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Recently, maintenance applications around power lines have been actively studied. These applications usually supply power through magnetic energy harvesting(MEH) to devices around the power line. A major challenge for practical MEH is to overcome magnetic saturation, which can cause degradation of power density under a wide current range in the power line. In this paper, we propose a design methodology to harvest maximized output power by considering the saturation effect. To consider magnetic saturation, the output power model and the saturable magnetizing inductance model based on magnetizing current were comprehensively analyzed. Additionally, the critical point of saturation for the maximum harvested power was analyzed by considering different primary side current conditions. With the proposed design methodology, the accuracy and efficiency of the output model were verified with experimental results compared to the conventional model. To consider the real environment, a 150 kW class of AC resistor load bank was implemented to control the primary current from 0 to 100 A with power frequency of 60 Hz. Experimental results show that the proposed method can harvest an average power of 14.32 W on 70 A power line, which is an increase of 39.8 % compared with the conventional design method.

Sulfobetaine, a type of zwitterionic polymer, is highly biocompatible with temperature responsiveness of the upper critical solution temperature (UCST) type. The objective of this research was to construct polyion complex (PIC) micelles in the shell of sulfobetaine that had these properties. We used poly(sulfopropyl dimethylammonium propylacrylamide) (PSPP) as sulfobetaine, poly(sodium styrenesulfonate) (PSSNa) as the anionic polymer, and poly[3-(methacrylamido)propyl trimethylammonium chloride] (PMAPTAC) as the cationic polymer. The fundamental properties of the sulfobetaine-containing polymer and the complex were investigated to construct micelles in which the corona expands and contracts in response to temperature changes. Changes in the cloud point were observed from the transmittance for sulfobetaine homopolymers with different degrees of polymerization and concentration and aqueous solution of temperature-responsive diblock copolymers with different concentrations. The concentration and degree of polymerization dependencies on temperature responsivity were determined. Then we mixed two diblock copolymer aqueous solutions that did not have temperature responsivity so that the charge number of anions and cations became equal, and the temperature responsivity and the formation of micelles were confirmed from 1H NMR, DLS, and transmittance. This confirmed the formation of PIC micelles with temperature responsivity. The diblock copolymer did not have temperature responsivity due to the influence of the block ratio by introduction of the ionic chain. However, it is considered to have temperature responsivity because the ionic chain becomes the core when PIC micelles are formed. Furthermore, the PIC micelles with temperature responsivity also had a degree of polymerization and concentration dependencies.

Wet clutch pads require temperature control on contact surface because increased frictional heat abruptly decreases friction coefficient, and eventually, the desired torque transfer becomes difficult to control. Generation of frictional heat is inevitable during clutch engagement, but the frictional heat should be cooled by the convective flow of DCTF for the stable torque transfer capacity in the wet clutch pack. Two-phase DCTF flow behavior was investigated inside the entire cavity space of a wet clutch pack, and detailed flow patterns were computed using CFD analysis. Particularly, outer clutch pack of the DCT, which has severe thermal duty, was studied with respect to DCTF flow rate distribution through the gaps of the clutch pads. Hydrodynamic pressures, velocity fields of DCTF flow, and volume fractions of the DCTF fluid in the wet clutch pack were computed, and evenly distributed flows through the gaps of outer clutch pads to combat unbalanced thermal durability among the clutch pads were achieved by optimizing the design of hub shell outlets. Using computational results, DCTF velocity fields and the volume of fluid (VOF) were compared and they will lead to the well-distributed flow design against the abnormal local frictional temperature rises without unnecessary additional oil pump power.

Solution processability is one of the advantages of organic solar cells (OSCs). However, most high-efficiency OSCs are prepared using hazardous chlorinated solvents for the deposition of photoactive layers. The replacement of non-halogenated solvents with eco-friendly green solvents for photoactive materials is urgently required. Herein, we have developed a novel asymmetric T2-OEHRH, which is modified from the symmetric T2-ORH. The introduction of asymmetric alkyl side chains onto rhodanine end groups can effectively suppress excessive self-aggregation/crystallization and substantially improve solubility without sacrificing optoelectrical properties. Therefore, ternary-blend OSCs based on PTB7-Th:EH-IDTBR:T2-OEHRH processed using a non-halogenated solvent system exhibit a uniform and favorable morphology and give a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 12.10%. More importantly, we demonstrate an impressive PCE of 9.32% for large-area NFA-OSCs (substrate size = 100 cm2 and aperture size = 55.5 cm2) prepared via D-bar coating in air. To our knowledge, this PCE is the highest reported to date for NFA-based large-area OSC modules processed from a non-halogenated solvent. This asymmetric alkyl-chain engineering strategy can be exploited to develop high-performance large-area NFA-OSCs with eco-friendly solvent processing.

The pore space partition approach via post-synthetic linker insertion was used to modulate the porosity of a fragile Ag(i)-carboxylate framework with potentially large pore space. The resulting Ag(i)-MOFs with partitioned pores showed enhanced permanent porosity compared with a nonpartitioned Ag(i)-carboxylate framework.

