微重力下胶原蛋白纤维化及羟基磷灰石结晶的初步研究

在长期空间飞行过程中, 骨质丢失是一个严重问题. 羟基磷灰石(HAP)晶体是骨骼的主要成分, 骨骼中的胶原蛋白纤维在HAP生长结晶过程中起到关键作用. 研究了胶原蛋白纤维化过程在模拟微重力和常重力条件下的变化, 对以胶原 蛋白纤维作为模板生长出的HAP晶体形貌进行了观察. 结果表明, 不同浓度胶原蛋白溶液中形成的胶原蛋白纤维, 其内部孔隙数量和尺寸在模拟微重力条件下要明显大于常重力条件下, 胶原蛋白纤维内部孔隙的分布也不同于常重力条 件下的结果. 以模拟微重力条件下形成的胶原蛋白纤维为模板生长出的HAP 晶体主要为立方体状, 而以常重力条件下形成的胶原蛋白纤维为模板生长出的 HAP晶体形貌主要为板状. 该结果有助于未来进一步阐明空间骨质丢失的机理.      

天宫二号碲化锌晶体生长

在天宫二号飞船综合材料实验炉六工位采用碲熔剂法生长了碲化锌晶体,生长时最高温度为800℃,以0.5mm·h-1的提拉速度向炉膛内部提拉生长晶体.飞行实验后,用相同实验参数在地面进行了对比实验.结果发现,空间样品尾部有一个非常大的橙色结晶区域（约10mm×6mm×2mm）,而地面生长样品中碲化锌晶体尺寸仅为约3mm×3mm×1mm,空间生长的碲化锌晶粒尺寸明显优于地面.空间微重力环境下,由于毛细作用,空间样品的塞子处有Te和ZnTe的外延膜生成.而地面生长的锭条在塞子处只有零星点状气相生产物.因此微重力条件有利于碲化锌晶体材料的生长.      

航天简讯

航天简讯在“尤里卡”上成功地生长虾壳色素蛋白质晶体在空间制造虾壳色素的蛋白质晶体，是由欧空局（ＥＳＡ）的回收型试验卫星“尤里卡”完成的。在微重力条件下因无对流产生，和地面相比能产生粒子大的晶体。倘若能查明其结晶的立体结构，对人类研究蛋白质晶体是一大贡...     

微重力条件下红外材料的空间生长

根据近年红外材料在空间生长的研究概况,分析了涵盖熔体、气相、液相外延和分子束外延等生长方法及各个方法生长红外材料的基本原理,在地面生长遇到的问题,以及在空间微重力环境中进行红外材料生长的优势.同时基于中国利用熔体法在天宫二号上已经进行的ZnTe:Cu晶体的空间生长科学实验及地基实验结果,通过对空间和地面实验结果进行对比,提出了在超高真空环境下,利用分子束外延方式生长高性能、大尺寸红外材料的可能性,以及未来在空间微重力条件下进行红外材料生长的研究方向及具体应用.      

用国产装置进行的空间蛋白质结晶实验

使用国内研制的管式汽相扩散结晶装置,在我国返回式卫星上,成功地完成了两次空间蛋白质晶体生长实验,10种不同种类的蛋白质配制的48个样品在空间的出晶率分别达52%和80%,其中少数蛋白质生长出了较高质量的蛋白质晶体。结果表明,空间的微重力环境利于改善蛋白质晶体的生长,而且在结晶条件优化足够好的条件下,在空间里能生长出比地面晶体尺寸较大、形态较好和内部有序性较高的蛋白质晶体。本文还就微重力对蛋白质晶体生长的具体作用及其开发利用做了讨论。      

