Journal articles on the topic 'Thin Films for Radar Absorbing Structures'

Microwave radar absorbing materials have been the focus of the radar stealth research field. In this study, ceramic structured porous honeycomb-like Al2O3 film was prepared by anodic oxidation, and an Ni layer was deposited on the Al2O3 film via electrodeposition in a neutral environment to form a flower- and grain-like structure in a three-dimensional (3D) network Ni/Al2O3/Ni film. The films both have a through-hole internal structure, soft magnetic properties, and absorb microwaves. The dielectric loss values of two films were little changed, and the maximum microwave absorption values of flower- and grain-like Ni/Al2O3/Ni film were −45.3 and −31.05 dB with relatively wide effective bandwidths, respectively. The porous ceramic structure Al2O3 interlayer prevented the reunion of Ni and isolated the eddy current to improve the microwave absorption properties. The material presented in our paper has good microwave absorption performance with a thin thickness, which indicates the potential for lightweight and efficient microwave absorption applications.

A technique for calculating the electric field in interference coatings is described. The technique is used to find areas in the coating structure with electric field minima. Thin absorbing metal films are introduced into these areas during design. The results of calculating the transmission spectra of narrow-band interference filters with absorbing metal films are presented. It is shown that such metal-dielectric thin-film structures block radiation in the long-wavelength region of the spectrum.

A technique for calculating the electric field in interference coatings is described. The technique is used to find areas in the coating structure with electric field minima. Thin absorbing metal films are introduced into these areas during design. The results of calculating the transmission spectra of narrow-band interference filters with absorbing metal films are presented. It is shown that such metal-dielectric thin-film structures block radiation in the long-wavelength region of the spectrum. Keywords: electromagnetic field amplitude, narrow-band interference filters, spectra, films, absorption, transmission.

Formation of the ternary compound Cu3BiS3 during annealing of chemically deposited CuS (∼0.3 μm) films on Bi2S3 film (∼0.1 μm on glass substrate) is reported. The interfacial atomic diffusion leading to the formation of the compound during the annealing is indicated in x-ray photoelectron depth profile spectra of the films. The formation of Cu3BiS3 (Wittichenite, JCPDS 9-488) is confirmed by the x-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. The films are optically absorbing in the entire visible region (absorption coefficient 4 × 104 cm−1 at 2.48 eV or 0.50 μm) and are p-type with electrical conductivity of 102−103 Ω−1 cm−1. Potential applications of these films as optical coatings in the control of solar energy transmittance through glazings and as a p-type absorber film in solar cell structures are indicated.

A combined radar-absorbent coating on a solid metal surface was studied. The structure of such coatings was developed, an experimental investigation of their frequency dependences was conducted, and scattering diagrams of both the combined surface and its constituents were obtained. The research findings of attenuating abilities for the proposed multi-layer structures are demonstrated. Keywords: Diagram of scattering, reflection of electromagnetic waves, metamaterials, ultrathin conductive films, combined coatings.

The paper presents experimental and theoretical results on the surface topography of thin aluminum films. The ambiguous topology dynamics of the thin-film structure is represented as a function of the increase in the bulk mass of the deposited material, which leads to an occasional rise in roughness reaching its maximum at a film thickness of 7 nm. At same time on the same thickness of the conductive layer the maximum of the absorption coefficient variability is observed. A theoretical analysis of the optical coefficients depending on the size of the conductive film substantiated the existence of extremes, but at smaller thicknesses.

We demonstrate a simple method for fabricating multilayer thin films containing ferrite (Co0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4) nanoparticles, using layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly. These films have microwave absorbing properties for possible radar absorbing and stealth applications. To demonstrate incorporation of inorganic ferrite nanoparticles into an electrostatic-interaction-based LbL self-assembly, we fabricated two types of films: (1) a blended three-component LbL film consisting of a sequential poly(acrylic acid)/oleic acid-ferrite blend layer and a poly(allylamine hydrochloride) layer and (2) a tetralayer LbL film consisting of sequential poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride), poly(sodium-4-sulfonate), bPEI-ferrite, and poly(sodium-4-sulfonate) layers. We compared surface morphologies, thicknesses, and packing density of the two types of ferrite multilayer film. Ferrite nanoparticles (Co0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4) were prepared via a coprecipitation method from an aqueous precursor solution. The structure and composition of the ferrite nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. X-ray diffraction patterns of ferrite nanoparticles indicated a cubic spinel structure, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy revealed their composition. Thickness growth and surface morphology were measured using a profilometer, atomic force microscope, and scanning electron microscope.

Surface morphologies, light harvesting abilities, crystal structures, and excitonic properties of the formamiminium lead triiodide (FAPbI3) based alloy perovskite thin films were investigated by using the scanning electron microscopic images, absorbance spectra, X-ray diffraction patterns, photoluminescence (PL) spectra and time-resolved PL decaying curves. Our experimental results show that the fresh CsxFA1−xPbI3, RbxFA1−xPbI3, and FAPb(SCNxI1−x)3 alloy thin films are a pure α-phase perovskite crystal, a α-phase: δ-phase mixed perovskite crystal, and a PbI2 crystal/α-phase: δ-phase mixed perovskite crystal at room temperatures, respectively. Among the three FAPbI3 based alloy perovskite solar cells, the Cs1−xFAxPbI3 solar cells have the better photovoltaic responses. It is noted that the high photocurrent density is mainly due to the formation of cube-like surface morphology and the long carrier lifetime of 368 ns when the Cs1−xFAxPbI3 alloy perovskite thin film is used as the light-absorbing layer. Our findings provide the relation between the properties of the FAPbI3 based alloy perovskite thin films and the photovoltaic responses of the resultant solar cells.

We propose in this paper a novel hybrid numerical modeling method for computing electromagnetic scattering from inhomogeneous targets containing honeycomb structures. In the proposed approach, the whole honeycomb structure is divided into the inner and outer two subregions. Each thin wall of a unit cell in the outer subregion is replaced by a zero-thickness surface, with the aid of a resistive sheet boundary condition (RSBC) to describe the electric and magnetic field discontinuities across the surface. Each unit cell in the inner subregion is homogenized by using the Hashin–Shtrikman and the Mori–Tanaka formulae. The two subregions are further divided into smaller subdomains by introducing the Robin-type transmission condition to couple subregion interfaces, as well as subdomain interfaces. The whole solution region is then discretized and solved using the nonconformal domain decomposition-based hybrid finite element–boundary integral–multilevel fast multipole algorithm (FE-BI-MLFMA). The numerical results demonstrate that the proposed approach exhibits a high accuracy, efficiency, and flexibility. Solutions of scattering by a wing-like object and a practical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) model with honeycomb radar-absorbing structures are presented, showing the superior performance of the proposed algorithm.

