacteria quantification. Additionally, the possibility to discriminate between the long-lived emission of the LT-encoded capture and carrier CaCO3 beads and the short-lived Emission of the dye-stained bacteria with time-resolved fluorescence techniques and single wavelength excitation is demonstrated.
Hydroliquefaction is a possible pathway to produce liquid transportation fuels from solid feedstocks like coal or biomass. Though much effort has been put into the investigation of maximizing the oil yield using expensive catalysts and pasting oils in batch setups, little is known about how to commercialize the process. This work aims at the demonstration of lignin hydroliquefaction under conditions interesting for commercial operation. The results from hydroliquefaction experiments of two different lignin types using a cheap iron-based catalyst and anthracene oil as the pasting oil in a semibatch system are presented here. Oil yields of above 50% are reached without observing coke formation. Extensive analyses of the feedstocks and product oils were performed. The process supplies high-quality oil, while differences in the decomposition path of both lignin types are observed. An high heating value of 39 400 J/g and H/C and O/C ratios of up to 1.6 and 0.1, respectively, are detected for the produced bio-oils.
A thorough characterization of starting materials is the precondition for further research, especially for cement, which contains various phases and presents quite a complex material for fundamental scientific investigation. In the paper at hand, the characterization data of the reference cement CEM I 42.5 R used within the priority program 2005 of the German Research Foundation (DFG SPP 2005) are presented from the aspects of chemical and mineralogical compositions as well as physical and chemical properties. The data were collected based on tests conducted by nine research groups involved in this cooperative program. For all data received, the mean values and the corresponding errors were calculated. The results shall be used for the ongoing research within the priority program.
In civil engineering, many structures are made of reinforced concrete. Most Degradation processes relevant to this material, e.g., corrosion, are related to an increased level of material moisture.
Therefore, moisture monitoring in reinforced concrete is regarded as a crucial method for structural health monitoring. In this study, passive radio frequency identification (RFID)-based sensors are embedded into the concrete. They are well suited for long-term operation over decades and are well protected against harsh environmental conditions. The energy supply and the data transfer of the humidity sensors are provided by RFID. The sensor casing materials are optimised to withstand the high alkaline environment in concrete, having pH values of more than 12. Membrane materials are also investigated to identify materials capable of enabling water vapour transport from the porous cement matrix to the embedded humidity sensor. By measuring the corresponding relative humidity with embedded passive RFID-based sensors, the cement hydration is monitored for 170 days.
Moreover, long-term moisture monitoring is performed for more than 1000 days. The Experiments show that embedded passive RFID-based sensors are highly suitable for long-term structural health monitoring in civil engineering.
An effective method for evaluating the fatigue strength of thick unidirectional composite laminates of wing spar caps has been presented here. A typical width-tapered bending specimen has been developed for a four-point loading set up. Static and fatigue loading was performed at a load ratio R = -1. The complex stress state has been investigated numerically by finite element analysis. Finally, the concept is proven experimentally on specimens made of pultruded fibre rods.
The fatigue behavior of the continuously tapered width by water Jet cutting has been compared to discrete tapering via rod-drop. The new method enables a screening of material fatigue behavior caused by normal and shear loading.
Metabolites from Alternaria fungi exhibit a variety of biological properties such as phytotoxic, cytotoxic, or antimicrobial activity. Optimization of a literature procedure culminated in an efficient total synthesis of (−)-altenuene as well as a stable isotope-labeled derivative suitable for implementation in a LC-MS/MS method for mycotoxin analysis.
In summary, we report a highly modular solid TTA-UC system comprising of a crystalline, thermally stable PCN222(Pd) MOF with CA-coated MOF channels and with a DPA annihilator embedded in a solution-like environment in the MOF channels. This solid material displays blue upconverted delayed emission with a luminescence lifetime of 373 us, a threshold value of 329 mW*cm-2 and a triplet–triplet energy transfer efficiency of 82%. This optical application adds another facet to the versatile chemistry of PCN-222 MOFs. The design concept is also applicable to other TTA-UC pairs and enables tuning of the UCL color, for example, by replacing DPA with other dyes as exemplarily shown for 2,5,8,11-tetra-tert-butyl-perylene, that yields UCL at 450 nm. Current work aims to reduce the oxygen sensitivity and to increase the retention of the trapped annihilators in organic environments, for example, by tuning the chain length of the carboxylic acid and by coating the MOF surface. In addition, the TTA-UC efficiency will be further enhanced by reducing the reabsorption of the UC emission caused by Pd(TCPP) and by optimizing the sensitizer/annihilator interface.
