Search

This work describes a novel technique for the measurement of inorganic arsenic in water by generating arsine gas and detecting the conductivity of moving protons, H+ (aqueous or aq), produced by the reaction: Ag+ (aq) + AsH3 (gas, g) → AgAsH2 (solid, s) + H+ (aq). The detection is based on an electrochemical gradient of protons in a confined porous substrate (filter paper) and measures the change in the conductance due to the higher mobility of H+ compared to other ions. The conductance was measured with a pair of silver electrodes attached to opposite sides of the substrate with a bipolar pulse conductance technique. The method is established in theory and in practice. The theoretical equation for conductance change shows that a constant increase in conductance is directly proportional to the As(total) concentration. The method is validated with a standard reference material and applied to the measurement of the groundwater sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, in-plane thermal conductivity measurement was carried out on graphene-based papers. Graphene-based papers were fabricated using various processing techniques such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD), hot pressing of graphene slurry, and evaporation induced self-assembly. The prepared materials were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. In-plane thermal conductivity measurement was performed via a steady state thin film thermal conductivity apparatus. The in-plane thermal conductivity measurements show that the CVD based sample has the highest thermal conductivity. COMSOL Multiphysics was used to simulate the in-plane thermal conductivity of graphene-based papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel method was developed for studying the ink-paper interface and the structural variations of a deposited layer of ink. Combining high-resolution x-ray tomography with laser ablation, the depth profile of ink (toner), i.e., its varying thickness, could be determined in a paper substrate. X-ray tomography was used to produce the 3D structure of paper with about 1 μm spatial resolution. Laser ablation combined with optical imaging was used to produce the 3D structure of the printed layer of ink on top of that paper with about 70 nm depth resolution. Ablation depth was calibrated with an optical profilometer. It can be concluded that a toner layer on a light-weight-coated paper substrate was strongly perturbed by protruding fibers of the base paper. Such fibers together with the surface topography of the base paper seem to be the major factors that control the leveling of toner and its penetration into a thinly coated paper substrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we describe the synthesis of novel electrically and magnetically dual-driven Janus particles for a handwriting-enabled twisting ball display via the microfluidic technique. One hemisphere of the Janus particles contains a charge control agent, which allows the display color to be controlled by applying a voltage and superparamagnetic nanoparticles, allows handwriting by applying a magnetic field to the display. We fabricated a twisting ball display utilizing these Janus particles and tested the electric color control and handwriting using a magnet. As a result, the display was capable of permitting handwriting with a small magnet in addition to conventional color control using an applied voltage (80 V). Handwriting performance was improved by increasing the concentration of superparamagnetic nanoparticles and was determined to be possible even when 80V was applied across the electrodes for 4 wt.% superparamagnetic nanoparticles in one hemisphere. This improvement was impossible when the concentration was reduced to 2 wt.% superparamagnetic nanoparticles. The technology presented in our work can be applied to low-cost, lightweight, highly visible, and energy-saving electronic message boards and large whiteboards because the large-size display can be fabricated easily due to its simple structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research experiments the applicability of x-ray texture analysis in investigating the properties of paper coatings. The preferred orientations of kaolin, talc, ground calcium carbonate, and precipitated calcium carbonate particles used in four different paper coatings were determined qualitatively based on the measured crystal orientation data. The extent of the orientation, namely, the degree of the texture of each pigment, was characterized quantitatively using a single parameter. As a result, the effect of paper calendering is clearly seen as an increase on the degree of texture of the coating pigments. The effect of calendering on the preferred orientation of kaolin was also evident in an independent energy dispersive spectrometer analysis on micrometer scale and an electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis on nanometer scale. Thus, the present work proves x-ray texture analysis to be a potential research tool for characterizing the properties of paper coating layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report fabrication of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) films using chemical reduction by hydrazine hydrate and rGO paper-like samples using low temperature treatment reduction. Structural analysis confirms the formation of the rGO structure for both samples. Current-voltage (I-V) measurements of the rGO film reveal semiconductor behavior with the maximum current value of ~3×10-4A. The current for the rGO paper sample is found to be, at least, one order of magnitude higher. Moreover, bipolar resistance switching, corresponding to memristive behavior of type II, is observed in the I-V data of the rGO paper. Although precise values of the rGO film conductivity and the Seebeck coefficient could not be measured, rGO paper shows an electrical conductivity of 6.7×102S/m and Seebeck coefficient of -6μV/°C. Thus, we demonstrate a simplified way for the fabrication of rGO paper that possesses better and easier measurable macroscopic electrical properties than that of rGO thin film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The temperature-dependence of the electrical and dielectric properties of paper substrates was studied using experimental papers with different NaCl contents, different thicknesses, and different grammages. Physical processes related to the charging potential, charge decay rate, conductivity, dielectric constant, and dielectric loss of papers are dependent on thermal energy, and this dependence on temperature can be described by exponential expressions. The ion content of paper not only determines the level of these properties at a given temperature, as expected but also influences their temperature-dependence. Frequency analysis of the dielectric loss confirms that new structures are formed in paper by the addition of NaCl. The results may be applicable to the design of materials and equipment, e.g., for the electrophotographic printing processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on a study which determined the thermophysical properties of artificially aged paper samples by means of photothermal deflection technique. Theory; Experimental results and discussion; Conclusions.