The formation of stabilized radical anions on organic materials in the solid state is an important issue in radical-based fundamental research and various applications. Herein, for the first time, we report on gas-induced ion-free stable radical anion formation (SRAF) of organic semiconducting solids with high gas selectivities through the use of organic field-effect transistor (OFET) gas sensors and electron spin resonance spectroscopy. In contrast to the previously reported SRAF, which requires either anionic analytes in solution and/or cationic substituents on π-electron-deficient aromatic cores, NDI-EWGs consist of an n-type semiconducting naphthalene diimide (NDI) and various electron-withdrawing groups (EWGs) that exhibit non-ion-involved, gas-selective SRAF in the solid state. In the presence of hard Lewis base gases, NDI-EWG-based OFETs exhibit enhanced conductivity (Current-ON mode) through the formation of an SRAF NDI/gas complex, while in the presence of borderline and soft Lewis base gases, NDI-EWG-based OFETs show decreased conductivity (Current-OFF mode) by the formation of a resistive NDI/gas complex. Organic semiconducting solids with EWGs exhibiting highly gas-selective solid-SRAF constitute a very promising platform for radical-based chemistry and can be used in various applications, such as highly gas-selective probes.

A single-benzene-based, blue-emissive diethyl 2,5-dihydroxyterephthalate (DDT) was prepared by Fischer esterification of 2,5-dihydroxyterephthalic acid (DHT) and ethanol. The strong fluorescence in both the solution and the solid state from such a simple framework stemmed from the push-pull structure of the electron-donating hydroxy groups and the accepting carbonyl groups, as well as structural planarity from intramolecular hydrogen bonds. The strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds enabled DDT to crystallize easily. The color CCD imaging technique showed efficient 1D optical waveguiding with a large optical loss coefficient of 0.15 dB/μm. DDT has potential application in optical sensors, photonic devices, and optoelectronic communication, because of its highly ordered structure and light-emitting ability.

The research presented in this paper deals with the development of an integrated numerical model for the estimation of the incremental surface wear and damage accumulation in linear slide rails. The target is the estimation of the progressive increment of the end-point deflection of the last member of the slide rail during the operational lifetime. The surface abrasion is accounted for by utilizing a modified Archard equation with the aim of estimating the amount of wear along the vertical direction of the slide rails members. In addition to that, the Lemaitre damage model is utilized for the estimation rolling contact fatigue (pitting), considering the total strain and not only the plastic strain. Experiments have been carried out on a small-scale slide rail testing machine in order to define the wear increment on the slide rail inner groove for increasing number of cycles and, accordingly, estimate the modified Archard model constants. In addition to that, the wear parameters for the Lemaitre damage model have been inversely calibrated from the results of tensile tests. A numerical model has been implemented in ABAQUS/Explicit and an external geometry-update subroutine has been employed to update the geometry of the slide rail groove for increasing number of cycles as a consequence of wear and roll contact fatigue. The comparison between numerical and experimental results on real rails have shown a maximum deviation equal to 12.9%, supporting the reliability of the proposed approach.

Metal-organic polyhedra (MOP) are a promising class of crystalline porous materials with multifarious potential applications. Although MOPs and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have similar potential in terms of their intrinsic porosities and physicochemical properties, the exploitation of carboxylate MOPs is still rudimentary because of the lack of systematic development addressing their chemical stability. Herein we describe the fabrication of chemically robust carboxylate MOPs via outer-surface functionalization as an a priori methodology, to stabilize those MOPs system where metal-ligand bond is not so strong. Fine-tuning of hydrophobic shielding is key to attaining chemical inertness with retention of the framework integrity over a wide range of pH values, in strong acidic conditions, and in oxidizing and reducing media. These results are further corroborated by molecular modelling studies. Owing to the unprecedented transition from instability to a chemically ultra-stable regime using a rapid ambient-temperature gram-scale synthesis (within seconds), a prototype strategy towards chemically stable MOPs is reported.

While the one-pot reaction of zirconium metal ions with a mixture of two dicarboxylate heterolinkers yielded a 12-c fcu Zr MOF with randomly distributed linkers, the symmetry-guided stepwise reaction produced the same MOF with both linkers precisely located in the framework. In the latter method, linear terephthalic acid (H2BDC) derivatives with mmm symmetry were inserted into the mmm-symmetry sites of the flexible Zr MOF with 8-c bcu topology (ZRN-bcu), which is composed of zigzag 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid with 2/m symmetry. Although the length of the symmetry-matching BDC2- derivatives was much shorter than the distance between the unlinked nearest-neighbor Zr clusters in ZRN-bcu, induced fitting of the derivatives into the framework was possible, resulting in well-defined locations for the two different dicarboxylate linkers. Thus, controlled synthesis of MOFs with the desired topology and functionality can be achieved using a symmetry-guided approach.

