Ultrasonic Gas Sensing by Two-Dimensional Surface Phononic Crystal Ring Resonators.

An acoustic ring resonator employing a two-dimensional surface phononic crystal is proposed for high-sensitivity detection in binary gas mixtures. Band analyses and frequency-domain simulations via the finite-element method reveal that a single band for spoof surface acoustic waves appears at ultrasonic frequencies around 58 kHz where modification of its dispersion due to varying gas composition results in a linear shift of the resonance frequency. The shift rate is -17.3 and 8.8 mHz/ppm for CO2 and CH4, respectively. The linear shift of resonance frequency is experimentally validated. In addition, the ring resonator can also be employed to track acoustic intensity variation with gas concentration, where exponentially decaying intensity for low concentrations leverages high-sensitivity operation.

Acoustic Tamm states of three-dimensional solid-fluid phononic crystals.

In this work, the existence and propagation of acoustic Tamm states at the interface of air and a face-centered cubic solid-fluid phononic crystal composed of spherical air voids interconnected by cylindrical air channels are demonstrated. Supercell band structure computations via the finite element method reveal surface bands for Tamm states on (100), (110), and (111) surfaces of the phononic crystal. The states decay sharply into the phononic crystal so that only a two-row slab is sufficient to guide them over the respective surfaces without leakage, as confirmed by finite element simulations. In addition, surface wave propagation along the [10] direction of the (100) surface is experimentally demonstrated. Ability to confine the Tamm states in all three dimensions is a key aspect in designing few-layer-thick acoustic circuits. Low material filling fraction of the phononic crystal could be leveraged to realize lightweight all-acoustic systems where either bulk or surface states can be incorporated.

Acoustophoretic separation of airborne millimeter-size particles by a Fresnel lens.

We numerically demonstrate acoustophoretic separation of spherical solid particles in air by means of an acoustic Fresnel lens. Beside gravitational and drag forces, freely-falling millimeter-size particles experience large acoustic radiation forces around the focus of the lens, where interplay of forces lead to differentiation of particle trajectories with respect to either size or material properties. Due to the strong acoustic field at the focus, radiation force can divert particles with source intensities significantly smaller than those required for acoustic levitation in a standing field. When the lens is designed to have a focal length of 100 mm at 25 kHz, finite-element method simulations reveal a sharp focus with a full-width at half-maximum of 0.5 wavelenghts and a field enhancement of 18 dB. Through numerical calculation of forces and simulation of particle trajectories, we demonstrate size-based separation of acrylic particles at a source sound pressure level of 153 dB such that particles with diameters larger than 0.5 mm are admitted into the central hole, whereas smaller particles are rejected. Besides, efficient separation of particles with similar acoustic properties such as polyethylene, polystyrene and acrylic particles of the same size is also demonstrated.

Phononic crystal surface mode coupling and its use in acoustic Doppler velocimetry.

It is numerically shown that surface modes of two-dimensional phononic crystals, which are Bloch modes bound to the interface between the phononic crystal and the surrounding host, can couple back and forth between the surfaces in a length scale determined by the separation of two surfaces and frequency. Supercell band structure computations through the finite-element method reveal that the surface band of an isolated surface splits into two bands which support either symmetric or antisymmetric hybrid modes. When the surface separation is 3.5 times the lattice constant, a coupling length varying between 30 and 48 periods can be obtained which first increases linearly with frequency and, then, decreases rapidly. In the linear regime, variation of coupling length can be used as a means of measuring speeds of objects on the order of 0.1m/s by incorporating the Doppler shift. Speed sensitivity can be improved by increasing surface separation at the cost of larger device sizes.

Effect of the lasers used in periodontal therapy on the surfaces of restorative materials.

The present study aimed to reveal potential damage of the lasers, which are used as an alternative to manual instruments in periodontal therapy, might cause to the surface of restorative materials. Four different restorative materials were used: a glass-ionomer cement (GIC), a flowable composite (FC), a universal composite (UC) and an amalgam. Ten cylindrical samples (8 mm × 2 mm) were prepared for each restorative material. Two laser systems were used in subgingival curettage mode; an 940 nm diode laser (Epic Biolase, Irvine, CA) and an Er,Cr:YSGG laser (Waterlase iPlus, Biolase, Irvine, CA). After laser irradiation, roughness of the sample surfaces was measured using a profilometer. Additionally, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses were performed to evaluate the morphology and surface deformations of the restorative materials and surfaces. The laser irradiation did not affect the surface roughness of any restorative materials relative to that of the control group (p > 0.05) except for the Er,Cr:YSGG treatment on GIC (p < 0.05). SEM and AFM images verified the results of the surface roughness tests. Within the limitations of the present study, it was demonstrated that Er,Cr:YSGG and diode lasers, aside from the Er;Cr:YSGG treatment on GIC, caused no harmful surface effects on adjacent restorative materials. SCANNING 38:227-233, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Sharp bends of phononic crystal surface modes.