In order to extend the performance of radar absorbing materials, it is necessary to design new structures with wideband properties and large angles of incidence which are also as thin as possible. The objective of this work, realized within the framework of the SAFAS project (self-complementary surface with low signature) is, then, the development of an ultra-wideband microwave absorber of low thickness. The design of such material requires a multilayered structure composed with dielectric layers, metasurfaces, and wide-angle impedance matching layers. This solution has been realized with on-the-shelf materials, and measured to validate the concept. At normal incidence, the bandwidth ratio, defined for a magnitude of the reflection coefficient below −10 dB, is 4.7:1 for an absorber with a total thickness of 11.5 mm, which corresponds to λ/7 at the lowest operating frequency. For an incidence of 60°, this bandwidth ratio is reduced to 3.8:1, but the device remains ultra-wideband.

ABSTRACT Three II-VI wide bandgap compound semiconductors have been investigated for surface passivation of various photovoltaic devices. First part of this work focuses on the surface passivation of HgCdTe IR detectors using CdTe. A new metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) process has been developed that involves depositing CdTe films at much lower temperature (< 175°C) than the conventional processes used till now. Deposition rate as high as 420nm/h was obtained using this novel experimental setup. Favorable conformal coverage on high aspect ratio HgCdTe devices along with a significant minority carrier lifetime improvement was obtained. Another II-VI semiconductor, namely, CdS was investigated as a surface passivant for HgCdTe IR detectors. It was deposited by MOCVD as well as atomic layer deposition (ALD) and was studied for optimal conformal coverage on high aspect ratio structures. Surface passivation of p-type Si wafer has also been demonstrated using p-ZnTe grown by MOCVD, for possible application in solar cells. Preliminary work showed a remarkable improvement in the minority carrier lifetime of Si light absorbing layer after passivation with a thin layer of ZnTe.

A type of infrared (IR) broadband metamaterial absorbers with several typical features, such as a relatively strong IR radiation absorption, an ultrathin functioned architecture, and a layered configuration of graphene-Si3N4 films, are proposed. The principal metamaterial absorbers are constructed by alternating configuring the core film consisting of a graphene sheet and a Si3N4 dielectric layer, which are also back attached by a thin Cu substrate. The layered graphene-Si3N4/Cu architecture already experimentally achieves an average IR absorption of ∼86.71% in a wide wavelength range of 1-14 µm according to simulations and actual measurements. And their IR absorbance can also be easily adjusted by suitably matching the layer number of the graphene-Si3N4 film or applying a set of bias voltages over the functioned graphene sheets constructed. The developed metamaterial absorbers can tolerate a relatively wide beam incident angle range of 0°-80°. The improved IR absorbing architecture also presents a polarization-independent character. Finally, it is given that the addition of various superstructures to the incident surface of the structure guarantees a very high average absorption of the structure while changing the absorption peak of the structure. It is discussed that this design can be used as a substrate for different super-surface structures to ensure their very high absorption in the infrared band. The proposed IR absorbing approach will highlight the continuous development of the IR radiation absorption technique in a broad application field.

All of the TiO2 films including intrinsic TiO2 film, Zn single doped film with 2.0 at% content and N doped films with 4.0 at%, 6.0 at%, 8.0 at% and 10.0 at% content, were obtained by butyl titanate (Ti(OC4H9)4) as a titanium source, zinc nitrate (Zn(NO3)2·6H2O) as zinc source and urea (H2 NCONH2) as nitrogen source, which was calcined at 600 °C on the glass substrate and Si substrate using sol–gel spin coating method. The structures, morphology and optical properties of various films were analyzed and studied by X ray diffract meter (XRD), ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer (UV-Vis) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results indicated that the main crystal plane of TiO2 film was (101) and any impurity crystal plane didn't appear. All samples had obvious red shifts in the absorbing edge overall and reduced significantly the width of forbidden band, especially, the N doping content with 8.0 at% was surprised to investigate the strongest (101) peak intensity, the sharpest peak type, the best meritocratic orientation, the greatest red shift of the absorption spectrum, the lowest optical band gap value of 3.356 eV, and the highest utilization rate of visible light of the sample. However, the surface morphology of the others films except the N doping content with 8.0 at% is not further improved by co-doping, that is, their surfaces were still rough, had obvious voids and uneven distribution between the grains. Meanwhile, the intensity of the (101) crystalline diffraction peaks of these samples were reduced and the crystalline spacing generally increased after co-doping.

Conventional radar absorbent materials (RAM) such as iron ball (carbonyl iron) and carbon black prove less effective against modern homing devices specially those which operate at low frequency microwaves. Hybrid nanoparticles based on ferrite are found to be more suitable for such applications. Iron (Fe) coated carbon nanoparticles can also be successfully used for conducting, sensing and electromagnetic shielding or radar absorbent applications. Among the carbon nanoparticles, nanographite has its potential for such applications because of its conductivity, nanomagnetism and layered structure. Therefore, nanographite coated with Fe , nickel (Ni) or chromium is an attractive choice for microwave absorbing material. In the present study, Fe coating has been carried out on acid functionalized nanographite by a simple and novel fluidized bed electroplating process. The acid functionalization helps to adhere the coating on the nanographite surface. The electroplating of Fe–Ni alloys is recognized as an anomalous co-deposition and is characterized by a preferential deposition of the less noble metal Fe , even when the concentration of Ni in the bath was higher than that of Fe . The efficiency of the electrolytic coating of powdered material is strongly affected by the applied current density, the rotation speed, the average size of the particles and the density of the electrolyte-powder suspension. The nanoparticles were further dispersed in polyurethane matrix and cast into nanocomposite films. The microwave absorption property observed in the frequency range 300 MHz to 1.5 GHz shows that a very thin coating of Fe–Ni helps to absorb the microwave quite efficiently. Fe–Ni coated functionalized nanographite synthesized by this method is thus an effective microwave absorbent material and can find potential use in several defence applications as specialty coatings for fighter aircrafts/radomes and other coated textiles used for aerial surveillance etc.

Purpose This paper aims to synthesise and evaluate the properties of a novel smart material consisting of a metal-free organic black pigment with a unique chromophore for bifunctional applications in optoelectronics. Design/methodology/approach A robust and highly efficient organic reaction, namely, a double [2 + 2] cycloaddition, was deployed to transform a rod-like structure for charge-transfer applications to a strongly conjugated light-absorbing molecule for both optical and electronic applications. Findings The synthesis and characterisation of an air-stable metal-free black pigment is reported, which contains an unconventional donor–acceptor panchromatic chromophore with an absorption window spanning 600 nm; the compound was synthetically converted from an organic semiconducting molecular rod and retains strong charge-transfer properties. The chromophore comprises tetracyanoquinodimethane adduct on either side of a dithienothiophenyl core, capped with hexyl thiophenes that ensure solubility in common organic solvents. Its propensity to form excellent thin films on different substrates such as glass and paper, with a total opacity in organic solvent, gives it the potential for wide-ranging applications in organic optoelectronics. Research limitations/implications The synthetic chemistry and fundamental properties are investigated in the present study, with more detailed treatments and analysis to be soon developed. One leading smart material is presented, with further derivatives under investigation. Practical implications The work presented shows the possibility of converting structures from one application to another with relative ease, but how they retain properties for both, using well-known and facile conditions. Originality/value The structures are novel and an enhanced air-stable organic panchromatic chromophore is reported for processing in common organic solvents.

Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are an attractive third-generation material for photovoltaics due to their solution-processability, lightweight and flexible nature, and bandgap tunability, allowing them to be used as infrared materials for multi-junction solar cells. Here, we describe several methods for building new lead sulfide-based CQD materials and thin films for improving efficiencies in both single-junction and multi-junction solar cells. First, we demonstrate that the power conversion efficiency in single-junction PbS CQD solar cells is limited in part by the performance of the hole transport layer (HTL), traditionally made from ethanedithiol-passivated lead sulfide CQDs, due to the sub-optimal carrier mobility and doping density in this material. We use sulfur doping of the HTL, as well as incorporation of 2D transition metal dichalcogenide nanoflakes to address these issues and demonstrate absolute power conversion efficiency improvements of greater than 1% in single-junction devices. Next, we demonstrate a micrometer-resolution 2D characterization method with millimeter-scale field of view for assessing CQD solar cell film quality and uniformity. Our instrument simultaneously collects photoluminescence spectra, photocurrent transients, and photovoltage transients. We use this high-resolution morphology mapping to quantify the distribution and strength of the local optoelectronic property variations in CQD solar cells due to film defects, physical damage, and contaminants across nearly the entire test device area, and the extent to which these variations account for overall performance losses. We also use the massive data sets produced by this method to train machine learning models that take as input simple illuminated current-voltage measurements and output complex underlying materials parameters, greatly simplifying the characterization process for optoelectronic devices. Finally, we use artificial photonic band engineering as a method for achieving spectral selectivity in absorbing PbS CQD thin films for applications in multi-junction photovoltaics. We show that a structured periodic CQD thin film is able to maintain a photonic band structure, including the existence of a reduced photonic density of states, in the presence of weak material absorption, enabling modification of the absorption, transmission, and reflection spectra. We use a machine learning-based inverse design process to generate CQD thin film photonic structures with targeted absorption, transmission, and reflection spectra for multi-junction photovoltaics and narrow bandwidth photodetectors.

Polyvinyl chloride is used in the manufacturing of a wide range of products, but it is susceptible to degradation if exposed to high temperatures and sunlight. There is therefore a need to continuously explore the design, synthesis, and application of new and improved additives to reduce the photodegradation of polyvinyl chloride in harsh environments and for outdoor applications. This research investigates the use of new norfloxacin–tin complexes as additives to inhibit the photodegradation of polyvinyl chloride to make it last longer. Reactions between norfloxacin and substituted tin chlorides, in different molar ratios and in methanol under reflux conditions, gave the corresponding organotin complexes in high yields. The chemical structures of the synthesized complexes were established, and their effect on the photodegradation of polyvinyl chloride due to ultraviolet-visible irradiation was investigated. Norfloxacin–tin complexes were added to polyvinyl chloride at very low concentrations and homogenous thin films were made. The films were irradiated for a period of up to 300 h, and the damage that occurred was assessed using infrared spectroscopy, polymeric materials weight loss, depression in molecular weight, and surface inspection. The degree of photodegradation in the polymeric materials was much less in the blends containing norfloxacin–tin complexes compared to the case where no additives were used. The use of the additives leads to a reduction in photodegradation (e.g., a reduction in the formation of short-chain polymeric fragments, weight loss, average molecular weight depletion, and roughness factor) of irradiated polyvinyl chloride. The norfloxacin–tin complexes contain aromatic moieties (aryl and heterocycle), heteroatoms (nitrogen, oxygen, and fluorine), and an acidic center (tin atom). Therefore, they act as efficient photostabilizers by absorbing the ultraviolet radiation and scavenging hydrogen chloride, peroxides, and radical species, thereby slowing the photodegradation of polyvinyl chloride.

We present a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) structure based on Kretschmann configuration incorporating bimetallic layers of noble (Ag) and magnetic materials (Ni) over CaF2 prism. Extensive numerical analysis based on transfer matrix theory has been performed to characterize the sensor response considering sensitivity, full width at half maxima, and minimum reflection. Notably, the proposed structure, upon suitably optimizing the thickness of bimetallic layer provides consistent enhancement of sensitivity over other competitive SPR structures. Hence we believe that this proposed SPR sensor could find the new platform for the medical diagnosis, chemical examination and biological detection. Full Text: PDF ReferencesJ. Homola, S.S. Yee, G. Gauglitz, "Surface plasmon resonance sensor based on planar light pipe: theoretical optimization analysis", Sens. Actuators B Chem. 54, 3 (1999). CrossRef X.D. Hoa, A.G. Kirk, M. 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Thin glass-fiber/epoxy-composite sheets filled with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are manufactured to make lightweight honeycomb sandwich microwave absorbers. A multilayered sandwich structure of thin nanocomposite sheets and honeycomb spacers have been also proposed and developed to work in a wide frequency range. The nanocomposite sheets are prepared from 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 wt. % of MWCNTs. A commercially available simulation software computer simulation technology (CST) microwave studio was used for the designing and development of radar absorbing structure (RAS) composed of MWCNTs/glass-fiber/epoxy-composite sheets and honeycomb cores. The measurements of return loss (RL) from sandwich structures with 5 mm and 20 mm honeycomb cores in the Ku band (11–17 GHz) show that maximum RL is achieved at 11 GHz and 16 GHz, respectively. The stacking of three nanocomposite sheets and three 5 mm-thick honeycomb spacers produced a wide band microwave absorber with −10 dB RL over 9 GHz bandwidth.

AbstractWe have grown epitaxial thin films of LiTaO3 on various substrates. LiTaO3 grows epitaxially on (111) GaAs and forms a waveguide with its underlying buffer layer of MgO, providing a desirable structure for monolithic integration. LiTaO3 grows on LiNbO3 with a buffer layer of magnesium niobate or magnesium tantalate to form an optical waveguide structure having good lattice matching and pronounced differences in refractive index. This heterostructure has the potential for reducing crystal imperfection of waveguides and improving optical confinement. We also describe a multilayer structure using an epitaxial conducting layer as a bottom electrode to grow a nonlinear optical waveguide on LiNbO3 for waveguide switching and modulation. Both light-absorbing metals and transparent metallic oxides are employed. Ion channeling and x-ray diffraction reveal high crystalline quality of the hetero-epitaxial structures. The influence of surface polarity, thermal expansion, and lattice matching on waveguiding LiTaO3 thin films is addressed.

