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The kinetics and pathway of most catalyzed reactions depend on the existence of interface, which makes the precise construction of highly active single-atom sites at the reaction interface a desirable goal. Herein, we propose a thermal printing strategy that not only arranges metal atoms at the silica and carbon layer interface but also stabilizes them by strong coordination. Just like the typesetting of Chinese characters on paper, this method relies on the controlled migration of movable nanoparticles between two contact substrates and the simultaneous emission of atoms from the nanoparticle surface at high temperatures. Observed by in situ transmission electron microscopy, a single Fe3O4 nanoparticle migrates from the core of a SiO2 sphere to the surface like a droplet at high temperatures, moves along the interface of SiO2 and the coated carbon layer, and releases metal atoms until it disappears completely. These detached atoms are then in situ trapped by nitrogen and sulfur defects in the carbon layer to generate Fe single-atom sites, exhibiting excellent activity for oxygen reduction reaction. Also, sites' densities can be regulated by controlling the size of Fe3O4 nanoparticle between the two surfaces. More importantly, this strategy is applicable to synthesize Mn, Co, Pt, Pd, Au single-atom sites, which provide a general route to arrange single-atom sites at the interface of different supports for various applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential for monitoring chipless RFID technology using a radio transmitter and receiver. The researchers analyzed the behavior of a printed label made with an aluminum-based ink from a thermal printer and compared the read characteristics of the receptor with a baseline. The results showed a shift in the reading characteristics near the resonance point of the curve. In the resonance area, the coded signal deviated from the baseline, floating above the baseline in the slit configuration and below in the line configuration. These observations provide valuable insights into the performance of chipless RFID technology and the potential to optimize its functionality. Chipless RFID technology has the potential to revolutionize the packaging industry by offering a cost-effective and efficient means of tracking and managing inventory. Unlike traditional RFID tags, chipless RFID utilizes the unique characteristics of the packaging material itself to store and transmit data, eliminating the need for expensive chips and simplifying the manufacturing and assembly process. Real-time item tracking, product quality and safety monitoring, and improved supply chain management are among the benefits of chipless RFID, with the potential to enhance efficiency, reduce waste, and increase profitability for companies.

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential for monitoring chipless RFID technology using a radio transmitter and receiver. The researchers analyzed the behavior of a printed label made with an aluminum-based ink from a thermal printer and compared the read characteristics of the receptor with a baseline. The results showed a shift in the reading characteristics near the resonance point of the curve. In the resonance area, the coded signal deviated from the baseline, floating above the baseline in the slit configuration and below in the line configuration. These observations provide valuable insights into the performance of chipless RFID technology and the potential to optimize its functionality. Chipless RFID technology has the potential to revolutionize the packaging industry by offering a cost-effective and efficient means of tracking and managing inventory. Unlike traditional RFID tags, chipless RFID utilizes the unique characteristics of the packaging material itself to store and transmit data, eliminating the need for expensive chips and simplifying the manufacturing and assembly process. Real-time item tracking, product quality and safety monitoring, and improved supply chain management are among the benefits of chipless RFID, with the potential to enhance efficiency, reduce waste, and increase profitability for companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The research of purely organic materials with long afterglow has drawn more and more attention, especially for those with stimulus‐response characteristic. So far, this kind of material is really very scarce and their performance is not good enough. In this study, we successfully developed an efficient heating‐responsive room‐temperature phosphorescence material with phosphorescence efficiency and lifetime up to 13.4% and 2.08 s through the simple host–guest doping strategy. Further on, by introducing the additional energy acceptor of fluorescein with concentration‐dependent emission to construct ternary doping systems, the afterglow color was extended from blue to yellow. Accordingly, the multicolor thermal printings have been easily realized, showing the great practical application prospects.

The research of purely organic materials with long afterglow has drawn more and more attention, especially for those with stimulus‐response characteristic. So far, this kind of material is really very scarce and their performance is not good enough. In this study, we successfully developed an efficient heating‐responsive room‐temperature phosphorescence material with phosphorescence efficiency and lifetime up to 13.4% and 2.08 s through the simple host–guest doping strategy. Further on, by introducing the additional energy acceptor of fluorescein with concentration‐dependent emission to construct ternary doping systems, the afterglow color was extended from blue to yellow. Accordingly, the multicolor thermal printings have been easily realized, showing the great practical application prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermochromic photonic crystals are promising materials for thermal printing due to their unfaded colors under chemical/illuminated environments and the absence of toxic chemicals. However, the slow thermochromic response, the multistep printing procedures, the use of inks or developing liquids, and the requirement of expensive parts in printers limit their applications. Here, a thermochromic polyurethane/hydrophobic-SiO 2 photonic crystal/paraffin (PU/HPO-SiO 2 -PC/Para) film with an integrated multilayer structure is fabricated for all-solid-state and single-step thermal printing that is fully compatible with commercial printers. The fast thermochromic response in milliseconds enables high-resolution and grayscale printing as the paraffin infiltration and the color change can be finely controlled in a microscale range. The integrated and hydrophobic multilayer structure renders the thermochromic film good stability in daily liquids, which addresses the long-existing concern of print fading. Meanwhile, the integrated multilayer structure also enhances the mechanical stability when it is deposited on fibrous paper so that people can fold, cut, or staple the thermal papers, and make notes confidently in practical usage., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The kinetics and pathway of most catalyzed reactions depend on the existence of interface, which makes the precise construction of highly active single-atom sites at the reaction interface a desirable goal. Herein, we propose a thermal printing strategy that not only arranges metal atoms at the silica and carbon layer interface but also stabilizes them by strong coordination. Just like the typesetting of Chinese characters on paper, this method relies on the controlled migration of movable nanoparticles between two contact substrates and the simultaneous emission of atoms from the nanoparticle surface at high temperatures. Observed by in situ transmission electron microscopy, a single Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticle migrates from the core of a SiO 2 sphere to the surface like a droplet at high temperatures, moves along the interface of SiO 2 and the coated carbon layer, and releases metal atoms until it disappears completely. These detached atoms are then in situ trapped by nitrogen and sulfur defects in the carbon layer to generate Fe single-atom sites, exhibiting excellent activity for oxygen reduction reaction. Also, sites' densities can be regulated by controlling the size of Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticle between the two surfaces. More importantly, this strategy is applicable to synthesize Mn, Co, Pt, Pd, Au single-atom sites, which provide a general route to arrange single-atom sites at the interface of different supports for various applications., Competing Interests: Competing interests statement:The authors declare no competing interest.

