High-power piezo drive amplifier for large stack and PFC applications

Science.gov (United States)

Clingman, Dan J.; Gamble, Mike

2001-08-01

This paper describes the continuing development of Boeing High Power Piezo Drive Amplifiers. Described is the development and testing of a 1500 Vpp, 8 amp switching amplifier. This amplifier is used to drive a piezo stack driven rotor blade trailing edge flap on a full size helicopter. Also discuss is a switching amplifier designed to drive a Piezo Fiber Composite (PFC) active twist rotor blade. This amplifier was designed to drive the PFC material at 2000 Vpp and 0.5 amps. These amplifiers recycle reactive energy, allowing for a power and weight efficient amplifier design. This work was done in conjunction with the DARPA sponsored Phase II Smart Rotor Blade program and the NASA Langley Research Center sponsored Active Twist Rotor (ATR) blade program.

Piezotronics and piezo-phototronics

CERN Document Server

Wang, Zhong Lin

2014-01-01

This book introduces the fundamentals of piezotronics and piezo-phototronics, and shows how the functionality of piezotroics and piezo-phototronics are complementary to CMOS technology. Describes applications in sensing, nanorobotics and many other areas.

Features of the piezo-phototronic effect on optoelectronic devices based on wurtzite semiconductor nanowires.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Qing; Wu, Yuanpeng; Liu, Ying; Pan, Caofeng; Wang, Zhong Lin

2014-02-21

The piezo-phototronic effect, a three way coupling effect of piezoelectric, semiconductor and photonic properties in non-central symmetric semiconductor materials, utilizing the piezo-potential as a "gate" voltage to tune the charge transport/generation/recombination and modulate the performance of optoelectronic devices, has formed a new field and attracted lots of interest recently. The mechanism was verified in various optoelectronic devices such as light emitting diodes (LEDs), photodetectors and solar cells etc. The fast development and dramatic increasing interest in the piezo-phototronic field not only demonstrate the way the piezo-phototronic effects work, but also indicate the strong need for further research in the physical mechanism and potential applications. Furthermore, it is important to distinguish the contribution of the piezo-phototronic effect from other factors induced by external strain such as piezoresistance, band shifting or contact area change, which also affect the carrier behaviour and device performance. In this perspective, we review our recent progress on piezo-phototronics and especially focus on pointing out the features of piezo-phototronic effect in four aspects: I-V characteristics; c-axis orientation; influence of illumination; and modulation of carrier behaviour. Finally we proposed several criteria for describing the contribution made by the piezo-phototronic effect to the performance of optoelectronic devices. This systematic analysis and comparison will not only help give an in-depth understanding of the piezo-phototronic effect, but also work as guide for the design of devices in related areas.

Spray-controlled combustionprocess with piezo injection; Strahlgefuehrtes Brennverfahren mit Piezo-Benzineinspritzung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schaupp, U.; Altenschmidt, F.; Bertsch, D.; Laudenbach, N. [DaimlerChrysler AG, Stuttgart (Germany)

2007-07-01

The novel 2nd generation injection system of Mercedes-Benz have resulted in reduced fuel consumption and lower emissions while improving the engine performance. The piezo technology is a great technical advance. The characteristic field range in which stratified charge operation is possible has been extended since the first generation of injection systems. Lower fuel consumption is achieved not only in normal traffic but also when cruising on motorways at constant speed. The advantages are noticeable not only in the test cycle but also in real operation. The piezo injection valve was not available on the market and had to be constructed, including the 200 bar high-pressure fuel injection system. The stability of the injection system and the good mixing characteristics resulted in an optimally combustible mixture at the spark plug. Apart from stability in stratified charge operation, the possibility of multiple injection also has further advantages and potentials in terms of consumption and emissions. (orig.)

The Development of Piezo-Driven Tools for Cellular Piercing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Changhai Ru

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Conventionally, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI in the mouse is conducted with piezo-drills that use a droplet of mercury for damping. The use of mercury causes concerns of toxicity and contamination. Although Fluorinert can be used as a substitute for mercury to reduce piezo-drill’s lateral vibration, the damping effect is not as satisfactory as mercury. In this work, a modified piezo-drill without using mercury was developed for the cellular piercing of mouse oocytes. Experimentally, appropriate parameters of driving voltage and frequency were obtained for the penetration of the zona pellucida of mouse oocytes. Furthermore, the lateral vibration of the injection pipette is lower than 1 μm in deionized water, which is not observable at 400 magnificence. With the piezo-drill without using mercury, the system performs the cellular piercing of mouse oocytes with a maximum cleavage rate of 94.7% (n = 117.

Piezo-electrostrictive ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Ho Gi; Shin, Byeong Cheol

1991-09-01

This book deals with principle and the case of application of piezo-electrostrictive ceramics, which includes definition of piezoelectric materials and production and development of piezoelectric materials, coexistence of Pb(zr, Ti)O 3 ceramics on cause of coexistence in MPB PZT ceramics, electrostrictive effect of oxide type perovskite, practical piezo-electrostrictive materials, and breaking strength, evaluation technique of piezoelectric characteristic, and piezoelectric accelerometer sensor like printer head, ink jet and piezoelectric relay.

Mechanical study of the Saclay piezo tuner PTS (piezo tuning system) Care-SRF-WP8

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bosland, P.; Wu, B.

2005-03-01

The present tuner is working inside Tesla test facility's cryo-modules without any piezo actuator. Thus the Lorentz force detuning in the pulsed mode of the accelerator is limiting the maximum accelerating field of cavity at about 25 MV/m. Previous studies and tests have demonstrated that the integration of piezo actuators in the tuner can lead to the compensation of the Lorentz force detuning at field higher than 35 MV/m. Our goal is now to develop and optimize a new tuner integrating piezo actuators. The mechanical studies are now finished and fabrication is in progress. This report presents the principle of this new system, its design and reviews the cavity frequency shifts during preparation process and assesses the forces applied by the cavity on the piezo actuators. (A.C.)

Voltage gating of mechanosensitive PIEZO channels.

Science.gov (United States)

Moroni, Mirko; Servin-Vences, M Rocio; Fleischer, Raluca; Sánchez-Carranza, Oscar; Lewin, Gary R

2018-03-15

Mechanosensitive PIEZO ion channels are evolutionarily conserved proteins whose presence is critical for normal physiology in multicellular organisms. Here we show that, in addition to mechanical stimuli, PIEZO channels are also powerfully modulated by voltage and can even switch to a purely voltage-gated mode. Mutations that cause human diseases, such as xerocytosis, profoundly shift voltage sensitivity of PIEZO1 channels toward the resting membrane potential and strongly promote voltage gating. Voltage modulation may be explained by the presence of an inactivation gate in the pore, the opening of which is promoted by outward permeation. Older invertebrate (fly) and vertebrate (fish) PIEZO proteins are also voltage sensitive, but voltage gating is a much more prominent feature of these older channels. We propose that the voltage sensitivity of PIEZO channels is a deep property co-opted to add a regulatory mechanism for PIEZO activation in widely different cellular contexts.

A Study on Detection of Elastic Wave Using Patch Type Piezo-Polymer Sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Ki Bok; Yoon, Dong Jin; Kueon, Jae Hwa; Lee, Young Seop

2004-01-01

Patch type piezo-polymer sensors for smart structures were experimented to detect elastic wave. The pencil lead braking test was performed to analyze the characteristics of patch-type piezo-polymer sensors such as polyvinyliden fluoride (PVDF) and polyvinylidene fluoride trifluorethylene (P(VDF-TrFE)) for several test specimens with various elastic wave velocities and acoustical impedances. The characteristics of the patch-type piezo-polymer sensor were compared with the commercial PZT acoustic emission (AE) sensor. The vacuum grease and epoxy resin were used as a couplant for the acoustic impedance matching between the sensor and specimen. The peak amplitude of elastic wave increased as the diameter of piezo-film and acoustical impedance of the specimen increased. The frequency detection range of the piezo-film sensors decreased with increasing diameter of the piezo-film sensor. The P(VDF-TrFE) sensor was more sensitive than the PVDF sensor

A universal piezo-driven ultrasonic cell microinjection system.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Haibo; Mills, James K; Lu, Cong; Sun, Dong

2011-08-01

Over the past decade, the rapid development of biotechnologies such as gene injection, in-vitro fertilization, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and drug development have led to great demand for highly automated, high precision equipment for microinjection. Recently a new cell injection technology using piezo-driven pipettes with a very small mercury column was proposed and successfully applied in ICSI to a variety of mammal species. Although this technique significantly improves the survival rates of the ICSI process, shortcomings due to the toxicity of mercury and damage to the cell membrane due to large lateral tip oscillations of the injector pipette may limit its application. In this paper, a new cell injection system for automatic batch injection of suspended cells is developed. A new design of the piezo-driven cell injector is proposed for automated suspended cell injection. This new piezo-driven cell injector design relocates the piezo oscillation actuator to the injector pipette which eliminates the vibration effect on other parts of the micromanipulator. A small piezo stack is sufficient to perform the cell injection process. Harmful lateral tip oscillations of the injector pipette are reduced substantially without the use of a mercury column. Furthermore, ultrasonic vibration micro-dissection (UVM) theory is utilized to analyze the piezo-driven cell injection process, and the source of the lateral oscillations of the injector pipette is investigated. From preliminary experiments of cell injection of a large number of zebrafish embryos (n = 200), the injector pipette can easily pierce through the cell membrane at a low injection speed and almost no deformation of the cell wall, and with a high success rate(96%) and survival rate(80.7%) This new injection approach shows good potential for precision injection with less damage to the injected cells.

Piezo-Phototronic Effect in a Quantum Well Structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Xin; Du, Chunhua; Zhou, Yongli; Jiang, Chunyan; Pu, Xiong; Liu, Wei; Hu, Weiguo; Chen, Hong; Wang, Zhong Lin

2016-05-24

With enhancements in the performance of optoelectronic devices, the field of piezo-phototronics has attracted much attention, and several theoretical works have been reported based on semiclassical models. At present, the feature size of optoelectronic devices are rapidly shrinking toward several tens of nanometers, which results in the quantum confinement effect. Starting from the basic piezoelectricity equation, Schrödinger equation, Poisson equation, and Fermi's golden rule, a self-consistent theoretical model is proposed to study the piezo-phototronic effect in the framework of perturbation theory in quantum mechanics. The validity and universality of this model are well-proven with photoluminescence measurements in a single GaN/InGaN quantum well and multiple GaN/InGaN quantum wells. This study provides important insight into the working principle of nanoscale piezo-phototronic devices as well as guidance for the future device design.

