碲化铋基热电半导体晶体空间生长

碲化铋基热电半导体是中低温区高性能热电材料,在热电致冷、电子器件精确控温领域获得了重要应用,且在更多领域具有广泛应用前景.碲化铋基材料通常采用区熔法制备,材料的性能优值ZT约为0.8.应用要求进一步提高其ZT值.合金化和掺杂优化是提高碲化铋基材料性能的有效途径,但会使得材料的化学成分越来越复杂.重力条件下区熔的固有问题是,重力导致的浮力对流和壁附效应凸显,使区熔碲化铋基材料成分和性能波动较大.空间微重力可以消除重力导致的浮力对流和壁附效应,有望提高碲化铋基材料的成分均匀性和热电性能.本文根据碲化铋基材料空间微重力下区熔生长研究状况,对实践十号科学实验卫星和天宫二号空间实验室将开展的碲化铋基材料空间微重力区熔生长研究进行了分析.      

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.      

在空间微重力下生长碲镉汞晶体

本文叙述了我国首次在空间微重力下进行的碲镉汞(MCT)晶体生长试验及一些观测结果。生长是从熔体进行的。在空间90min的加热时间内,将MCT多晶试样熔化,然后随炉冷却,最后在地面上再结晶。于是,生长出约3cm长的晶体,其表面光滑.结构致密,无孔洞,由1～3个大晶粒组成,其中单晶占74%。X射线能量色散分析(EDS)表明,其径向组分均匀性优于±0.02,其中约1cm长的一段晶体的径向组分均匀性优于±0.01。电学特性与地面上生长的样品基本相同。     

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。      

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.      

微重力环境下植物培养箱设计

基于空间微重力下植物的生物学效应及其微重力信号转导研究需要,在微重力条件下培养拟南芥,获得经微重力条件生长的拟南芥样品.在空间实验过程中实时采集、存储和传输植物样品的数字图像,并根据生物样品的生长周期对生物样品进行低温固定和储存,再由返回式卫星带回地面,开展微重力植物生物学效应研究.      

空间微重力条件下碲镉汞晶体的布里支曼生长

在中国返回式卫星上进行了一台双温区空间晶体生长炉的搭载试验，成功地实现了空间微重力条件下碲镉汞晶体的布里支曼生长，取得了一些有意义的结果。文章介绍了这种晶体炉的设计和空间试验的过程；分析了回收样品的主要测试结果；并对空间材料加工装置的设计和一些相关工艺问题进行了讨论     

孤立气泡生长过程的短时微重力落塔实验研究

利用中国科学院国家微重力实验室北京落塔提供的3.6s微重力时间开展了短时微重力条件下的池沸腾实验研究, 分析了微重力条件下孤立的单个气泡生长过程特征. 实验中采用掺杂磷的N型光滑硅片作为加热面(加热片尺寸10mm×10mm×0.5mm), 以含气率0.0046 (气液摩尔分数比)的FC-72作为工质, 利用恒流源对加热片通电加热. 通过对实验观测到的单个气泡生长图像及相应传热数据分析可知, 经典传热机制控制的气泡生长模型可以描述其早期特征. 相关模型中经验参数的拟合结果在文献报道的数值范围内, 表明重力对气泡生长早期影响较小, 但较大的气泡尺寸可以提供更准确的数值结果.      

SJ-10卫星固体材料燃烧实验装置

为对微重力条件下固体材料着火和火焰传播特性进行研究,研制了实践十号（SJ-10）卫星固体材料燃烧实验装置.利用空间高真空条件,采用实验段内气体环境更新和控制技术,实现了在有限实验空间内对多个实验样品进行研究,并提供准确可控的实验环境条件（氧气浓度和气流速度）.通过地面试验验证,该装置可通过实验样品、氧气浓度、气流速度、点火方式等实验参数的灵活组合,实现空间实验机会的充分利用和预定科学目标.      

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.      

空间低温溶液晶体生长的地基实验

首次使用疏水型聚四氟乙烯微孔滤膜,利用其透气不透水的特性,密封晶体生长容器,采用恒温蒸发法进行晶体生长.溶剂通过蒸发离开生长容器后,被生长容器外的吸附剂吸附,使得溶液维持一定过饱和度,以实现单晶的连续生长.在此基础上研制出一套空间低温溶液晶体生长地基模拟装置.利用此装置进行了一系列地基模拟实验,获得一批高质量α-LiIO₃单晶,证实了该生长装置的溶剂蒸发量和容器密封性能够满足空间低温溶液晶体生长需要,为未来空间低温溶液晶体生长实验奠定了基础.      