Friction stir welding (FSW) of high-melting temperature alloys, such as steel and Inconel, requires tooling that can survive under the applied loads at the elevated temperatures. Tungsten-Rhenium (W-Re) alloys are a suitable candidate for this application; however, the costs typically associated with achieving the required densities and grain structure for the tooling are high due to the lengthy traditional processing required. Further costs are incurred in machining the starting bar stock to the final FSW tooling configuration. An alternate processing method is used in this study to shorten the fabrication time using direct current sintering which rapidly consolidates the starting powders at lower temperatures than used in traditional powder metallurgy. Although this process enables retention of the fine grain size, the sintering time is too short to form the desired single, solid phase. Therefore, the specimens were subjected to a post-consolidation heat treatment to fully solutionize the W matrix. Once the desired density and solid solution phase was verified in coupons, the final processing parameters were used to consolidate a net shape tool for FSW.
Ferritic spheroidal graphite cast iron (SGI) materials have a remarkable technical poten-tial and economic impact in modern industry. These features are closely related to the question of how the cast materials can be produced without structural defects and graphite degenerations such as for example chunky graphite. Although the chunky graphite degeneration superficially seems to be well known, its metallurgical background is still controversially discussed, appropriate field-tested non-destructive tools for its quantification in castings are lacking and the knowledge on its impact on material properties is fairly limited. Addressing this status, the article is providing a current overview on the subject. Existing theories on formation and growth mechanisms of chunky graphite are briefly reviewed. Furthermore, from a metallurgical point of view, causes for the appearance of chunky graphite as well as preventive measures are concisely summarized. Particular attention is paid to the morphology of chunky graphite and how it can be characterized by destructive and non-destructive techniques. Special emphasis was laid on providing a comprehensive overview on the impact of chunky graphite on strength, ductility, fatigue limit, fatigue crack growth rate as well as fracture tough-ness of ferritic SGI materials based on experimental data. Moreover, conclusions for the assessment of castings affected by chunky graphite are drawn.
Core–shell nanoparticles (CSNPs) have become indispensable in various industrial applications. However, their real internal structure usually deviates from an ideal core–shell structure. To control how the particles perform with regard to their specific applications, characterization techniques are required that can distinguish an ideal from a nonideal morphology. In this work, we investigated poly(tetrafluoroethylene)–poly(methyl methacrylate) (PTFE–PMMA) and poly(tetrafluoroethylene)–polystyrene (PTFE–PS) polymer CSNPs with a constant core diameter (45 nm) but varying shell thicknesses (4–50 nm). As confirmed by transmission scanning electron microscopy (T-SEM), the shell completely covers the core for the PTFE–PMMA nanoparticles, while the encapsulation of the core by the shell material is incomplete for the PTFE–PS nanoparticles. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was applied to determine the shell thickness of the nanoparticles. The software SESSA v2.0 was used to analyze the intensities of the elastic peaks, and the QUASES software package was employed to evaluate the shape of the inelastic background in the XPS survey spectra. For the first time, nanoparticle shell thicknesses are presented, which are exclusively based on the analysis of the XPS inelastic background. Furthermore, principal component analysis (PCA)-assisted time-of-flight secondary-ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) of the PTFE–PS nanoparticle sample set revealed a systematic variation among the samples and, thus, confirmed the incomplete encapsulation of the core by the shell material. As opposed to that, no variation is observed in the PCA score plots of the PTFE–PMMA nanoparticle sample set. Consequently, the complete coverage of the core by the shell material is proved by ToF-SIMS with a certainty that cannot be achieved by XPS and T-SEM.