微重力下层流扩散火焰碳烟生成过程

根据详细的燃料氧化机理和多环芳烃生成机理，对乙烯同轴射流火焰在重力变化下碳烟生成情况进行计算.认为碳烟的初始成核是由两个较大的多环芳烃（PAH）二聚而成，碳烟的表面生长机理为HACA，凝结过程主要考虑PAH与碳烟的碰撞吸附，碳烟生长和氧化过程耦合在分节气溶胶模型中.计算结果表明，微重力条件下乙烯同轴射流火焰峰值温度下降230K，碳烟浓度显著增加，且浓度峰值在微重力条件下更加偏离中心线.分析重力变化对碳烟前驱体乙炔和多环芳烃的分布、初始成核速率、表面生长速率及凝结速率的影响.结果表明碳烟在中心轴线上主要是通过凝结过程生成的，且微重力条件下PAH在碳烟表面的凝结更加重要.由于微重力条件下停留时间更长，导致碳烟直径更大.      

CsI(Eu)晶体空间生长地面实验

人工晶体在高技术领域具有十分重要的应用.在多组分晶体生长过程中,由于分凝的存在,会导致成分沿晶体生长方向产生变化,从而影响到晶体性能的均匀性,对应用产生不利影响.为研究微重力对多组分晶体分凝的影响,利用天宫二号卫星进行空间晶体生长实验.结合晶体生长特性和天宫二号综合材料实验装置的技术条件,确定以铕掺杂CsI晶体为研究对象.在地面研制阶段,CsI（Eu）晶体样品顺利通过力学环模试验,并在地面实验中生长出质量较高的CsI晶体,样品中存在明显的组分分凝.      

带有补片电极的矩形AT切石英片的厚度切变、厚度扭转和弯曲振动

本文研究了补片《矩形》电极尺寸和质量对镀膜矩形晶体片的振动和能陷的影响。文中采用晶体片振动的Mindlin二维近似方程来保留厚度切变、厚度扭转和弯曲的耦合膜。通过采用位移公式以有限元法获得数值解,此解满足晶体片的边缘静止条件和在晶体片镀膜与非镀膜交界处的应力和位移的连续条件。文內对位置对称的补片电极矩形AT切石英片进行了数值计算,获得了晶体片和电极不同尺寸和不同质量时的谐振频率及其相应的二维振动膜。Mindlin和Lee,Lee和Spencer及Tiersten把计算结果同现有的分析结果做了比较,而Curran和Koneval把计算结果与实验数据进行了比较。所得二维Bechmann数基本上取决于三个参数:电极长度与晶体片厚度之比;电极宽度与晶体片厚度之比;以及电极质量与晶体单位面积质量之比。     

航天之窗

我国近几年多次运用卫星搭载空间晶体炉在微重力条件下获得用于卫星通讯、微波通讯的优质砷化镓单晶。我国的空间晶体炉,具有功耗低、效率高、炉膛温度高的特点,以很低的成本获得了世界第一块空间生长的砷化镓。科学家还利用空间晶体悬浮重熔生长炉,首次在空间生长出半绝缘体砷化镓单晶。最近搭载的空间大直径晶体功率移动生长炉获得了世界上首次公开报道     

浮力效应对射流扩散火焰转捩特性影响的实验研究

对不同空气伴流速度下丙烷层流射流火焰向湍流火焰的转捩过程进行实验观测，分析伴流对火焰转捩行为及稳定性的影响.相对于静止环境中的射流火焰，较大速度的伴流可以减小浮力效应对射流扩散火焰转捩过程的影响，使火焰发生转捩的临界Reynolds数（Re_cr）增大，即火焰推迟转捩.但当伴流速度较小时，Re_cr保持不变，转捩过程中的射流火焰发生周期性振荡，振荡幅度随着伴流速度的增大而减小，继续增大伴流速度，火焰振荡的周期性最终消失，转而呈现随机性.实验还发现，喷嘴直径较大的扩散火焰的Re_cr更大.考虑到火焰对燃料射流局部流动状态的影响，对此现象进行了解释.      

Crystallization of calcium phosphate in microgravity.

