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China's deep-sea manned submersible dives 10,909 meters in Mariana Trench

CGTN - Updated 15:46, 10-Nov-2020

China's deep-sea manned submersible, Fendouzhe 奋斗者 (striver), dives 10,909 meters in Mariana T...jpg


China's deep-sea manned submersible "Fendouzhe," which means "striver" in Chinese, descended 10,909 meters in the Mariana Trench on Tuesday.

Three divers sent back a group photo with each person carrying a food plate in hand after four hours of the mission.

According to the exploration team, the crew will work for 6 hours in data collection and actual exploration when the vessel reaches the deepest spot.

That spot, known as the Challenger Deep, is roughly 10,900 meters deep. The water pressure is 110 kPa, equivalent to 2,000 African elephants.

The cabin shell uses titanium, a perfect material with low density and high strength that allows the submersible not only to bear water pressure at 10,000 meters, but also to reduce self mass and expand interior space.

Powered by a lithium battery, the Striver can unload the equipment onboard and pick up samples from the surrounding environment with its flexible robotic arms. The arms can operate at an accuracy of one centimeter, the research team said.

It is more capable than its predecessor Shenhai Yongshi (Deep Sea Warrior), as it can carry three researchers to more than 10,000 meters (more than 32,800 feet) deep, according to the China Ship Scientific Research Center.

China's submersible family

In June 2012, China's first deep-sea manned submersible, Jiaolong
, named after the mythical sea dragon, set China's previous diving record by plunging 7,062 meters down the Mariana Trench. Previously, Jiaolong was based on Xiangyanghong 09, a survey vessel in service since 1978.

"Deep sea warrior" is the second manned sub that can reach a depth of 4,500 meters. Ninety-five technology components applied on the second generation subs are domestically made, according to the design team.

It has made 43 dives, and conducted geological, geophysical, geo-chemical and biological investigations and sampling of hydrothermal systems on the seabed since it has put into service.


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China's manned sub dives over 10,000 meters in Mariana Trench

China's deep-sea manned submersible, Fendouzhe (Striver), successfully landed on the bottom of the Mariana Trench at a depth of 10,909 meters on Tuesday.

The Fendouzhe project was launched in 2016 with some of the best submersible engineers in China. The vessel is China's latest self-developed submersible.

 
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China's deep-sea manned submersible dives 10,909 meters in Mariana Trench

CGTN - Updated 15:46, 10-Nov-2020

View attachment 687555

China's deep-sea manned submersible "Fendouzhe," which means "striver" in Chinese, descended 10,909 meters in the Mariana Trench on Tuesday.

Three divers sent back a group photo with each person carrying a food plate in hand after four hours of the mission.

According to the exploration team, the crew will work for 6 hours in data collection and actual exploration when the vessel reaches the deepest spot.


That spot, known as the Challenger Deep, is roughly 10,900 meters deep. The water pressure is 110 kPa, equivalent to 2,000 African elephants.

The cabin shell uses titanium, a perfect material with low density and high strength that allows the submersible not only to bear water pressure at 10,000 meters, but also to reduce self mass and expand interior space.

Powered by a lithium battery, the Striver can unload the equipment onboard and pick up samples from the surrounding environment with its flexible robotic arms. The arms can operate at an accuracy of one centimeter, the research team said.

It is more capable than its predecessor Shenhai Yongshi (Deep Sea Warrior), as it can carry three researchers to more than 10,000 meters (more than 32,800 feet) deep, according to the China Ship Scientific Research Center.

China's submersible family

In June 2012, China's first deep-sea manned submersible, Jiaolong
, named after the mythical sea dragon, set China's previous diving record by plunging 7,062 meters down the Mariana Trench. Previously, Jiaolong was based on Xiangyanghong 09, a survey vessel in service since 1978.

"Deep sea warrior" is the second manned sub that can reach a depth of 4,500 meters. Ninety-five technology components applied on the second generation subs are domestically made, according to the design team.

