A scalable thin-film defect quantify model under imbalanced regression and classification task based on computer vision

Optical coating damage detection is a part of both industrial production and scientific research. Traditional methods require sophisticated expert systems or experienced front-line producers, and the cost of these methods rises dramatically when film types or inspection environments change. In practice, it has been found that customized expert systems imply a significant investment of time and money, and we expect to find a method that can perform this task automatically and quickly, while at the same time the method should be adaptable to the later addition of coating types and the ability to identify damage kinds. In this paper, we propose a deep neural network-based detection tool that splits the task into two parts: damage classification and damage degree regression. Introduces attention mechanisms and Embedding operations to enhance the performance of the model. It was found that the damage type detection accuracy of our model reached 93.65%, and the regression loss was kept within 10% on different data sets. We believe that deep neural networks have great potential to tackle industrial defect detection by significantly reducing the design cost and time of traditional expert systems, while gaining the ability to detect entirely new damage types at a fraction of the cost.

Material properties of interfacial films of mucoid and nonmucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates

Chronic lung infection with bacterial biofilms is a leading cause of death in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, one of the many species colonizing the lung airways, can undergo pathoadaptation, leading to a mucoid phenotype with interesting material properties. We hypothesize that the surface properties and extracellular materials of mucoid P. aeruginosa cells greatly influence the mechanical behavior of their films at fluid interfaces. In this study, we investigate the interfacial properties of films formed by nonmucoid (PANT) and mucoid (PASL) strains of P. aeruginosa isolated from CF patients. We use pendant drop elastometry to analyze the interfacial response of the films formed by PANT and PASL at the hexadecane-water interface. The dynamic rheological analyses of the films highlight the distinctive signature of the mucoid strains at fluid interfaces. The mucoid films exhibit greater relaxation following a compressive strain than a tensile one, while a full hysteresis response is achieved by the nonmucoid films; this indicates that the material properties of the PANT films are conserved under both compression and tension. The wrinkling and shape analyses of the interfacial bacterial films elucidate that the mucoid strain exhibits remarkable viscoelastic properties, enabling the remodeling of the living films and dissipation of the compressive stress. The comparative analysis of the material properties of mucoid and nonmucoid P. aeruginosa cells indicates that mucoid switch can play an important role in protecting the bacteria from interfacial stresses. Further characterization of interfacial bacterial films will provide new insights into the development of methods for controlling interfacial films of bacteria.

The role of nanoparticles in the performance of nano-enabled composite membranes - A critical scientific perspective

This review looks into the efforts made towards commercializing nano-enable flat sheet membranes as well as the challenges that need to be overcome. There is a question mark on the argument that the nano-pores of the fillers play a significant role in the performance of the membrane. Non porous nanomaterials have been reported to cause in increase in water flux, yet there are still articles that credit the nano-pores of the nanomaterials for improved membrane performance. There are two points that are important to highlight: (1) the nanoparticles, e.g. zeolites, are smaller in diameter compared to the thickness, (2) the loading rate of the filler phase is significantly small in relation to continuous phase. Therefore, it cannot be correct to assume that the nanomaterials provide continuous flow channels in the selective layer. There is no dispute here that the addition of NP enhances the performance of a membrane, but it is the perception that the nano-pores are the reason that we disagree with.

In-situ deposition of sodium titanate thin film as anode for sodium-ion micro-batteries developed by pulsed laser deposition

Sodium-ion thin-film micro-batteries form a niche sector of energy storage devices. Sodium titanate, Na₂Ti₆O₁₃ (NTO) thin films were deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) using solid-state synthesized polycrystalline Na₂Ti₆O₁₃ compound. The phase-purity and crystallinity of NTO in bulk and thin-film forms were confirmed by Rietveld refinement. Electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy revealed the formation of uniform ∼100 nm thin film with roughness of ∼4 nm consisting of homogeneous nanoscale grains. These PLD-deposited NTO thin-films, when tested in Na-half cell architecture, delivered a near theoretical reversible capacity close to 42 mA h g^-1 involving Ti⁴⁺/Ti³⁺ redox activity along with good cycling stability and rate kinetics. Na₂Ti₆O₁₃ can work as an efficient and safe anode in designing sodium-ion thin-film micro-batteries.

Facile room temperature deposition of gold nanoparticle-ionic liquid hybrid film on silica substrate

This work presents facile synthesis of gold nanoparticle (Au NP)-ionic liquid hybrid film of <10nm by a simple two-step process at room temperature by deposition of Au NPs suspended in 1-hexyl-1methyl-pyrolidinium bromide, on Si (111) substrates. FTIR results demonstrated that ionic liquid properties remain unaltered during and after Au NP synthesis, and even coating on Si (111) substrate. XRD, XPS, and XAS spectral data confirm the presence of Au(0) while EXAFS data indicated the presence of small particles or incomplete surface species. Cross-sectional analysis using FE-SEM and edge length measurement using AFM showed that the film thickness is ca 10nm.

