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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Carbon Nanosheets And Carbon Nanotubes By Rf Pecvd, Mingyao Zhu
Carbon Nanosheets And Carbon Nanotubes By Rf Pecvd, Mingyao Zhu
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
A planar antenna RF plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition apparatus was built for carbon nanostructure syntheses. When operated in inductive and capacitive plasma discharging modes, two carbon nanostructures, carbon nanotube (CNT) and carbon nanosheet (CNS), were synthesized, respectively.;A nanosphere lithography method was developed and used to prepare catalyst patterns for CNT growth. Using capacitively coupled C2H2/NH 3 plasma, randomly oriented CNT were synthesized on Ni dot patterned Si substrates. Aligned CNT arrays were grown on SiO2 coated Si substrates, using both C2H2/NH3 and CH 4/H2 capacitive plasmas.;When operated in inductive coupling mode, CNS were successfully deposited on a variety of …
Quantum Monte Carlo Method For Boson Ground States: Application To Trapped Bosons With Attractive And Repulsive Interactions, Wirawan Purwanto
Quantum Monte Carlo Method For Boson Ground States: Application To Trapped Bosons With Attractive And Repulsive Interactions, Wirawan Purwanto
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
We formulate a quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) method for calculating the ground state of many-boson systems. The method is based on a field-theoretical approach, and is closely related to existing fermion auxiliary-field QMC methods which are applied in several fields of physics. The ground-state projection is implemented as a branching random walk in the space of permanents consisting of identical single-particle orbitals. Any single-particle basis can be used, and the method is in principle exact. We apply this method to an atomic Bose gas, where the atoms interact via an attractive or repulsive contact two-body potential parametrized by the s-wave …
Vibrational Lifetimes Of Hydrogen And Oxygen Defects In Semiconductors, Baozhou Sun
Vibrational Lifetimes Of Hydrogen And Oxygen Defects In Semiconductors, Baozhou Sun
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Characterization of defect and impurity reactions, dissociation, and migration in semiconductors requires a detailed understanding of the rates and pathways of vibrational energy flow and of the coupling mechanisms between local modes and the phonon bath of the host material. Information on the inelastic microscopic interaction can be obtained by measuring the lifetime of local vibrational modes. This dissertation presents lifetime measurements of hydrogen and oxygen defects in semiconductors by means of time-resolved infrared pump-probe spectroscopy.;First, we measured the vibrational lifetime of H- and D-related bending modes in Si and other semiconductors. Time-resolved pump-probe and linewidth measurements reveal that the …
Monte Carlo Simulations Of Ferroelectric Crystal Growth And Molecular Electronic Structure Of Atoms And Molecules, Malliga Suewattana
Monte Carlo Simulations Of Ferroelectric Crystal Growth And Molecular Electronic Structure Of Atoms And Molecules, Malliga Suewattana
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
In this thesis, we explore two stochastic techniques to study properties of materials in realistic systems. Specifically, the kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) method is utilized to study the crystal growth process of ferroelectric materials and the quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) approach is used to investigate the ground state properties of atoms and molecules.;In the growth simulations, we study the growth rates and chemical ordering of ferroelectric alloys using an electrostatic model with long-range Coulomb interactions. Crystal growth is characterized by thermodynamic processes involving adsorption and evaporation, with solid-on-solid restrictions and excluding diffusion. A KMC algorithm is formulated to simulate this …
Impact Of Large Scale Substrate Roughness On Giant Magnetoresistive Thin Films, Shannon M. Watson
Impact Of Large Scale Substrate Roughness On Giant Magnetoresistive Thin Films, Shannon M. Watson
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
This dissertation presents an investigation on the effects of large scale roughness on the properties of giant magnetoresistive multilayers. The large scale roughness (sigmarms > 5 nm) is introduced into giant magnetoresistive thin films through the substrate. Current-in-plane (CIP) and current-perpendicular-to-the-plane (CPP) thin films were deposited by dc magnetron and triode sputtering. All films were characterized for roughness, magnetic and electronic behavior.;Our research on both pseudo spin valves and exchange-biased spin valves shows that long length scale roughness does not have a significant detrimental effect on GMR thin films. For the CIP films, we find that a decrease in GMR correlates …
