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Millimeter wave components, such as circulators and isolators, frequently use magnetic fields to break symmetry of the signal propagation and provide unidirectional signal transmission. While effective, these components have not seen the level of miniaturization of other millimeter wave components, primarily due to the discrete nature of the magnets used in the components. Using circulators in the 40-50 GHz range as a motivating application, requirements arise for the deposited films, namely immunity to eddy currents, sufficient magnetization to act as self-biasing magnets, and out-of-plane orientation of the self-biasing field. Based on these required properties, hexaferrite materials are selected for their strong magnetocrystalline anisotropy (MCA) and low conductance. The difficulty of integrating these components monolithically with monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMIC) originates from the incompatibility of crystal structure with standard semiconductor materials and process conditions. Additive manufacturing using a composite of strontium hexaferrite (SrFe12O19) particles and photoresist has been chosen as a method to overcome the difficulties of integrating hexaferrite material to semiconductor substrates. Due to their large internal anisotropy field, the particles of strontium hexaferrite tend to rotate to the field direction instead of changing magnetization direction under application of an external magnetic field (less than the anisotropy field). We have developed a method for 3D printing composites of high strontium hexaferrite concentration (up to 20% by volume) in a liquid photoresist, SU8. Rotation of hexaferrite particles in polymer matrix and thus magnetic anisotropy has been demonstrated in the composite, which is subsequently cured to hold the physical position and orientation of the particles. The anisotropy of the self-biasing field provided by the films has been experimentally characterized, and a ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) frequency ~43 GHz has been observed. We have also characterized the viscosity of the particle-laden polymer at different particle concentrations. 3D printing of this composite with poling will make it possible to directly print magnetic components that require out-of-plane anisotropic magnetization.

Magnetic circuit components have long been the largest and most difficult components to miniaturize. Printed circuit board (PCB) fabrication methods cannot achieve small diameter, high aspect-ratio vias for high winding turn numbers to achieve high inductance, and microelectronics methods cannot achieve the high-quality and thick ferrite core materials. In this paper, we present an alternative breakthrough method of printed circuit fabrication to significantly reduce the effective via diameter for embedded magnetic devices, boosting the inductance per unit area. To reduce the effective via diameter, high-density via plugs are ex-situ fabricated and shaped, and then embedded into PCB substrate in the same process as standard magnetic core embedding. The structure of the plug is such that precise placement within the substrate, or alignment to the plug with the winding pattern, is not necessary. Devices presented in this paper use via plugs with an effective diameter of 40 μm and a theoretically unlimited aspect ratio, though refinements in the plug fabrication process are expected to reduce the via diameter down to 10μm. The process is experimentally demonstrated with a 14-turn racetrack shaped transformer; novel diagnostic methods using magneto-optic garnet films to image current paths are also demonstrated.

Water electrolysis is a promising technology to produce hydrogen but it was severely restricted by the slow oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, we firstly reported an advanced electrocatalyst of MOF-derived hollow Zn–Co–Ni sulfides (ZnS@Co9S8@Ni3S2-1/2, abbreviated as ZCNS-1/2) nanosword arrays (NSAs) with remarkable hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), OER and corresponding water electrolysis performance. To reach a current density of 10 mA cm−2, the cell voltage of assembled ZCNS-1/2//ZCNS-1/2 for urea electrolysis (1.314 V) is 208 mV lower than that for water electrolysis (1.522 V) and stably catalyzed for over 15 h, substantially outperforming the most reported water and urea electrolysis electrocatalysts. Density functional theory calculations and experimental result clearly reveal that the properties of large electrochemical active surface area (ECSA) caused by hollow NSAs and fast charge transfer resulted from the Co9S8@Ni3S2 heterostructure endow the ZCNS-1/2 electrode with an enhanced electrocatalytic performance.

Power components such as High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs) are used for high power and high frequency applications. These tend to overheat and destroy their packaging and connections to the wire bondings. This paper presents planar micro-thermoelectric sensors (μTESs) developed to measure partial heat flow dissipated by the HEMTs to avoid the HEMTs from reaching critical temperatures. These sensors use the same active materials as well as the same fabrication process as the HEMTs, enabling them to be fabricated simultaneously for a simple integration. The HEMTs’ active layers consist in AlGaN/GaN heterostructures resulting in the formation of a 2D Electron Gas (2DEG) at the interface. Tension factors of 47 mV/(K.mm2) were obtained with these sensors and heat flows of 0.2 W to 7 W were measured.

The electrochemical performance of solid oxide cells (SOCs) is investigated under both fuel cell and electrolyzer operations to understand their asymmetric behavior between the two operation modes. The current–voltage and electrochemical impedance characteristics of a hydrogen-electrode-supported cell are experimentally analyzed. Also, a numerical model is developed to reproduce the cell performance and to understand the internal resistances of the cell. Partial pressures of supplied gas and load current are varied to evaluate their effects on the cell performance. The gas partial pressures of hydrogen and steam supplied to the hydrogen electrode are kept equivalent so that the cell performance can be fairly compared between the two operation modes when the same current is applied. It is found that the origin of the asymmetry is mostly from the hydrogen electrode; both activation and concentration overpotentials show asymmetric behavior particularly at high current densities. A numerical experiment is also conducted by deliberately changing parameters in the model. Asymmetry in the activation overpotential is found to be originated from the non-identical charge-transfer coefficients in the Butler–Volmer equation and also from the non-uniform gas concentration formed in the hydrogen electrode under current-biased conditions. On the other hand, asymmetry in the concentration overpotential is associated with the non-equimolar counter diffusion of hydrogen and steam caused by the effect of Knudsen diffusion. Therefore, enhancing gas transport in the hydrogen electrode and reducing the contribution of Knudsen diffusion are effective approaches to reduce asymmetry not only in the concentration overpotential but also in the activation overpotential.