Large Area Nano-transfer Printing of Sub-50-nm Metal Nanostructures Using Low-cost Semi-flexible Hybrid Templates

In this work, we present a method for printing metal micro- and nanopatterns down to sub-50-nm feature sizes using replicated, defect-tolerant stamps made out of OrmoStamp®; material. The relevant parameters for a successful transfer over large areas were investigated and yields above 99 % have been achieved. Comparing our results to conventional nano-transfer printing using PDMS stamps, we find that the more rigid hybrid polymer used here prevents unintended transfer from interspaces between structures of large distance due to roof collapse and deformation of nano-sized structures due to lateral collapse. Yet, our stamps are flexible enough to ensure intimate contact with the underlying substrate over large areas even in the presence of defect particles. Additionally, the presented patterning technique is resist-, solvent-, and chemical-free and is therefore ideally suited for applications in organic nanoelectronics where standard nanostructuring methods can harm or destroy the organic material.

Performance of Nano-Submicron-Stripe Pd Thin-Film Temperature Sensors

Dozens of small dual-beam thin-film temperature sensors with a total width down to 430 nm were fabricated and tested. The sensors were all made from 90-nm-thick Pd thin films, where the width of the narrow stripes was 70-100 nm and that of the wide ones was 210-800 nm. Two different calibration methods showed consistent and repeatable sensitivities of 0.7-1.2 μV/K for the sensors, confirming that the sensitivity mainly depended on the width configuration of each sensor. By integrating arrays of such sensors on a practical testing platform using hybrid e-beam lithography and photolithography techniques, we demonstrated that these sensors were capable of detecting a weak surface temperature difference of 0.1-0.2 K at microscale, and they could be scaled up as built-in temperature sensors in many practical devices.

Thin-film optical notch filter spectacle coatings for the treatment of migraine and photophobia

Previous evidence suggests optical treatments hold promise for treating migraine and photophobia. We designed an optical notch filter, centered at 480nm to reduce direct stimulation of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells. We used thin-film technology to integrate the filter into spectacle lenses. Our objective was to determine if an optical notch filter, designed to attenuate activity of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells, could reduce headache impact in chronic migraine subjects. For this randomized, double-masked study, our primary endpoint was the Headache Impact Test (HIT-6; GlaxoSmithKline, Brentford, Middlesex, UK). We developed two filters: the therapeutic filter blocked visible light at 480nm; a 620nm filter was designed as a sham. Participants were asked to wear lenses with one of the filters for 2weeks; after 2weeks when no lenses were worn, they wore lenses with the other filter for 2weeks. Of 48 subjects, 37 completed the study. Wearing either the 480 or 620nm lenses resulted in clinically and statistically significant HIT-6 reductions. However, there was no significant difference when comparing overall effect of the 480 and 620nm lenses. Although the 620nm filter was designed as a sham intervention, research published following the trial indicated that melanopsin, the photopigment in intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells, is bi-stable. This molecular property may explain the unexpected efficacy of the 620nm filter. These preliminary findings indicate that lenses outfitted with a thin-film optical notch filter may be useful in treating chronic migraine.

Properties of ultrasound extracted bicomponent lignocellulose thin films

Agricultural and forest residues obtained after harvesting are promising renewable sources, suitable as a source of pulp for cellulose nanocrystal manufacturing. Cavitation-assisted softening of the lignin-carbohydrate matrix offers sample opportunity for cellulose fibril liberation and degradation of amorphous cellulose. The present work addresses cavitation assisted cellulose fibril and crystal liberation and film forming properties of the supernatant phase of treated agricultural and forest residues. The effectiveness of this method has been evaluated according to crystallinity indices and hydrogen bond energies, as measured by FT-IR analysis. It has been observed that the use of cavitation increased the crystallinity and caused partial removal and degradation of the lignin matrix. Overall, it appears that considerable improvement of crystallinity can be obtained from agricultural and forest residues through the use of cavitation.

Engineering optical properties of gold-coated nanoporous anodic alumina for biosensing

The effect in the Fabry-Pérot optical interferences of nanoporous anodic alumina films coated with gold is studied as a function of the porosity and of the gold thickness by means of reflectance spectroscopy. Samples with porosities between 14 and 70% and gold thicknesses (10 and 20 nm) were considered. The sputtering of gold on the nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA) films results in an increase of the fringe intensity of the oscillations in the spectra resulting from Fabry-Pérot interferences in the porous layer, with a reduction in the maximum reflectance in the UV-visible region. For the thicker gold layer, sharp valleys appear in the near-infrared (IR) range that can be useful for accurate spectral shift measurements in optical biosensing. A theoretical model for the optical behavior has also been proposed. The model shows a very good agreement with the experimental measurements, what makes it useful for design and optimization of devices based on this material. This material capability is enormous for using it as an accurate and sensitive optical sensor, since gold owns a well-known surface chemistry with certain molecules, most of them biomolecules.