Many metal oxide heterostructures have been synthesized as mixed oxides or layered structures for photocatalytic, photodegradation of pollutants and light-harvesting applications. However, in the layered structures the effects of interfacial properties and composition have largely not been explored. Hence, the effects of interfacial mixing and diffusion of sandwiched thin CuO layer on optical absorption of as-deposited and heat-treated multi-layered structured SnO2/CuO/SnO2 films were studied. The RBS analysis of the as-deposited films showed the presence of a minute amount of Cu in the surface and bottom SnO2 layers of the structure. We attributed this to inhomogeneous layer thickness evidenced by very low Sn/Cu atoms ratio of the CuO layer. However, the thermal treatment of the layered structure led to pronounced interlayer mixing and consequent formation of SnO2-CuO solid solutions throughout the layered structure. The layer integrity of the inserted CuO of the as-deposited films was very high and the as-deposited structure was far more optically absorbing. However, the annealed structure showed lesser optical absorption because of the onset of interfacial mixing and improved crystallization. This reflected in the optical bandgap variations of the as-deposited and annealed multilayered structures. The significance of this result is that the multi-layered films possess band narrowing – evidence of increased photon absorption - making it a better candidate than pure SnO2 oxide for photocatalysis, photodegradation and photodetection applications. It also pointed to the fact that attention must be paid to effects of heat treatments or annealing when inserting an absorbing layer into a photocatalyst or a material meant for photodegradation or any light-harvesting material.

Abstract The intense pulsed light (IPL) post-treatment process has attracted great attention in the device fabrication due to its versatility and rapidity particularly for solution process functional structures in devices, flexible/printed electronics, and continuous manufacturing process. The metal oxide materials inherently have multi-functionality and have been widely used in form of thin films or nanostructures in device application such as thin-film transistors, light-emitting diodes, solar cells, supercapacitors, etc. The IPL treatment enhances the physical and/or chemical properties of the functional metal oxide through photothermal effects. However, most metal oxides are transparent to most range of visible light and require more energy for post-treatment. In this review, we have summarized the IPL post-treatment processes for metal oxide thin films and nanostructures in device applications. The sintering and annealing of metal oxides using IPL improved the device performances by employing additional light absorbing layer or back-reflector. The IPL process becomes an innovative versatile post-treatment process in conjunction with multi-functional metal oxides in near-future device applications.

Abstract Special effect pigments are in the very most cases synthetic pigments, characterized by high luster, brilliance and iridescent colors known from optically thin films. The visual appearance has its origin in reflection and refraction of light at thin single and multiple layers. The pigments are either transparent, semitransparent or light-absorbing platelet-shaped crystals or layer systems. They can consist of single crystals, but also of monolayer or a multilayer structures in which the layers have different refractive indices and light absorption properties. Pigment based on the layer-substrate principle represent the technically most important class of special effect pigments. There are many variation and combination possibilities for the layer and substrate materials used. Special effect pigments based on platelets of natural or synthetic mica, on alumina, silica, or borosilicate flakes are the main representatives of layer-substrate pigments. They are manufactured in most cases by wet chemical processes combined with high-temperature processes. The production of substrate particles includes mechanical processes, but also crystal growth, glass formation, and web coating.

Abstract In this paper, a new wideband and high-absorption metamaterial absorber (WHMA), consisting of a metasurface (MS), three low-permittivity dielectric slabs, and a metal backplane, is proposed and fabricated. The unit cell of MS is concentric rings loaded with chip resistors. This structure exhibits excellent absorption property and improved stability of oblique incidence, which are difficult to be achieved in previous radar absorbing materials (RAMs). The functions of MS and different dielectric slabs are analysed. At normal incidence, the simulated results indicate that -10 dB absorption and -20 dB absorption bands cover a bandwidth of 4.8 - 14.3 GHz and 5.70 - 13.57 GHz, respectively. The measured results show that -10 dB and -20 dB absorption are achieved with the bandwidth of 4.6 - 16.3 GHz and 5.5 - 14.4 GHz respectively at normal incidence; below 50° angle of oblique incidence, WHMA can still have wideband -10 dB absorption. The agreement between simulation and measurement validates the proposed design. Finally, since the structure is made of foam and thin dielectric layers, the area density is relatively low.

Highlights The eco-friendly shaddock peel-derived carbon aerogels were prepared by a freeze-drying method. Multiple functions such as thermal insulation, compression resistance and microwave absorption can be integrated into one material-carbon aerogel. Novel computer simulation technology strategy was selected to simulate significant radar cross-sectional reduction values under real far field condition. . Abstract Eco-friendly electromagnetic wave absorbing materials with excellent thermal infrared stealth property, heat-insulating ability and compression resistance are highly attractive in practical applications. Meeting the aforesaid requirements simultaneously is a formidable challenge. Herein, ultra-light carbon aerogels were fabricated via fresh shaddock peel by facile freeze-drying method and calcination process, forming porous network architecture. With the heating platform temperature of 70 °C, the upper surface temperatures of the as-prepared carbon aerogel present a slow upward trend. The color of the sample surface in thermal infrared images is similar to that of the surroundings. With the maximum compressive stress of 2.435 kPa, the carbon aerogels can provide favorable endurance. The shaddock peel-based carbon aerogels possess the minimum reflection loss value (RLmin) of − 29.50 dB in X band. Meanwhile, the effective absorption bandwidth covers 5.80 GHz at a relatively thin thickness of only 1.7 mm. With the detection theta of 0°, the maximum radar cross-sectional (RCS) reduction values of 16.28 dB m2 can be achieved. Theoretical simulations of RCS have aroused extensive interest owing to their ingenious design and time-saving feature. This work paves the way for preparing multi-functional microwave absorbers derived from biomass raw materials under the guidance of RCS simulations.

AbstractRecently, multilevel structural carbon aerogels are deemed as attractive candidates for microwave absorbing materials. Nevertheless, excessive stack and agglomeration for low-dimension carbon nanomaterials inducing impedance mismatch are significant challenges. Herein, the delicate “3D helix–2D sheet–1D fiber–0D dot” hierarchical aerogels have been successfully synthesized, for the first time, by sequential processes of hydrothermal self-assembly and in-situ chemical vapor deposition method. Particularly, the graphene sheets are uniformly intercalated by 3D helical carbon nanocoils, which give a feasible solution to the mentioned problem and endows the as-obtained aerogel with abundant porous structures and better dielectric properties. Moreover, by adjusting the content of 0D core–shell structured particles and the parameters for growth of the 1D carbon nanofibers, tunable electromagnetic properties and excellent impedance matching are achieved, which plays a vital role in the microwave absorption performance. As expected, the optimized aerogels harvest excellent performance, including broad effective bandwidth and strong reflection loss at low filling ratio and thin thickness. This work gives valuable guidance and inspiration for the design of hierarchical materials comprised of dimensional gradient structures, which holds great application potential for electromagnetic wave attenuation. "Image missing"

ABSTRACTWe made p-type nanoscale super lattice thermoelectric cooling devices which consist of multiple periodic layers of Si1−x Gex / Si, The thickness of each layer ranges between 10 and 50 nm. The super lattice was bombarded by 5 MeV Si ion with different fluencies aiming to form nano-cluster quantum dot structures. We estimated the thermo-electric efficiency of the so fabricated devices, measuring the thin film cross plane thermal conductivity by the 3rd harmonic method, measuring the cross plane Seebeck coefficient, and finally measuring the cross plane electric conductivity before and after ion bombardment. As predicted, the thermo-electric Figure of Merit of the films increases with increasing Si ion fluencies. In addition to the effect of quantum well confinement of the phonon transmission, the nano-scale crystal quantum dots produced by the incident Si beam further adversely affects the thermal conductivity by absorbing and dissipating phonon along the lattice, and therefore further reduces the cross plane thermal conductivity, This process increases the electron density of state therefore increasing Seebeck coefficient, and the electric conductivity.