Temperature-responsive polyion complex (PIC) micelles were prepared by using two diblock copolymers composed of a sulfobetaine chain (poly(sulfopropyldimethylammonium propylacrylamide), PSPP) and ionic chains (poly(sodium styrenesulfonate), PSSNa, or poly(3-(methacrylamido)propyltrimethylammonium chloride), PMAPTAC). Because the core is PIC and the shell is sulfobetaine with UCST-type temperature response, the corona expands and contracts in response to temperature. To control the size and uniformity of the PIC micelles, the collapse of PIC micelles by salt addition and the reforming behavior by dialysis were investigated by transmittance, DLS, TEM, AFM, and 1H NMR measurements. Investigation of the ionic species dependence of the added salt in the collapse behavior of PIC micelles revealed that it was dependent on the anionic species, although no dependence on the cationic species was observed. Its effectiveness was in the order of I- > Br- > Cl- > F-, which is in agreement with the order of ionic species with strong structural destruction in the Hofmeister series. Heterogeneous and large PIC micelles were formed by the simple mixing method. They collapsed by salt addition and were reformed by the dialysis method to form uniform and smaller PIC micelles. This is considered to be because a uniform and smaller micelle is formed to reform in equilibrium state by dialysis. The temperature response of PIC micelles formed by the simple mixing method and PIC micelles reformed by dialysis showed nearly the same temperature-transmittance curves. These results indicate that the temperature response of PIC micelles is affected by the concentration rather than the hydrodynamic radius. Furthermore, the stability of PIC micelles was found to be affected by the concentration temperature (the temperature at the time of concentration).

Waterproof membranes have higher initial strength, faster construction, and better waterproofing than conventional sheet membranes. In addition, their polymer constituents have much higher interfacial adhesion and tensile strength than those of conventional materials. However, despite their advantages, waterproof membranes are not widely used in civil construction. This study evaluates the material properties and interface parameters of a waterproof membrane by considering the results of laboratory experiments and numerical analysis. Since the contact behavior of a membrane at its interface with shotcrete is important for understanding the mechanism of the support it offers known as a shotcrete tunnel lining, modeling should adopt appropriate contact conditions. The numerical analysis identifies the suitability and contact conditions of the waterproof membrane in various conditions.

We report new organic nonlinear optical salt crystals comprising bis(head-to-tail) complementary cation–anion assembly that results in extremely efficient THz wave generation. In the new salt crystals, each of the ends of the molecular anion, 4-(trifluoromethyl)benzenesulfonate, possesses bis(hydrogen-bond acceptors), while each of the ends of the nonlinear optical molecular cationic chromophore, 2-(4-(4-(hydroxymethyl)piperidin-1-yl)styryl)-3-methylbenzothiazol-3-ium, possesses bis(hydrogen-bond donors). The resulting assembly fulfills the requirements for efficient broadband THz wave generation, namely, perfectly parallel alignment of the nonlinear optical cationic chromophores for maximizing the optical nonlinearity as well as strong interionic binding interactions for reducing self-absorption of the generated THz waves. The new benzothiazolium crystals provide extremely high optical-to-THz conversion efficiency with a broad THz spectral bandwidth of 8 THz, where the peak-to-peak THz electric field amplitude is 36 times higher than that of the benchmark inorganic 1.0 mm-thick ZnTe crystal when pumped at 1300 nm and also notably higher than those of benchmark organic analogous crystals.

In the present research work, a finite element model of the electro-resistance welding pipe forming process chain is developed using the ABAQUS/Explicit software. The forming process, which is composed of 22 tandem roll stations, has been fully modeled in the developed finite element simulation. In order to account for the Bauschinger effect on the pipe material properties as a consequence of the loading and the unloading during the process, a non-linear kinematic hardening model has been utilized in all the proposed finite element simulation models. The constants for the non-linear kinematic hardening model were estimated by means of cyclic experiments on the K55 steel pipe material. In order to properly simulate the electric arc welding (electro-resistance welding) operation, the ABAQUS welding interface has been utilized to account for the joining between the two edges of the formed pipe as well as to assess the influence of the welding-induced temperature field on the residual stresses on the pipe material. The sizing operation, which is the final station of the electro-resistance welding process, has been also accounted in the developed finite element method model and is composed of six tandem rolls. To export and import the results between two different modules, a mapping strategy has been utilized and allowed exporting the element results, in terms of stress, strain, and temperature, and importing them into the following simulation module. Finally, in order to estimate the influence of each process station on the yield strength of the material, a finite element simple tension test simulation has been implemented in ABAQUS/Static, mapping the results of each station on the tensile specimen. This mapping operation allowed to estimate the yield stress of the material after each of the three process stations, a consequence of the residual stresses present in the material, and has been carried out on eight circumferential locations around the pipe, evenly spaced with a 22.5° angle. The model has been validated by comparing the geometrical results, in terms of average pipe diameter and thickness, obtained from the finite element model with those of the relevant industrial production, showing deviations equal to 1.25% and 1.35% (forming) and 1.29% and 1.43% (sizing), respectively, proving the reliability of the proposed process chain analysis simulation. The results will show how the process-induced residual stresses arising on the pipe material make the material yield strength to vary from station to station as well as having different values along the circumferential direction of the pipe.