Fabrication Effects on Polysilicon-based Micro cantilever Piezo resistivity for Biological Sensing Application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nina Korlina Madzhi; Balkish Natra; Mastura Sidek; Khuan, L.Y.; Anuar Ahmad

2011-01-01

In principle, adsorption of biological molecules on a functionalized surface of a micro fabricated cantilever will cause a surface stress and consequently the cantilever bending. In this work, four different type of polysilicon-based piezo resistive micro cantilever sensors were designed to increase the sensitivity of the micro cantilevers sensor because the forces involved is very small. The design and optimization was performed by using finite element analysis to maximize the relative resistance changes of the piezo resistors as a function of the cantilever vertical displacements. The resistivity of the piezo resistivity micro cantilevers was analyzed before and after dicing process. The maximum resistance changes were systematically investigated by varying the piezo resistor length. The results show that although the thickness of piezo resistor was the same at 0.5 μm the resistance value was varied. (author)

The amplitude modulation of laser diode emission with antireflection piezo films on mirrors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abrarov, S.M.; Karimov, Kh.S.; Akhmedov, Kh.M.

2001-01-01

Present article is devoted to amplitude modulation of laser diode emission with antireflection piezo films on mirrors. The modulator based on laser diode and the emission amplitude modulation of which is performed by electric field impact on antireflection piezo films applied on mirrors was studied.

Cell-Type-Specific Splicing of Piezo2 Regulates Mechanotransduction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcin Szczot

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Summary: Piezo2 is a mechanically activated ion channel required for touch discrimination, vibration detection, and proprioception. Here, we discovered that Piezo2 is extensively spliced, producing different Piezo2 isoforms with distinct properties. Sensory neurons from both mice and humans express a large repertoire of Piezo2 variants, whereas non-neuronal tissues express predominantly a single isoform. Notably, even within sensory ganglia, we demonstrate the splicing of Piezo2 to be cell type specific. Biophysical characterization revealed substantial differences in ion permeability, sensitivity to calcium modulation, and inactivation kinetics among Piezo2 splice variants. Together, our results describe, at the molecular level, a potential mechanism by which transduction is tuned, permitting the detection of a variety of mechanosensory stimuli. : Szczot et al. find that the mechanoreceptor Piezo2 is extensively alternatively spliced, generating multiple distinct isoforms. Their findings indicate that these splice products have specific tissue and cell type expression patterns and exhibit differences in receptor properties. Keywords: Piezo, touch, sensation, ion-channel, splicing

Piezo proteins are pore-forming subunits of mechanically activated channels.

Science.gov (United States)

Coste, Bertrand; Xiao, Bailong; Santos, Jose S; Syeda, Ruhma; Grandl, Jörg; Spencer, Kathryn S; Kim, Sung Eun; Schmidt, Manuela; Mathur, Jayanti; Dubin, Adrienne E; Montal, Mauricio; Patapoutian, Ardem

2012-02-19

Mechanotransduction has an important role in physiology. Biological processes including sensing touch and sound waves require as-yet-unidentified cation channels that detect pressure. Mouse Piezo1 (MmPiezo1) and MmPiezo2 (also called Fam38a and Fam38b, respectively) induce mechanically activated cationic currents in cells; however, it is unknown whether Piezo proteins are pore-forming ion channels or modulate ion channels. Here we show that Drosophila melanogaster Piezo (DmPiezo, also called CG8486) also induces mechanically activated currents in cells, but through channels with remarkably distinct pore properties including sensitivity to the pore blocker ruthenium red and single channel conductances. MmPiezo1 assembles as a ∼1.2-million-dalton homo-oligomer, with no evidence of other proteins in this complex. Purified MmPiezo1 reconstituted into asymmetric lipid bilayers and liposomes forms ruthenium-red-sensitive ion channels. These data demonstrate that Piezo proteins are an evolutionarily conserved ion channel family involved in mechanotransduction.

Piezo1 regulates mechanotransductive release of ATP from human RBCs.

Science.gov (United States)

Cinar, Eyup; Zhou, Sitong; DeCourcey, James; Wang, Yixuan; Waugh, Richard E; Wan, Jiandi

2015-09-22

Piezo proteins (Piezo1 and Piezo2) are recently identified mechanically activated cation channels in eukaryotic cells and associated with physiological responses to touch, pressure, and stretch. In particular, human RBCs express Piezo1 on their membranes, and mutations of Piezo1 have been linked to hereditary xerocytosis. To date, however, physiological functions of Piezo1 on normal RBCs remain poorly understood. Here, we show that Piezo1 regulates mechanotransductive release of ATP from human RBCs by controlling the shear-induced calcium (Ca(2+)) influx. We find that, in human RBCs treated with Piezo1 inhibitors or having mutant Piezo1 channels, the amounts of shear-induced ATP release and Ca(2+) influx decrease significantly. Remarkably, a critical extracellular Ca(2+) concentration is required to trigger significant ATP release, but membrane-associated ATP pools in RBCs also contribute to the release of ATP. Our results show how Piezo1 channels are likely to function in normal RBCs and suggest a previously unidentified mechanotransductive pathway in ATP release. Thus, we anticipate that the study will impact broadly on the research of red cells, cellular mechanosensing, and clinical studies related to red cell disorders and vascular disease.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Screening Using a Piezo-Electric Sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Erdenebayar, Urtnasan; Park, Jong Uk; Jeong, Pilsoo; Lee, Kyoung Joung

2017-06-01

In this study, we propose a novel method for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) detection using a piezo-electric sensor. OSA is a relatively common sleep disorder. However, more than 80% of OSA patients remain undiagnosed. We investigated the feasibility of OSA assessment using a single-channel physiological signal to simplify the OSA screening. We detected both snoring and heartbeat information by using a piezo-electric sensor, and snoring index (SI) and features based on pulse rate variability (PRV) analysis were extracted from the filtered piezo-electric sensor signal. A support vector machine (SVM) was used as a classifier to detect OSA events. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated on 45 patients from mild, moderate, and severe OSA groups. The method achieved a mean sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 72.5%, 74.2%, and 71.5%; 85.8%, 80.5%, and 80.0%; and 70.3%, 77.1%, and 71.9% for the mild, moderate, and severe groups, respectively. Finally, these results not only show the feasibility of OSA detection using a piezo-electric sensor, but also illustrate its usefulness for monitoring sleep and diagnosing OSA. © 2017 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.

Ultrasonic guided wave sensing characteristics of large area thin piezo coating

Science.gov (United States)

Rathod, V. T.; Jeyaseelan, A. Antony; Dutta, Soma; Mahapatra, D. Roy

2017-10-01

This paper reports on the characterization method and performance enhancement of thin piezo coating for ultrasonic guided wave sensing applications. We deposited the coatings by an in situ slurry coating method and studied their guided wave sensing properties on a one-dimensional metallic beam as a substrate waveguide. The developed piezo coatings show good sensitivity to the longitudinal and flexural modes of guided waves. Sensing voltage due to the guided waves at various different ultrasonic frequencies shows a linear dependence on the thickness of the coating. The coatings also exhibit linear sensor output voltage with respect to the induced dynamic strain magnitude. Diameter/size of the piezo coatings strongly influences the voltage response in relation to the wavelength. The proposed method used a characterization set-up involving coated sensors, reference transducers and an analytical model to estimate the piezoelectric coefficient of the piezo coating. The method eliminates the size dependent effect on the piezo property accurately and gives further insight to design better sensors/filters with respect to frequency/wavelength of interest. The developed coatings will have interesting applications in structural health monitoring (SHM) and internet of things (IOT).

A protein interaction mechanism for suppressing the mechanosensitive Piezo channels.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Tingxin; Chi, Shaopeng; Jiang, Fan; Zhao, Qiancheng; Xiao, Bailong

2017-11-27

Piezo proteins are bona fide mammalian mechanotransduction channels for various cell types including endothelial cells. The mouse Piezo1 of 2547 residues forms a three-bladed, propeller-like homo-trimer comprising a central pore-module and three propeller-structures that might serve as mechanotransduction-modules. However, the mechanogating and regulation of Piezo channels remain unclear. Here we identify the sarcoplasmic /endoplasmic-reticulum Ca 2+ ATPase (SERCA), including the widely expressed SERCA2, as Piezo interacting proteins. SERCA2 strategically suppresses Piezo1 via acting on a 14-residue-constituted intracellular linker connecting the pore-module and mechanotransduction-module. Mutating the linker impairs mechanogating and SERCA2-mediated modulation of Piezo1. Furthermore, the synthetic linker-peptide disrupts the modulatory effects of SERCA2, demonstrating the key role of the linker in mechanogating and regulation. Importantly, the SERCA2-mediated regulation affects Piezo1-dependent migration of endothelial cells. Collectively, we identify SERCA-mediated regulation of Piezos and the functional significance of the linker, providing important insights into the mechanogating and regulation mechanisms of Piezo channels.

Pressure tracking control of vehicle ABS using piezo valve modulator

Science.gov (United States)

Jeon, Juncheol; Choi, Seung-Bok

2011-03-01

This paper presents a wheel slip control for the ABS(anti-lock brake system) of a passenger vehicle using a controllable piezo valve modulator. The ABS is designed to optimize for braking effectiveness and good steerability. As a first step, the principal design parameters of the piezo valve and pressure modulator are appropriately determined by considering the braking pressure variation during the ABS operation. The proposed piezo valve consists of a flapper, pneumatic circuit and a piezostack actuator. In order to get wide control range of the pressure, the pressure modulator is desired. The modulator consists of a dual-type cylinder filled with different substances (fluid and gas) and a piston rod moving vertical axis to transmit the force. Subsequently, a quarter car wheel slip model is formulated and integrated with the governing equation of the piezo valve modulator. A sliding mode controller to achieve the desired slip rate is then designed and implemented. Braking control performances such as brake pressure and slip rate are evaluated via computer simulations.

Integration of piezo-capacitive and piezo-electric nanoweb based pressure sensors for imaging of static and dynamic pressure distribution.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeong, Y J; Oh, T I; Woo, E J; Kim, K J

2017-07-01

Recently, highly flexible and soft pressure distribution imaging sensor is in great demand for tactile sensing, gait analysis, ubiquitous life-care based on activity recognition, and therapeutics. In this study, we integrate the piezo-capacitive and piezo-electric nanowebs with the conductive fabric sheets for detecting static and dynamic pressure distributions on a large sensing area. Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) and electric source imaging are applied for reconstructing pressure distribution images from measured current-voltage data on the boundary of the hybrid fabric sensor. We evaluated the piezo-capacitive nanoweb sensor, piezo-electric nanoweb sensor, and hybrid fabric sensor. The results show the feasibility of static and dynamic pressure distribution imaging from the boundary measurements of the fabric sensors.