Nb2O5 nanoparticles with an average particle size of 10 nm supported on a rhombic dodecahedral metal organic framework (MOF) were successfully synthesized by a facile one-pot hydrothermal reaction and subsequent calcination process. Experimental results demonstrated that the prepared catalyst drastically improved the hydrogen storage behavior of MgH2. 7 wt% Nb2O5@MOF doped MgH2 started to desorb hydrogen at 181.9 °C and 6.2 wt% hydrogen could be released within 2.6 min and 6.3 min at 275 °C and 250 °C, respectively. The fully dehydrogenated composite also displayed excellent hydrogenation by decreasing the onset absorption temperature to 25 °C and taking up 4.9 wt% and 6.5 wt% hydrogen within 6 min at 175 °C and 150 °C, respectively. Moreover, the corresponding activation energy was calculated to be 75.57 ± 4.16 kJ mol−1 for desorption reaction and 51.38 ± 1.09 kJ mol−1 for absorption reaction. After 20 cycles, 0.5 wt% hydrogen capacity was lost for the MgH2+7 wt% Nb2O5@MOF composite, much lower than 1.5 wt% of the MgH2+7 wt% Nb2O5 composite. However, the addition of Nb2O5@MOF had limited effect on reducing the dehydrogenation enthalpy of MgH2. Microstructure analysis revealed that Nb2O5 particles were uniformly distributed on surface of the MgH2 matrix and synergistically improved the hydrogen storage property of MgH2 with MOF.

As an innovative propulsion technique, laser augmented chemical propulsion (LACP) seems superior to the traditional ones. However, the corresponding combustion theories have still to be ascertained for LACP. Burning rate of 5-aminotetrazole (5-ATZ) propellant has been studied by testing pressed samples under different combustor pressures and laser powers. Based on micro computed tomography (MicroCT), an advanced thickness-over-time (TOT) method to characterize the regression of the produced non-planar burning surface is established. Because of a shell structure covering the combustion surface, the burning rate of the implemented 5-ATZ propellant is not constant during laser ablation. Resorting to functional fitting, a new law of non-constant burning including the effect of the observed unique burning surface structures is proposed. Accordingly, applicable combustion conditions of 5-ATZ based propellants have been preliminarily speculated for future research activities.

Converting CO2 to valuable materials is attractive in environmental protection and resource utilization. In this study, a vapor–liquid interface reaction system for mass production of high-quality graphene is reported. The graphene obtained has high crystallinity and few defects during the reaction of CO2 and Mg melt. The growth mechanism of graphene is demonstrated in vapor–liquid interface area by combining the CO2 bubbles as a soft template to guide growth with the confinement effect of dense MgO nanoparticles. The quality of the graphene is verified by epoxy composites with high electromagnetic shielding effectiveness. Additionally, the V–L reaction method ingeniously solves the dispersion of graphene in metal, providing a preparation strategy of Mg matrix composites with structure and function integration.

Owing to the advantages of high operating voltage, environmental benignity, and low cost, potassium-based dual-ion batteries (KDIBs) have been considered as a potential candidate for large-scale energy storage. However, KDIBs generally suffer from poor cycling performance and unsatisfied capacity, and inactive components of conductive agents, binders, and current collector further lower their overall capacity. Herein, we prepare coral-like carbon nanowires (CCNWs) doped with nitrogen as a binder-free anode material for K+-ion storage, in which the unique coral-like porous nanostructure and amorphous/short-range-ordered composite feature are conducive to enhancing the structural stability, to facilitating the ion transfer and to boosting the full utilization of active sites during potassiation/de-potassiation process. As a result, the CCNW anode possesses a hybrid K+-storage mechanism of diffusive behavior and capacitive adsorption, and stably delivers a high capacity of 276 mAh g-1 at 50 mA g-1, good rate capability up to 2 A g-1, and long-term cycling stability with 93 % capacity retention after 2000 cycles at 1 A g-1. Further, assembling this CCNW anode with an environmentally benign expanded graphite (EG) cathode yields a proof-of-concept KDIB, which shows a high specific capacity of 134.4 mAh g-1 at 100 mA g-1, excellent rate capability of 106.5 mAh g-1 at 1 A g-1, and long-term cycling stability over 1000 cycles without negligible capacity loss. This study provides a feasible approach to developing high-performance anodes for potassium-based energy storage devices.

Three-dimensional printing (3DP) is considered to be one of the important technologies for a new manufacturing mode. When ceramsite sand is used as a 3DP material to produce a mold (core), the prin...

Transparan İletken Oksit (TCO) ince filmler günümüzde güneş pilleri, LED’ler, lazerler gibi optoelektronik cihazlarda sıklıkla kullanılmaktadır. Bu kontakların kullanımı cihazların verimliliğini doğrudam etkilemektedir. Bu çalışmanın amacı heteroeklemli güneş hücrelerinin (HJSCs) (n+) a-Si:H yüzünde ve yüksek elektron hareketliliği olan tranzistörlerde (HEMT) kullanmak üzere atomik katman kaplama (ALD) tekniği kullanarak alüminyum katkılı çinko oksit (AZO) üretmek ve optimize etmektir. Bu çalışmada büyütme sıcaklığı ve alüminyum katkılama oranının ALD’de büyütülmüş AZO’nun yapısal, elektriksel ve optik özelliklerine etkisi çalışılmıştır.Sonuçlar göstermiştir ki filmler görünür bölgede %80-90 arasında ışık geçirgenliğine, düşük elektriksel rezistansa (2.04x10-3 ohm.cm) ve 5.25 cm2/V.s değerinde mobiliteye sahiptir., Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) films are widely used in optoelectronic devices, such as solar cells, LEDs, and Lasers. Utilization of these contacts directly affects the device efficiencies. Purpose of this study is to produce and optimize properties of Aluminum doped Zinc Oxide (AZO) using a vapor phase technique, Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) for (n+) a-Si:H surface of silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells (HJSCs) and High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT) applications. This study is focused on the effect of the deposition temperature and aluminum atomic concentration on structural, electrical and optical properties of ALD grown AZO ohmic contact films. The results show that as-deposited films have 80-90% transmittance in the visible spectra, low resistance (2.04x10-3 ohm.cm) and mobility value of 5.25 cm2/V.s.