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Studies Of Relaxor Ferroelectrics, William J. Brouwer
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Studies Of Relaxor Ferroelectrics, William J. Brouwer
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
This work is devoted to the study of local order in the ferroelectric PbSc1/2Ta1/2O3 (PST) and relaxor ferroelectric solid solutions (1-x)PbSC2/3W1/3O3-(x)PbTiO 3 (PSW-PT), (1x)PbSC2/3W1/3O3-(x)PbZrO 3 (PSW-PZ). Novel Magic Angle Spinning (MAS) Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (SS-NMR) experiments, including Multiple Quantum MAS (MQMAS) and Double Quantum Filtered Satellite Transition (DQF-STMAS), have been performed on these materials. A gamma function model is proposed for the distribution of quadrupole coupling constants, based on the Poissonian nature of atomic displacements. Moments for distributions may be subsequently extracted through agreement between experimental spectra and simulations implemented in novel programs. Simple crystal compound scandium oxide …
Solid State Nmr Characterization Of Conductive Polyanilines, Yanina Anatolievna Goddard
Solid State Nmr Characterization Of Conductive Polyanilines, Yanina Anatolievna Goddard
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Different forms of ring deuterated polyaniline with different conductivity have been characterized by solid state deuteron nuclear magnetic resonance.;Quadrupole echo (QE) spectra of all forms of polyaniline consist of a superposition of lineshapes for nearly rigid aromatic rings and a small fraction of rings which undergo fast 180?? flips. The intensity of the fast flipping component is temperature dependent and different for conductive emeraldine salt (ES) and non-conductive emeraldine base (EB). This is a manifestation of the different structure and morphology of these polymers.;Simultaneous measurements of QE lineshapes and the relaxation time anisotropies allowed an accurate description of motion in …
Time-Resolved Optical Studies Of Colossal Magnetoresistance And Charge -Density Wave Materials, Yuhang Ren
Time-Resolved Optical Studies Of Colossal Magnetoresistance And Charge -Density Wave Materials, Yuhang Ren
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
This thesis presents measurements of collective modes and ultrafast carrier relaxation dynamics in charge-density-wave (CDW) conductors and colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) manganites. A femtosecond laser pump pulse excites a broad frequency spectrum of low-energy collective modes and electron-hole pairs thereby changing its optical properties. The low-energy collective excitations and quasiparticle relaxation and recombination processes are monitored by measuring the resulting photoinduced absorption as a function of probe pulse wavelength and time delay.;A general model was developed for the photogeneration and detection mechanism of collective modes based on light absorption in two-color pump-probe experiments. A broad spectrum of collective modes (phasons and …
Chemical Bonding In Hard And Elastic Amorphous Carbon-Nitride Films, W. Jason Gammon
Chemical Bonding In Hard And Elastic Amorphous Carbon-Nitride Films, W. Jason Gammon
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
In this study, the chemical bonding in hard and elastic amorphous carbon nitride (a-CNx) films is investigated with x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and 15N, 13C, and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The films were deposited by DC Magnetron sputtering in a pure nitrogen discharge on Si(001) substrates at 300--400??C. Nanoindentation measurements reveal an elastic modulus of ∼50 GPa and a hardness of ∼5 GPa, thus confirming our films are highly elastic but resist plastic deformation.;Our 13C NMR study demonstrates the absence of sp 3-bonded carbon in this material. Collectively, our N(1s) XPS, 13C NMR, and 15N NMR data suggest …
Multinuclear Nmr Studies Of Relaxor Ferroelectrics, Donghua Zhou
Multinuclear Nmr Studies Of Relaxor Ferroelectrics, Donghua Zhou