Dilute solutions of CaCl2 and KH2PO4 + K2HPO4 were diffusing from either side into a mixing chamber with KCl solution. The microgravity experiment yielded aggregates of large crystals of OCP (Ca8H2(PO4)3,5H2O) and spherolites of smaller, but still visible crystals of HAP (Ca5OH(PO4)3), the stable final phase. Ground-based experiments yielded submicroscopic HAP crystals. Results of calculations of diffusion and crystal growth on the basis of previous knowledge agree well with observations.     

基于紫外纳米压印光刻的氟化混合物模板制备

不同特征尺度和不同周期的氟化混合物软复制模板通过使用硅主模板和紫外纳米压印光刻技术制备而成。与聚二甲基硅氧烷和其它聚合物材料比较,此处使用的光刻胶拥有优良的性能,比如优良的机械强度,低表面能和良好的热稳定性。在紫外和热纳米压印工艺中,主模板被用作印章。实验结果表明,转移到基底上的图案与主模板非常一致。所制备的氟化混合物复制模板不仅仅适合紫外纳米压印,也适用于热纳米压印,并且所加工的复制模板还被用于制备光电器件以实现传感、成像、探测、通信和数据存储等领域中的相关功能。     

Use of lunar regolith as a substrate for plant growth.

Regenerative Life Support Systems (RLSS) will be required to regenerate air, water, and wastes, and to produce food for human consumption during long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars. It may be possible to supplement some of the materials needed for a lunar RLSS from resources on the Moon. Natural materials at the lunar surface may be used for a variety of lunar RLSS needs, including (i) soils or solid-support substrates for plant growth, (ii) sources for extraction of essential, plant-growth nutrients, (iii) substrates for microbial populations in the degradation of wastes, (iv) sources of O2 and H2, which may be used to manufacture water, (v) feed stock materials for the synthesis of useful minerals (e.g., molecular sieves), and (vi) shielding materials surrounding the outpost structure to protect humans, plants, and microorganisms from harmful radiation. Use of indigenous lunar regolith as a terrestrial-like soil for plant growth could offer a solid support substrate, buffering capacity, nutrient source/storage/retention capabilities, and should be relatively easy to maintain. The lunar regolith could, with a suitable microbial population, play a role in waste renovation; much like terrestrial waste application directly on soils. Issues associated with potentially toxic elements, pH, nutrient availability, air and fluid movement parameters, and cation exchange capacity of lunar regolith need to be addressed before lunar materials can be used effectively as soils for plant growth.     

Protein crystal growth--microgravity aspects.

Protein crystals, grown under reduced gravity conditions, are either superior or inferior in their structural perfection than their Earth-grown counterparts. A reduction of the crystals' quality due to low-gravity effects on the growth processes cannot be understood from existing models. In this paper we put forth a rationale which predicts either advantages or disadvantages of microgravity growth. This rationale is based on the changes in the effective solute and impurity supply rates in microgravity and their effects on the intrinsic growth rate fluctuations that arise from the coupling of bulk transport to nonlinear interfacial kinetics and cause severe inhomogeneities. Depending on the specific diffusivity and kinetic coefficient of a protein and the impurities in the solution, either transport enhancement through forced flow or transport suppression under reduced gravity can result in a reduction of the kinetic fluctuations and, thus, growth with higher structural perfection. Investigating this mechanism of microgravity effects, we first demonstrate a one-to-one correspondence between these fluctuations, that are due to the bunching of growth steps, and the formation of defects in the crystals. We have confirmed the forced flow aspects of this rationale in ground-based experiments with lysozyme utilizing flowing solutions with varying, well characterized impurity contents.     

Crystallization of germanium-silicon solid solution from the vapour phase in microgravity conditions

Mass transport has been investigated in the closed system Ge-Si-Br used for preparing germanium-silicon solid solution crystals by chemical transport reaction method in space. It has been shown that the experimental rate of mass transport may be analytically described in proposing a pure diffusion mechanism. In space, growth of needles and whiskers occured without practically formation of a polycrystalline layer characteristic of on-earth experiments.     