Theoretical studies of the milling tillage working body, in particular, dynamic properties under conditions of periodic external load, are substantiated and the main technological parameters are substantiated, and energy performance indicators are analyzed. The following data were adopted as the initial data for theoretical studies of the milling working body: the size of the row-spacing and strips, the dimensional characteristics of the root and stem residues. Theoretical studies of the milling machine gave such justified results: the diameter of the milling drum Dfr.bar = 0.3 m, the rotation frequency of the milling drum nfr.bar = 190 ... 430 hv-1, the number of installed knives on one disk n = 4 pcs, the rotating speed Vob = 6.59 m/s. Rational parameters and operating modes are justified: milling power Nfr = 19.3 kW, torque on the milling drum shaft Mkr = 0.45 kN·m. Theoretically substantiated milling working body is implemented in the development of a combined grinder of plant residues of thick-stem crops. The investigated working body, which performs the technological process of grinding compacted plant residues of thick-stemmed crops with the proposed technology, will allow us to further substantiate in more detail the mathematical model of the combined method of processing the field clogged with plant residues and determine the structural and technological structure of the grinder. The further development of the theoretical foundations of grinding plant residues and soil, in particular milling working bodies used in combined units, has been obtained

Conventionally, single phase shift control technique is used, for dual active bridge (DAB) which works efficiently at unity voltage conversion ratio and full load. However, when there is mismatch between primary voltage and reflected secondary voltage on primary side at light load, its efficiency reduces because of increased current stress and circulating power. Moreover, due to single control variable, its power flow controllability is confined. In this paper, isolated bi-directional T-type multilevel dual active bridge dc-dc converter topology is presented. It has five level voltages on both the primary and secondary side of high frequency transformer, which reduces the current stress and circulating power over wide operating range. It also has five control variables which gives extra edge for enhancing power flow controllability. Comparative analysis reveals that the proposed converter has high efficiency over wide operating range, due to reduced circulating power and current stress. Performance of the proposed T- type multilevel dual active bridge DC-DC converter topology has been verified via simulation in MATLAB.

In the present study, the unique three-dimensional graphene coated nickel (Ni/C) foam reinforced silicon carbide (Ni/C@SiC) composites were first obtained via the precursor impregnation and pyrolysis (PIP) processes. The microstructure images indicated that the SiC fillers were successfully prepared in the skeleton pores of the Ni/C foam. The influence of the PIP cycles on the microwave absorption performances was researched, and the results indicated that after the primary PIP process, Ni/C@SiC–I possessed the optimal microwave absorbing performance with a minimum reflection loss(RL) of −25.87 dB at 5.28 GHz and 5.00 mm. Besides, the RL values could be below −10.00 dB from 5.88 GHz to 7.74 GHz when the corresponding matching thickness was 3.85 mm. However, the microwave absorption properties of Ni/C@SiC-II and Ni/C@SiC-III were tremendously degraded as the PIP times increased. At last, the electromagnetic parameter, dielectric loss, attenuation constant as well as impedance matching coefficient were further investigated to analyze the absorbing mechanism, which opened a new path for the certain scientific evaluation of the absorbing materials and had extremely important to the defence technology.

Welded hollow spherical joints are commonly used in reticulated shell structures. Corrosion on the surface of the joints can significantly reduce their compression capacity. Pitting corrosion is a typical corrosion type on steel structures. A corrosion pit forms at random locations and has a random size. Its random size is indicated by random planar size and thickness – that is, multiple-random pitting corrosion. In this work, a series of non-linear numerical analyses was conducted to investigate the influences of these parameters on the mass loss and compression capacity of welded hollow spherical joints. The aim of this work was to construct a probabilistic distribution model of the compression capacity of the joints with multiple-random pitting corrosion and establish the relationship of the probabilistic distribution model with the specified corrosion and geometric parameters. The work also provided a method for determining the probabilistic model of the joints under actual conditions. This work could serve as a basis for the stochastic analysis of integral structures connected by welded hollow spherical joints with random pitting corrosion.

In this study, CO₂ conversion to acetate and CH₄ was achieved in a flow-through laboratory-scale microbial electrosynthesis (MES) cell composed of a 3D conductive polylactic acid (cPLA) lattice cathode with electrodeposited metal electrocatalyst coatings. The MES cell with a bare cPLA cathode showed the poorest performance with the lowest H₂ and CH₄ production rates and low Coulombic efficiency. This was ascribed to a poor electrocatalytic activity of cPLA towards H₂ production and high electrode resistivity. When the cPLA electrode was modified with metal coatings, the CH₄, acetate and H₂ production rate increased significantly, with the following trend: cPLA < Ni < NiFe < NiFeMn. The better performance of the metal-coated cPLA in terms of CH₄ production was attributed to the lower electrical resistance, enhanced H₂ production and enhanced electron transfer between the cathode and the biofilm. At the cell potential of 2.8 V, the best-performing NiFeMn cPLA cathode showed stable production of CH₄ (50 ± 6 mL d⁻¹), acetate (185 ± 27 mg d⁻¹), and H₂ (545 ± 175 mL d⁻¹) at close to 100% Coulombic efficiency.

Defect-engineered carbon materials have been emerged as promising electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in metal-air batteries. Developing a facile strategy for the preparation of highly active nanocarbon electrocatalysts remains challenging. Herein, a low-cost and simple route is developed to synthesize defective graphene by pyrolyzing the mixture of glucose and carbon nitride. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the graphene formation is ascribed to two-dimensional layered feature of carbon nitride, and high compatibility of carbon nitride/glucose systems. Structural measurements suggest that the graphene possesses rich edge and topological defects. The graphene catalyst exhibits higher power density than commercial Pt/C catalyst in a primary Zn-air battery. Combining experimental results and theoretical thermodynamic analysis, it is identified that graphitic nitrogen-modified topological defects at carbon framework edges are responsible for the decent ORR performance. The strategy presented in this work can be can be scaled up readily to fabricate defective carbon materials.

In laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing, the melt pool (MP) characteristics are key indicators for process and part defects. For example, the laser scan location on the build plate...

Energy conversion technologies like fuel cells and metal-air batteries require oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts with low cost and high catalytic activity. Herein, N-doped carbon spheres (N-CS) with rich micropore structure have been synthesized by a facile two-step method, which includes the polymerization of pyrrole and formaldehyde and followed by a facile pyrolysis process. During the preparation, zinc chloride (ZnCl2) was utilized as a catalyst to promote polymerization and provide a hypersaline environment. In addition, the morphology, defect content and activity area of the resultant N-CS catalysts could be regulated by controlling the content of ZnCl2. The optimum N-CS-1 catalyst demonstrated much better catalytic activity and durability towards ORR in alkaline conditions than commercial 20 wt% Pt/C catalysts, of which the half-wave potential reached 0.844 V vs. RHE. When applied in the Zn-air batteries as cathode catalysts, N-CS-1 showed a maximum power density of 175 mW cm-2 and long-term discharging stability of over 150 h at 10 mA cm-2, which outperformed 20 wt% Pt/C. The excellent performance could be due to its ultrahigh specific surface area of 1757 m2 g-1 and rich micropore channels structure. Meanwhile, this work provides an efficient method to synthesize an ultrahigh surface porous carbon material, especially for catalyst application.

Among a variety of additive manufacturing technologies, constrained-surface image-projection-based stereolithography (SLA) technology has unique advantages in printing precision and commercial matu...

Statement of problem When 3-dimensional printing casts, the operator can change the type of resin and the printing layer thickness, reducing the fabrication time. However, how these parameters affect the accuracy of 3-dimensionally printed casts is unknown. Purpose The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the accuracy of 3-dimensionally printed casts by using a stereolithography (SLA) 3-dimensional printer (Forms2) with 3 different layer thickness (25, 50, and 100 μm) and 2 different resins (Gray and Cast) and by comparing the time to obtain each cast. Material and Methods One master cast was scanned, and a single file was printed several times. The printed casts were then scanned by using a laboratory scanner. The standard tessellation language (STL) files provided by the laboratory scanner were superimposed and compared by using a software program (Geomagic Control; 3D Systems). The 2-way ANOVA test was used for the trueness evaluation, followed by the Tukey test to identify differences among the groups (α=.05). Results No statistically significant differences in accuracy were found among the 3 different layers for either resin (P>.05). Printing time doubled as layer thickness decreased. Conclusions This study showed that when printing casts, the fastest printing settings can be used without losing accuracy and that the laboratory digital workflow can be accelerated with selection of the resin and cast layer, as the type of resin and layer thickness did not influence the quality of the casts.

As the most commonly used additive manufacturing technology, fused deposition modeling (FDM) still faces some technical issues caused by temperature change-induced unsteady thermal stress and warpi...

Establishing highly effective charge transfer channels in carbon nitride (g-C3N4) to enhance its photocatalytic activity is still a challenging issue. Herein, the delaminated 2D Ti3C2 MXene nanosheets were employed to decorate the P-doped tubular g-C3N4 (PTCN) for engineering 1D/2D Schottky heterojunction (PTCN/TC) through electrostatic self-assembly. The optimized PTCN/TC exhibited the highest hydrogen evolution rate (565 μmol/h/g), which was 4.3 and 2.0 -fold higher than pristine bulk g-C3N4 and PTCN, respectively. Such enhancement may be primarily attributed to the phosphorus heteroatom doped and unique structure of 1D/2D g-C3N4/Ti3C2 Schottky heterojunction, enhancing the light-harvesting and charges’ separation. One-dimensional pathway of g-C3N4 tube and built-in electric field of interfacial Schottky effect can significantly facilitate the spatial separation of photogenerated charge carriers, simultaneously inhibit their recombination via Schottky barrier. In this composite, metallic Ti3C2 was served as electrons sink and photons collector. Moreover, ultrathin Ti3C2 flake with exposed terminal metal sites as a co-catalyst exhibited higher photocatalytic reactivity in H2 evolution compared to carbon materials (such as reduced graphene oxide). This work not only proposed the mechanism of tubular g-C3N4/Ti3C2 Schottky junction in photocatalysis, but also provided a feasible way to load ultrathin Ti3C2 as a co-catalyst for designing highly efficient photocatalysts.

Along with the environmental pollution, the scarcity of clean water seriously threatens the sustainable development of human society. Recently, the rapid development of solar evaporators has injected new vitality into the field of water purification. However, the industry faces a considerable challenge of achieving comprehensive purification of ions, especially the efficient removal of mercury ions. In this work, we introduce an ideal mercury-removal platform based on facilely and cost-effectively synthesized polysulfide nanoparticles (PSNs). Further development of PSN-functionalized reduced graphene oxide (PSN-rGO) aerogel evaporator results in achieving a high evaporation rate of 1.55 kg m−2 h−1 with energy efficiency of 90.8% under 1 sun. With the merits of interconnected porous structure and adsorption ability, the photothermal aerogel presents overall purification of heavy metal ions from wastewater. During solar desalination, salt ions can be rejected with long-term stability. Compared with traditional water purification technologies, this highly efficient solar evaporator provides a new practical method to utilize clean energy for clean water production.

Many users relate additive manufacturing (AM) directly with fast and high-quality prototyping and manufacturing. Nevertheless, already within the different printing techniques there are significant...

A series of CoPd/KIT-6 bimetallic catalysts with various Co:Pd molar ratios at different calcination temperatures were prepared and used for the direct synthesis of H2O2 from H2 and O2. These catalysts were characterized by nitrogen adsorption-desorption, low and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), elemental mapping and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) methods. It was found that the particle size, electronic interactions, morphology, and textural properties of these catalysts as well as their catalytic activity in the reaction of H2 with O2 were affected by Co addition and different calcination temperatures. Also, the results showed that while the H2O2 selectivity depends on Pd2+ species, the H2 conversion is related to Pd0 active sites. Among these catalysts, CoPd/KIT-6 calcined at 350 °C (CoPd/KIT-350 catalyst) showed the best catalytic activity with 50 % of H2O2 selectivity and 51 % conversion of H2.