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Multinuclear NMR of 93Nb, 45Sc, and 207Pb has been carried out to study the structure, disorder, and dynamics of a series of important solid solutions: perovskite relaxor ferroelectric materials (1-x) Pb(Mg1/3Nb 2/3)O3-x Pb(Sc1/2Nb1/2)O 3 (PMN-PSN).;93Nb NMR investigations of the local structure and cation order/disorder are presented as a function of PSN concentration, x. The superb fidelity and accuracy of 3QMAS allows us to make clear and consistent assignments of spectral intensities to the 28 possible nearest B-site neighbor (nBn) configurations, (NMg, NSc, NNb), where each number ranges from 0 to 6 and their sum is 6. For most of the …
First-Principles Calculations Of Piezoelectricity And Polarization Rotation In Lead Zirconate Titanate, Zhigang Wu
First-Principles Calculations Of Piezoelectricity And Polarization Rotation In Lead Zirconate Titanate, Zhigang Wu
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Recent experimental and theoretical work indicates that polarization rotation via a monoclinic phase at the morphotropic phase boundary in PZT is responsible for its large piezoelectric response. We performed Linearized augmented plane wave with the local orbital extension (LAPW+LO) method within local density approximation (LDA) on B-site [001]1:1 ordered Pb(Zr 0.5Ti0.5)O3 (PZT 50/50). We use a tetragonal super-cell and constrain it with monoclinic Cm space group. Atomic forces following the formulation of Yu et al. are calculated, and the conjugate gradient method is implemented to optimize the internal coordinates. Both the tetragonal (P4mm) and monoclinic (Cm) phases are reproduced, when …
Effects Of Longitudinal Disorder On The Magnetic Field Distribution In Bismuth Strontium Calcium Copper Oxide, Xuewen Wan
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Transverse Field muon spin relaxation (TF-muSR) experiments were performed in external magnetic fields 1.0, 2.7, 3.0, 4.5, 5.5, 6.0 and 7.0 T along the Bi2212 crystalline c-axis. For the first time, the heterodyned fitting analysis technique shows that the field profiles on the ab basal planes of single crystal Bi2212 are symmetric in all experimental fields 1.0--7.0 T and at all experimental temperatures 2.0-90.0 K. The muon spin relaxation rates due to the mixed state of Bi2212 were found to increase linearly from 0 mus-1 at the transition temperature, 90.0 K, to about 1.0 mus -1 at the lowest temperature, …
The Ground State Of Two-Dimensional Hubbard-Like Models, Eric Christopher Allman
The Ground State Of Two-Dimensional Hubbard-Like Models, Eric Christopher Allman
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
We present results from a constrained path Monte Carlo (CPMC) study of a modified two-dimensional Hubbard model. We include more general forms of the band structure and electron interaction in order to examine their effects on ground-state properties, such as electron pairing correlations. Both next-nearest neighbor hopping, t', and third-nearest neighbor hopping, t″, are introduced in the Hamiltonian. A nearest neighbor interaction of strength V is also included. We carry out CPMC calculations on system sizes up to 16 x 16, at various electron fillings, to investigate the ground state of the model for different values of these parameters. For …
Structural Instabilities In Strontium Titanate From First-Principles Calculations, Christopher A. Lasota
Structural Instabilities In Strontium Titanate From First-Principles Calculations, Christopher A. Lasota
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
For some time now, first-principles calculation methods have proven to be an effective tool for investigating the physics of condensed matter systems. The additional use of density functional theory (DFT) and the local density approximation (LDA) has permitted even complex materials to be studied on desktop workstations with remarkable success. The incorporation of linear response theory into these methods has extended their power, allowing investigation of important dynamical properties.;Contained within the following pages are the results of a first-principles study of SrTiO3. This transition metal oxide is often grouped with ferroelectric materials, due to its similar composition and perovskite structure. …
Plasma Source Ion Implantation Of High Voltage Electrodes, Thomas Joseph Venhaus
Plasma Source Ion Implantation Of High Voltage Electrodes, Thomas Joseph Venhaus
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Field emission and breakdown characteristics of high voltage, large area electrodes determine the performance of many vacuum-based electron sources. A corroborative project with the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility involves studying the behavior of such electrodes after nitrogen ion implantation. A Plasma Source Ion Implantation (PSII) facility is designed and constructed at William and Mary, and used to treat stainless steel electrodes. PSII is a novel implantation technique developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A workpiece is submerged in a quiescent plasma of the species to be implanted. A series of high, negative voltages (30--100 kV) is applied to the …