Objectives To develop a prediction model of spontaneous ureteral stone passage (SSP) using machine learning and logistic regression and compare the performance of the two models. Indications for management of ureteral stones are unclear, and the clinician determines whether to wait for SSP or perform active treatment, especially in well-controlled patients, to avoid unwanted complications. Therefore, suggesting the possibility of SSP would help make a clinical decision regarding ureteral stones. Methods Patients diagnosed with unilateral ureteral stones at our emergency department between August 2014 and September 2018 were included and underwent non-contrast-enhanced computed tomography 4 weeks from the first stone episode. Predictors of SSP were applied to build and validate the prediction model using multilayer perceptron (MLP) with the Keras framework. Results Of 833 patients, SSP was observed in 606 (72.7%). SSP rates were 68.2% and 75.6% for stone sizes 5–10 mm and Conclusion SSP prediction models were developed in patients with well-controlled unilateral ureteral stones; the performance of the models was good, especially in identifying SSP for 5–10-mm ureteral stones without definite treatment guidelines. To further improve the performance of these models, future studies should focus on using machine learning techniques in image analysis.

A series of new naphthalene diimide (NDI) semiconducting derivatives with different N-phenyl bicyclic side groups were rationally designed and synthesized in this study. The solubility of the orthogonal-shaped NDI derivatives with 5-tetralinyl and 4-indanyl side groups was found to be up to two orders of magnitude higher than that of the linear-shaped NDI derivatives with 6-tetralinyl and 5-indanyl side groups. The orthogonal-shaped NDI derivative with a 5-tetralinyl side group exhibited excellent solution processability due to its high solubility (e.g., 4 g/100 g dichlorobenzene), high thermal stability (e.g., lowest phase transition temperature of 380 °C), and high vertical carrier mobility (e.g., space-current-limited-current electron mobility of 7 × 10−5 cm2/V·s). Therefore, the introduction of N-phenyl bicyclic side groups on organic semiconductors was confirmed to be a highly promising design strategy for achieving the desired physical properties.

To identify the cause of edge waves and to minimize them, which are frequently occurring on the steel pipe manufacturing site, the shape of the edge part of skelp has been confirmed according to a design variable and operating condition. In particular, parametric studies were carried out on the variation in the thickness of skelp, tskelp, the roll gap between upper and bottom rolls, troll, at the forming stage 1, Forming 1, the roll shape, toffset, of the Forming 1, and the material property of skelp to study the generation of edge waves, because these parameters have been determined by field engineers extemporaneously without any physical estimation. For this purpose, the roll design and operating conditions used in the field were applied to the finite element analysis model, and the distribution of contact force between the rolls and skelp, and the distribution of effective plastic strain on the skelp were investigated. The fact that adjusting to tskelp and troll arbitrarily without changing to the roll shape can cause not only the edge waves but also the center waves, was carried out. Especially, the edge waves were reduced without the irregular contact pressure by changing the surface of the upper roll that is offset by target tskelp in the normal direction of the surface of the bottom roll in the Forming 1, when the target thickness is tskelp. Moreover, there is no significant difference in the vertical load applied to the rolls when high-strength steels are used or when low-strength steels are used, it is necessary to predict the local maximum and minimum of contact pressure between the skelp and rolls and the shape of the upper roll of the Forming 1 should be modified to decrease irregular contact pressure instead of any design modifications.

A waterproof membrane sprayed onto concrete enables faster construction compared with a conventional sheet membrane. The sprayed raw material, which is polymer mixed with water, becomes completely continuous waterproof thin membrane after a certain curing time. Such membranes have not been widely used in East Asia due to less confidence of their performance and limited applications despite of their outstanding structural properties and many projects in Europe, especially in the UK (at least 6 projects), which include higher cohesion at the interface and higher tensile strength. This study evaluates the material and contact properties of a waterproof membrane based on the results from laboratory experiments and numerical analyses. Interface properties of the waterproof membrane were calibrated from results of the linear block-support test proposed by European Federation of National Associations Representing for Concrete (EFNARC). A numerical model for simulating three-point bending tests was then developed and used to examine structural effects of the membrane. In results of numerical analysis, the contact conditions between the lining and the membrane had little effect in elastic behaviors, but tensile behavior of concrete lining had a relatively large effect.

본 논문은 전기자전거의 회생제동장치의 성능을 평가하고 회생제동토크가 주행안정성에 미치는 영향을 분석한다. 다양한 주행 조건과 제동 상황에서 전기자전거의 회생제동 에너지를 측정하고 분석하여 회생제동 성능을 정량적으로 나타내는 “회생제동이득”이라는 성능지표를 제안하였다. 성능지표의 타당성과 효용성을 교통 환경, 길이, 경사도 등 조건이 서로 다른 도로에서 주행시험을 통하여 검증하였다. 조향각과 롤각의 2 자유도를 가지는 자전거의 동역학 모델을 이용하여 회생제동토크가 자전거의 주행안정성에 미치는 영향을 분석하였다. 회생제동토크가 커질수록 저속에서 자전거가 좌우로 흔들리는 현상이 발생하여 동적안정성이 나빠진다는 것을 규명하였다. 안정성해석을 기반하여 회생제동성능과 주행안정성 모두를 고려한 새로운 방식의 회생제동토크 생성 전략을 제안하였다.