Sharp bending of surface waves at the interface of a two-dimensional phononic crystal (PnC) of steel cylinders in air and the method of using a diagonally offset cylindrical scatterer are numerically demonstrated by finite-element method simulations. The radii of the diagonally offset scatterer and the cylinder at the PnC corner, along with the distance between them, are treated as optimization parameters in the genetic algorithm optimization of sharp bends. Surface wave transmittance of at most 5% for the unmodified sharp bend is significantly enhanced to approximately 75% as a result of optimization. A series of transmittance peaks whose maxima increase exponentially, as their widths reduce, with increasing frequency is observed for the optimized sharp bend. The transmittance peaks appear at frequencies corresponding to integer plus half-beat periods, depending on the finite surface length. The optimal parameters are such that the cylinder radius at the PnC corner is not significantly modified, whereas a diagonally offset scatterer having a diameter of almost two periods and a shortest distance of about 0.7 periods between them is required for the strongest transmittance peak. Utilization of PnC surface sharp bends as acoustic ring resonators is demonstrated.

Role of irradiation in the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles mediated by fig (Ficus carica) leaf extract.

Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles in an aqueous mixture of fig (Ficus carica) leaf extract and AgNO3 solution exposed to a set of irradiances at different wavelengths are studied. Nanoparticle formation for irradiances between 6.5 mW/cm(2) and 13.3 mW/cm(2) in the 330-550 nm wavelength range is investigated and the results are compared to those of the nanoparticles synthesized in the dark and under direct sunlight. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, along with particle size analysis and transmission electron microscopy are employed for the characterization of samples and extracts. Irradiance is found to have profound influence on the reduction rates. However, size and spherical shape of the nanoparticles are persistent, irrespective of irradiance and wavelength. Irradiance is discussed to influence the particle formation and aggregation rates through the formation of free radicals in the fig extract.

Acoustic waveguiding by pliable conduits with axial cross sections as linear waveguides in two-dimensional sonic crystals.

Pliable conduits composed of periodically arranged concentric aluminum tori in air, with their axial cross sections acting as linear waveguides in two-dimensional sonic crystals, are numerically shown to guide acoustic waves in three dimensions in a flexible manner. Waveguide band structures are obtained by exploiting axial symmetry in a super-cell approach through two-dimensional finite-element simulations under the periodic boundary conditions. One isolated band having a bandwidth of 19.66% or 10.10% is observed for each guide, whose cross section is either in square or triangular geometry, respectively. Corresponding mode profiles indicate efficient guiding, as the acoustic energy is mainly concentrated in the hollow-core region of the guides. Transmittance spectra calculated through finite-element simulations are in agreement with the computed guiding bands. Transmittance along the waveguides with square and triangular axial cross sections around mid-band frequencies of their guiding bands varies slightly from -6.05 and -6.65 dB to -5.98 and -8.86 dB, respectively, as the guide length is increased from 10 to 200 periods. Efficient guiding across the smooth bends over circular arcs up to 90 deg is also demonstrated through three-dimensional finite-element method simulations.

Refraction-based photonic crystal diode.

A system composed of air holes in a dielectric host to form two square photonic crystals, with the same orientation and lattice constant but different scatterer radii, making an interface along their body diagonals, is numerically demonstrated to facilitate unidirectional light transmission. Band structure computations are carried out via the plane wave expansion method, whereas finite-difference time-domain simulations are carried out to investigate the transient behavior. Unidirectional light transmission is achieved over two adjacent stop bands along the ΓX direction, which are circumvented in the forward direction by scaling down the wave vector and rotating the surface normal. Contrast ratios as high as 0.9 are attained within the lower stop band.

Polarization-independent waveguiding with annular photonic crystals.

A linear waveguide in an annular photonic crystal composed of a square array of annular dielectric rods in air is demonstrated to guide transverse electric and transverse magnetic modes simultaneously. Overlapping of the guided bands in the full band gap of the photonic crystal is shown to be achieved through an appropriate set of geometric parameters. Results of Finite-Difference Time-Domain simulations to demonstrate polarization-independent waveguiding with low loss and wavelength-order confinement are presented. Transmission through a 90 degrees bend is also demonstrated.