It has made 43 dives, and conducted geological, geophysical, geo-chemical and biological investigations and sampling of hydrothermal systems on the seabed since it has put into service.


~~~~~~~~~~~~

China's manned sub dives over 10,000 meters in Mariana Trench

China's deep-sea manned submersible, Fendouzhe (Striver), successfully landed on the bottom of the Mariana Trench at a depth of 10,909 meters on Tuesday.

The Fendouzhe project was launched in 2016 with some of the best submersible engineers in China. The vessel is China's latest self-developed submersible.

重大突破!刚刚,中国载人潜水器,成功下沉海底10909米,打破世界纪录

Great breakthrough! Just now, the Chinese manned submersible, Fendouzhe 奋斗者 means Striver, successfully landed at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, world's deepest seabed at the depth of 10909 meters, breaking the 60-year-old world record on Tuesday, November 10th, 2020.

Unfortunately, that Chinese footage has no Engsub.
 
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TU Delft formula brings green new battery closer to reality
NEWS - 09 NOVEMBER 2020 - COMMUNICATION TNW

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) have developed a method to predict the atomic structure of sodium-ion batteries. Until now, this was impossible even with the best supercomputers. The findings can significantly speed up research into sodium-ion batteries. As a result, this type of battery can become a serious technology next to the popular Li-ion batteries found in our smartphones, laptops and electric cars. The researchers have published their findings in the prestigious scientific journal Science.

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Huawei pushes the envelope with liquid lens technology

Report claims Huawei's upcoming P50 series camera lens will have a focusing time of just milliseconds
by Dave Makichuk November 30, 2020

View attachment 692179
Sources say that the new liquid lens technology will be mass produced and commercialized in the next year. Credit: Droid News.

Contrary to all the controversies surrounding Huawei, it has never stopped them from continuing to innovate — a factor that has clearly driven their worldwide success.

Case in point, Huawei is apparently pushing for innovation again with its upcoming flagship series.

A new report has suggested that the company’s Huawei P50 series will feature liquid lens camera technology, which have a focusing time of just milliseconds, tech website Gizmo China reported.

According to a MyDrivers report, sources say that the new liquid lens technology could very well be mass produced and commercialized in the next year.

Furthermore, the new lenses will primarily be used for telephoto lenses, and the Chinese tech giant might also launch related products as well, Gizmo China reported.

The company has been known to be working with liquid lens technology for a while — it applied for a patent back on December 25, 2019.


It was approved on April 7, 2020, Gizmo China reported.

Notably, this new lens offers certain advantages such as extremely fast focusing speeds, which can level in just milliseconds, similar to a human eye and with an accuracy rate of almost 100%.

The concept of liquid lenses has been around for quite some time.

Edmundoptics explains the technology as following: “Liquid lenses are small, mechanically or electrically controlled cells containing optical-grade liquid. When a current or voltage is applied to a liquid lens cell, the shape of the cell changes. This change occurs within milliseconds and causes the optical power, and therefore focal length and working distance, to shift.”

This, in turn, would improve the time it takes to focus on a particular subject and could even help with image stabilization as well.

If the Chinese tech giant manages to make the liquid lens technology more durable, then its reliability would also be improved after impacts or accidental drops, Gizmo China reported.

According to the Hindustan Times, Huawei’s P50, which is expected to launch in the first quarter of 2021, will come with latest Kirin 9000 processor.

 
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AIAA awards Chinese scientist its top prize

Updated: 2016-05-26 11:42
By Jin Dan(chinadaily.com.cn)

d8cb8a3c66c018b0b06302.jpg

Jiang Zonglin introduces the R&D of shockwave hypersonic wind tunnel to the media press in 2012. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

A world-leading aerospace society has awarded its top prize on ground testing to a Chinese scientist for the first time, demonstrating China's great strides in the field, academic journal Acta Aerodynamica Sinica reported recently.

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) presented the Ground Testing Award 2016 to Jiang Zonglin, a scientist from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who led China's R&D in the JF12 shockwave hypersonic wind tunnel.

Jiang was the first Asian scholar to get the Ground Testing Award, first established in 1975.

The Award is presented to the individual with outstanding achievements in flight simulation, space simulation, propulsion testing, aerodynamic testing, or other ground testing associated with aeronautics and astronautics, according to AIAA’s website.

Jiang was awarded for "skillful leadership in conceiving, developing and successful commissioning of the world's largest shock tunnel capable of true hypersonic flight simulation".

In May 2012, China opened the JF12 shockwave hypersonic wind tunnel. Known internationally as the "Hyper Dragon", JF12 is the largest of its kind in the world that can replicate flying conditions between Mach 5 and Mach 9.

The wind tunnel overcame the scientific hurdle that has thwarted global scientists and engineers for about six decades. According to Chinese Academy of Sciences, JF12 is a 265-metre long tunnel that can replicate flying conditions at an altitude of 25 to 50 km.