In permafrost or seasonal frost regions, compactions are carried out under freezing conditions. Typical compaction characteristics under nonfreezing conditions are different from those under freezing conditions. To compare the compaction characteristics of frozen and unfrozen sands, a series of sand compactions was performed under nonfreezing temperature (15°C) and freezing temperature (-10°C). For each temperature, 50 compaction cycles producing 50 compaction curves were conducted on Jumunjin sands. After the 50 compaction cycles, compaction sensitivity, changes of dry unit weight, and particle size distribution curves were analyzed. As a result, for a given water content, dry unit weight increases with increasing accumulated compaction energy per unit sample volume under both the nonfreezing and freezing temperatures. Compaction sensitivity under the nonfreezing temperature was the lower than that under the freezing temperature. Nonetheless, compaction under the nonfreezing condition was more efficient compared with that under the freezing condition.

Newly designed halogenated organic quinolinium crystals proposed in this work provide fully optimized molecular ordering for maximizing the optical nonlinearity and high-performance broadband terahertz (THz) wave generation. The ultralarge diagonal optical nonlinearity (almost 300 × 10−30 esu) of the new halogenated crystals is approximately two times larger than that of state-of-the-art pyridinium-based crystals. In contrast, nonhalogenated analogous crystals exhibit very low (or vanishing) diagonal optical nonlinearity. This is attributed to halogen-induced unique interionic interactions and fine-tuning of the space-filling characteristics. In addition, the halogenated crystals show a good ability for bulk crystal growth of few millimetres lateral size with plate-like morphology and high thermal stability that are finally required for real-world applications. The new halogenated quinolinium crystals exhibit excellent THz wave generation characteristics, significantly surpassing the limit of conversion efficiency and spectral bandwidth of inorganic benchmark crystals. A 0.16 mm thick chlorinated crystal generates a 29-times larger THz field than 1.0 mm thick inorganic ZnTe crystals at 1500 nm pump wavelength with a flat and broadband spectrum extending up to ≈8 THz. Therefore, introducing halogen substituents is a potential design strategy for designing new organic crystals showing ultralarge macroscopic hyperpolarizability and high-performance THz wave generation.

Ultra-broadband THz photonics covering the 0.3–20 THz range provides a very attractive foundation for a wide range of basic research and industrial applications. However, the lack of ultra-broadband THz devices has yet to be overcome. In this work, high-density organic electro-optic crystals are newly developed for efficient THz wave generation in a very broad THz spectral range and are successfully used for a broadband THz time-domain spectroscopy. The new organic THz generator crystals, namely the OHP-TFS crystals, have very low void volume, high density, and are shown to cover the ultra-broadband THz spectrum up to about 15 THz, which cannot be easily accessed with the more widely used inorganic-based THz generators. In addition to the very favorable broadband properties, the generated THz electric-field amplitude at the pump wavelength of 1560 nm is about 40 times higher than that generated by a commercial inorganic THz generator (ZnTe crystal). By using the newly developed OHP-TFS as generation crystal in a compact table-top all-organic THz time-domain spectrometer based on a low-cost telecom fiber laser, the optical characteristics of a model material are successfully determined in the broad 1.5–12.5 THz range with high accuracy.

Solid-state reaction of organic molecules holds a considerable advantage over liquid-phase processes in the manufacturing industry. However, the research progress in exploring this benefit is largely staggering, which leaves few liquid-phase systems to work with. Here, we show a synthetic protocol for the formation of a three-dimensional porous organic network via solid-state explosion of organic single crystals. The explosive reaction is realized by the Bergman reaction (cycloaromatization) of three enediyne groups on 2,3,6,7,14,15-hexaethynyl-9,10-dihydro-9,10-[1,2]benzenoanthracene. The origin of the explosion is systematically studied using single-crystal X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry, along with high-speed camera and density functional theory calculations. The results suggest that the solid-state explosion is triggered by an abrupt change in lattice energy induced by release of primer molecules in the 2,3,6,7,14,15-hexaethynyl-9,10-dihydro-9,10-[1,2]benzenoanthracene crystal lattice., Porous organic networks are of great fundamental and technological interest. Here, the authors synthesize a three-dimensional porous organic network with high specific surface area via a solid-state explosive reaction of hexaethynyl triptycene single crystals containing primer molecules.