The objective of the work is to incorporate in elastomers the residues of the Thermal Transfer Ribbon (TTR) that are currently disposed in landfills as Class II waste. The applied methodology was the case study, with the addition of the residue to the SBR/ BR manufacturing process as filler and dyeing agent due to the presence of carbon black in this residue, commonly called ribbon. The study aimed to incorporate the ribbon residues to the elastomer without loss of the rubber properties such as hardness, tensile strength and elongation. Among the main results obtained, the formulation with 10 PHR stands out: increase in tensile strength, hardness, elastic modulus and the elongation decrease for all mixtures. It is concluded therefore that the incorporation of the ribbon to the rubber is a viable process because it allows, by the recycling, to generate a quality product in accordance to certain characteristics determined in the project, in addition to being relevant from the environmental point of view, contributing to sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present the development of an optimal controller for thermal printheads. A first-order linear system and a nonlinear output mapping with stochastic noise is proposed as a model of the printing dynamics. The model parameters are identified and an optimal control problem is formulated to determine the printhead input. The control algorithm is successfully tested on a standard thermal printer. A sensitivity analysis is performed by simulations and experiments to analyze the printing quality on varying setups with different printheads, printing media and ribbons. A tuning strategy is derived to adapt to changing setups without having to recompute an optimization problem. The performance of the control system for a wide range of operating systems is observed in experiments. Comparing the proposed controller to a current control implementation shows a significant quality gain in barcode readability (ISO/IEC 15416). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, various factors affecting the operation of an electromagnetic actuator used in thermal transfer printers are being investigated. The magnetic and electromechanical performance of these devices were optimised. New improved actuator geometries were implemented, and compared with the commercially available design to improve it. The need for using laminated cores to enable fast operation is discussed and such a core is built and tested. It is also shown how the print speed can be increased from 2400 to 3540 labels/min, by changing the geometry of the actuator, as well as by choosing the most suitable magnetic material. It is demonstrated how the best geometry of the actuator can be achieved with the aid of finite element computer packages. Three print-head actuators are compared to a commercial design and conclusions are drawn for the best geometry and magnetic material. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Traditional thermochromic photonic crystal (PC) usually has a slow and reversible thermal response, which limits its application in thermal printing. Here, the authors develop a thermochromic "SiO 2 -PC/PEG" double layer structure with a responding time of milliseconds for fast thermal printing. Controlled by the print-head, the polyethylene glycol (PEG) melts, infiltrates, and solidifies within the interparticle voids, which instantly and irreversibly changes the refractive index and produces the PC pattern. Multicolor printing can be realized by tuning the size and type of colloidal particles. Resolution as high as 300 DPI is achieved to print the high-resolution patterns and then the grayscale patterns based on the control of pixel densities. Different from fiber thermal paper, the "SiO 2 -PC/PEG" film has no toxic bisphenol A and possesses superior light stability for keeping the images longer. It is fully compatible with the commercial printer, which provides a mature solution for fast and convenient preparation of PC patterns., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The study of purely organic room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) has drawn increasing attention because of its considerable theoretical research and practical application value. Currently, organic RTP materials with both high efficiency (Φ P  > 20%) and a long lifetime (τ P  > 10 s) in air are still scarce due to the lack of related design guidance. Here, a new strategy to increase the phosphorescence performance of organic materials by integrating the RTP host and RTP guest in one doping system to form a triplet exciplex, is reported. With these materials, the high-contrast labeling of tumors in living mice and encrypted patterns in thermal printing are both successfully realized by taking advantage of both the long afterglow time (up to 25 min in aqueous media) and high phosphorescence efficiency (43%)., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Artificially structured thermal metamaterials provide an unprecedented possibility of molding heat flow that is drastically distinct from the conventional heat diffusion in naturally conductive materials. The Laplacian nature of heat conduction makes the transformation thermotics, as a design principle for thermal metadevices, compatible with transformation optics. Various functional thermal devices, such as thermal cloaks, concentrators, and rotators, have been successfully demonstrated. How far can it possible go beyond just realizing a heat-distribution function in a thermal metadevice? Herein, the concept of encrypted thermal printing is proposed and experimentally validated, which could conceal encrypted information under natural light and present static or dynamic messages in an infrared image. Regionalization transformation is developed for structuring thermal metamaterial-strokes as infrared signatures, enabling letters of the alphabet to be written, paintings to be drawn, movies to be made, and information to be displayed. This strategy successfully demonstrates an extreme level of manipulation of heat flow for encryption, illusions, and messaging., (© 2019 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)