Mechanosensitive Channels: In Touch with Piezo

OpenAIRE

Xiao, Rui; Xu, X.Z. Shawn

2010-01-01

Mechanosensory transduction underlies touch, hearing and proprioception and requires mechanosensitive channels that are directly gated by forces; however, the molecular identities of these channels remain largely elusive. A new study has identified Piezo1 and Piezo2 as a novel class of mechanosensitive channels.

Miniature piezo electric vacuum inlet valve

Science.gov (United States)

Keville, Robert F.; Dietrich, Daniel D.

1998-03-24

A miniature piezo electric vacuum inlet valve having a fast pulse rate and is battery operated with variable flow capability. The low power (piezo electric valves which require preloading of the crystal drive mechanism and 120 Vac, thus the valve of the present invention is smaller by a factor of three.

Piezo-optic surfaces of lithium niobate crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mytsyk, B. G.; Dem'yanyshyn, N. M.

2006-01-01

A method of construction of the spatial distribution of the piezo-optic effect in crystals is proposed. A particular case of this method is the known technique of construction of indicator surfaces of the piezo-optic effect. The essence of the proposed method consists in determining the difference in the radius vectors of the optical indicatrix perturbed by stress and the free optical indicatrix. It is shown that this difference in the radius vectors is mathematically identical to the law of transformation of the piezo-optic tensor during the rotation of the coordinate system

Piezo-Electrochemical Energy Harvesting with Lithium-Intercalating Carbon Fibers.

Science.gov (United States)

Jacques, Eric; Lindbergh, Göran; Zenkert, Dan; Leijonmarck, Simon; Kjell, Maria Hellqvist

2015-07-01

The mechanical and electrochemical properties are coupled through a piezo-electrochemical effect in Li-intercalated carbon fibers. It is demonstrated that this piezo-electrochemical effect makes it possible to harvest electrical energy from mechanical work. Continuous polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fibers that can work both as electrodes for Li-ion batteries and structural reinforcement for composites materials are used in this study. Applying a tensile force to carbon fiber bundles used as Li-intercalating electrodes results in a response of the electrode potential of a few millivolts which allows, at low current densities, lithiation at higher electrode potential than delithiation. More electrical energy is thereby released from the cell at discharge than provided at charge, harvesting energy from the mechanical work of the applied force. The measured harvested specific electrical power is in the order of 1 μW/g for current densities in the order of 1 mA/g, but this has a potential of being increased significantly.

Role of Piezo Channels in Ultrasound-stimulated Dental Stem Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Qianhua; Cooper, Paul R; Walmsley, A Damien; Scheven, Ben A

2017-07-01

Piezo1 and Piezo2 are mechanosensitive membrane ion channels. We hypothesized that Piezo proteins may play a role in transducing ultrasound-associated mechanical signals and activate downstream mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling processes in dental cells. In this study, the expression and role of Piezo channels were investigated in dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) and periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) after treatment with low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS). Cell proliferation was evaluated by bromodeoxyuridine incorporation. Western blots were used to analyze the proliferating cell nuclear antigen as well as the transcription factors c-fos and c-jun. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blotting were used to determine the activation of MAPK after LIPUS treatment. Ruthenium red (RR), a Piezo ion channel blocker, was applied to determine the functional role of Piezo proteins in LIPUS-stimulated cell proliferation and MAPK signaling. Western blotting showed the presence of Piezo1 and Piezo2 in both dental cell types. LIPUS treatment significantly increased the level of the Piezo proteins in DPSCs after 24 hours; however, no significant effects were observed in PDLSCs. Treatment with RR significantly inhibited LIPUS-stimulated DPSC proliferation but not PDLSC proliferation. Extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) 1/2 MAPK was consistently activated in DPSCs over a 24-hour time period after LIPUS exposure, whereas phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase MAPK were mainly increased in PDLSCs. RR affected MAPK signaling in both dental cell types with its most prominent effects on ERK1/2/MAPK phosphorylation levels; the significant inhibition of LIPUS-induced stimulation of ERK1/2 activation in DPSCs by RR suggests that stimulation of DPSC proliferation by LIPUS involves Piezo-mediated regulation of ERK1/2 MAPK signaling. This study for the first time supports the role of Piezo ion channels in

Piezo-Phototronic Matrix via a Nanowire Array.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yang; Zhai, Junyi; Wang, Zhong Lin

2017-12-01

Piezoelectric semiconductors, such as ZnO and GaN, demonstrate multiproperty coupling effects toward various aspects of mechanical, electrical, and optical excitation. In particular, the three-way coupling among semiconducting, photoexcitation, and piezoelectric characteristics in wurtzite-structured semiconductors is established as a new field, which was first coined as piezo-phototronics by Wang in 2010. The piezo-phototronic effect can controllably modulate the charge-carrier generation, separation, transport, and/or recombination in optical-electronic processes by modifying the band structure at the metal-semiconductor or semiconductor-semiconductor heterojunction/interface. Here, the progress made in using the piezo-phototronic effect for enhancing photodetectors, pressure sensors, light-emitting diodes, and solar cells is reviewed. In comparison with previous works on a single piezoelectric semiconducting nanowire, piezo-phototronic nanodevices built using nanowire arrays provide a promising platform for fabricating integrated optoelectronics with the realization of high-spatial-resolution imaging and fast responsivity. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A self-adaption compensation control for hysteresis nonlinearity in piezo-actuated stages based on Pi-sigma fuzzy neural network

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Rui; Zhou, Miaolei

2018-04-01

Piezo-actuated stages are widely applied in the high-precision positioning field nowadays. However, the inherent hysteresis nonlinearity in piezo-actuated stages greatly deteriorates the positioning accuracy of piezo-actuated stages. This paper first utilizes a nonlinear autoregressive moving average with exogenous inputs (NARMAX) model based on the Pi-sigma fuzzy neural network (PSFNN) to construct an online rate-dependent hysteresis model for describing the hysteresis nonlinearity in piezo-actuated stages. In order to improve the convergence rate of PSFNN and modeling precision, we adopt the gradient descent algorithm featuring three different learning factors to update the model parameters. The convergence of the NARMAX model based on the PSFNN is analyzed effectively. To ensure that the parameters can converge to the true values, the persistent excitation condition is considered. Then, a self-adaption compensation controller is designed for eliminating the hysteresis nonlinearity in piezo-actuated stages. A merit of the proposed controller is that it can directly eliminate the complex hysteresis nonlinearity in piezo-actuated stages without any inverse dynamic models. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model and control methods, a set of comparative experiments are performed on piezo-actuated stages. Experimental results show that the proposed modeling and control methods have excellent performance.

Piezo Voltage Controlled Planar Hall Effect Devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Bao; Meng, Kang-Kang; Yang, Mei-Yin; Edmonds, K W; Zhang, Hao; Cai, Kai-Ming; Sheng, Yu; Zhang, Nan; Ji, Yang; Zhao, Jian-Hua; Zheng, Hou-Zhi; Wang, Kai-You

2016-06-22

The electrical control of the magnetization switching in ferromagnets is highly desired for future spintronic applications. Here we report on hybrid piezoelectric (PZT)/ferromagnetic (Co2FeAl) devices in which the planar Hall voltage in the ferromagnetic layer is tuned solely by piezo voltages. The change of planar Hall voltage is associated with magnetization switching through 90° in the plane under piezo voltages. Room temperature magnetic NOT and NOR gates are demonstrated based on the piezo voltage controlled Co2FeAl planar Hall effect devices without the external magnetic field. Our demonstration may lead to the realization of both information storage and processing using ferromagnetic materials.

Mechanosensitive Piezo Channels in the Gastrointestinal Tract.

Science.gov (United States)

Alcaino, C; Farrugia, G; Beyder, A

2017-01-01

Sensation of mechanical forces is critical for normal function of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and abnormalities in mechanosensation are linked to GI pathologies. In the GI tract there are several mechanosensitive cell types-epithelial enterochromaffin cells, intrinsic and extrinsic enteric neurons, smooth muscle cells and interstitial cells of Cajal. These cells use mechanosensitive ion channels that respond to mechanical forces by altering transmembrane ionic currents in a process called mechanoelectrical coupling. Several mechanosensitive ionic conductances have been identified in the mechanosensory GI cells, ranging from mechanosensitive voltage-gated sodium and calcium channels to the mechanogated ion channels, such as the two-pore domain potassium channels K2P (TREK-1) and nonselective cation channels from the transient receptor potential family. The recently discovered Piezo channels are increasingly recognized as significant contributors to cellular mechanosensitivity. Piezo1 and Piezo2 are nonselective cationic ion channels that are directly activated by mechanical forces and have well-defined biophysical and pharmacologic properties. The role of Piezo channels in the GI epithelium is currently under investigation and their role in the smooth muscle syncytium and enteric neurons is still not known. In this review, we outline the current state of knowledge on mechanosensitive ion channels in the GI tract, with a focus on the known and potential functions of the Piezo channels. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Tour de Force: The Discovery, Properties, and Function of Piezo Channels.