ABSTRACTIII-nitride materials have different crystal structures and properties than the substrates commonly used for their deposition, including silicon, silicon carbide and sapphire. These differences, such as thermal expansion coefficient and lattice constant, necessitate the use of a transition layer to accommodate the resulting stress between substrate and the epitaxially grown III-N layers. AlxGa1−xN based transition layers are one proven solution used for the growth of device quality GaN layers on Si (111) substrates. The use of such transition layers enables the deposition of state of the art AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor epitaxial structures that, upon fabrication into devices, exhibit high performance and excellent reliability.Examination of the microstructure of these AlxGa1−xN transition layers, by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and other methods, reveals some interesting properties that can help explain how high quality III-N epitaxy can be performed in a system with significant thermal and lattice mismatch. Observations that will be reported on and discussed in this presentation are (1) the role that a thin strain absorbing amorphous SiNx layer at the Si substrate/transition layer interface plays in the reduction of the formation of misfit dislocations, (2) the low screw dislocation density (less than ȼ107/cm2) in these III-N films relative to edge and mixed dislocation densities, and (3) the role that the substrate type and quality can play on dislocation type and density.

ABSTRACTIn polymer structures, highly correlated virtual excitations of the π-electrons are responsible for the exceptionally large nonresonant nonlinear optical responses observed. Extremely large resonant nonlinear optical responses are also achievable in certain π-electron systems, which can be treated as optical Bloch systems. In addition to their obvious scientific importance, these large optical nonlinearities potentially make possible the implementation of powerful, new nonlinear optical devices and systems. After a description of nonlinear optical processes in polymers, two examples are presented. First, saturable absorption and optical bistability in ultrathin organic polymer films are described, illustrative of resonant third order processes. Saturable absorption studies of glassy polymer films consisting of quasi two-dimensional conjugated disc-like structures of silicon naphthalocyanine demonstrate that on-resonance the system behaves as an optical Bloch system with a linear absorptivity coefficient α0 of 1 × 105 cm−1 and an intensity dependent refractive index n2 of 1 × 104 cm2/kW in the wavelength range of standard laser diodes. A resonant nonlinear optical response of π-electron excitations provides the nonlinear interaction essential to the onset of bistability. Electronic absorptive optical bistability is observed on a nanosecond time scale in a nonlinear Fabry-Perot interferometer employing the saturably absorbing naphthalocyanine film as the nonlinear optical medium. As a second example, the nonresonant second order process of linear electrooptic effects in poled polymer films, is discussed. For such a second order nonlinear optical process, the broken global centrosymmetry is achieved by electric field poling of a thin polymer film. With high electrooptic coefficients of 10–50 pm/V and low dielectric constants of 3–4, poled polymers have potentially great advantages over inorganic crystals as electrooptic materials. As one device illustration, the application of poled polymers in electrooptic waveguide operations is presented.

AbstractThe development of wearable multifunctional electromagnetic protective fabrics with multifunctional, low cost, and high efficiency remains a challenge. Here, inspired by the unique flower branch shape of “Thunberg’s meadowsweet” in nature, a nanofibrous composite membrane with hierarchical structure was constructed. Integrating sophisticated 0D@2D@1D hierarchical structures with multiple heterointerfaces can fully unleash the multifunctional application potential of composite membrane. The targeted induction method was used to precisely regulate the formation site and morphology of the metal–organic framework precursor, and intelligently integrate multiple heterostructures to enhance dielectric polarization, which improves the impedance matching and loss mechanisms of the electromagnetic wave absorbing materials. Due to the synergistic enhancement of electrospinning-derived carbon nanofiber “stems”, MOF-derived carbon nanosheet “petals” and transition metal selenide nano-particle “stamens”, the CoxSey/NiSe@CNSs@CNFs (CNCC) composite membrane obtains a minimum reflection loss value (RLmin) of -68.40 dB at 2.6 mm and a maximum effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 8.88 GHz at a thin thickness of 2.0 mm with a filling amount of only 5 wt%. In addition, the multi-component and hierarchical heterostructure endow the fibrous membrane with excellent flexibility, water resistance, thermal management, and other multifunctional properties. This work provides unique perspectives for the precise design and rational application of multifunctional fabrics.

