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- Andersson, Linnéa
(author)
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Exploring expandable microspheres as a novel pore former in gel-cast macroporous alumina
- 2008
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Licentiate thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Expandable microspheres have been explored as sacrificial templates for the production of macroporous ceramics. Concentrated alumina powder suspensions that contain expandable microspheres have been consolidated by gel-casting. The temperature range for the setting of the monomers and cross-linkers in the gel-casting system was tailored to allow the gas-filled polymer spheres to expand before the surrounding powder body became rigid. It has been demonstrated that it is possible to tune and tailor the porosity up to 86 % and the pore size distribution from 15 up to 150 micrometers by controlling the amount and size of the expandable microspheres. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the porosity became more and more open as the total porosity increased. This was corroborated by a preliminary study by X-ray µ Computed Tomography, which showed a very high connectivity between the pores, in a macroporous alumina body with a high porosity. The connectivity was reduced when alumina particles were deposited as a homogenous coating of on the expandable microspheres by a layer-by-layer coating process. The expandable microspheres has the advantage that a relatively low amount of organic material results in a large pore volume, which allow rapid and facile burn-out. It was demonstrated that the temperature induced expansion of the microspheres, and the associated increase of the suspension volume could be used as a novel casting method to yield macroporous alumina bodies with complex shapes. Ceramics produced with this method could find application ranging from bone scaffolds to low mass kiln furniture.
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- Andersson, Linnéa, et al.
(author)
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Gas-filled microspheres as an expandable sacrificial template for direct casting of complex-shaped macroporous ceramics
- 2008
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In: Journal of the European Ceramic Society. - : Elsevier BV. - 0955-2219 .- 1873-619X. ; 28:15, s. 2815-2821
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Expandable microspheres have been used as a sacrificial template to produce macroporous ceramic materials by a gel-casting process. The temperature range for the gel-casting process has been tuned to allow the gas-filled polymer spheres to expand prior to the setting of the powder body. It is demonstrated that by controlling the amount and size of the expandable microspheres it is possible to tune and tailor the porosity up to 86% and the pore size distribution from 15 up to 150 mu m. The expandable microspheres add a relatively low amount of organic material that allows rapid and facile burn-out. The temperature-induced expansion of the microspheres and the associated volume increase of the suspension has been used as a simple zero-pressure near-net shaping method to yield complex-shaped macroporous alumina bodies.
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- Kamae, Tuneyoshi, et al.
(author)
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PoGOLite - A high sensitivity balloon-borne soft gamma-ray polarimeter
- 2008
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In: Astroparticle physics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0927-6505 .- 1873-2852. ; 30:2, s. 72-84
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We describe a new balloon-borne instrument (PoGOLite) capable of detecting 10% polarisation from 200 mCrab point-like sources between 25 and 80 keV in one 6-h flight. Polarisation measurements in the soft gamma-ray band are expected to provide a powerful probe into high energy emission mechanisms as well as the distribution of magnetic fields, radiation fields and interstellar matter. Synchrotron radiation, inverse Compton scattering and propagation through high magnetic fields are likely to produce high degrees of polarisation in the energy band of the instrument. We demonstrate, through tests at accelerators, with radioactive sources and through computer simulations, that PoGOLite will be able to detect degrees of polarisation as predicted by models for several classes of high energy sources. At present, only exploratory polarisation measurements have been carried out in the soft gamma-ray band. Reduction of the large background produced by cosmic-ray particles while securing a large effective area has been the greatest challenge. PoGOLite uses Compton scattering and photo-absorption in an array of 217 well-type phoswich detector cells made of plastic and BGO scintillators surrounded by a BGO anticoincidence shield and a thick polyethylene neutron shield. The narrow Held of view (FWHM = 1.25 msr, 2.0 deg x 2.0 deg) obtained with detector cells and the use of thick background shields warrant a large effective area for polarisation measurements (similar to 228 cm(2) at E = 40 keV) without sacrificing the signal-to-noise ratio. Simulation studies for an atmospheric overburden of 3-4 g/cm(2) indicate that neutrons and gamma-rays entering the PDC assembly through the shields are dominant backgrounds. Off-line event selection based on recorded phototube waveforms and Compton kinematics reduce the background to that expected for a similar to 100 mCrab source between 25 and 50 keV. A 6-h observation of the Crab pulsar will differentiate between the Polar Cap/Slot Gap, Outer Gap, and Caustic models with greater than 5 sigma significance; and also cleanly identify the Compton reflection component in the Cygnus X-1 hard state. Long-duration flights will measure the dependence of the polarisation across the cyclotron absorption line in Hercules X-1. A scaled-down instrument will be flown as a pathfinder mission from the north of Sweden in 2010. The first science flight is planned to take place shortly thereafter.
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