Current wood-plastic materials available for selective laser sintering (SLS) are limited and often suffer from low-quality and mechanical strength. In this study, a new composite of peanut husk pow...

Photocatalytic oxidation of toxic pollutants is a proficient technique to solve the problems associated with the treatment of bisphenol-A which is classified as 1B reprotoxic substance. In this paper, Ag2C2O4/Ag@GNS nanocomposite whereas Ag and graphene nanosheets (GNS) used as the charge carriers, which is combined through peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for the removal of bisphenol-A (BiP-A) for the first time. The XRD, UV-DRS, SEM, and TEM studies were performed to confirm the phase structure and the purity. Ag2C2O4/Ag@GNS nanocomposite exhibited superior photocatalytic performance and removal rate when compared with pure Ag2C2O4 and pure GNS. In Ag2C2O4/Ag@GNS photocatalyst, the deposited Ag on the surface of Ag2C2O4 rods effectively formed a metal and semiconductor heterostructure, thus photogenerated charge carriers were separated easily by the surface plasmon resonance effect (SPR) effect of noble Ag. Hence charge carriers lifetime has been extended to a great extent for the better photocatalytic performance. The experimental results confirmed that the O2−, OH, SO4− radicals were played major role in the photolysis process. Furthermore, the effect of the photocatalyst & PMS concentration, pH and co-existing ions towards the BiP-A degradation were studied in detail. According to the mass spectroscopy studies BiP-A pollutant was effectively deteriorated into smaller molecules and CO2, H2O. Furthermore, we have proposed the possible degradation pathway and photocatalytic mechanism for better understanding.

Energy pile is a kind of economic and efficient geothermal utilization technology that the ground heat exchanger (GHE) used in ground source heat pump (GSHP) is embedded into building pile foundation to realize heat exchange with surrounding soil. Adding phase change material (PCM) into the energy pile can not only reduce the temperature variation and thermal deformation range of energy pile, but also improve its energy storage and heat transfer performance. In this work, phase change concrete energy pile (PCCEP) is proposed by using PCM as a part of backfill material of energy pile. A three-dimensional numerical model is developed to find the influences of thermal properties of PCCEP on its thermo-mechanical behaviour. According to the model, the influences of thermal conductivity, phase change latent heat (PCLE) and phase change temperature (PCT) on the thermal performance and mechanical characteristics of PCCEP are numerically investigated. It can be seen that for improving heat transfer performance of PCCEP, the thermal conductivity should be increased, but from the perspective of reducing change of pile displacement, axial force and side friction resistance, the thermal conductivity should be reduced. Under heat release mode, lower PCT and larger PCLE contribute to the improvement of thermal performance of PCCEP, and accordingly the rise range of pile temperature, pile displacement change and pile thermal stress can all be reduced. The experimental validation on the model shows that the simulation values of pile wall middle temperature(PWMT) and pile top displacement are agreed well with the corresponding experimental results, the real-time relative error of PWMT and pile top displacement are respectively within 5.1 and 12%.

Graphene oxide (GO) is regarded as a promising candidate to construct solar absorbers for addressing freshwater crisis, but the easy delamination of GO in water poses a critical challenge for practical solar desalination. Herein, we improve the stability of GO membranes by a self-crosslinking poly (ionic liquid) (PIL) in a mild condition, which crosslinks neighbouring GO nanosheets without blemishing the hydrophilic structure of GO. By further adding carbon nanotubes (CNTs), the sandwiched GO/CNT@PIL (GCP) membrane displays a good stability in pH = 1 or 13 solution even for 270 days. The molecular dynamics simulation results indicate that the generation of water nanofluidics in nanochannels of GO nanosheets remarkably reduces the water evaporation enthalpy in GCP membrane, compared to bulk water. Consequently, the GCP membrane exhibits a high evaporation rate (1.87 kg m−2 h−1) and displays stable evaporation rates for 14 h under 1 kW m−2 irradiation. The GCP membrane additionally works very well when using different water sources (e.g., dye-polluted water) or even strong acidic solution (pH = 1) or basic solution (pH = 13). More importantly, through bundling pluralities of GCP membrane, an efficient solar desalination device is developed to produce drinkable water from seawater. The average daily drinkable water amount in sunny day is 10.1 kg m−2, which meets with the daily drinkable water needs of five adults. The high evaporation rate, long-time durability and good scalability make the GCP membrane an outstanding candidate for practical solar seawater desalination.

In an atmospheric plasma spray (APS) process, in-flight powder particle characteristics, such as the particle velocity and temperature, have significant influence on the coating formation. The nonlinear relationship between the input process parameters and in-flight particle characteristics is thus of paramount importance for coating properties design and quality control. It is also known that the ageing of torch electrodes affects this relationship. In recent years, machine learning algorithms have proven to be able to take into account such complex nonlinear interactions. This work illustrates the application of ensemble methods based on decision tree algorithms to evaluate and to predict in-flight particle temperature and velocity during an APS process considering torch electrodes ageing. Experiments were performed to record simultaneously the input process parameters, the in-flight powder particle characteristics and the electrodes usage time. Various spray durations were considered to emulate industrial coating spray production settings. Random forest and gradient boosting algorithms were used to rank and select the features for the APS process data recorded as the electrodes aged and the corresponding predictive models were compared. The time series aspect of the data will be examined., International Thermal Spray Conference 2021, May 24-28, 2021, Virtual Event