'He did what the cipher could not, he rescued himself.' -- Alfred Bester, The Stars My Destination (23) On many levels, the new Nine Inch Nails album The Fragile is a gritty meditation about different types of End: the eternal relationship cycle of 'fragility, tension, ordeal, fragmentation' (adapted, with apologies to Wilhelm Reich); fin-de-siècle anxiety; post-millennium foreboding; a spectre of the alien discontinuity that heralds an on-rushing future vastly different from the one envisaged by Enlightenment Project architects. In retrospect, it's easy for this perspective to be dismissed as jargon-filled cyber-crit hyperbole. Cyber-crit has always been at its best too when it invents pre-histories and finds hidden connections between different phenomena (like the work of Greil Marcus and early Mark Dery), and not when it is closer to Chinese Water Torture, name-checking the canon's icons (the 'Deleuze/Guattari' tag-team), texts and key terms. "The organization of sound is interpreted historically, politically, socially ... . It subdues music's ambition, reins it in, restores it to its proper place, reconciles it to its naturally belated fate", comments imagineer Kodwo Eshun (4) on how cyber-crit destroys albums and the innocence of the listening experience. This is how official histories are constructed a priori and freeze-dried according to personal tastes and prior memes: sometimes the most interesting experiments are Darwinian dead-ends that fail to make the canon, or don't register on the radar. Anyone approaching The Fragile must also contend with the music industry's harsh realities. For every 10 000 Goth fans who moshed to the primal 'kill-fuck-dance' rhythms of the hit single "Closer" (heeding its siren-call to fulfil basic physiological needs and build niche-space), maybe 20 noted that the same riff returned with a darker edge in the title track to The Downward Spiral, undermining the glorification of Indulgent hedonism. "The problem with such alternative audiences," notes Disinformation Creative Director Richard Metzger, "is that they are trying to be different -- just like everyone else." According to author Don Webb, "some mature Chaos and Black Magicians reject their earlier Nine Inch Nails-inspired Goth beginnings and are extremely critical towards new adopters because they are uncomfortable with the subculture's growing popularity, which threatens to taint their meticulously constructed 'mysterious' worlds. But by doing so, they are also rejecting their symbolic imprinting and some powerful Keys to unlocking their personal history." It is also difficult to separate Nine Inch Nails from the commercialisation and colossal money-making machine that inevitably ensued on the MTV tour circuit: do we blame Michael Trent Reznor because most of his audience are unlikely to be familiar with 'first-wave' industrial bands including Cabaret Voltaire and the experiments of Genesis P. Orridge in Throbbing Gristle? Do we accuse Reznor of being a plagiarist just because he wears some of his influences -- Dr. Dre, Daft Punk, Atari Teenage Riot, Pink Floyd's The Wall (1979), Tom Waits's Bone Machine (1992), David Bowie's Low (1977) -- on his sleeve? And do we accept no-brain rock critic album reviews who quote lines like 'All the pieces didn't fit/Though I really didn't give a shit' ("Where Is Everybody?") or 'And when I suck you off/Not a drop will go to waste' ("Starfuckers Inc") as representative of his true personality? Reznor evidently has his own thoughts on this subject, but we should let the music speak for itself. The album's epic production and technical complexity turned into a post-modern studio Vision Quest, assisted by producer Alan Moulder, eleventh-hour saviour Bob Ezrin (brought in by Reznor to 'block-out' conceptual and sonic continuity), and a group of assault-technicians. The fruit of these collaborations is an album where Reznor is playing with our organism's time-binding sense, modulating strange emotions through deeply embedded tonal angularities. During his five-year absence, Trent Reznor fought diverse forms of repetitious trauma, from endogenous depression caused by endless touring to the death of his beloved grandmother (who raised him throughout childhood). An end signals a new beginning, a spiral is an open-ended and ever-shifting structure, and so Reznor sought to re-discover the Elder Gods within, a shamanic approach to renewal and secular salvation utilised most effectively by music PR luminary and scientist Howard Bloom. Concerned with healing the human animal through Ordeals that hard-wire the physiological baselines of Love, Hate and Fear, Reznor also focusses on what happens when 'meaning-making' collapses and hope for the future cannot easily be found. He accurately captures the confusion that such dissolution of meaning and decline of social institutions brings to the world -- Francis Fukuyama calls this bifurcation 'The Great Disruption'. For a generation who experienced their late childhood and early adolescence in Reagan's America, Reznor and his influences (Marilyn Manson and Filter) capture the Dark Side of recent history, unleashed at Altamont and mutating into the Apocalyptic style of American politics (evident in the 'Star Wars'/SDI fascination). The personal 'psychotic core' that was crystallised by the collapse of the nuclear family unit and supportive social institutions has returned to haunt us with dystopian fantasies that are played out across Internet streaming media and visceral MTV film-clips. That such cathartic releases are useful -- and even necessary (to those whose lives have been formed by socio-economic 'life conditions') is a point that escapes critics like Roger Scruton, some Christian Evangelists and the New Right. The 'escapist' quality of early 1980s 'Rapture' and 'Cosmocide' (Hal Lindsey) prophecies has yielded strange fruit for the Children of Ezekiel, whom Reznor and Marilyn Manson are unofficial spokes-persons for. From a macro perspective, Reznor's post-human evolutionary nexus lies, like J.G. Ballard's tales, in a mythical near-future built upon past memory-shards. It is the kind of worldview that fuses organic and morphogenetic structures with industrial machines run amok, thus The Fragile is an artefact that captures the subjective contents of the different mind produced by different times. Sonic events are in-synch but out of phase. Samples subtly trigger and then scramble kinaesthetic-visceral and kinaesthetic-tactile memories, suggestive of dissociated affective states or body memories that are incapable of being retrieved (van der Kolk 294). Perhaps this is why after a Century of Identity Confusion some fans find it impossible to listen to a 102-minute album in one sitting. No wonder then that the double album is divided into 'left' and 'right' discs (a reference to split-brain research?). The real-time track-by-track interpretation below is necessarily subjective, and is intended to serve as a provisional listener's guide to the aural ur-text of 1999. The Fragile is full of encrypted tones and garbled frequencies that capture a world where the future is always bleeding into a non-recoverable past. Turbulent wave-forms fight for the listener's attention with prolonged static lulls. This does not make for comfortable or even 'nice' listening. The music's mind is a snapshot, a critical indicator, of the deep structures brewing within the Weltanschauung that could erupt at any moment. "Somewhat Damaged" opens the album's 'Left' disc with an oscillating acoustic strum that anchor's the listener's attention. Offset by pulsing beats and mallet percussion, Reznor builds up sound layers that contrast with lyrical epitaphs like 'Everything that swore it wouldn't change is different now'. Icarus iconography is invoked, but perhaps a more fitting mythopoeic symbol of the journey that lies ahead would be Nietzsche's pursuit of his Ariadne through the labyrinth of life, during which the hero is steadily consumed by his numbing psychosis. Reznor fittingly comments: 'Didn't quite/Fell Apart/Where were you?' If we consider that Reznor has been repeating the same cycle with different variations throughout all of his music to date, retro-fitting each new album into a seamless tapestry, then this track signals that he has begun to finally climb out of self-imposed exile in the Underworld. "The Day the World Went Away" has a tremendously eerie opening, with plucked mandolin effects entering at 0:40. The main slashing guitar riff was interpreted by some critics as Reznor's attempt to parody himself. For some reason, the eerie backdrop and fragmented acoustic guitar strums recalls to my mind civil defence nuclear war films. Reznor, like William S. Burroughs, has some powerful obsessions. The track builds up in intensity, with a 'Chorus of the Damned' singing 'na na nah' over apocalyptic end-times imagery. At 4:22 the track ends with an echo that loops and repeats. "The Frail" signals a shift to mournful introspectiveness with piano: a soundtrack to faded 8 mm films and dying memories. The piano builds up slowly with background echo, holds and segues into ... "The Wretched", beginning with a savage downbeat that recalls earlier material from Pretty Hate Machine. 