Surface Processing By Rfi Pecvd And Rfi Psii, Lingling Wu
Surface Processing By Rfi Pecvd And Rfi Psii, Lingling Wu
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
An RFI plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system and a large-scale RF plasma source immersion ion implantation (PSII) system were designed and built to study two forms of 3-D surface processing, PECVD and PSII. Using the RFI PECVD system, Ti-6Al-4V substrates were coated with diamond-like carbon films with excellent tribological and optical properties. as an innovation, variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE) was successfully applied for non-destructive, 3-D, large-area tribological coatings quality investigation.;Based on the experience with the RFI PECVD system, a large-scale RFICP source was designed and built for the PSIL Langmuir probe and optical emission spectroscopy studies indicated …
Characterization Of The Physical Properties Of Iron Polyimide Nanocomposites, Russell A. Wincheski
Characterization Of The Physical Properties Of Iron Polyimide Nanocomposites, Russell A. Wincheski
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
The discovery of tunneling magneto-resistance has led to a great deal of interest in the study of ferromagnet-insulator-ferromagnet (FIF) systems due to potential sensor and magnetic storage applications. An analysis of the band structure of the 3d ferromagnets shows that the conduction electrons become spin polarized by the molecular field. The transmission coefficient of these electrons across a tunneling gap therefore depends upon the relative alignment of the molecular field between the two ferromagnets.;In this work the manufacture of such tunneling gaps through compression molding of powdered ferromagnetic iron with a high performance polyimide has been studied for the first …
Thermoelastic And Photoelastic Full-Field Stress Measurement, Deonna Faye Woolard
Thermoelastic And Photoelastic Full-Field Stress Measurement, Deonna Faye Woolard
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Photoelasticity is an optical technique that measures the difference of the principal stresses plus the principal stress direction. A complementary technique is thermoelasticity which measures the sum of the principal stresses. Combining these two full-field, non-contact nondestructive evaluation techniques allows the individual stress components to be measured. One of the main difficulties in merging these two measurement systems is in identifying an appropriate surface coating. Thermoelasticity demands a highly emissive surface, while photoelasticity requires a thick, stress-birefringent, transparent coating with a retro-reflective backing. Two coatings have been identified that can be used for combined thermoelastic and photoelastic stress measurements: PMMA …
Experimental And Computational Techniques In Carbon-13 Nmr, Samuel John Varner
Experimental And Computational Techniques In Carbon-13 Nmr, Samuel John Varner
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
An efficient method for calculating NMR lineshapes from anisotropic second rank tensor interactions is presented. The algorithm produces lineshapes from asymmetric tensors by summing those from symmetric tensors. This approach significantly reduces the calculation time, greatly facilitating iterative nonlinear least squares fitting of experimental spectra. This algorithm has been modified to produce partially relaxed lineshapes and spectra of partially ordered samples.;Calculations for rapidly spinning samples show that spin-lattice relaxation time ( T1Z ) anisotropy varies with the angle between the spinning axis and the external field. When the rate of molecular motion is in the extreme narrowing limit, measurement of …
The Role Of Adsorbed Oxygen In Secondary Emission From Metallic Substrates, Scott Gregory Walton
The Role Of Adsorbed Oxygen In Secondary Emission From Metallic Substrates, Scott Gregory Walton
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Low energy, ion- and photon-induced secondary electron and anion emission from metallic substrates has been investigated as a function of adsorbate coverage. Sodium positive ions (Na+), with kinetic energies up to 500 eV, and photons, with energies up to 23 eV, are utilized to initiate secondary emission. The principal adsorbate is oxygen with coverages ranging from none to a few monolayers.;For ion-induced emission, the secondary electron and negative ion absolute and relative yields from 302 stainless steel and polycrystalline tungsten (W) have been measured as a function of both impact energy and oxygen coverage. Additionally, the yields from a "technical" …