Anatomic-contour zirconia prostheses are usually cemented with resin cement. However, information regarding the effects of the zirconia shade and thicknesses on the translucency of the prosthesis, the intensity of the transmitted light beneath the prosthesis, and the subsequent degree of conversion in the resin cement is sparse.The purpose of this in vitro study was to investigate the translucency parameter in 3 anatomic-contour zirconia specimens of 2 shades at 5 different thicknesses and to investigate the transmitted light intensity and degree of conversion of the resin cement beneath the ceramic specimens by using a traditional zirconia and a lithium disilicate glass ceramic as controls.Ceramic specimens from 1 anatomic-contour zirconia in a generic shade (CAP FZ) and 2 anatomic-contour zirconias in A2 shade (Zirlux and Luxisse) were used. Lithium disilicate in HT A2 shade (IPS e.max CAD) and traditional zirconia in a generic shade (CAP QZ) were used as controls. A total of 125 ceramic specimens (n=25) were fabricated to a final specimen dimension of 12×12 mm and in thicknesses of 1.0, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, and 2.0 mm according to the manufacturers' recommendations. The CIELab color space for all specimens placed against a white and black ground was measured with a spectrophotometer (CM-2600D), and the translucency parameters were calculated for the materials at various thicknesses. A light-polymerizing unit (DEMI LED) was used to polymerize the resin cement (Variolink II) placed beneath the ceramic specimens. Transmitted light intensity from the polymerization unit beneath the ceramic specimens was measured by using a spectrophotometer (MARC Resin Calibrator), and the transmittance of each specimen was calculated. The coefficient of absorption of each material was calculated from the regression analysis between the natural log of transmittance and specimen thickness. The degree of conversion of resin cement was measured by using a Fourier transformation infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometer. The results were analyzed by using 2-way ANOVA (α=.05). The relationship between the transmittance and the translucency parameter was evaluated by plotting the transmittance against the translucency parameter value of each specimen.The translucency parameter decreased with increasing thickness in all 5 material groups. All anatomic-contour zirconia had lower translucency parameters than e-max CAD (P.001). The same results were found for the intensity of the transmitted light (P.001). Both A2 shade anatomic-contour zirconia (Zirlux and Luxisse) showed significantly lower light transmittance than a generic shade anatomic-contour zirconia (CAP FZ) (P.001). The coefficients of absorption were found to range from 0.63 to 1.72 mmThe translucency parameter and the transmitted light intensity of ceramic material were influenced by the type of ceramic and the shade and thickness of the ceramic. The combined effects of layer thickness and the intensity of the transmitted light in the A2 shade anatomic-contour zirconia (Zirlux and Luxisse) resulted in a lower degree of conversion in resin cement than in a generic shade anatomic-contour zirconia (CAP FZ) at layer thicknesses of 1.75 and 2 mm.

This paper presents performance of gallium arsenide (GaAs) light emitting diode (GaAsLED) for wireless systems such as mobile communication system. Due to the fact mobile communication systems require effective signal transmission it is possible to aid with quantum photonic devices such as light emitting diodes at the transmitting ends which can provide effective and efficient photons transmission from one base station (BS) to another base station through the optical link under ground surface. At the receiving end the photons in the form of light are fed into a photodetector for further information processing as electrical signals. Simulation results portray the current-voltage characteristics of quantum photonic device namely GaAs LED for various scenarios. Further, the bit error rate performance analysis of GaAsLED cellular system is analysed in indoor and outdoor fading channels. The obtained results could be used for the implementation of 5G systems in mobile wireless systems.

Eutectic gallium indium (E-GaIn) alloy based liquid metal is considered to be a promising material for manufacturing interconnects in stretchable electronics based applications due to its high electrical conductivity and inherent mechanical deformability. The current work demonstrates an easy and single step method of fabricating micron-sized (the width of ~ 200 μm) highly conducting stretchable interconnects by stencil printing of E-GaIn on stretchable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate. The obtained stretchable pattern showed excellent electrical and mechanical property by exhibiting a low average resistance value of ~ 6.5 O even at elongation up to 50%. Moreover, it showed superior stability against stretching cycles with just ± 0.12 Ω of variation in resistance. A commercial light emitting diode was mounted on the patterns and illuminated to describe the role of interconnects in a realistic circuit.

Carbon Nanotube Aluminum metal grid composites are viewed as most encouraging composite materials nearby Aerospace, Automotive, Naval and other assembling applications. The momentum research work is made to comprehend the impact of carbon nanotube (CNT) inclusion on the Hardness and Wear trademark conduct of Al6061-CNT combination. The CNT particles of 500 nm size is executed as the fortifications in the Al6061 compound medium. Nano composites amalgamated by powder metallurgy strategy arranged by 1, 1.5 and 2 wt% in the Al6061 amalgam medium. Examples were considered for microstructural portrayal utilizing filtering electron magnifying lens (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscope (EDS). Wear and Hardness strength were evaluated according to ASTM norms. Checking electron miniature pictures found the unvarying spreading of CNT in Al6061 amalgam. Further, Wear and Hardness strength of the establishment medium Al6061 compound is improved with the gathering of CNT.

Light metals such as aluminum alloys which are being broadly used in automobile sideways, aerospace production as well as segments in military. A light-weight metals prominent for energy consume reduction, efficiency of gasoline and oil increment and superior security to environment. The main utilization of aluminum matrix alloy components have been manufactured by the appropriate behaviors of high tensile strength, hardness, decent machinability, great cast-ability and excessive resistance of corrosion. In the present investigation dealing with casting and heat treatment processes of aluminum alloys 6063 by two different methods such as Sand casting and Die casting. The characterization of AA6063 are analyzed with help of destructive and non-destructive techniques. Finally the results indicates that die casted material gives better results when it is heat treated than the sand casted material.

A first attempt was made to study the electrical properties of pastes and mortars prepared from the most common alkali-activated materials against those of Portland cement (PC). The properties included electrical conduction, dielectric constant, the real part of dielectric permittivity and loss tangent factor. The frequencies measured ranged from 100 MHz to 3 GHz. The most common starting materials such as slag, fly ash (FA) and metakaolin (MK) were used and activated with sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide solution to prepare geopolymer pastes and mortars. After curing, the specimens were tested under compression to determine the compressive strength. In addition, electrical properties were measured. The results showed that FA-based geopolymer and PC specimens exhibited similar electrical properties. MK- and slag-based geopolymer specimens also exhibited similar electrical properties but with lower conductivity compared with the other two types. The results also confirmed similar electrical properties of pastes compared to mortars.