'The Far Aways/Forget It' intones Reznor -- it's becoming clear that despite some claims to the contrary, there is redemption in this album, but it is one borne out of a relentless move forward, a strive-drive. 'You're finally free/You could be' suggest Reznor studied Existentialism during his psychotherapy visits. This song contains perhaps the ultimate post-relationship line: 'It didn't turn out the way you wanted it to, did it?' It's over, just not the way you wanted; you can always leave the partner you're with, but the ones you have already left will always stain your memories. The lines 'Back at the beginning/Sinking/Spinning' recall the claustrophobic trapped world and 'eternal Now' dislocation of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder victims. At 3:44 a plucked cello riff, filtered, segues into a sludge buzz-saw guitar solo. At 5:18 the cello riff loops and repeats. "We're in This Together Now" uses static as percussion, highlighting the influence of electricity flows instead of traditional rock instrument configurations. At 0:34 vocals enter, at 1:15 Reznor wails 'I'm impossible', showing he is the heir to Roger Waters's self-reflective rock-star angst. 'Until the very end of me, until the very end of you' reverts the traditional marriage vow, whilst 'You're the Queen and I'm the King' quotes David Bowie's "Heroes". Unlike earlier tracks like "Reptile", this track is far more positive about relationships, which have previously resembled toxic-dyads. Reznor signals a delta surge (breaking through barriers at any cost), despite a time-line morphing between present-past-future. At 5:30 synths and piano signal a shift, at 5:49 the outgoing piano riff begins. The film-clip is filled with redemptive water imagery. The soundtrack gradually gets more murky and at 7:05 a subterranean note signals closure. "The Fragile" is even more hopeful and life-affirming (some may even interpret it as devotional), but this love -- representative of the End-Times, alludes to the 'Glamour of Evil' (Nico) in the line 'Fragile/She doesn't see her beauty'. The fusion of synths and atonal guitars beginning at 2:13 summons forth film-clip imagery -- mazes, pageants, bald eagles, found sounds, cloaked figures, ruined statues, enveloping darkness. "Just like You Imagined" opens with Soundscapes worthy of Robert Fripp, doubled by piano and guitar at 0:39. Drums and muffled voices enter at 0:54 -- are we seeing a pattern to Reznor's writing here? Sonic debris guitar enters at 1:08, bringing forth intensities from white noise. This track is full of subtle joys like the 1:23-1:36 solo by David Bowie pianist Mike Garson and guitarist Adrian Belew's outgoing guitar solo at 2:43, shifting back to the underlying soundscapes at 3:07. The sounds are always on the dissipative edge of chaos. "Just like You Imagined" opens with Soundscapes worthy of Robert Fripp, doubled by piano and guitar at 0:39. Drums and muffled voices enter at 0:54 -- are we seeing a pattern to Reznor's writing here? Sonic debris guitar enters at 1:08, bringing forth intensities from white noise. This track is full of subtle joys like the 1:23-1:36 solo by David Bowie pianist Mike Garson and guitarist Adrian Belew's outgoing guitar solo at 2:43, shifting back to the underlying soundscapes at 3:07. The sounds are always on the dissipative edge of chaos. "Pilgrimage" utilises a persistent ostinato and beat, with a driving guitar overlay at 0:18. This is perhaps the most familiar track, using Reznor motifs like the doubling of the riff with acoustic guitars between 1:12-1:20, march cries, and pitch-shift effects on a 3:18 drumbeat/cymbal. Or at least I could claim it was familiar, if it were not that legendary hip-hop producer and 'edge-of-panic' tactilist Dr. Dre helped assemble the final track mix. "No, You Don't" has been interpreted as an attack on Marilyn Manson and Hole's Courntey Love, particularly the 0:47 line 'Got to keep it all on the outside/Because everything is dead on the inside' and the 2:33 final verse 'Just so you know, I did not believe you could sink so low'. The song's structure is familiar: a basic beat at 0:16, guitars building from 0:31 to sneering vocals, a 2:03 counter-riff that merges at 2:19 with vocals and ascending to the final verse and 3:26 final distortion... "La Mer" is the first major surprise, a beautiful and sweeping fusion of piano, keyboard and cello, reminiscent of Symbolist composer Debussy. At 1:07 Denise Milfort whispers, setting the stage for sometime Ministry drummer Bill Reiflin's jazz drumming at 1:22, and a funky 1:32 guitar/bass line. The pulsing synth guitar at 2:04 serves as anchoring percussion for a cinematic electronica mindscape, filtered through new layers of sonic chiaroscuro at 2:51. 3:06 phase shifting, 3:22 layer doubling, 3:37 outgoing solo, 3:50-3:54 more swirling vocal fragments, seguing into a fading cello quartet as shadows creep. David Carson's moody film-clip captures the end more ominously, depicting the beauty of drowning. This track contains the line 'Nothing can stop me now', which appears to be Reznor's personal mantra. This track rivals 'Hurt' and 'A Warm Place' from The Downward Spiral and 'Something I Can Never Have' from Pretty Hate Machine as perhaps the most emotionally revealing and delicate material that Reznor has written. "The Great Below" ends the first disc with more multi-layered textures fusing nostalgia and reverie: a twelve-second cello riff is counter-pointed by a plucked overlay, which builds to a 0:43 washed pulse effect, transformed by six second pulses between 1:04-1:19 and a further effects layer at 1:24. E-bow effects underscore lyrics like 'Currents have their say' (2:33) and 'Washes me away' (2:44), which a 3:33 sitar riff answers. These complexities are further transmuted by seemingly random events -- a 4:06 doubling of the sitar riff which 'glitches' and a 4:32 backbeat echo that drifts for four bars. While Reznor's lyrics suggest that he is unable to control subjective time-states (like The Joker in the Batman: Dark Knight series of Kali-yuga comic-books), the track constructions show that the Key to his hold over the listener is very carefully constructed songs whose spaces resemble Pythagorean mathematical formulas. Misdirecting the audience is the secret of many magicians. "The Way Out Is Through" opens the 'Right' disc with an industrial riff that builds at 0:19 to click-track and rhythm, the equivalent of a weaving spiral. Whispering 'All I've undergone/I will keep on' at 1:24, Reznor is backed at 1:38 by synths and drums coalescing into guitars, which take shape at 1:46 and turn into a torrential electrical current. The models are clearly natural morphogenetic structures. The track twists through inner storms and torments from 2:42 to 2:48, mirrored by vocal shards at 2:59 and soundscapes at 3:45, before piano fades in and out at 4:12. The title references peri-natal theories of development (particularly those of Stanislav Grof), which is the source of much of the album's imagery. "Into the Void" is not the Black Sabbath song of the same name, but a catchy track that uses the same unfolding formula (opening static, cello at 0:18, guitars at 0:31, drums and backbeat at 1:02, trademark industrial vocals and synth at 1:02, verse at 1:23), and would not appear out of place in a Survival Research Laboratories exhibition. At 3:42 Reznor plays with the edge of synth soundscapes, merging vocals at 4:02 and ending the track nicely at 4:44 alone. "Where Is Everybody?" emulates earlier structures, but relies from 2:01 on whirring effects and organic rhythms, including a flurry of eight beat pulses between 2:40-2:46 and a 3:33 spiralling guitar solo. The 4:26 guitar solo is pure Adrian Belew, and is suddenly ended by spluttering static and white noise at 5:13. "The Mark Has Been Made" signals another downshift into introspectiveness with 0:32 ghostly synth shimmers, echoed by cello at 1:04 which is the doubled at 1:55 by guitar. At 2:08 industrial riffs suddenly build up, weaving between 3:28 distorted guitars and the return of the repressed original layer at 4:16. The surprise is