A novel mixed matrix composite has been prepared using solution-casting method at different volume concentrations of polyvinyl alcohol; PVA (50, 67, 75 and 80 %) and fixed amount of Dimethoxydimethylsilane in air atmosphere. The hydrolyzed dimethyldisilanol acts as in-situ cross linker through a wet-out condensation between the hydroxyl moieties of SiOH and PVAOH. Such process improves the mechanical properties of composite membranes as compared to pristine PVA which has been determined as function of varied membrane components to evaluate the structure/property relationships.
Furthermore, DFT (B3LYP)/6-31G(d) geometry and frequency computations were carried out for the suggested dimeric PVA structures via 1,3-diol linkage followed by condensation and hydrogen bonding interaction. Vibrational interpretations of composite membranes were proposed based on the computed wavenumbers, Cartesian coordinates displacements for the suggested hydrolyzed products involving the dominant PVA/SiOH/SiOC/SiOSi functional groups compared with those given in literatures. FTIR and EDX provide clear evidences for incorporating silicon to 3D network. Meanwhile, the infrared de-convoluted spectral interpretations ensure 17-30% cross-linked SiOC within the network of Composite membranes.
Nanoporous media exhibit structures significantly smaller than the wavelengths of visible light and can thus act as photonic metamaterials. Their optical functionality is not determined by the properties of the base materials, but rather by tailored, multiscale structures, in terms of precise pore shape, geometry, and orientation. Embedding liquid crystals in pore space provides additional opportunities to control light–matter interactions at the single-pore, meta-atomic scale. Here, we present temperature-dependent 3D reciprocal space mapping using synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction in combination with high-Resolution birefringence experiments on disk-like mesogens (HAT6) imbibed in self-ordered arrays of parallel cylindrical pores 17 to 160 nm across in monolithic anodic aluminium oxide (AAO). In agreement with Monte Carlo computer simulations we observe a remarkably rich self-assembly behaviour, unknown from the bulk state. It encompasses transitions between the isotropic liquid state and discotic stacking in linear columns as well as circular concentric ring formation perpendicular and parallel to the pore axis. These textural transitions underpin an optical birefringence functionality, tuneable in magnitude and in sign from positive to negative via pore size, pore surface-grafting and temperature. Our study demonstrates that the advent of large-scale, self-organised nanoporosity in monolithic solids along with confinement-controllable phase behaviour of liquid-crystalline matter at the single-pore scale provides a reliable and accessible tool to design materials with adjustable optical anisotropy, and thus offers versatile pathways to finetune polarisation-dependent light propagation speeds in materials. Such a tailorability is at the core of the emerging field of transformative optics, allowing, e.g., adjustable light absorbers and extremely thin metalenses.
We present a technique for distributed temperature gradient sensing in real-time along an optical fiber utilizing simple amplitude-based direct-detection coherent optical time domain reflectometry (C-OTDR) and a special sensing fiber. Our technique enables us to determine phase changes or low-frequency variations of the C-OTDR signal stemming from temperature variations. The distinct feature of the used sensing fiber is its structuring with equidistant strongly scattering dots. Consecutive pairs of these scatterers form the dominant local interferometers, effectively overwriting the otherwise highly nonlinear transfer function of common optical fiber. This enables a quasi-phase-resolved evaluation of perturbation responses originating from temperature changes at sensor positions between the scatterers. Using our method, we show the measurement of a nonlinear temperature transient from a heating process with a maximum temperature gradient of 0.8 °C over 20 s and a total temperature increase of 28.4 °C. This method requires almost no post-processing and can be used for simultaneous distributed vibration sensing (DVS) and quantification of local temperature gradients in a single fiber, e.g., for the use in condition monitoring of infrastructure or industrial installations.