The Constitution and the geometry aspects of any sensor is influenced by several factors involved in the assembling of sensor. It is basically influenced by parameter to be measured, method of measuring the measurand, nature of the parameter i.e. weather the parameter is chemical, biological, physical, optical, electrical, magnetic, mechanical or acoustic etc., environment around it, etc. In most of the cases, several sensors are developed, meant to measure a single parameter with maximum achievable sensitivity. In the present paper a fiber optic multipurpose sensor is described, which can be used to measure various physical quantities of liquids with well defined combination at room temperature (30 °C), employing a specific set of materials and methods in the design operation of the sensor. Exploiting all the advantages offered by the fiber optic technology, the sensor was calibrated to measure ultrasonic velocity, refractive index, density, dielectric constant, viscosity, molar volume, acoustic impedance, molar refraction, viscous relaxation time, adiabatic compressibility, free intermolecular length, Gibb’s free energy, absorption coefficient, internal pressure, free volume, mole fraction, concentration, effective mass at room temperature and examined to exhibit superiority in all respects compared to the conventional sensors.

Pulsed electric field disinfection is an effective non-thermal water disinfection technology. Compared to conventional disinfection techniques, PEF inactivation has several advantages including no by-products. In this context, the use of silver ions in conjunction with a reverse osmosis filtration system has been proposed as a safe and cost-effective treatment approach that can be used in a point of use technologies. This system contains two silver meshes as electrodes inside a reverse osmosis membrane with the application of a pulsed electric field on it as a disinfection method, After conducting chemical and physical tests of the water samples before and after the treatment system, it was noticed that most of these characteristics were significantly affected by increasing the number of electrical impulses and the intensity of the applied voltage as a result of the increase in the ionization process of silver in water.

Rechargeable magnesium batteries (RMBs), as one of the most promising candidates for efficient energy storage devices with high energy, power density and high safety, have attracted increasing attention. However, searching for suitable cathode materials with fast diffusion kinetics and exploring their magnesium storage mechanisms remains a great challenge. CuS submicron spheres, made by a facile low-temperature synthesis strategy, were applied as the high-performance cathode for RMBs in this work, which can deliver a high specific capacity of 396 mAh g−1 at 20 mA g−1 and a remarkable rate capacity of 250 mAh g−1 at 1000 mA g−1. The excellent rate performance can be assigned to the nano needle-like particles on the surface of CuS submicron spheres, which can facilitate the diffusion kinetics of Mg2+. Further storage mechanism investigations illustrate that the CuS cathodes experience a two-step conversion reaction controlled by diffusion during the electrochemical reaction process. This work could make a contribution to the study of the enhancement of diffusion kinetics of Mg2+ and the reaction mechanism of RMBs.

TiO2/NC nanocomposite was prepared using hydrothermal method reaction for the effective distribution of TiO2 nanoparticles on carbonaceous materials. MWCNT was incorporated in a nanocomposite not only to prevent the restacking of graphene but also to increase the electron transfer from TiO2. The detailed characterization of the nanocomposite was performed using SEM and XRD due to the improved electron transfer and the higher adsorption for N719. It showed energy conversion efficiency (8.96%) which is good compared to pure TiO2 (8.147%). TiO2/NC nanocomposite was suitable as a photoanode in DSSC.

In General, a larger number of experimental data would be required for optimizing the performance efficiency of the electrodes in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC), as it was likely to involve many complex chemical and physical reactions. Therefore, in this study, we have attempted the artificial intelligence (AI) technique for analyzing the performance of the anode and cathode electrodes of SOFC under various key parameters that normally influences the efficiency of the electrodes. Since the cost of SOFC elements is expensive, computational trials with the aid of AI would not only be curtailing the preparation cost but also ensures less time consumption. Among the variety of AI methods available in the literature, the Support Vector Machine (SVM) appears to be one of the excellent and effective machine learning techniques. Hence, we have developed a SVM model and predicted the maximum current density and power density of Nickel oxide-samarium-doped ceria (NiO-SDC) composite anode and La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ (LSCF) cathode electrodes of SOFC. The input parameters such as stack temperature, supply voltage were supplied to the SVM model and obtained maximum current density and power density as output and it decides the working performance of the electrodes. We have also predicted that the maximum current density and power density of 1160 mA cm2 and 225 mW cm2 respectively at 800 °C. To validate the results as predicted from SVM, we have experimented using Yttrium stabilized zirconia electrolyte-supported single cell with our prepared NiO-SDC anode and LSCF cathode which exhibited a maximum current and power density of 1170 mA cm2 and 227 mW cm2 at 800 °C using H2 as fuel. It has been found that that the theoretical predicted data current and power densities of the electrodes from the SVM approach reasonably agrees well with the experimental results.

As the technology is scaled-down and with a decrease in oxide thickness, the effect of NBTI is a major reliability issue in semiconductor industries. NBTI is an aging phenomenon in which the PMOS transistor degraded over time. Deviation in the threshold voltage of PMOS transistor results from NBTI with stress time which affects various parameter of SRAM memory such as degradation in drain current, RSNM, HSNM and access time. NBTI induced aging effect on 6 T and 8 T SRAM cell have been analyzed in this paper for the stress time of 10 years. The reliability parameters of 6 T SRAM cell obtained from simulation result shows there is 6.53%, 23.86%, 3.36% and 13.42% change in Hold SNM (HSNM), Read SNM (RSNM), Write margin and standby leakage current respectively after 10 years. Similarly in 8 T SRAM cell HSNM, RSNM, Write margin and leakage current changes by 5.81%, 5.01%, 3.11%, and 13.24% respectively. This paper also presents the leakage current sensing technique based NBTI monitoring sensor using NMOS transistors only. The sensitivity of the sensor is 40 µV/nA and the linearity of the sensor is upto the practical leakage current range of SRAM cell. Thus we can conclude that the proposed sensor works fine with greater linearity and sensitivity.