Science.gov (United States)

Gottlieb, P A

2017-01-01

Mechanical transducers appear throughout cell biology and are used to convert mechanical stress into chemical or electrical signals that allow the cell to respond to environmental changes. In the past six years, a eukaryotic mechanical channel family with two members, Piezo1 and Piezo2, has been identified. Piezo1 was shown to be a cation-selective channel that does not require ancillary proteins for activity. Mouse Piezo1 is large, with over 2500 amino acids, and is not homologous to other ion channels. Both piezo channels have rapid voltage-dependent inactivation with a reversal potential near 0mV. The CryoEm structure of Piezo1 at 4.8Å shows trimer stoichiometry. Since the discovery of the piezo channels, their roles in the physiological response of cells have started to emerge. Significant progress has been made in understanding the intrinsic properties of the channels and how these properties are modulated by cytoskeletal elements. Specific diseases, such as hereditary xerocytosis affecting red blood cells, have mutations in Piezo1 that alter the cell's response to force, typically slowing inactivation and introducing a latency for activation. A number of physiological functions for piezo channels have been identified. These range from sensing the stiffness of surrounding substrate, to the response to light touch, to serotonin release from the gut. This review provides a general overview of the properties and roles of Piezo1 and Piezo2 in eukaryotic mechanotransduction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Touch, Tension, and Transduction - The Function and Regulation of Piezo Ion Channels.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Jason; Lewis, Amanda H; Grandl, Jörg

2017-01-01

In 2010, two proteins, Piezo1 and Piezo2, were identified as the long-sought molecular carriers of an excitatory mechanically activated current found in many cells. This discovery has opened the floodgates for studying a vast number of mechanotransduction processes. Over the past 6 years, groundbreaking research has identified Piezos as ion channels that sense light touch, proprioception, and vascular blood flow, ruled out roles for Piezos in several other mechanotransduction processes, and revealed the basic structural and functional properties of the channel. Here, we review these findings and discuss the many aspects of Piezo function that remain mysterious, including how Piezos convert a variety of mechanical stimuli into channel activation and subsequent inactivation, and what molecules and mechanisms modulate Piezo function. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ion Permeation and Mechanotransduction Mechanisms of Mechanosensitive Piezo Channels.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Qiancheng; Wu, Kun; Geng, Jie; Chi, Shaopeng; Wang, Yanfeng; Zhi, Peng; Zhang, Mingmin; Xiao, Bailong

2016-03-16

Piezo proteins have been proposed as the long-sought-after mechanosensitive cation channels in mammals that play critical roles in various mechanotransduction processes. However, the molecular bases that underlie their ion permeation and mechanotransduction have remained functionally undefined. Here we report our finding of the miniature pore-forming module of Piezo1 that resembles the pore architecture of other trimeric channels and encodes the essential pore properties. We further identified specific residues within the pore module that determine unitary conductance, pore blockage and ion selectivity for divalent and monovalent cations and anions. The non-pore-containing region of Piezo1 confers mechanosensitivity to mechano-insensitive trimeric acid-sensing ion channels, demonstrating that Piezo1 channels possess intrinsic mechanotransduction modules separate from their pore modules. In conclusion, this is the first report on the bona fide pore module and mechanotransduction components of Piezo channels, which define their ion-conducting properties and gating by mechanical stimuli, respectively. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Patterned piezo-, pyro-, and ferroelectricity of poled polymer electrets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qiu, Xunlin

2010-01-01

Polymers with strong piezo-, pyro-, and ferroelectricity are attractive for a wide range of applications. In particular, semicrystalline ferroelectric polymers are suitable for a large variety of piezo- and pyroelectric transducers or sensors, while amorphous polymers containing chromophore molecules are particularly interesting for photonic devices. Recently, a new class of polymer materials has been added to this family: internally charged cellular space-charge polymer electrets (so-called “ferroelectrets”), whose piezoelectricity can be orders of magnitude higher than that of conventional ferroelectric polymers. Suitable patterning of these materials leads to improved or unusual macroscopic piezo-, pyro-, and ferroelectric or nonlinear optical properties that may be particularly useful for advanced transducer or waveguide applications. In the present paper, the piezo-, pyro-, and ferroelectricity of poled polymers is briefly introduced, an overview on the preparation of polymer electrets with patterned piezo-, pyro-, and ferroelectricity is provided and a survey of selected applications is presented.

A piezo-ring-on-chip microfluidic device for simple and low-cost mass spectrometry interfacing.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsao, Chia-Wen; Lei, I-Chao; Chen, Pi-Yu; Yang, Yu-Liang

2018-02-12

Mass spectrometry (MS) interfacing technology provides the means for incorporating microfluidic processing with post MS analysis. In this study, we propose a simple piezo-ring-on-chip microfluidic device for the controlled spraying of MALDI-MS targets. This device uses a low-cost, commercially-available ring-shaped piezoelectric acoustic atomizer (piezo-ring) directly integrated into a polydimethylsiloxane microfluidic device to spray the sample onto the MS target substrate. The piezo-ring-on-chip microfluidic device's design, fabrication, and actuation, and its pulsatile pumping effects were evaluated. The spraying performance was examined by depositing organic matrix samples onto the MS target substrate by using both an automatic linear motion motor, and manual deposition. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) was performed to analyze the peptide samples on the MALDI target substrates. Using our technique, model peptides with 10 -6 M concentration can be successfully detected. The results also indicate that the piezo-ring-on-chip approach forms finer matrix crystals and presents better MS signal uniformity with little sample consumption compared to the conventional pipetting method.

Piezo-optical and electro-optical behaviour of nematic liquid crystals dispersed in a ferroelectric copolymer matrix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ganesan, Lakshmi Meena; Wirges, Werner; Gerhard, Reimund; Mellinger, Axel

2010-01-01

Polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) are composite materials that consist of micrometre-sized liquid-crystal (LC) droplets embedded in a polymer matrix. From ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) and a nematic LC, PDLC films containing 10 and 60 wt% LC were prepared, and their electro-optical and piezo-optical behaviour was investigated. The electric field that is generated by the application of mechanical stress leads to changes in the transmittance of the PDLC film through a combination of piezoelectric and electro-optical effects. Such a piezo-optical PDLC material may be useful, e.g., in sensing and visualization applications.

Testing of Piezo-Actuated Glass Micro-Membranes by Optical Low-Coherence Reflectometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Merlo, Sabina; Poma, Paolo; Crisà, Eleonora; Faralli, Dino; Soldo, Marco

2017-02-25

In this work, we have applied optical low-coherence reflectometry (OLCR), implemented with infra-red light propagating in fiberoptic paths, to perform static and dynamic analyses on piezo-actuated glass micro-membranes. The actuator was fabricated by means of thin-film piezoelectric MEMS technology and was employed for modifying the micro-membrane curvature, in view of its application in micro-optic devices, such as variable focus micro-lenses. We are here showing that OLCR incorporating a near-infrared superluminescent light emitting diode as the read-out source is suitable for measuring various parameters such as the micro-membrane optical path-length, the membrane displacement as a function of the applied voltage (yielding the piezo-actuator hysteresis) as well as the resonance curve of the fundamental vibration mode. The use of an optical source with short coherence-time allows performing interferometric measurements without spurious resonance effects due to multiple parallel interfaces of highly planar slabs, furthermore selecting the plane/layer to be monitored. We demonstrate that the same compact and flexible setup can be successfully employed to perform spot optical measurements for static and dynamic characterization of piezo-MEMS in real time.

Touch, Tension, and Transduction – the Function and Regulation of Piezo Ion Channels

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Jason; Lewis, Amanda; Grandl, Jörg

2016-01-01

In 2010, two proteins, Piezo1 and Piezo2, were identified as the long-sought molecular carriers of an excitatory mechanically activated current found in many cells. This discovery has opened the floodgates for studying a vast number of mechanotransduction processes. Over the past six years, groundbreaking research has identified Piezos as ion channels that sense light touch, proprioception, and vascular blood flow, ruled out roles for Piezos in several other mechanotransduction processes, and revealed the basic structural and functional properties of the channel. Here, we review these findings and discuss the many aspects of Piezo function that remain mysterious, including how Piezos convert a variety of mechanical stimuli into channel activation and subsequent inactivation, and what molecules and mechanisms modulate Piezo function. PMID:27743844

Improving the accuracy of walking piezo motors.

Science.gov (United States)

den Heijer, M; Fokkema, V; Saedi, A; Schakel, P; Rost, M J

2014-05-01

Many application areas require ultraprecise, stiff, and compact actuator systems with a high positioning resolution in combination with a large range as well as a high holding and pushing force. One promising solution to meet these conflicting requirements is a walking piezo motor that works with two pairs of piezo elements such that the movement is taken over by one pair, once the other pair reaches its maximum travel distance. A resolution in the pm-range can be achieved, if operating the motor within the travel range of one piezo pair. However, applying the typical walking drive signals, we measure jumps in the displacement up to 2.4 μm, when the movement is given over from one piezo pair to the other. We analyze the reason for these large jumps and propose improved drive signals. The implementation of our new drive signals reduces the jumps to less than 42 nm and makes the motor ideally suitable to operate as a coarse approach motor in an ultra-high vacuum scanning tunneling microscope. The rigidity of the motor is reflected in its high pushing force of 6.4 N.

Koncepce tlačítkového piezo-generátoru

OpenAIRE

Kučera, David

2012-01-01

Tato bakalářská práce se zabývá koncepcí tlačítkového piezo-generátoru. V práci jsou popsány typy piezo-generátorů, vysvětlen piezoelektrický jev, typy piezoelektrických materiálů se zaměřením na piezokeramiku. Dále jsou popsány materiálové vlastnosti piezoelektrických keramik. Na konci práce je popsán návrh samotného tlačítkového piezo-generátoru. This bachelor’s thesis deals with proposal of piezo-generator inside button. There are described types of piezo-generators, explained piezoelec...

A protein interaction mechanism for suppressing the mechanosensitive Piezo channels

OpenAIRE

Zhang, Tingxin; Chi, Shaopeng; Jiang, Fan; Zhao, Qiancheng; Xiao, Bailong

2017-01-01

Piezo proteins are bona fide mammalian mechanotransduction channels for various cell types including endothelial cells. The mouse Piezo1 of 2547 residues forms a three-bladed, propeller-like homo-trimer comprising a central pore-module and three propeller-structures that might serve as mechanotransduction-modules. However, the mechanogating and regulation of Piezo channels remain unclear. Here we identify the sarcoplasmic /endoplasmic-reticulum Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA), including the widely expres...

Mechanical regulation of stem-cell differentiation by the stretch-activated Piezo channel.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Li; Si, Guangwei; Huang, Jiuhong; Samuel, Aravinthan D T; Perrimon, Norbert

2018-03-01

Somatic stem cells constantly adjust their self-renewal and lineage commitment by integrating various environmental cues to maintain tissue homeostasis. Although numerous chemical and biological signals have been identified that regulate stem-cell behaviour, whether stem cells can directly sense mechanical signals in vivo remains unclear. Here we show that mechanical stress regulates stem-cell differentiation in the adult Drosophila midgut through the stretch-activated ion channel Piezo. We find that Piezo is specifically expressed in previously unidentified enteroendocrine precursor cells, which have reduced proliferation ability and are destined to become enteroendocrine cells. Loss of Piezo activity reduces the generation of enteroendocrine cells in the adult midgut. In addition, ectopic expression of Piezo in all stem cells triggers both cell proliferation and enteroendocrine cell differentiation. Both the Piezo mutant and overexpression phenotypes can be rescued by manipulation of cytosolic Ca 2+ levels, and increases in cytosolic Ca 2+ resemble the Piezo overexpression phenotype, suggesting that Piezo functions through Ca 2+ signalling. Further studies suggest that Ca 2+ signalling promotes stem-cell proliferation and differentiation through separate pathways. Finally, Piezo is required for both mechanical activation of stem cells in a gut expansion assay and the increase of cytosolic Ca 2+ in response to direct mechanical stimulus in a gut compression assay. Thus, our study demonstrates the existence of a specific group of stem cells in the fly midgut that can directly sense mechanical signals through Piezo.