Crack detection in metallic samples at high surface temperature, hostile and hazardous environments, etc. is challenging situation in any manufacturing industries. Most of the present NDE methods are suitable only for lower surface temperatures, especially room temperature. In this situation, we need a fast and non-contact NDT method which can be applied even in high sample surface temperature. Laser thermography is one of the techniques having a high potential in non-contact inspection. As a preliminary investigation, in this article, we have studied the potentiality of laser line thermography in crack detection at room temperature. In laser line thermography, a continuous wave (CW) laser is used to generate a laser line, which in turn is used to scan the metal surface. The heat distribution over the sample surface is recorded by an infrared thermal (IR) camera. Two different approaches are reported in this work. Firstly, a stationary laser line source and its interaction with cracks; secondly, moving laser line source scanning over a surface with crack. When the distance between crack centre to laser line centre increases, crack detectability will decrease; and when laser power increases, crack detectability will increase. A dedicated image processing algorithm was developed to improve the detectability of the cracks. To understand the heat transfer phenomenon, a simplified 3D model for laser thermography was developed for the heat distribution during laser heating and was validated with experimental results. Defects were incorporated as a thermally thin resistive layer (TTRL) in numerical modeling, and the effect of TTRL in heat conduction is compared with experimental results.
Cadmium benzylphosphonate Cd(O3PBn)·H2O and its fluorinated derivates Cd(O3PBn-3F)·H2O, Cd(O3PBn-4F)·H2O, and Cd(O3PBn-F5)·H2O were synthesized mechanochemically. The Crystal structures of the compounds were determined based on powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) data. The influence of the ligand substitution on the crystal structure of the metal phosphonate was determined. The hydrophobicity as a function of degree of fluorination was investigated using dynamic vapor sorption.
We present results demonstrating several beneficial effects on distributed fiber optic vibration sensing (DVS) functionality and performance resulting from utilizing standard single mode optical fiber (SMF) with femtosecond laser-inscribed equally-spaced simple scattering dots. This modification is particularly useful when using traditional single-wavelength amplitude-based coherent optical time domain reflectometry (C-OTDR) as sensing method. Local sensitivity is increased in quasi-distributed interferometric sensing zones which are formed by the fiber segments between subsequent pairs of the scattering dots. The otherwise nonlinear transfer function is overwritten with that of an ordinary two-beam interferometer. This linearizes the phase response to monotonous temperature variations. Furthermore, sensitivity fading is mitigated and the demodulation of low-frequency signals is enabled. The modification also allows for the quantitative determination of local temperature gradients directly from the C-OTDR intensity traces. The dots’ reflectivities and thus the induced attenuation can be tuned via the inscription process parameters. Our approach is a simple, robust and cost-effective way to gain these sensing improvements without the need for more sophisticated interrogator technology or more complex fiber structuring, e.g., based on ultra-weak FBG arrays. Our claims are substantiated by experimental evidence.
Molecular mobility of cyanophenyl alkylbenzoates (CPnBs) (n = 2, 3, 7 – number of carbon atoms in the alkyl chain) in the bulk and in composites with aerosil A380 is investigated by broadband dielectric spectroscopy, while thermal analysis and infrared spectroscopy were applied to characterise the molecular species. The work completes preliminary results obtained for the members with n = 4 … 6. An interaction by hydrogen bonding, between aerosil surface – OH groups and – CN or ester groups of the CPnB molecules takes place. It slows down the relaxation process as observed for related composites in comparison to the pure materials. The existence of two types of bonding might be the reason that Vogel temperature for the relaxation process in the surface layer does not show the odd-even effect. Temperature dependence of the relaxation rates for composites
shows a crossover behaviour from a high to a low temperature regime. Moreover, the temperature dependence of the dielectric strength is unusual. As the loading degree is similar, comparison of the dielectric, spectroscopic and thermal data obtained here and with the results obtained for the composites with n = 4 … 6 can be directly done. Increasing the number of the members of the homologous series confirms and hardens the preliminary conclusions.
Chemically modified bioactive glasses based on ICIE16 were prepared with the melt-quenching method using water as a quenching medium. The sinterability of these bioactive glasses was investigated and is discussed in this article. The sintering experiments were conducted with different sintering temperatures, sintering times and heating rates. Those parameters are crucial for dense glass with an amorphous structure. The particle size (d50) of the starting glass powder was determined at 88 μm and kept constant. The pre-pressed glass pellets were cold-isostatically pressed at 300 MPa to a green density of around 63 %. Density development, phase identification, shrinkage behavior and the microstructure were investigated to determine the sinterability of the developed glasses. The glass powders were sintered at different temperatures inside the processing window while crystallization was monitored. The results have shown that the sinterability of the developed glasses strongly dependsonthe proposed chemical additions. The highest density reached was 96 %, which belongs to BP1 glass with sintering conditions of 20 K/min heating rate for 60 min at 750 °C.