Vibration applied to relaxed muscle or tendon causes tonic reflex contraction in a muscle. Furthermore, when vibration is applied to a muscle, involuntary enhancement of EMG and contraction is induced. Regarding this finding, many studies on the influence of vibration on a muscle and static posture have been performed. However, precedent studies have limitations in applying single characteristic-vibration without any consideration on personal difference on vibration. And studies have been performed to research the change in dynamic state according to the intensity of sensing vibration, but no analysis has been performed on the biomechanical aspect of the lower-limb joints. Nor any consideration was given on the effect of vibration frequency. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze the biomechanical variation in the lower-limb joints according to the characteristics of the mechanical vibration stimulation flowing into Achilles tendon and tibialis anterior tendon during gait, in consideration of the vibration perception threshold and vibration frequency. For this purpose, this study measures the vibration perception threshold according to vibration frequency at each tendon exposed to the stimulation. According to the result, vibration perception threshold varies according to vibrating tendon and vibration frequency. Based on the measurement result of vibration perception threshold, vibration is applied to an Achilles tendon and tibialis anterior tendon during gait. In order to analyze the biomechanical variation in the lower-limb joints according to the characteristics of vibration stimulation applied to each tendon during gait, the angle, moment and power of the lower-limb joints is analyzed using 3D motion analysis system. As a result, biomechanical variation, when vibration lower than a perception threshold is applied, is similar to the variation when vibration at perception threshold is applied. This result implies that vibration stimulation may cause biomechanical variation of lower-limb joints. Furthermore, this means that its biomechanical variation may vary according to the characteristics of the vibration applied.

In this paper, a high-efficiency wireless power transfer (WPT) and force transfer system for a micro-robot is proposed. Two-coil systems are employed to power the micro-robot. The two-coil parts are ac and dc, and each consists of an external source and a load coil inside the micro-robot. In the ac coil part, the external source coil generates a time-varying magnetic field that is received by the ac load coil in the micro-robot as electrical energy. In the dc coil part, the external source coil is used as an electromagnet, which is used to generate propulsion force for the micro-robot. Through the proposed system, both the efficiency of electrical energy transfer and the generation of propulsion force can be significantly improved. The feasibility of the proposed approach was verified through simulation and experimentation results.

Non-interpenetrated three-dimensional (3D) metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) with both an interpenetration-favorable (3,5)-c hms topology and an interpenetration-unfavorable (3,5)-c gra topology are converted to doubly interpenetrated analogues with hms-c topology by thermal treatment, even in the absence of solvent. Depending on the conversion temperature and the properties of the pillaring ligand in the non-interpenetrated 3D MOF, which is based on two-dimensional sheets with 3-c hcb topology pillared by neutral ditopic linkers, the pillaring ligands in the interpenetrated MOFs produced are partially removed during the thermal conversions, leading to interpenetrated MOFs that simultaneously contain both micro- and mesopores.

Ductile fracture prediction is often considered as a challenging task in complex stress state applications, such as metal joining process. A systematic method for predicting the joint strength in the hot shear joining process is presented in this paper by considering two different ductile damage models, namely Johnson-Cook and modified Lemaitre damage models. Since the crack formation in metalworking is considered to be a combination of both load conditions and metallurgical properties, the microstructure evolution is taken into account by characterizing the considered material, AISI-1045, at different temperatures and for different strain rates and by testing different specimen shapes, namely round bar, joint bar, flat and notched specimens. The derived material properties have been inversely calibrated in order to be used in the developed numerical model. A shear joining process simulation has been implemented in DEFORM and have been validate with shear joining experiments carried out at 950°C, allowing to validate the accuracy of the proposed model in simulating the hot shear joining, both in terms of joining strength and identification of the damage locations. Thanks to a precise material characterization, and by utilizing the proposed numerical model, both the joining tool design and the process condition can be studied and improved.

The present research work focusses on both the material characterization and the preliminary test applications for hybrid structures made of high strength steel skin and sheet molding compound (SMC) core, aimed for the production of lightweight automotive body frames. A full material characterization has been carried out in order to determine the properties of the single materials, high strength steel and sheet molding compound. In addition, laminate specimens made of steel skin and SMC core have been manufactured utilizing the compression molding process and the relevant stress-strain behavior have been tested. By means of shear test, the shear strength resistance of the adhesive, utilized for the cohesion between these two materials, have been also characterized. In order to test the proposed hybrid material for the application in the automotive industry, the case of a commercial vehicle B-pillar component have been considered and tested by means of FEM analysis. By simulating the severe load conditions to which the B-pillar has to stand, the numerical analysis implemented in ANSYS will show how the developed material is able to withstand the same load conditions of the original full-steel one while granting a considerable reduction of weight.

Highly stretchable strain sensors, with embedded microchannels filled with conductive liquid, have been widely used in various applications in soft robotics for detecting different types of deformation modes, when attached to human or robot bodies. One of recent applications that draws an attention is direct integration of soft sensors with soft actuators for proprioceptive feedback. However, it is not easy to obtain a high resolution in curvature sensing when combined with bending actuators in which curvature is indirectly measured from strain sensing, since the placement of soft sensors are limited to the location where the strain sensitivity is relatively small. Therefore, we propose a new design of high gauge factor strain sensors using a multi-material structure. By alternately arranging low and high stiffness elastomers, the structure experiences amplified strain changes on each of the low-stiffness regions. The gauge factor was significantly increased as high as over three times of a conventional single material sensor. In this paper, the design and fabrication of the proposed sensor are described with an analytical model. The sensor was tested while integrated with a PneuNet bending actuator for curvature detection as an application.