Piezo2: A Candidate Biomarker for Visceral Hypersensitivity in Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

OpenAIRE

Bai, Tao; Li, Ying; Xia, Jing; Jiang, Yudong; Zhang, Lei; Wang, Huan; Qian, Wei; Song, Jun; Hou, Xiaohua

2017-01-01

Background/Aims Currently, there exists no biomarker for visceral hypersensitivity in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Piezo proteins have been proven to play an important role in the mechanical stimulation to induce visceral pain in other tissues and may also be a biomarker candidate. The aim of this study was to test the expressions of Piezo1 and Piezo2 proteins in the intestinal epithelial cells from different intestinal segments and to explore the correlation between Piezo proteins express...

Mechanism of piezo - and pyroelectricity of poly (vinylidene fluoride) electret

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wada, Y.

1980-01-01

Basic concepts of the piezo - and pyroelectricity theory of polymer electrets are given. The origins of these effects are presented. The piezo - and pyroelectric constants are numerically obtained. (L.C.) [pt

Progress in piezotronics and piezo-phototronics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Zhong Lin [School of Material Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia (United States)

2012-09-04

The fundamental principle of piezotronics and piezo-phototronics were introduced by Wang in 2007 and 2010, respectively. Due to the polarization of ions in a crystal that has non-central symmetry in materials such as the wurtzite structured ZnO, GaN and InN, a piezoelectric potential (piezopotential) is created in the crystal by applying a stress. Owing to the simultaneous possession of piezoelectricity and semiconductor properties, the piezopotential created in the crystal has a strong effect on the carrier transport at the interface/junction. Piezotronics is about the devices fabricated using the piezopotential as a ''gate'' voltage to tune/control charge carrier transport at a contact or junction. The piezo-phototronic effect is to use the piezopotential to control the carrier generation, transport, separation and/or recombination for improving the performance of optoelectronic devices, such as photon detector, solar cell and LED. This manuscript reviews the updated progress in the two new fields. A perspective is given about their potential applications in sensors, human-silicon technology interfacing, MEMS, nanorobotics and energy sciences. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Piezo Proteins: Regulators of Mechanosensation and Other Cellular Processes*

Science.gov (United States)

Bagriantsev, Sviatoslav N.; Gracheva, Elena O.; Gallagher, Patrick G.

2014-01-01

Piezo proteins have recently been identified as ion channels mediating mechanosensory transduction in mammalian cells. Characterization of these channels has yielded important insights into mechanisms of somatosensation, as well as other mechano-associated biologic processes such as sensing of shear stress, particularly in the vasculature, and regulation of urine flow and bladder distention. Other roles for Piezo proteins have emerged, some unexpected, including participation in cellular development, volume regulation, cellular migration, proliferation, and elongation. Mutations in human Piezo proteins have been associated with a variety of disorders including hereditary xerocytosis and several syndromes with muscular contracture as a prominent feature. PMID:25305018

Role of Piezo Channels in Joint Health and Injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, W; Guilak, F; Liedtke, W

2017-01-01

Cartilage is an intrinsically mechanically sensitive tissue composed of chondrocytes as the only cell type. Chondrocyte mechanotransduction is not well understood, but recently we identified critical components of the mechanotransduction machinery demonstrating how mechanical stimulation of these cells can be converted into cellular calcium signals. Physiologic mechanical cues induce anabolic responses of (post-mitotic) chondrocytes via transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 ion channels, whereas injurious mechanical stress is transduced by Piezo1 jointly with Piezo2 ion channels. This chapter sheds light on the latter discovery and provides a rationale for follow-up questions, such as the nature of interaction between Piezo1 and Piezo2, and their tethering to the cytoskeleton. These recent insights can be leveraged toward translational medical progress to benefit diagnosis and treatment of osteoarthritis, representing a large and growing unmet medical need in the United States and large parts of the world. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modeling startup and shutdown transient of the microlinear piezo drive via ANSYS

Science.gov (United States)

Azin, A. V.; Bogdanov, E. P.; Rikkonen, S. V.; Ponomarev, S. V.; Khramtsov, A. M.

2017-02-01

The article describes the construction-design of the micro linear piezo drive intended for a peripheral cord tensioner in the reflecting surface shape regulator system for large-sized transformable spacecraft antenna reflectors. The research target -the development method of modeling startup and shutdown transient of the micro linear piezo drive. This method is based on application software package ANSYS. The method embraces a detailed description of the calculation stages to determine the operating characteristics of the designed piezo drive. Based on the numerical solutions, the time characteristics of the designed piezo drive are determined.

Effect of MnO2, Bi2O3, and ZnO additions on the electrical properties of lead zirconate titanate piezo ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klimov, V.V.; Selikova, N.I.; Bronnikov, A.N.

2006-01-01

The effect of manganese dioxide additions on the electrical properties of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) piezo ceramics has been investigated. The results demonstrate that, taken alone, manganese dioxide does not ensure the formation of hard PZT. The valence state of manganese in the piezo ceramics is shown to be 4+ if no other dopants are present and 3+ if manganese is introduced in combination with Bi and Zn. Microstructural examination indicates that the grain size of the singly doped ceramics is 5-15 μm, while that of the codoped ceramics is 1-3 μm. The polarization current curves of the piezo ceramics containing manganese, bismuth, and zinc oxides have extra maxima, which points to significant internal fields. The manganese is shown to reside at grain boundaries. The conclusion is made that it is the composition of Mn-containing intergranular phases, rather than the presence of manganese ions, that plays a key role in the formation of hard piezo ceramics [ru

The role of Drosophila Piezo in mechanical nociception.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sung Eun; Coste, Bertrand; Chadha, Abhishek; Cook, Boaz; Patapoutian, Ardem

2012-02-19

Transduction of mechanical stimuli by receptor cells is essential for senses such as hearing, touch and pain. Ion channels have a role in neuronal mechanotransduction in invertebrates; however, functional conservation of these ion channels in mammalian mechanotransduction is not observed. For example, no mechanoreceptor potential C (NOMPC), a member of transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channel family, acts as a mechanotransducer in Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans; however, it has no orthologues in mammals. Degenerin/epithelial sodium channel (DEG/ENaC) family members are mechanotransducers in C. elegans and potentially in D. melanogaster; however, a direct role of its mammalian homologues in sensing mechanical force has not been shown. Recently, Piezo1 (also known as Fam38a) and Piezo2 (also known as Fam38b) were identified as components of mechanically activated channels in mammals. The Piezo family are evolutionarily conserved transmembrane proteins. It is unknown whether they function in mechanical sensing in vivo and, if they do, which mechanosensory modalities they mediate. Here we study the physiological role of the single Piezo member in D. melanogaster (Dmpiezo; also known as CG8486). Dmpiezo expression in human cells induces mechanically activated currents, similar to its mammalian counterparts. Behavioural responses to noxious mechanical stimuli were severely reduced in Dmpiezo knockout larvae, whereas responses to another noxious stimulus or touch were not affected. Knocking down Dmpiezo in sensory neurons that mediate nociception and express the DEG/ENaC ion channel pickpocket (ppk) was sufficient to impair responses to noxious mechanical stimuli. Furthermore, expression of Dmpiezo in these same neurons rescued the phenotype of the constitutive Dmpiezo knockout larvae. Accordingly, electrophysiological recordings from ppk-positive neurons revealed a Dmpiezo-dependent, mechanically activated current. Finally, we found that Dmpiezo

Mastication noise reduction method for fully implantable hearing aid using piezo-electric sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Na, Sung Dae; Lee, Gihyoun; Wei, Qun; Seong, Ki Woong; Cho, Jin Ho; Kim, Myoung Nam

2017-07-20

Fully implantable hearing devices (FIHDs) can be affected by generated biomechanical noise such as mastication noise. To reduce the mastication noise using a piezo-electric sensor, the mastication noise is measured with the piezo-electric sensor, and noise reduction is practiced by the energy difference. For the experiment on mastication noise, a skull model was designed using artificial skull model and a piezo-electric sensor that can measure the vibration signals better than other sensors. A 1 kHz pure-tone sound through a standard speaker was applied to the model while the lower jawbone of the model was moved in a masticatory fashion. The correlation coefficients and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) before and after application of the proposed method were compared. It was found that the signal-to-noise ratio and correlation coefficients increased by 4.48 dB and 0.45, respectively. The mastication noise is measured by piezo-electric sensor as the mastication noise that occurred during vibration. In addition, the noise was reduced by using the proposed method in conjunction with MATLAB. In order to confirm the performance of the proposed method, the correlation coefficients and signal-to-noise ratio before and after signal processing were calculated. In the future, an implantable microphone for real-time processing will be developed.

A Microfluidic Approach for Studying Piezo Channels.

Science.gov (United States)

Maneshi, M M; Gottlieb, P A; Hua, S Z

2017-01-01

Microfluidics is an interdisciplinary field intersecting many areas in engineering. Utilizing a combination of physics, chemistry, biology, and biotechnology, along with practical applications for designing devices that use low volumes of fluids to achieve high-throughput screening, is a major goal in microfluidics. Microfluidic approaches allow the study of cells growth and differentiation using a variety of conditions including control of fluid flow that generates shear stress. Recently, Piezo1 channels were shown to respond to fluid shear stress and are crucial for vascular development. This channel is ideal for studying fluid shear stress applied to cells using microfluidic devices. We have developed an approach that allows us to analyze the role of Piezo channels on any given cell and serves as a high-throughput screen for drug discovery. We show that this approach can provide detailed information about the inhibitors of Piezo channels. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

FO hydrophone with hydrostatic pressure compensation: comparative experiment with a conventional piezo hydrophone

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cheng, L.K.; Bruijn, D. de

1998-01-01

This paper presents the performance of a TPD FO hydrophone with hydrostatic pressure compensation. In particularly a comparison with a conventional piezo hydrophone system is discussed. ©2003 Copyright SPIE

Piezo proteins: regulators of mechanosensation and other cellular processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Bagriantsev, Sviatoslav N; Gracheva, Elena O; Gallagher, Patrick G

2014-11-14

Piezo proteins have recently been identified as ion channels mediating mechanosensory transduction in mammalian cells. Characterization of these channels has yielded important insights into mechanisms of somatosensation, as well as other mechano-associated biologic processes such as sensing of shear stress, particularly in the vasculature, and regulation of urine flow and bladder distention. Other roles for Piezo proteins have emerged, some unexpected, including participation in cellular development, volume regulation, cellular migration, proliferation, and elongation. Mutations in human Piezo proteins have been associated with a variety of disorders including hereditary xerocytosis and several syndromes with muscular contracture as a prominent feature. © 2014 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Theoretical study of piezo-phototronic nano-LEDs.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Ying; Niu, Simiao; Yang, Qing; Klein, Benjamin D B; Zhou, Yu Sheng; Wang, Zhong Lin

2014-11-12

Two-dimensional finite-element simulation of the piezo-phototronic effect in p-n-junction-based devices is carried out for the first time. A charge channel can be induced at the p-n junction interface when strain is applied, given the n-side is a piezoelectric semiconductor and the p-type side is non-piezoelectric semiconductor. This provides the first simulated evidence supporting the previously suggested mechanism responsible for the experimentally observed gigantic change of light-emission efficiency in piezo-phototronic light-emitting devices. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Characterization of a piezo bendable X-ray mirror.