X-ray reflectivity (XRR) is a powerful and popular scattering technique that can give valuable insight into the growth behavior of thin films. This study Shows how a simple artificial neural network model can be used to determine the thickness, roughness and density of thin films of different organic semiconductors [diindenoperylene, copper(II) phthalocyanine and alpha-sexithiophene] on silica from their XRR data with millisecond computation time and with minimal user input or a priori knowledge. For a large experimental data set of 372 XRR curves, it is shown that a simple fully connected model can provide good results with a mean absolute percentage error of 8–18% when compared with the results obtained by a genetic least mean squares fit using the classical Parratt formalism. Furthermore, current drawbacks and prospects for improvement are discussed.
In this paper, the impact problem and the subsequent wave propagation are considered. For the contact discretization an intermediate NURBS layer is added between the contacting finite element bodies, which allows a smooth contact formulation and efficient element‐based integration. The impact event is ill‐posed and requires a regularization to avoid propagating stress oscillations. A nonlinear mesh dependent penalty regularization is used, where the stiffness of the penalty regularization increases upon mesh refinement. Explicit time integration methods are well suited for wave propagation problems, but are efficient only for diagonal mass matrices. Using a spectral element discretization and the coupled FE‐NURBS approach the bulk part of the mass matrix is diagonal.
Historians and librarians are interested in watermarks and mould surface patterns in historic papers, because they represent the “fingerprints” of antique papers. However, these features are usually covered or hidden by printing, writing or other media. Different techniques have been developed to extract the watermarks in the paper while avoiding interference from media on the paper. Beta radiography provides good results, but this method cannot be widely used because of radiation safety regulations and the long exposure times required due to weak isotope sources employed. In this work, two promising methods are compared which can be used to extract digital high-resolution images for paper watermarks and these are electron radiography and low energy X-ray radiography. For electron radiography a “sandwich” of a lead sheet, the paper object, and a film in a dark cassette, is formed and it is exposed at higher X-ray potentials (> 300 kV). The photoelectrons escaping from the lead sheet penetrate the paper and expose the film. After development, the film captures the watermark and mould surface pattern Images for the paper being investigated. These images are then digitized using an X-ray film digitizer. The film employed could potentially be replaced by a special type of imaging plate with a very thin protection layer to directly generate digital Images using computed radiography (CR). For the second method, a low energy X-ray source is used with the specimen paper placed on a digital detector array (DDA). This method directly generates a low energy digital radiography (DR) image. Both methods provide high quality images without interference from the printing media, and provide the potential to generate a “fingerprint”
database for historical papers. There were nevertheless found to be differences in the images obtained using the two methods.
The second method, using a low energy X-ray source, has the potential to be integrated in a portable device with a small footprint incorporating user safety requirements. Differences obtained using the two methods are shown and discussed.
Along temperature, humidity is one of the principal environmental factors that plays an important role in various application areas. Presented work investigates possibility of distributed fiberoptic humidity monitoring based on humidity-induced strain measurement in polyimide (PI)-coated optical fibers. Characterization of relative humidity (RH) and temperature response of four different commercial PI- and one acrylate-coated fiber was performed using optical backscattering reflectometry (OBR). The study addresses issues of temperature-humidity cross sensitivity, fiber response stability, repeatability, and the influence of annealing. Acrylate-coated fiber exhibited rather unfavorable nonlinear RH response with strong temperature dependence, which makes it unsuitable for humidity sensing applications. On the other hand, humidity response of PI-coated fibers showed good linearity with fiber sensitivity slightly decreasing at rising temperatures. In the tested range, temperature sensitivity of the fibers remained humidity independent. Thermal annealing was shown to considerably improve and stabilize fiber RH response. Based on performed analysis, a 20 m sensor using the optimal PI-coated fibers was proposed and constructed. The sensor uses dual sensing fiber configuration for mutual decoupling and simultaneous measurement of temperature and RH variations. Using OBR, distributed dual temperature-RH monitoring with cm spatial resolution was demonstrated for the first time.