The formation of 2D polyaniline (PANI) has attracted considerable interest due to its expected electronic and optoelectronic properties. Although PANI was discovered over 150 y ago, obtaining an atomically well-defined 2D PANI framework has been a longstanding challenge. Here, we describe the synthesis of 2D PANI via the direct pyrolysis of hexaaminobenzene trihydrochloride single crystals in solid state. The 2D PANI consists of three phenyl rings sharing six nitrogen atoms, and its structural unit has the empirical formula of C 3 N. The topological and electronic structures of the 2D PANI were revealed by scanning tunneling microscopy and scanning tunneling spectroscopy combined with a first-principle density functional theory calculation. The electronic properties of pristine 2D PANI films (undoped) showed ambipolar behaviors with a Dirac point of –37 V and an average conductivity of 0.72 S/cm. After doping with hydrochloric acid, the conductivity jumped to 1.41 × 10 3 S/cm, which is the highest value for doped PANI reported to date. Although the structure of 2D PANI is analogous to graphene, it contains uniformly distributed nitrogen atoms for multifunctionality; hence, we anticipate that 2D PANI has strong potential, from wet chemistry to device applications, beyond linear PANI and other 2D materials.

Among several factors controlling soil compaction, temperature is the factor that varies with region and season. Although earthwork is performed in many projects in the cold regions of the earth, studies on quantifying soil compaction associated with temperature are limited. This experimental study investigates the temperature effect on the soil compaction of cohesionless soil. Jumunjin sand was selected for the tests to represent cohesionless clean sand, which is widely used as an engineering fill at petrochemical projects such as northern Alberta of Canada and Russia. The laboratory test program consists of performing a series of standard proctor tests varying temperature of soil samples ranging from -10°C to 17°C. Test results indicate that soil specimen volume expansion occurred from bulking and its range was 0% to 6% with zero above temperature. For increasing temperature from 0°C to 17°C, water content corresponding to maximum volume (minimum dry unit weight) was decreased and water content corresponding to minimum volume (maximum dry unit weight observed after reaching minimum dry unit weight) was slightly increased with increasing temperature. In zero below temperature, dry unit weight gradually decreased with increasing water content. In this case, no bulking effect was found and soil specimen volume increased due to the higher unit volume of ice.

Wireless power transfer systems are increasingly used as a means of charging implantable medical devices. However, the heat or thermal radiation from the wireless power transfer system can be harmful to biological tissue. In this research, we designed and implemented a wireless power transfer system-based implantable medical device with low thermal radiation, achieving 44.5% coil-to-coil efficiency. To suppress thermal radiation from the transmitting coil during charging, we minimized the ESR value of the transmitting coil. To increase power transfer efficiency, a ferrite film was applied on the receiving part. Based on analyses, we fabricated a cardiac monitoring system with dimensions of 17 × 24 × 8 mm3 and implanted it in a rat. We confirmed that the temperature of the wireless charging device increased by only 2 °C during the 70 min charging, which makes it safe enough to use as an implantable medical device charging system.

A new approach for the molecular design of highly efficient nonlinear optical organic crystals is proposed by introducing substituents that form σ‐holes on both nonlinear optical cationic chromophores and aromatic anions. Introducing chlorinated substituents, in which a relatively positive σ‐hole and a negative belt coexist, provides selective reduction capability of specific π–π intermolecular interactions and simultaneous multiple secondary bonding capabilities. This leads to a crystalline state with enhanced first‐order hyperpolarizability βcrystal of chromophores that favors parallel chromophore alignment and suppression of molecular vibrations, which are optimal characteristics for electro‐optic and nonlinear optical applications, including efficient THz wave generation. Compared to benchmark nonhalogenated and fluorinated analogous crystals with state‐of‐the‐art macroscopic optical nonlinearity, σ‐hole containing chloro‐quinolinium crystals exhibit up to two times higher macroscopic nonlinear optical response and remarkably different crystal characteristics. As a result, a 0.16 mm thick chloro‐quinolinium crystal exhibits ≈22 times higher optical‐to‐THz conversion efficiency than the widely used 1.0 mm thick ZnTe inorganic crystal. Moreover, chloro‐quinolinium crystals exhibit very broad THz spectra, up to 8 THz with significantly different THz spectral shape compared to benchmark organic crystals, which is attributed to different phase matching between optical and THz frequencies and molecular vibration motions.