Science.gov (United States)

Vannoni, Maurizio; Freijo Martín, Idoia; Siewert, Frank; Signorato, Riccardo; Yang, Fan; Sinn, Harald

2016-01-01

A full-scale piezo bendable mirror built as a prototype for an offset mirror at the European XFEL is characterized. The piezo ceramic elements are glued onto the mirror substrate, side-face on with respect to the reflecting surface. Using a nanometre optical component measuring machine and a large-aperture Fizeau interferometer, the mirror profile and influence functions were characterized, and further analysis was made to investigate the junction effect, hysteresis, twisting and reproducibility.

A Comparison of Electrolytic Capacitors and Supercapacitors for Piezo-Based Energy Harvesting

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-01

A Comparison of Electrolytic Capacitors and Supercapacitors for Piezo-Based Energy Harvesting by Matthew H. Ervin, Carlos M. Pereira, John R...Capacitors and Supercapacitors for Piezo-Based Energy Harvesting Matthew H. Ervin Sensors and Electronic Devices Directorate, ARL Carlos M. Pereira... Supercapacitors for Piezo-Based Energy Harvesting 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) Matthew H

Mechanical sensitivity of Piezo1 ion channels can be tuned by cellular membrane tension

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Amanda H; Grandl, Jörg

2015-01-01

Piezo1 ion channels mediate the conversion of mechanical forces into electrical signals and are critical for responsiveness to touch in metazoans. The apparent mechanical sensitivity of Piezo1 varies substantially across cellular environments, stimulating methods and protocols, raising the fundamental questions of what precise physical stimulus activates the channel and how its stimulus sensitivity is regulated. Here, we measured Piezo1 currents evoked by membrane stretch in three patch configurations, while simultaneously visualizing and measuring membrane geometry. Building on this approach, we developed protocols to minimize resting membrane curvature and tension prior to probing Piezo1 activity. We find that Piezo1 responds to lateral membrane tension with exquisite sensitivity as compared to other mechanically activated channels and that resting tension can drive channel inactivation, thereby tuning overall mechanical sensitivity of Piezo1. Our results explain how Piezo1 can function efficiently and with adaptable sensitivity as a sensor of mechanical stimulation in diverse cellular contexts. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.12088.001 PMID:26646186

Lateral bending of tapered piezo-semiconductive nanostructures for ultra-sensitive mechanical force to voltage conversion.

Science.gov (United States)

Araneo, Rodolfo; Falconi, Christian

2013-07-05

Quasi-1D piezoelectric nanostructures may offer unprecedented sensitivity for transducing minuscule input mechanical forces into high output voltages due to both scaling laws and increased piezoelectric coefficients. However, until now both theoretical and experimental studies have suggested that, for a given mechanical force, lateral bending of piezoelectric nanowires results in lower output electric potentials than vertical compression. Here we demonstrate that this result only applies to nanostructures with a constant cross-section. Moreover, though it is commonly believed that the output electric potential of a strained piezo-semiconductive device can only be reduced by the presence of free charges, we show that the output piezopotential of laterally bent tapered nanostructures, with typical doping levels and very small input forces, can be even increased up to two times by free charges.Our analyses confirm that, though not optimal for piezoelectric energy harvesting, lateral bending of tapered nanostructures with typical doping levels can be ideal for transducing tiny input mechanical forces into high and accessible piezopotentials. Our results provide guidelines for designing high-performance piezo-nano-devices for energy harvesting, mechanical sensing, piezotronics, piezo-phototronics, and piezo-controlled chemical reactions, among others.

Lateral bending of tapered piezo-semiconductive nanostructures for ultra-sensitive mechanical force to voltage conversion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Araneo, Rodolfo; Falconi, Christian

2013-01-01

Quasi-1D piezoelectric nanostructures may offer unprecedented sensitivity for transducing minuscule input mechanical forces into high output voltages due to both scaling laws and increased piezoelectric coefficients. However, until now both theoretical and experimental studies have suggested that, for a given mechanical force, lateral bending of piezoelectric nanowires results in lower output electric potentials than vertical compression. Here we demonstrate that this result only applies to nanostructures with a constant cross-section. Moreover, though it is commonly believed that the output electric potential of a strained piezo-semiconductive device can only be reduced by the presence of free charges, we show that the output piezopotential of laterally bent tapered nanostructures, with typical doping levels and very small input forces, can be even increased up to two times by free charges. Our analyses confirm that, though not optimal for piezoelectric energy harvesting, lateral bending of tapered nanostructures with typical doping levels can be ideal for transducing tiny input mechanical forces into high and accessible piezopotentials. Our results provide guidelines for designing high-performance piezo-nano-devices for energy harvesting, mechanical sensing, piezotronics, piezo-phototronics, and piezo-controlled chemical reactions, among others. (paper)

Piezo-earpiece for micro-power generation from ear canal dynamic motion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delnavaz, Aidin; Voix, Jérémie

2013-01-01

This paper focuses on improving the past performance of ear canal energy harvesting by developing a piezo-earpiece prototype and a multiphysics finite element method to integrate more complex and effective piezoelectric structures. The proposed handmade piezo-earpiece prototype is a custom-moulded soft earpiece wrapped in a layer of flexible polyvinylidene fluoride. A finite element model is developed in order to estimate the energy harvesting capability of the piezoelectric layer. A prototype of the energy harvester is fabricated and tested. The experimental results show that the proposed device is able to generate 44 μJ of energy corresponding to an average value of 70 μW per jaw opening and closing cycle. Simulation of energy harvesting based on the finite element method is validated by the experimental results, thus confirming it as a versatile tool to model, optimize and evaluate the performance of other types of flexible piezoelectric structures for in-ear energy harvesting applications. (paper)

Piezo-Phototronic Effect Enhanced Flexible Solar Cells Based on n-ZnO/p-SnS Core-Shell Nanowire Array.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Laipan; Wang, Longfei; Xue, Fei; Chen, Libo; Fu, Jianqiang; Feng, Xiaolong; Li, Tianfeng; Wang, Zhong Lin

2017-01-01

The piezo-phototronic effect is about the enhanced separation, transport, and recombination of the photogenerated carriers using the piezoelectric polarization charges present in piezoelectric-semiconductor materials. Here, it is presented that the piezo-phototronic effect can be effectively applied to improve the relative conversion efficiency of a flexible solar cell based on n-ZnO/p-SnS core-shell nanowire array for 37.3% under a moderate vertical pressure. The performance of the solar cell can be effectively enhanced by a gentle bending of the device, showing its potential for application in curly geometries. This study not only adds further understanding about the concept of increasing solar energy conversion efficiency via piezo-phototronic effect, but also demonstrates the great potential of piezo-phototronic effect in the application of large-scale, flexible, and lightweight nanowire array solar cells.

Merkel cells and Meissner's corpuscles in human digital skin display Piezo2 immunoreactivity.

Science.gov (United States)

García-Mesa, Y; García-Piqueras, J; García, B; Feito, J; Cabo, R; Cobo, J; Vega, J A; García-Suárez, O

2017-12-01

The transformation of mechanical energy into electrical signals is the first step in mechanotransduction in the peripheral sensory nervous system and relies on the presence of mechanically gated ion channels within specialized sensory organs called mechanoreceptors. Piezo2 is a vertebrate stretch-gated ion channel necessary for mechanosensitive channels in mammalian cells. Functionally, it is related to light touch, which has been detected in murine cutaneous Merkel cell-neurite complexes, Meissner-like corpuscles and lanceolate nerve endings. To the best of our knowledge, the occurrence of Piezo2 in human cutaneous mechanoreceptors has never been investigated. Here, we used simple and double immunohistochemistry to investigate the occurrence of Piezo2 in human digital glabrous skin. Piezo2 immunoreactivity was detected in approximately 80% of morphologically and immunohistochemically characterized (cytokeratin 20 + , chromogranin A + and synaptophisin + ) Merkel cells. Most of them were in close contact with Piezo2 - nerve fibre profiles. Moreover, the axon, but not the lamellar cells, of Meissner's corpuscles was also Piezo2 + , but other mechanoreceptors, i.e. Pacinian or Ruffini's corpuscles, were devoid of immunoreactivity. Piezo2 was also observed in non-nervous tissue, especially the basal keratinocytes, endothelial cells and sweat glands. The present results demonstrate the occurrence of Piezo2 in cutaneous sensory nerve formations that functionally work as slowly adapting (Merkel cells) and rapidly adapting (Meissner's corpuscles) low-threshold mechanoreceptors and are related to fine and discriminative touch but not to vibration or hard touch. These data offer additional insight into the molecular basis of mechanosensing in humans. © 2017 Anatomical Society.

Piezo Proteins: Regulators of Mechanosensation and Other Cellular Processes*

OpenAIRE

Bagriantsev, Sviatoslav N.; Gracheva, Elena O.; Gallagher, Patrick G.

2014-01-01

Piezo proteins have recently been identified as ion channels mediating mechanosensory transduction in mammalian cells. Characterization of these channels has yielded important insights into mechanisms of somatosensation, as well as other mechano-associated biologic processes such as sensing of shear stress, particularly in the vasculature, and regulation of urine flow and bladder distention. Other roles for Piezo proteins have emerged, some unexpected, including participation in cellular deve...