Performance of a simple Closed Aquatic Ecosystem (CAES) in space.

A simple Closed Aquatic Ecosystem (CAES) consisting of single-celled green algae (Chlorella pyrenoidosa, producer), a spiral snail (Bulinus australianus, consumer) and a data acquisition and control unit was flown on the Chinese Spacecraft SHENZHOU-II in January 2001 for 7 days. In order to study the effect of microgravity on the operation of CAES, a 1 g centrifuge reference group in space, a ground 1 g reference group and a ground 1 g centrifuge reference group (1.4 g group) were run concurrently. Real-time data about algae biomass (calculated from transmission light intensity), temperature, light and centrifugation of the CAES were logged at minute intervals. It was found that algae biomass of both the microgravity group and the ground 1 g-centrifuge reference group (1.4 g) fluctuated during the experiment, but the algae biomass of the 1 g centrifuge reference group in space and the ground 1 g reference group increased during the experiment. The results may be attributable to influences of microgravity and 1.4 g gravity on the algae and snails metabolisms. Microgravity is the main factor to affect the operation of CAES in space and the contribution of microgravity to the effect was also estimated. These data may be valuable for the establishment of a complex CELSS in the future.     

"From seed-to-seed" experiment with wheat plants under space-flight conditions.

An important goal with plant experiments in microgravity is to achieve a complete life cycle, the "seed-to-seed experiment." Some Soviet attempts to reach this goal are described, notably an experiment with the tiny mustard, Arabidopsis thaliana, in the Phyton 3 device on Salyut 7. Normal seeds were produced although yields were reduced and development was delayed. Several other experiments have shown abnormalities in plants grown in space. In recent work, plants of wheat (Triticum aestivum) were studied on the ground and then in a preliminary experiment in space. Biometric indices of vegetative space plants were 2 to 2.5 times lower than those of controls, levels of chlorophyll a and b were reduced (no change in the ratio of the two pigments), carotenoids were reduced, there was a serious imbalance in major minerals, and membrane lipids were reduced (no obvious change in lipid patterns). Following the preliminary studies, an attempt was made with the Svetoblock-M growth unit to grow a super-dwarf wheat cultivar through a life cycle. The experiment lasted 167 d on Mir. Growth halted from about day 40 to day 100, when new shoots appeared. Three heads had appeared in the boot (surrounded by leaves) when plants were returned to earth. One head was sterile, but 28 seeds matured on earth, and most of these have since produced normal plants and seeds. In principle, a seed-to-seed experiment with wheat should be successful in microgravity.     

Effect of the space environment on the induction of DNA-repair related proteins and recovery from radiation damage.

Recovery of bacterial cells from radiation damage and the effects of microgravity were examined in an STS-79 Shuttle/Mir Mission-4 experiment using the extremely radioresistant bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans. The cells were irradiated with gamma rays before the space flight and incubated on board the Space-Shuttle. The survival of the wild type cells incubated in space increased compared with the ground controls, suggesting that the recovery of this bacterium from radiation damage was enhanced under microgravity. No difference was observed for the survival of radiosensitive mutant rec30 cells whether incubated in space or on the ground. The amount of DNA-repair related RecA protein induced under microgravity was similar to those of ground controls, however, induction of PprA protein, the product of a newly found gene related to the DNA repair mechanism of D. radiodurans, was enhanced under microgravity compared with ground controls.     

Solidification and Crystal Growth on the SJ-10 Recoverable Scientific Experiment Satellite

The low-gravity environment aboard the space provides a unique platform for understanding crystal-growth-related phenomena that are masked by gravity on the Earth and for exploring new crystal growth techniques. We have characterized the wetting behavior of metal alloys and carried out melt growth of compound semiconductors under the support of materials science program in the SJ-10 recoverable satellite. We found that interfacial reaction plays a significant role in the interfacial evolution of Sn-based alloys. Detached growth of InAsSb was realized under microgravity, whereas during the terrestrial experiment the crystal and the crucible wall contact with each other. Moreover, the suppression of buoyancy-driven convection results in a more uniform composition distribution in the InGaSb and Bi₂Te₃-based semiconductor alloys.