A mechanism is described which can create a chemical potential gradient from a single heat reservoir. The mechanism is equivalent to a Maxwellian valve. Heat supplies the energy through thermal fluctuations to form the gradient contrary to the second law. A quantitative analysis of the system is given.

In this work, the problem of a curved functionally graded piezoelectric (FGP) actuator with sandwich structure under electrical and thermal loads is investigated. The middle layer in the sandwich structure is functionally graded with the piezoelectric coefficient g31 varying continuously along the radial direction of the curved actuator. Based on the theory of linear piezoelectricity, analytica...

The thermal conductivity estimation for the soil is an important step many geothermal applications. But it a difficult and complicated process since involves variety of factors that have significant effects on soils such as moisture granular structure. In this study, regression was performed with extreme gradient boosting algorithm to develop model estimating value. performance measured unseen ...

Trapped magnetic flux is known to degrade the quality factor of superconducting cavities by increasing the surface losses ascribed to the residual resistance. In Nb3Sn cavities, which consist of a thin layer of Nb3Sn coated on a bulk niobium substrate, the bimetallic interface results in a thermal current being generated in the presence of a thermal gradient, which will in turn generate flux th...

Azobenzene polymer thin films exhibit reversible surface mass transport when irradiated with a light intensity and/or polarization gradient, although the exact mechanism remains unknown. In order to address the role of thermal effects in the surface relief grating formation process peculiar to azo polymers, a cellular automaton simulation was developed to model heat flow in thin films undergoin...