Radiation-Induced Luminescence In Terbium-Doped Silicate Glasses, Michael Stuart West
Radiation-Induced Luminescence In Terbium-Doped Silicate Glasses, Michael Stuart West
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
The purpose of this study is to characterize radiation-induced luminescence of terbium-doped silicate glasses. Experiments performed investigated the optical properties, isothermal time-evolution, and temperature dependence of the radiation-induced luminescence of two commercially available terbium-doped glasses. A problem common to this type of glass is the persistent luminescence, or afterglow, that occurs following the end of excitation from an external source of radiation. While the processes that govern characteristic luminescence of rare earth ions, including terbium, are well understood, the processes that give rise to afterglow in doped glasses are not. Identifying the source of long-term luminescence is essential for controlling …
Microstructural Characterization Of An Ultra-High-Performance Polyimide, April Heather Baugher
Microstructural Characterization Of An Ultra-High-Performance Polyimide, April Heather Baugher
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
The motivation for this study was to further characterize a relatively new high-temperature polymer for application as a matrix resin for carbon fiber composites. The two primary questions addressed in this study dealt with the structural and chemical changes occurring in these polymers on exposure to high temperature.;To investigate the structural changes in the heat-treated samples, a positron annihilation lifetime spectrometer was designed, built and optimized. Because the lifetime of a positron in a material reflects the electronic structure of the material in which it annihilates, measurements by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy can be used to investigate changes in a …
Propagation Of Rayleigh Waves In Thin Films, Agus A. Ananda
Propagation Of Rayleigh Waves In Thin Films, Agus A. Ananda
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
With the advent of thin film technology and more recently its applications in microelectronics and control of surface properties, the interest in mechanical properties of thin films has grown tremendously. Mechanical defects such as creep, fracture and adhesion loss, play a very important role in physical instabilities of thin film materials. An acoustic microscope has been built to study mechanical properties of thin-films. The microscope operates at a nominal frequency of 50 MHz. Rayleigh surface waves velocities on the surface of film-substrate systems were measured from V(z) curves generated by the acoustic microscope. V(z) curves are produced from interference between …
The Projector Basis Method For Electronic Band Structure Calculations, Christopher Haas
The Projector Basis Method For Electronic Band Structure Calculations, Christopher Haas
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Over the last several decades, two methods have emerged as the standard tools for the calculation of electronic band structures. These methods, the Car-Parinello plane wave method and the linear augmented plane wave method (LAPW), each have strengths and weaknesses in different regimes of physical problems. The Car-Parinello algorithm is ideal for calculations with soft pseudopotentials and large numbers of atoms. The LAPW method, on the other hand, easily handles all-electron and hard-core pseudopotential calculations with a small number of atoms. The projector basis method, presented here, is a hybrid mixed basis method which allows the calculation of moderately large …
Selective Inversion In Solid-State Deuteron Nmr, Marco J. Brown
Selective Inversion In Solid-State Deuteron Nmr, Marco J. Brown
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Deuteron NMR selective inversion (SI) is developed to study slow molecular motions in solids. Theoretical and practical aspects of selective inversion of spin-1 nuclei in solids are presented. Differences between powdered solids and liquids are considered. Double sideband modulated (DSBM) shaped pulses are shown to improve the performance of SI pulses. DSBM and DANTE selective pulses are compared for off-resonance SI applications. Common spin-{dollar}{lcub}1{rcub}\over{lcub}2{rcub}{dollar} shaped pulses are tested for suitability to solid state deuteron NMR. Simple, short pulses are shown to be most effective due to fast spin-spin relaxation and large underlying homogeneous linewidths in solids.;The power and utility of …