The depleting fuel resources and elevated air pollution are raising serious concerns among the global population. The fuel prices are also increasing day by day. Hence the world is more focused on maximizing conventional energy resources like solar, tidal, wind energies, etc. However, for the fullest utilization of conventional energy sources, we need efficient energy storage systems, and currently, we are using batteries as the primary energy storage elements. Nowadays, researchers are giving utmost importance to the development of supercapacitors. Graphene coming under carbon groups and polyaniline (PANI), coming under electronic conducting polymers (ECP), are two different materials mainly used for supercapacitor electrode fabrication. The normal route for synthesizing graphene-PANI composites is a time-consuming process. Here we present a simple route for synthesizing graphene-PANI composites. The same method can be adopted for fabricating modified graphene-PANI composites too. The FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, XRD, SEM, and TEM results showed that the formation of graphene-PANI composites in the current route is the same as that of the normal method. Moreover, the cyclic voltammetry (CV) and charge–discharge (CD) tests revealed excellent electrochemical performance and cyclability. The CV study reported that the specific capacitances of the supercapacitor are 235, 179, 120, 85, and 55 F/g at scan rates of 10, 20, 50, 100, and 200 mV/s. The capacitance retention ratio was more than 90% and the ESR was found to be 10.5 O.

This laboratory analysis was done to scrutinize the compressive strength of nominal mix concrete (NMC) and fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) for M30 grade of concrete. In this study, cubes of NMC prepared by adding fly ash 20% and 30% of the weight of cement. Apart from this, the FRC mix prepared by adding steel and glass fiber in the NMC mixture. The experimental study consists of the construction of 84 cubes, out of which 36 cubes of SFRC and 36 cubes of GFRC cast for different percentages of fiber. Out of 36 cubes of SFRC, 18 cubes cast with 20% fly ash and 18 cubes cast with 30% fly ash and the same as for GFRC and 12 cubes of NMC, 6 cubes cast with 20% fly ash and 6 cubes cast with 30% fly ash. The compressive strength calculated by averaging the strength of three cubes cast for each fiber ratio. These mixes tested for its hardened property like compressive strength in this comparative study. The compressive strength tested on UTM after 7 and 28 days curing, where results show improvement in individual fibers.

One of the most important industrial applications of lasers is the treatment of materials. In this work pulsed Nd:YAG laser of wavelength (1064 nm) was used to precipitate the prepared solution of CuO nanoparticles in the form of thin films using energies (300, 400, 500 and 600 mJ) at a distance (10 cm) and for an irradiation period (20 s) for each energy. The optical properties of the material were examined, which include transmittance, absorbance and some other optical constants, in addition to calculating the optical energy gap and knowing the effect of increasing the laser energy on its values.

Whether it's concrete technology, design approaches, or the creation of novel materials, there's always a time delay between laboratory innovations and their practical implementations in the construction sector. However, practical application of steel fibre reinforced concrete is much ahead in the field of research and development. The purpose of this research was to examine the flexural behaviour of high-performance fibre reinforced concrete (HPFRC) in particular. HPFRC mix has been designed to obtain a concrete grade of M60. The modified IS technique is used to create the mix design. Dosage of superplasticizer was adjusted for each mix with incremental fibre content. Steel fibre used in the study comprised of crimpled fibre having 0.4 mm diameter and aspect ratio of 69.09. The hooked end fibre bearing 0.62 mm and aspect ratio of 69.09 is also used. The volume of the fraction of steel fibre namely 0.25 %, 0.5 %, 0.75 %, 1 %, 1.25 % and 1.5 % used in this experimental investigation. Results indicate that introduction of steel fibre significantly improved not only the crack behaviour but also increased the flexural strength significantly. Addition of steel fibre to HPFRC imparted significant increase in Young’s Modulus. Strength studies were conducted by means of Young’s Modulus for 28 days respectively for M 60 concrete. The goal of this study is to determine the role of fibres in post-cracking and fracture behaviour of concrete, as well as the stress–strain behaviour of cracked concrete specimen.

Explosive cladding is known for its ability to join a wide variety of metals that other welding methods cannot do. In this present work, the weldability of aluminium alloy and mild steel plates and their bonding strength through an explosive cladding process investigation is performed. Experiments are conducted in the open air using Gelatin (SG-90) variety explosive having a detonation velocity of 3400 m/sec. Experimental trials for single replications were adopted. Ram tensile test has been carried out to determine the bonding strength. The effects of angle of inclination, loading ratio and stand-off distance on the weld strength were analyzed. The possibility of obtaining a sound weld depends on the limiting conditions of the above parameters. The microstructure of the explosive clad joints is studied for varying process parameters which shows a wavy profile that produces higher strength. The strength of the weld in both tensile and shear strength obtained is good and is within the acceptable range. An increase in strength of welded joints is obtained for higher parameter range.

A cost-effective stereolithography for medium-scale components is developed to fabricate 3D components with high build speed and resolution from photo-curable resin. The developed SLA utilizes a focused light beam of wavelength range (300 nm–700 nm) coming from the DLP projector and passes through the objective lens and finally imposed on the platform containing a layer of photo-curable resin. After focusing the light beam on the liquid resin layer, the photo-polymerization reaction occurs and the liquid resin becomes solid. Thus, the 3D object is fabricated layer by layer curing of liquid resin. The photopolymer used in this experimentation is polyethylene glycol di-acrylate and Irgacure 784 as photo-initiator. The Creo 3.0 software is used for modelling of 3D objects. A special MATLAB code is developed for slicing of the 3D model and displaying the sliced image one by one through DLP projector. The Arduino microcontroller with stepper motor and ball screw is used to control the motion of Z-stage platform. The Creation workshop software is also used to control motion of the Z-stage and period to display the sliced images through DLP projector. The medium-scale 3D objects with rectangular, square, and circular cross-sections are obtained by curing the aforementioned photo-curable resin. It is observed that the 3D objects are best cured for two seconds curing time with 0.1 mm curing depth along Z-axis.