As wind tunnel is the basic research that decides how advanced aircraft may be developed, Jiang's achievement is a new scientific breakthrough in China's aeronautics and astronautics industry, the academic journal said.

Created in 1963 by the merger of the two great aerospace societies of the day, the American Rocket Society and the Institute of the Aerospace Sciences(AIAA) is the world's largest technical society dedicated to the global aerospace profession.

The Ground Testing Award is presented annually at the AIAA Aviation and Aeronautics Forum with the nomination deadline by October 1 of the previous year.



d8cb8a3c66c018b0b35404.jpg

Panorama of JF12 shockwave hypersonic wind tunnel at Chinese national key laboratory Qian Xuesen Engineering Science Experiment Base in Huairou district, Beijing, July 26, 2013. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

http://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2016-05/26/content_25476137.htm
Chinese team test jet engine ‘able to reach anywhere on Earth within 2 hours’
  • Prototype flown in hypersonic wind tunnel simulating flight conditions at nine times the speed of sound
  • The ‘sodramjet’ engine could offer the biggest hope so far of commercial flight reaching hypersonic speed, the scientists say
Stephen Chen in Beijing
Published: 6:00am, 1 Dec, 2020

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New laser facility takes biomolecules videos
20:59 UTC+8, 2020-12-28

A new laser facility capable of taking videos of biomolecules has passed national evaluation, becoming a new member of a cluster of major scientific facilities in the Pudong New Area’s Zhangjiang.

The X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Test Facility, next to the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, is shaped like a sword and features a free electron laser amplifier and high-performance electron linear accelerator that is able to produce energy of 840 million electron volts.

The facility, built by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Education, together with others including the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, the National Center for Protein Science Shanghai and the Shanghai Superintense Ultrafast Laser Facility, will form the core of a cluster of scientific facilities in the Zhangjiang Comprehensive National Science Center.

The state evaluation committee said the new facility, through domestic inventions and cross-border cooperation, had achieved a number of innovations and significantly improved China’s research ability in free electron lasers. It also provides technological support and a talent pool for the construction of other laser projects.

There are now just eight X-ray free-electron laser facilities in the world. Germany has two, and the US, Japan, South Korea, Italy and Switzerland have one each.

While the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, the third-generation of its kind, takes pictures of biomolecules, the X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Test Facility, the fourth-generation, can take videos of them.

The radiation facility allows researchers to only discern the structure of a virus, a protein and even an atom. The new facility allows researchers to see the dynamic micro-world, providing a strong tool for frontier research in biology, energy and materials.

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NEWS RELEASE 31-DEC-2020
Stretching diamond for next-generation microelectronics
CITY UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG

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Stretching of microfabricated diamonds pave ways for applications in next-generation microelectronics.
CREDIT: Dang Chaoqun / City University of Hong Kong


Diamond is the hardest material in nature. But out of many expectations, it also has great potential as an excellent electronic material. A joint research team led by City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has demonstrated for the first time the large, uniform tensile elastic straining of microfabricated diamond arrays through the nanomechanical approach. Their findings have shown the potential of strained diamonds as prime candidates for advanced functional devices in microelectronics, photonics, and quantum information technologies.

The research was co-led by Dr Lu Yang, Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering (MNE) at CityU and researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT). Their findings have been recently published in the prestigious scientific journal Science, titled "Achieving large uniform tensile elasticity in microfabricated diamond".

"This is the first time showing the extremely large, uniform elasticity of diamond by tensile experiments. Our findings demonstrate the possibility of developing electronic devices through 'deep elastic strain engineering' of microfabricated diamond structures," said Dr Lu.

Diamond: "Mount Everest" of electronic materials

Well known for its hardness, industrial applications of diamonds are usually cutting, drilling, or grinding. But diamond is also considered as a high-performance electronic and photonic material due to its ultra-high thermal conductivity, exceptional electric charge carrier mobility, high breakdown strength and ultra-wide bandgap. Bandgap is a key property in semi-conductor, and wide bandgap allows operation of high-power or high-frequency devices. "That's why diamond can be considered as 'Mount Everest' of electronic materials, possessing all these excellent properties," Dr Lu said.