First Principles Linear Response Calculations Of Lattice Dynamics, Cheng-Zhang Wang
First Principles Linear Response Calculations Of Lattice Dynamics, Cheng-Zhang Wang
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
First principles calculations, using the density-functional theory and particularly the local density approximation (LDA), have achieved remarkable success in studying the properties of solid state systems. Although the basic results of these calculations are the electronic structures (eigenvalues, eigenfunctions, etc.) and the total energy of ground state, many other related physical properties can be deduced from them by investigating their response under external perturbations. Using the linear response method with linearized-augmented-plane-wave (LAPW) basis, we have calculated lattice dynamical properties of important semiconductors CuCl, SiC and ferroelectric KNbO{dollar}\sb3.{dollar} CuCl is known to exhibit large anharmonic effects and possibly a complicated multi-well …
The Characterization Of The Radiative Energy Transfer Process Among Holmium(3+) Ions In Yttrium(3) Aluminum(5) Oxygen(12), Terri Lynn Lazarus
The Characterization Of The Radiative Energy Transfer Process Among Holmium(3+) Ions In Yttrium(3) Aluminum(5) Oxygen(12), Terri Lynn Lazarus
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
This research comprises a comprehensive spectroscopic study of the characteristics of the solid state crystal YAG (Yttrium Aluminum Garnet) singly doped with Ho (Holmium) ions. An important area of solid state laser crystal research is the determination and optimization of the processes within these laser crystals which lead to efficient laser action. In most laser crystals, there is a donor ion such as Tm (Thulium) and an acceptor ion such as Ho. The donor ion generally has greater absorption than that of the acceptor at the wavelength of the pump source. The donor ion can transfer this absorbed energy to …
Models For Water Outgassing From Metal Surfaces, Minxu Li
Models For Water Outgassing From Metal Surfaces, Minxu Li
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
In this study, the outgassing rate from an electropolished stainless steel surface following exposures to H{dollar}\sb2{dollar}O vapor under various conditions was measured. The results of the experiments showed that the outgassing rate is proportional to {dollar}p\sb0\sp{lcub}n{rcub}{dollar}, where {dollar}p\sb0{dollar} is the H{dollar}\sb2{dollar}O exposure pressure and n is about 0.25. The outgassing rate is not as strongly dependent on the system temperature as one would expect if the temperature is kept the same during exposure and pump-down. The outgassing rate is also a function of the exposure time for the first several hours of exposure, indicating that the adsorption saturation time is …
Low Internal Magnetic Fields In Anisotropic Superconductors, Allan J. Greer Jr.
Low Internal Magnetic Fields In Anisotropic Superconductors, Allan J. Greer Jr.
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
This thesis is a theoretical, numerical study of the magnetic fields which exist in the anisotropic, high temperature superconductors like $YBa\sb2Cu\sb3O\sb{7-\delta}$, or YBCO for short, using both the anisotropic London theory and simulations based on existing muon spin rotation techniques. The thesis first describes the muon spin rotation ($\mu$SR) techniques, and then gives a brief discussion of superconductivity with regard to the London theory of anisotropic, type II superconductors. Next, numerical results of the application of this theory to YBCO are presented. Three dimensional surface plots of the magnetic field components within the flux line lattice (FLL) are shown, as …
A Study Of Molecular Order And Motion In Nematic Liquid Crystal Mixtures, Jon Michael Goetz
A Study Of Molecular Order And Motion In Nematic Liquid Crystal Mixtures, Jon Michael Goetz
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Materials which flow like fluids, but possess anisotropic properties like molecular crystals, are called 'liquid crystals'. Studies of liquid crystals contribute to our understanding of how molecular orientation influences macroscopic properties. This thesis presents experimental and theoretical investigations of molecular order and dynamics in nematic liquid crystal systems. First, deuterium nuclear magnetic resonance is used to determine the degree of orientational order of both components of a liquid crystal mixture simultaneously. The temperature dependence of the four order parameters is interpreted using a newly developed mean field theory of nematic binary mixtures composed of biaxial molecules. Next, mean field theory …