A piezo-bar pressure probe

Science.gov (United States)

Friend, W. H.; Murphy, C. L.; Shanfield, I.

1967-01-01

Piezo-bar pressure type probe measures the impact velocity or pressure of a moving debris cloud. It measures pressures up to 200,000 psi and peak pressures may be recorded with a total pulse duration between 5 and 65 musec.

Micro Coriolis mass flow sensor driven by external piezo ceramic

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zeng, Yaxiang; Groenesteijn, Jarno; Alveringh, Dennis; Wiegerink, Remco J.; Lötters, Joost Conrad

2017-01-01

We have realized a micro Coriolis mass flow meter driven with an external piezo ceramic. The piezoelec tric ceramic is glued on top of sensor chip with a inertial weight on top of the piezo ceramic. Its ability to measure mass flow is characterized by a laser Doppler vibrometer. Our measurement with

Thermoelectrically induced nonlinear free vibration analysis of piezo laminated composite conical shell panel with random fiber orientation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lal Achchhe

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the free vibration response of piezo laminated composite geometrically nonlinear conical shell panel subjected to a thermo-electrical loading. The temperature field is assumed to be a uniform distribution over the shell surface and through the shell thickness and the electric field is assumed to be the transverse component E2 only. The material properties are assumed to be independent of the temperature and the electric field. The basic formulation is based on higher order shear deformation plate theory (HSDT with von-Karman nonlinearity. A C0 nonlinear finite element method based on direct iterative approach is outlined and applied to solve nonlinear generalized eigenvalue problem. Parametric studies are carried out to examine the effect of amplitude ratios, stacking sequences, cone angles, piezoelectric layers, applied voltages, circumferential length to thickness ratios, change in temperatures and support boundary conditions on the nonlinear natural frequency of laminated conical shell panels. The present outlined approach has been validated with those available results in the literature.

A study on nozzle flow and spray characteristics of piezo injector for next generation high response injection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jin Wook; Min, Kyoung Doug

2006-01-01

Most diesel injector, which is currently used in high-pressure common rail fuel injection system of diesel engine, is driven by the solenoid coil energy for its needle movement. The main disadvantage of this solenoid-driven injector is a high power consumption, high power loss through solenoid coil and relatively fixed needle response's problem. In this study, a prototype piezo-driven injector, as a new injector mechanism driven by piezoelectric energy based on the concept of inverse piezo-electric effect, has been designed and fabricated to know the effect of piezo-driven injection processes on the diesel spray structure and internal nozzle flow. Firstly we investigated the spray characteristics in a constant volume chamber pressurized by nitrogen gas using the back diffusion light illumination method for high-speed temporal photography and also analyzed the inside nozzle flow by a fully transient simulation with cavitation model using VOF(Volume Of Fraction) method. The numerical calculation has been performed to simulate the cavitating flow of 3-dimensional real size single hole nozzle along the injection duration. Results were compared between a conventional solenoid-driven injector and piezo-driven injector, both equipped with the same micro-sac multi-hole injection nozzle. The experimental results show that the piezo-driven injector has short injection delay and a faster spray development and produces higher injection velocity than the solenoid-driven injector. And the predicted simulation results with the degree of cavitation's generation inside nozzle for faster needle response in a piezo-driven injector were reflected to spray development in agreement with the experimental spray images

GEC Ferranti piezo vibratory gyroscope

Science.gov (United States)

Nuttall, J. D.

1993-01-01

Prototypes of a piezo-electric vibratory angular rate transducer (gyroscope) (PVG) have been constructed and evaluated. The construction is on the lines suggested by Burdess. The sensitive element is a cylinder of radially poled piezo-electric ceramic. The cylinder is metallized inside and out, and the outer metallization is divided into eight electrodes. The metallization on the inside is earthed. A phase locked loop, using pairs of the electrodes, causes the cylinder to vibrate in one of its two fundamental, degenerate modes. In the presence of rotation, some of the vibration is coupled into the outer mode. This can be detected, or suppressed with a closed-up technique and provides a measure of rotation rate. The gyroscope provides a number of advantages over rotating mass and optical instruments: low size and mass, lower power consumption, potentially high reliability, potentially good dormancy, low cost and high maximum rate.

The Kinetics and the Permeation Properties of Piezo Channels.

Science.gov (United States)

Gnanasambandam, R; Gottlieb, P A; Sachs, F

2017-01-01

Piezo channels are eukaryotic, cation-selective mechanosensitive channels (MSCs), which show rapid activation and voltage-dependent inactivation. The kinetics of these channels are largely consistent across multiple cell types and different stimulation paradigms with some minor variability. No accessory subunits that associate with Piezo channels have been reported. They are homotrimers and each ∼300kD monomer has an N-terminal propeller blade-like mechanosensing module, which can confer mechanosensing capabilities on ASIC-1 (the trimeric non-MSC, acid-sensing ion channel-1) and a C-terminal pore module, which influences conductance, selectivity, and channel inactivation. Repeated stimulation can cause domain fracture and diffusion of these channels leading to synchronous loss of inactivation. The reconstituted channels spontaneously open only in asymmetric bilayers but lack inactivation. Mutations that cause hereditary xerocytosis alter PIEZO1 kinetics. The kinetics of the wild-type PIEZO1 and alterations thereof in mutants (M2225R, R2456K, and DhPIEZO1) are summarized in the form of a quantitative model and hosted online. The pore is permeable to alkali ions although Li + permeates poorly. Divalent cations, notably Ca 2+ , traverse the channel and inhibit the flux of monovalents. The large monovalent organic cations such as tetramethyl ammonium and tetraethyl ammonium can traverse the channel, but slowly, suggesting a pore diameter of ∼8Å, and the estimated in-plane area change upon opening is around 6-20nm 2 . Ruthenium red can enter the channel only from the extracellular side and seems to bind in a pocket close to residue 2496. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A study on nozzle flow and spray characteristics of piezo injector for next generation high response injection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jin Wook [Korea Institue of Machinery and Materials, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Min, Kyoung Doug [Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2006-06-15

Most diesel injector, which is currently used in high-pressure common rail fuel injection system of diesel engine, is driven by the solenoid coil energy for its needle movement. The main disadvantage of this solenoid-driven injector is a high power consumption, high power loss through solenoid coil and relatively fixed needle response's problem. In this study, a prototype piezo-driven injector, as a new injector mechanism driven by piezoelectric energy based on the concept of inverse piezo-electric effect, has been designed and fabricated to know the effect of piezo-driven injection processes on the diesel spray structure and internal nozzle flow. Firstly we investigated the spray characteristics in a constant volume chamber pressurized by nitrogen gas using the back diffusion light illumination method for high-speed temporal photography and also analyzed the inside nozzle flow by a fully transient simulation with cavitation model using VOF(Volume Of Fraction) method. The numerical calculation has been performed to simulate the cavitating flow of 3-dimensional real size single hole nozzle along the injection duration. Results were compared between a conventional solenoid-driven injector and piezo-driven injector, both equipped with the same micro-sac multi-hole injection nozzle. The experimental results show that the piezo-driven injector has short injection delay and a faster spray development and produces higher injection velocity than the solenoid-driven injector. And the predicted simulation results with the degree of cavitation's generation inside nozzle for faster needle response in a piezo-driven injector were reflected to spray development in agreement with the experimental spray images.

Tuning Piezo ion channels to detect molecular-scale movements relevant for fine touch

Science.gov (United States)

Poole, Kate; Herget, Regina; Lapatsina, Liudmila; Ngo, Ha-Duong; Lewin, Gary R.

2014-01-01

In sensory neurons, mechanotransduction is sensitive, fast and requires mechanosensitive ion channels. Here we develop a new method to directly monitor mechanotransduction at defined regions of the cell-substrate interface. We show that molecular-scale (~13 nm) displacements are sufficient to gate mechanosensitive currents in mouse touch receptors. Using neurons from knockout mice, we show that displacement thresholds increase by one order of magnitude in the absence of stomatin-like protein 3 (STOML3). Piezo1 is the founding member of a class of mammalian stretch-activated ion channels, and we show that STOML3, but not other stomatin-domain proteins, brings the activation threshold for Piezo1 and Piezo2 currents down to ~10 nm. Structure–function experiments localize the Piezo modulatory activity of STOML3 to the stomatin domain, and higher-order scaffolds are a prerequisite for function. STOML3 is the first potent modulator of Piezo channels that tunes the sensitivity of mechanically gated channels to detect molecular-scale stimuli relevant for fine touch. PMID:24662763

The annealing effects on irradiated SiC piezo resistive pressure sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Almaz, E.; Blue, T. E.; Zhang, P.

2009-01-01

The effects of temperature on annealing of Silicon Carbide (SiC) piezo resistive pressure sensor which was broken after high fluence neutron irradiation, were investigated. Previously, SiC piezo resistive sensor irradiated with gamma ray and fast neutron in the Co-60 gamma-ray irradiator and Beam Port 1 (BP1) and Auxiliary Irradiation Facility (AIF) at the Ohio State University Nuclear Reactor Laboratory (OSUNRL) respectively. The Annealing temperatures were tested up to 400 C. The Pressure-Output voltage results showed recovery after annealing process on SiC piezo resistive pressure sensor. The bridge resistances of the SiC pressure sensor stayed at the same level up to 300 C. After 400 C annealing, the resistance values changed dramatically.

Measurement of absolute displacement-amplitude of ultrasonic wave using piezo-electric detection method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Seong Hyun; Kim, Jong Beom; Jhang, Kyung Young [Hanyang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2017-02-15

A nonlinear ultrasonic parameter is defined by the ratio of displacement amplitude of the fundamental frequency component to that of the second-order harmonic frequency component. In this study, the ultrasonic displacement amplitude of an SUS316 specimen was measured via a piezo-electric-based method to identify the validity of piezo-electric detection method. For comparison, the ultrasonic displacement was also determined via a laser-based Fabry-Pérot interferometer. The experimental results for both measurements were in good agreement. Additionally, the stability of the repeated test results from the piezo-electric method exceeded that of the laser-interferometric method. This result indicated that the piezo-electric detection method can be utilized to measure a nonlinear ultrasonic parameter due to its excellent stability although it involves a complicated process.