Cellulose insulating paper is widely used in the power industry for its good electrical insulating properties. Moisture sharply increases its conductivity, which directly leads to the weakening of insulation performance and greatly increases the risk of subsequent electric field distortion and insulation breakdown. This paper focuses on the microscopic mechanism of moisture changing the characteristics of charge transport in cellulose insulation and attempts to reveal the related conductivity mechanism. To achieve this purpose, microscopic and macroscopic perspectives are integrated and several simulation and experimental methods are utilized comprehensively. The molecular dynamics simulation results showed that most water molecules in damped cellulose were individually and uniformly adsorbed on the hydroxyl groups by hydrogen bond, and the quantum chemistry computation results showed that the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital more appeared on the water molecule and the corresponding density of state increased. Then, experimentally, it was confirmed that the trap energy level decreased by the thermally stimulated current method. On this basis, the promotion effect of moisture on charge transport is predicted and verified by polarization and depolarization current methods. As the moisture content increased, more charge carriers escaped from the trap by hopping and participated in long-range continuous charge motion. Therefore, after dampness, the current of cellulose insulating paper increased exponentially with the increase in electric field strength, which was consistent with the hopping conductivity mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of ionizing radiation on the temperature-dependent conductivity of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) papers have been investigated in situ in a high vacuum environment. Irradiation of the SWCNT papers with 4.2 MeV alpha particles results in a steady decrease in the SWCNT paper conductivity, resulting in a 25% reduction in room temperature conductivity after a fluence of 3×1012 alpha particles/cm2. The radiation-induced temperature-dependent conductivity modification indicates that radiation damage causes an increase in the effective activation barrier for tunneling-like conductivity and a concomitant increase in wavefunction localization of charge carriers within individual SWCNTs. The spatial defect generation within the SWCNT paper was modeled and confirms that a uniform displacement damage dose was imparted to the paper. This allows the damage coefficient (i.e., differential change in conductivity with fluence) for alpha particles, carbon ions, and protons to be compared with the corresponding nonionizing energy loss (NIEL) of the incident particle. The resulting nonlinear relationship with NIEL between these parameters is distinct from the more typical linear response observed in many bulk semiconductors and superconductors and indicates that localized radiation damage in the SWCNT papers has a greater impact than distributed damage. Although SWCNT papers behave largely as a bulk material with properties that are a convolution of the underlying SWCNT distribution, the radiation response appears to be largely dominated by degradation in the preferred one-dimensional conduction within these two-dimensionally confined nanostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic electronic applications are envisioned to address broad markets, which includes flexible displays, electronic papers, sensors, disposable and wearable electronics, and medical and biophysical applications, leading to a tremendous amount of interest from both academia and industry in the study of devices. These fields of science and technology constitute interdisciplinary fields that cover physics, chemistry, biology, and materials science, leading, as a wanted output, to the elucidation of physical and chemical properties, as well as structures, fabrication, and performance evaluation of devices and the creation of new knowledge underlying the operation of organic devices using new synthesized organic materials—organic semiconductors. We testify the situation when the available organic electronic applications sometimes lack a theoretical background. The cause may be the complicated properties of disordered, weak bounded, molecular materials with properties different from their inorganic counterparts. One of the basic information-rich resources is the electronic structure of organic semiconductors, elucidated by the methods, hardly possible to be transferred from the branch of inorganic semiconductors. Electrochemical spectroscopic methods, in general, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, in particular, tend and seem to fill this gap. In this Perspective article, the energy resolved-electrochemical impedance spectroscopic method for electronic structure studies of surface and bulk of organic semiconductors is presented, and its theoretical and implementation background is highlighted. To show the method's properties and strength, both as to the wide energy and excessive dynamic range, the basic measurements on polymeric materials and D–A blends are introduced, and to highlight its broad applicability, the results on polysilanes degradability, gap engineering of non-fullerene D–A blends, and electron structure spectroscopy of an inorganic nanocrystalline film are highlighted. In the outlook and perspective, the electrolyte/polymer interface will be studied in general and specifically devoted to the morphological, transport, and recombination properties of organic semiconductors and biophysical materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]