However, the large bandgap and tight crystal structure of diamond make it difficult to "dope", a common way to modulate the semi-conductors' electronic properties during production, hence hampering the diamond's industrial application in electronic and optoelectronic devices. A potential alternative is by "strain engineering", that is to apply very large lattice strain, to change the electronic band structure and associated functional properties. But it was considered as "impossible" for diamond due to its extremely high hardness.

Then in 2018, Dr Lu and his collaborators discovered that, surprisingly, nanoscale diamond can be elastically bent with unexpected large local strain. This discovery suggests the change of physical properties in diamond through elastic strain engineering can be possible. Based on this, the latest study showed how this phenomenon can be utilized for developing functional diamond devices.

Uniform tensile straining across the sample

The team firstly microfabricated single-crystalline diamond samples from a solid diamond single crystals. The samples were in bridge-like shape - about one micrometre long and 300 nanometres wide, with both ends wider for gripping (See image: Tensile straining of diamond bridges). The diamond bridges were then uniaxially stretched in a well-controlled manner within an electron microscope. Under cycles of continuous and controllable loading-unloading of quantitative tensile tests, the diamond bridges demonstrated a highly uniform, large elastic deformation of about 7.5% strain across the whole gauge section of the specimen, rather than deforming at a localized area in bending. And they recovered their original shape after unloading.

By further optimizing the sample geometry using the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard, they achieved a maximum uniform tensile strain of up to 9.7%, which even surpassed the maximum local value in the 2018 study, and was close to the theoretical elastic limit of diamond. More importantly, to demonstrate the strained diamond device concept, the team also realized elastic straining of microfabricated diamond arrays.

Tuning the bandgap by elastic strains

The team then performed density functional theory (DFT) calculations to estimate the impact of elastic straining from 0 to 12% on the diamond's electronic properties. The simulation results indicated that the bandgap of diamond generally decreased as the tensile strain increased, with the largest bandgap reduction rate down from about 5 eV to 3 eV at around 9% strain along a specific crystalline orientation. The team performed an electron energy-loss spectroscopy analysis on a pre-strained diamond sample and verified this bandgap decreasing trend.

Their calculation results also showed that, interestingly, the bandgap could change from indirect to direct with the tensile strains larger than 9% along another crystalline orientation. Direct bandgap in semi-conductor means an electron can directly emit a photon, allowing many optoelectronic applications with higher efficiency.

These findings are an early step in achieving deep elastic strain engineering of microfabricated diamonds. By nanomechanical approach, the team demonstrated that the diamond's band structure can be changed, and more importantly, these changes can be continuous and reversible, allowing different applications, from micro/nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS), strain-engineered transistors, to novel optoelectronic and quantum technologies. "I believe a new era for diamond is ahead of us," said Dr Lu.


Stretching diamond for next-generation microelectronics | EurekAlert! Science News

 
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Sinopec Unit Starts USD535.7 Million Carbon Fiber Project to Wean China Off Imports
TANG SHIHUA
DATE: 5 HOURS AGO / SOURCE: YICAI

Sinopec Unit Starts USD535.7 Million Carbon Fiber Project to Wean China Off Imports

Sinopec Unit Starts USD535.7 Million Carbon Fiber Project to Wean China Off Imports

(Yicai Global) Jan. 4 -- The Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical unit of state oil and gas giant Sinopec broke ground today on a plant for larger bundles of carbon fiber [48,000 filaments per tow] whose investment is CNY3.5 billion (USD535.7 million), and which will change the current setup in which China’s supply of such new materials depends on imports.

The project with annual capacity of 12,000 tons is set to complete construction and start operation by 2024, Shanghai Observer reported.

Only a handful of developed nations, including the US and Japan, have mastered the manufacturing technologies for these carbon fiber products. China will thus only be able to produce small-bundle carbon fiber with filaments in each tow ranging from 1,000 to 12,000 until the project gets up and running.

This project will apply polyacrylonitrile carbon-based fiber technology Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical independently developed to manufacture the fibers via multiple procedures, including polymerization, spinning, oxidation, carbonization and post-processing. The plant will be fitted with six production lines with respective annual production of 2,000 tons.

The Shanghai-based petrochemical company, which also produces ethylene, fiber, resin and other plastics, set up an innovation research institute for emerging materials to research and develop new substances, with its main aim being attaining engineering technologies for carbon fiber production.

The 48K carbon fiber in larger bundles refers to that with more than 48,000 filaments in each tow, which weighs less than one-quarter as much as steel, but is seven to nine times stronger. This widely-applied material is also anti-corrosive and has a high modulus, which is the measure of a material’s resistance to elastic deformation under stress.
 
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