Travelling heater growth of GaSb under reduced gravity during the first spacelab-mission

Single crystals of binary III-V-semiconductors, e.g. GaAs or InP, are important basic materials for optoelectronic devices, e.g. LED's and lasers. Device production needs highly perfect substrate crystals with low defect densities and homogeneous dopant distributions. In our experiment we applied the Travelling-Heater-Method to grow the III-V compound GaSb. The aim of this research project was to improve the crystal quality by investigating convective transport phenomena and the origins of dopant inhomogeneities under earth and space conditions. Earth grown crystals show strong dopant variations mainly due to convective flow phenomena. The preliminary result of our SPACELAB 1 experiment reveals an increase of dopant homogeneity in the space grown crystal because of the absence of natural convection under reduced gravity.     

高位垂直进气旋转盘非稳态换热的实验研究

用实验的方法对高位垂直进气的转静系旋转盘在非稳态情况下的流动与换热特性进行了研究,主要研究了冷气流量系数和旋转雷诺数的变化对盘面温度和平均努塞尔数的影响.结果发现:冷气流量的改变对盘面的换热影响非常明显,盘面各点温度随时间的变化率是相同的;旋转雷诺数增加使盘面平均努塞尔数增大,旋转雷诺数变化的方式导致盘缘区域温度随时间的变化率与中心区域的不同.      

EFFECTS OF CONVECTIVE FLUID MOTION UPON OXIDE CRYSTAL GROWTH IN HIGH TEMPERATURE SOLUTION

For understanding of the influence of convective flow on crystal growth, space high temperature in situ observation instrument (SHITISOI) is dedicated to visualize and record the whole growth process of oxide crystals in high temperature up to 1000°C. Model experiments using transparent liquids such as KNbO3 and a mix ture of Li2B4O7+KNbO3 were chosen to investigate effects on ground and in space.On the earth, an investigation of growth kinetics of KNbO3 crystal related to two different states of convection: diffusive-advective flow and diffusive-convective flow,has been performed. The per unit length of a step e is calculated from the exper imental data for two different states of convection. Analyses of these data show the effect of buoyancy convection is to enhance the sharpness of the interface. The growth of KNbO3 crystals from solution of KNbO3+Li2B4O7 was investigated in space. The streamlines of the steady thermocapillary convection in Li2B4O7 solvent was observed. Due to thermocapillary convection, KNbO3 crystal grains grew and filled the whole solution homogeneously. Earth-based quenching experiments are de signed in order to study polyhedral instability of KNbO3 crystal, which is controlled by diffusion mechanism limitation. In all cases, when the crystal was nucleated near air/solution surface, it lost its polyhedral stability and varied from polyhedrons to dedrites. The thickness of diffusion mechanism limitation layer is about 60μm.     

Thermal properties of molten InSb,GaSb, and InxGa1−xSb alloy semiconductor materials in preparation for crystal growth experiments on the international space station

The thermal properties of InSb, GaSb and In_xGa_1−xSb, such as the viscosity, wetting property, and evaporation rate, were investigated in preparation for the crystal growth experiment on the International Space Station (ISS). The viscosity of InGaSb, which is an essential property for numerical modeling of crystal growth, was evaluated. In addition, the wetting properties between molten In_xGa_1−xSb and quartz, BN, graphite, and C-103 materials were investigated. The evaporation rate of molten In_xGa_1−xSb was measured to determine the affinity of different sample configurations. From the measurements, it was found that the viscosity of In_xGa_1−xSb was between that of InSb and GaSb. The degree of wetting reaction between molten In_xGa_1−xSb and the C-103 substrate was very high, whereas that between molten In_xGa_1−xSb and quartz, BN, and graphite substrates was very low. The results suggest that BN and graphite can be used as materials to cover InSb and GaSb samples inside a quartz ampoule during the microgravity experiments. In addition, the difference of the evaporation rate of molten In_xGa_1−xSb, GaSb, and InSb was small at low, and large at high temperature.