A design strategy is proposed for electron-transporting materials (ETMs) with homochiral asymmetric-shaped groups for highly efficient non-fullerene perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The electron transporting N,N'-bis[(R)-1-phenylethyl]naphthalene-1,4,5,8-tetracarboxylic diimide (NDI-PhE) consists of two asymmetric-shaped chiral (R)-1-phenylethyl (PhE) groups that act as solubilizing groups by reducing molecular symmetry and increasing the free volume. NDI-PhE exhibits excellent film-forming ability with high solubility in various organic solvents [about two times higher solubility than the widely used fullerene-based phenyl-C61 -butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) in o-dichlorobenzene]. NDI-PhE ETM-based inverted PSCs exhibit very high power conversion efficiencies (PCE) of up to 20.5 % with an average PCE of 18.74±0.95 %, which are higher than those of PCBM ETM-based PSCs. The high PCE of NDI-PhE ETM-based PSCs may be attributed to good film-forming abilities and to three-dimensional isotropic electron transporting capabilities. Therefore, introducing homochiral asymmetric-shaped groups onto charge-transporting materials is a good strategy for achieving high device performance.

Since the seminal work of Tang and Vanslyke in 1987 on small-molecule emitters and that of Friend and co-workers in 1990 on conjugated-polymer emitters, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have attracted much attention from academia as well as industry, as the OLED market is estimated to reach the $30 billion mark by the end of 2018. In these first-generation organic emitters, on the basis of simple spin statistics, electrical excitation resulted in the formation of ∼25% singlet excitons and ∼75% triplet excitons. Radiative decay of the singlet excitons to the singlet ground state leads to a prompt fluorescence emission, while the triplet excitons only lead to weak phosphorescence due to the very small spin-orbit couplings present in purely organic molecules. The consequence is a ca. 75% energy loss, which triggered wide-ranging efforts to try and harvest as many of the triplet excitons as possible. In 1998, Thompson, Forrest, and their co-workers reported second-generation OLED emitters based on coordination complexes with heavy transition metals (e.g., iridium or platinum). Here, the triplet excitons stimulate efficient and fast phosphorescence due to the strong spin-orbit couplings enabled by the heavy-metal atoms. Internal quantum efficiencies (IQE) up to 100% have been reported, which means that for every electron injected into the device, a photon is emitted. While these second-generation emitters are those mainly exploited in current OLED applications, there is strong impetus from both cost and environmental standpoints to find new ways of exploiting purely organic emitters, which in addition can offer greater flexibility to fine-tune the electronic and optical properties by exploiting the synthetic organic chemistry toolbox. In 2012, Adachi and co-workers introduced a promising strategy, based on thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF), to harvest the triplet excitons in purely organic molecular materials. These materials now represent the third generation of OLED emitters. Impressive photophysical properties and device performances have been reported, with internal quantum efficiencies also reaching nearly 100%. Our objectives in this Account are threefold: (i) to lay out a comprehensive description, at the molecular level, of the fundamental photophysical processes behind TADF emitters; (ii) to discuss some of the challenges facing the design of TADF emitters, such as the need to balance the efficiency of thermal activation of triplet excitons into the singlet manifold with the efficiency of radiative transition to the ground state; and (iii) to highlight briefly some of the recent molecular-design strategies that pave the way to new classes of TADF materials.

Nowadays., the demand in wireless power transfer (WPT) technology has increased due to the battery problems of portable devices such as heavy weight and inconvenience of battery charging devices. However., wireless charging portable devices radiate the magnetic field which has high chance to cause the malfunction of electric devices. Therefore, the interest and demand of research about suppression of radiated EMI are increased. The planar resonant reactive shield employs coil for power transfer, and closed loop and capacitor to reduce the EMI. The planar resonant reactive shield dramatically reduces the radiated magnetic field from WPT system. The shielding performance is compared using analytical method and measurement. The analytical solution and measurement show good agreement.

This study presents newly developed yellow‐colored organic electro‐optic crystals to provide high terahertz (THz) wave generation efficiency. Compared with currently existing red‐ or orange‐colored electro‐optic crystals, which are used for most benchmark organic THz sources, yellow‐colored crystals have additional superior advantages for THz wave generation, e.g., higher transparency in the visible wavelength range with accompanying different phase‐matching possibilities. The new yellow‐colored crystals consist of a highly nonlinear optical 4‐(4‐hydroxystyryl)‐1‐methylpyridinium (OHP) cation, with a relatively short wavelength of maximal absorption at 390 nm in solution, and various halogen‐substituted benzenesulfonate anions, with strong secondary‐bonding ability. OHP 4‐chlorobenzenesulfonate (OHP‐CBS) crystals exhibit large off‐resonant macroscopic optical nonlinearity and high transparency, with a cut‐off wavelength for solid‐state absorption near 490 nm. OHP‐CBS crystals provide excellent THz wave generation characteristics based on optical rectification. A 0.53 mm thick OHP‐CBS crystal delivers ≈27 times higher optical‐to‐THz conversion efficiency and a much broader spectrum bandwidth compared with the standard 1.0 mm thick ZnTe at 1300 nm pumping. Particularly, compared with a benchmark organic quinolinium crystal with a similar thickness of 0.55 mm, OHP‐CBS crystals exhibit 1.7 times higher optical‐to‐THz conversion efficiency, and show a significantly different THz spectral shape.