a mystery 32 second soundscape at the end with Reznor crooning 'I'm getting closer, all the time' like a zombie devil Elvis. "Please" highlights spacious noise at 0:48, and signals a central album motif at 1:04 with the line 'Time starts slowing down/Sink until I drown'. The psychic mood of the album shifts with the discovery of Imagination as a liberating force against oppression. The synth sound again is remarkably organic for an industrial album. "Starfuckers Inc" is the now infamous sneering attack on rock-stardom, perhaps at Marilyn Manson (at 3:08 Reznor quotes Carly Simon's 'You're So Vain'). Jungle beats and pulsing synths open the track, which features the sound-sculpting talent of Pop Will Eat Itself member Clint Mansell. Beginning at 0:26, Reznor's vocals appear to have been sampled, looped and cut up (apologies to Brion Gysin and William S. Burroughs). The lines 'I have arrived and this time you should believe the hype/I listened to everyone now I know everyone was right' is a very savage and funny exposure of Manson's constant references to Friedrich Nietzsche's Herd-mentality: the Herd needs a bogey-man to whip it into submission, and Manson comes dangerous close to fulfilling this potential, thus becoming trapped by a 'Stacked Deck' paradox. The 4:08 lyric line 'Now I belong I'm one of the Chosen Ones/Now I belong I'm one of the Beautiful Ones' highlights the problem of being Elect and becoming intertwined with institutionalised group-think. The album version ditches the closing sample of Gene Simmons screaming "Thankyou and goodnight!" to an enraptured audience on the single from KISS Alive (1975), which was appropriately over-the-top (the alternate quiet version is worth hearing also). "The danger Marilyn Manson faces", notes Don Webb (current High Priest of the Temple of Set), "is that he may end up in twenty years time on the 'Tonight Show' safely singing our favourite songs like a Goth Frank Sinatra, and will have gradually lost his antinomian power. It's much harder to maintain the enigmatic aura of an Evil villain than it is to play the clown with society". Reznor's superior musicianship and sense of irony should keep him from falling into the same trap. "Complication" juggernauts in at 0:57 with screaming vocals and a barrage of white noise at 1:56. It's clear by now that Reznor has read his psychological operations (PSYOP) manuals pertaining to blasting the hell out of his audiences' psyche by any means necessary. Computer blip noise and black light flotation tank memories. Dislocating pauses and time-bends. The aural equivalent of Klein bottles. "Complication" juggernauts in at 0:57 with screaming vocals and a barrage of white noise at 1:56. It's clear by now that Reznor has read his psychological operations (PSYOP) manuals pertaining to blasting the hell out of his audiences' psyche by any means necessary. Computer blip noise and black light flotation tank memories. Dislocating pauses and time-bends. The aural equivalent of Klein bottles. "The Big Come Down" begins with a four-second synth/static intro that is smashed apart by a hard beat at 0:05 and kaleidoscope guitars at 0:16. Critics refer to the song's lyrics in an attempt to project a narcissistic Reznor personality, but don't comment on stylistic tweaks like the AM radio influenced backing vocals at 1:02 and 1:19, or the use of guitars as a percussion layer at 1:51. A further intriguing element is the return of the fly samples at 2:38, an effect heard on previous releases and a possible post-human sub-text. The alien mythos will eventually reign over the banal and empty human. At 3:07 the synths return with static, a further overlay adds more synths at 3:45 as the track spirals to its peak, before dissipating at 3:1 in a mesh of percussion and guitars. "Underneath It All" opens with a riff that signals we have reached the album's climatic turning point, with the recurring theme of fragmenting body-memories returning at 0:23 with the line 'All I can do/I can still feel you', and being echoed by pulsing static at 0:42 as electric percussion. A 'Messiah Complex' appears at 1:34 with the line 'Crucify/After all I've died/After all I've tried/You are still inside', or at least it appears to be that on the surface. This is the kind of line that typical rock critics will quote, but a careful re-reading suggests that Reznor is pointing to the painful nature of remanifesting. Our past shapes us more than we would like to admit particularly our first relationships. "Ripe (With Decay)" is the album's final statement, a complex weaving of passages over a repetitive mesh of guitars, pulsing echoes, back-beats, soundscapes, and a powerful Mike Garson piano solo (2:26). Earlier motifs including fly samples (3:00), mournful funeral violas (3:36) and slowing time effects (4:28) recur throughout the track. Having finally reached the psychotic core, Reznor is not content to let us rest, mixing funk bass riffs (4:46), vocal snatches (5:23) and oscillating guitars (5:39) that drag the listener forever onwards towards the edge of the abyss (5:58). The final sequence begins at 6:22, loses fidelity at 6:28, and ends abruptly at 6:35. At millennium's end there is a common-held perception that the world is in an irreversible state of decay, and that Culture is just a wafer-thin veneer over anarchy. Music like The Fragile suggests that we are still trying to assimilate into popular culture the 'war-on-Self' worldviews unleashed by the nineteenth-century 'Masters of Suspicion' (Charles Darwin, Sigmund Freud, Friedrich Nietzsche). This 'assimilation gap' is evident in industrial music, which in the late 1970s was struggling to capture the mood of the Industrial Revolution and Charles Dickens, so the genre is ripe for further exploration of the scarred psyche. What the self-appointed moral guardians of the Herd fail to appreciate is that as the imprint baseline rises (reflective of socio-political realities), the kind of imagery prevalent throughout The Fragile and in films like Strange Days (1995), The Matrix (1999) and eXistenZ (1999) is going to get even darker. The solution is not censorship or repression in the name of pleasing an all-saving surrogate god-figure. No, these things have to be faced and embraced somehow. Such a process can only occur if there is space within for the Sadeian aesthetic that Nine Inch Nails embodies, and not a denial of Dark Eros. "We need a second Renaissance", notes Don Webb, "a rejuvenation of Culture on a significant scale". In other words, a global culture-shift of quantum (aeon or epoch-changing) proportions. The tools required will probably not come just from the over-wordy criticism of Cyber-culture and Cultural Studies or the logical-negative feeding frenzy of most Music Journalism. They will come from a dynamic synthesis of disciplines striving toward a unity of knowledge -- what socio-biologist Edward O. Wilson has described as 'Consilience'. Liberating tools and ideas will be conveyed to a wider public audience unfamiliar with such principles through predominantly science fiction visual imagery and industrial/electronica music. The Fragile serves as an invaluable model for how such artefacts could transmit their dreams and propagate their messages. For the hyper-alert listener, it will be the first step on a new journey. But sadly for the majority, it will be just another hysterical industrial album promoted as selection of the month. References Bester, Alfred. The Stars My Destination. London: Millennium Books, 1999. Eshun, Kodwo. More Brilliant than the Sun: Adventures in Sonic Fiction. London: Quartet Books, 1998. Van der Kolk, Bessel A. "Trauma and Memory." Traumatic Stress: The Effects of Overwhelming Experience on Mind, Body, and Society. Eds. Bessel A. van der Kolk et al. New York: Guilford Press, 1996. Nine Inch Nails. Downward Spiral. Nothing/Interscope, 1994. ---. The Fragile. Nothing, 1999. ---. Pretty Hate Machine. TVT, 1989. Citation reference for this article MLA style: Alex Burns. "'This Machine Is Obsolete': A Listeners' Guide to Nine Inch Nails' The Fragile." M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 2.8 (1999). [your date of access] <http://www.uq.edu.au/mc/9912/nine.php>. Chicago style: Alex Burns, "'This Machine Is Obsolete': A Listeners' Guide to Nine Inch Nails' The Fragile," M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 2, no. 8 (1999), <http://www.uq.edu.au/mc/9912/nine.php> ([your date of access]). APA style: Alex Burns. (1999) 'This machine is obsolete': a listeners' guide to Nine Inch Nails' The fragile. M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 2(8). <http://www.uq.edu.au/mc/9912/nine.php> ([your date of access]).