Measurement of absolute displacement-amplitude of ultrasonic wave using piezo-electric detection method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Seong Hyun; Kim, Jong Beom; Jhang, Kyung Young

2017-01-01

A nonlinear ultrasonic parameter is defined by the ratio of displacement amplitude of the fundamental frequency component to that of the second-order harmonic frequency component. In this study, the ultrasonic displacement amplitude of an SUS316 specimen was measured via a piezo-electric-based method to identify the validity of piezo-electric detection method. For comparison, the ultrasonic displacement was also determined via a laser-based Fabry-Pérot interferometer. The experimental results for both measurements were in good agreement. Additionally, the stability of the repeated test results from the piezo-electric method exceeded that of the laser-interferometric method. This result indicated that the piezo-electric detection method can be utilized to measure a nonlinear ultrasonic parameter due to its excellent stability although it involves a complicated process

Ionic Selectivity and Permeation Properties of Human PIEZO1 Channels.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Radhakrishnan Gnanasambandam

Full Text Available Members of the eukaryotic PIEZO family (the human orthologs are noted hPIEZO1 and hPIEZO2 form cation-selective mechanically-gated channels. We characterized the selectivity of human PIEZO1 (hPIEZO1 for alkali ions: K+, Na+, Cs+ and Li+; organic cations: TMA and TEA, and divalents: Ba2+, Ca2+, Mg2+ and Mn2+. All monovalent ions permeated the channel. At a membrane potential of -100 mV, Cs+, Na+ and K+ had chord conductances in the range of 35-55 pS with the exception of Li+, which had a significantly lower conductance of ~ 23 pS. The divalents decreased the single-channel permeability of K+, presumably because the divalents permeated slowly and occupied the open channel for a significant fraction of the time. In cell-attached mode, 90 mM extracellular divalents had a conductance for inward currents carried by the divalents of: 25 pS for Ba2+ and 15 pS for Ca2+ at -80 mV and 10 pS for Mg2+ at -50 mV. The organic cations, TMA and TEA, permeated slowly and attenuated K+ currents much like the divalents. As expected, the channel K+ conductance increased with K+ concentration saturating at ~ 45 pS and the KD of K+ for the channel was 32 mM. Pure divalent ion currents were of lower amplitude than those with alkali ions and the channel opening rate was lower in the presence of divalents than in the presence of monovalents. Exposing cells to the actin disrupting reagent cytochalasin D increased the frequency of openings in cell-attached patches probably by reducing mechanoprotection.

Harvesting vibrational energy due to intermodal systems via nano coated piezo electric devices.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-12-01

Vibrational energy resulting from intermodal transport systems can be recovered through the use of energy harvesting system consisting of PZT piezo electric material as the primary energy harvesting component. The ability of traditional PZT piezo ele...

A Flexure-Guided Piezo Drill for Penetrating the Zona Pellucida of Mammalian Oocytes.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Wesley; Dai, Changsheng; Liu, Jun; Wang, Xian; Luu, Devin K; Zhang, Zhuoran; Ru, Changhai; Zhou, Chao; Tan, Min; Pu, Huayan; Xie, Shaorong; Peng, Yan; Luo, Jun; Sun, Yu

2018-03-01

Mammalian oocytes such as mouse oocytes have a highly elastic outer membrane, zona pellucida (ZP) that cannot be penetrated without significantly deforming the oocyte, even with a sharp micropipette. Piezo drill devices leverage lateral and axial vibration of the micropipette to accomplish ZP penetration with greatly reduced oocyte deformation. However, existing piezo drills all rely on a large lateral micropipette vibration amplitude ( 20 ) and a small axial vibration amplitude (0.1 ). The very large lateral vibration amplitude has been deemed to be necessary for ZP penetration although it also induces larger oocyte deformation and more oocyte damage. This paper reports on a new piezo drill device that uses a flexure guidance mechanism and a systematically designed pulse train with an appropriate base frequency. Both simulation and experimental results demonstrate that a small lateral vibration amplitude (e.g., 2 ) and an axial vibration amplitude as large as 1.2 were achieved. Besides achieving 100% effectiveness in the penetration of mouse oocytes (n = 45), the new piezo device during ZP penetration induced a small oocyte deformation of 3.4 versus larger than 10 using existing piezo drill devices.

Fundamental piezo-Hall coefficients of single crystal p-type 3C-SiC for arbitrary crystallographic orientation

Science.gov (United States)

Qamar, Afzaal; Dao, Dzung Viet; Phan, Hoang-Phuong; Dinh, Toan; Dimitrijev, Sima

2016-08-01

Piezo-Hall effect in a single crystal p-type 3C-SiC, grown by LPCVD process, has been characterized for various crystallographic orientations. The quantified values of the piezo-Hall effect in heavily doped p-type 3C-SiC(100) and 3C-SiC(111) for different crystallographic orientations were used to obtain the fundamental piezo-Hall coefficients, P 12 = ( 5.3 ± 0.4 ) × 10 - 11 Pa - 1 , P 11 = ( - 2.6 ± 0.6 ) × 10 - 11 Pa - 1 , and P 44 = ( 11.42 ± 0.6 ) × 10 - 11 Pa - 1 . Unlike the piezoresistive effect, the piezo-Hall effect for (100) and (111) planes is found to be independent of the angle of rotation of the device within the crystal plane. The values of fundamental piezo-Hall coefficients obtained in this study can be used to predict the piezo-Hall coefficients in any crystal orientation which is very important for designing of 3C-SiC Hall sensors to minimize the piezo-Hall effect for stable magnetic field sensitivity.

Largely Improved Near-Infrared Silicon-Photosensing by the Piezo-Phototronic Effect.

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Yejing; Wang, Xingfu; Peng, Wenbo; Zou, Haiyang; Yu, Ruomeng; Ding, Yong; Wu, Changsheng; Wang, Zhong Lin

2017-07-25

Although silicon (Si) devices are the backbone of modern (opto-)electronics, infrared Si-photosensing suffers from low-efficiency due to its limitation in light-absorption. Here, we demonstrate a large improvement in the performance, equivalent to a 366-fold enhancement in photoresponsivity, of a Si-based near-infrared (NIR) photodetector (PD) by introducing the piezo-phototronic effect via a deposited CdS layer. By externally applying a -0.15‰ compressive strain to the heterojunction, carrier-dynamics modulation at the local junction can be induced by the piezoelectric polarization, and the photoresponsivity and detectivity of the PD exhibit an enhancement of two orders of magnitude, with the peak values up to 19.4 A/W and 1.8 × 10 12 cm Hz 1/2 /W, respectively. The obtained maximum responsivity is considerably larger than those of commercial Si and InGaAs PDs in the NIR waveband. Meanwhile, the rise time and fall time are reduced by 84.6% and 76.1% under the external compressive strain. This work provides a cost-effective approach to achieve high-performance NIR photosensing by the piezo-phototronic effect for high-integration Si-based optoelectronic systems.

Sensitivity enhancement of polysilicon piezo-resistive pressure sensors with phosphorous diffused resistors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sivakumar, K; Dasgupta, N; Bhat, K N; Natarajan, K

2006-01-01

It is generally accepted that the piezo-resistive coefficient in single crystal silicon is higher when P-type impurities such as boron are used for doping the resistors. In this paper we demonstrate that the sensitivity of polycrystalline silicon piezo-resistive pressure sensors can be enhanced considerably when phosphorus diffusion source is used instead of boron dopant for realizing the piezo-resistors. Pressure sensors have been designed and fabricated with the polycrystalline piezo-resistors connected in the form of a Wheatstone bridge and laid out on thermal oxide grown on membranes obtained with a Silicon On Insulator (SOI) approach. The SOI wafers required for this purpose have been realized in-house by Silicon Fusion Bonding (SFB) and etch back technique in our laboratory. This approach provides excellent isolation between the resistors and enables zero temperature coefficient of the polysilicon resistor. The results obtained in our laboratory have clearly demonstrated that by optimizing the phosphorus diffusion temperature and duration, it is possible to achieve sensitivities in excess of 20mV /Bar for bridge input voltage of 10V, with linearity within 1% over a differential pressure range up to 10Bar (10 6 Pascal), and burst pressure in excess of 50 Bar as compared to the 10mV /Bar sensitivity obtained with boron doped polysilicon piezo-resistors. This enhancement is attributed to grain boundary passivation by phosphorous atoms

A piezo-film-based measurement system for global haemodynamic assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clemente, Fabrizio; Cimmino, Pasquale; Arpaia, Pasquale

2010-01-01

A non-invasive piezo-film-based measurement method for haemodynamic assessment is proposed. The design of a system, able to reconstruct the blood pressure waveform online by dealing with problems arising from the piezo-film capacitive nature in the targeted frequency range (from quasi-dc up to 12 Hz), is illustrated. The system is based on a commercial piezo-film placed easily on the radial artery with a special brace without any discomfort for the patient. The analogical conditioning circuit and digital signal processing are continuously tuned with the signal from the sensor to reconstruct the blood pressure signal online. Diagnostic schema, based on physio-pathological models, have been implemented in order to compute online trends of max[dP(t)/d(t)] and volemic status highly useful for the intensivist and anaesthesiologist. The system was characterized by numerical simulation and experimental in vivo comparison to the traditional reference system

Activation of TRPV1 channels inhibits mechanosensitive Piezo channel activity by depleting membrane phosphoinositides

Science.gov (United States)

Borbiro, Istvan; Badheka, Doreen; Rohacs, Tibor

2015-01-01

Capsaicin is an activator of the heat-sensitive TRPV1 (transient receptor potential vanilloid 1) ion channels and has been used as a local analgesic. We found that activation of TRPV1 channels with capsaicin either in dorsal root ganglion neurons or in a heterologous expression system inhibited the mechanosensitive Piezo1 and Piezo2 channels by depleting phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P2] and its precursor PI(4)P from the plasma membrane through Ca2+-induced phospholipase Cδ (PLCδ) activation. Experiments with chemically inducible phosphoinositide phosphatases and receptor-induced activation of PLCβ indicated that inhibition of Piezo channels required depletion of both PI(4)P and PI(4,5)P2. The mechanically activated current amplitudes decreased substantially in the excised inside-out configuration, where the membrane patch containing Piezo1 channels is removed from the cell. PI(4,5)P2 and PI(4)P applied to these excised patches inhibited this decrease. Thus, we concluded that Piezo channel activity requires the presence of phosphoinositides, and the combined depletion of PI(4,5)P2 or PI(4)P reduces channel activity. In addition to revealing a role for distinct membrane lipids in mechanosensitive ion channel regulation, these data suggest that inhibition of Piezo2 channels may contribute to the analgesic effect of capsaicin. PMID:25670203

Study of a Piezo-Thermo-Elastic Materials Console

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

hamza madjid berrabah

2015-09-01

Full Text Available In the first part of this work, analytical expressions were determined for the stresses through the thickness of a composite beam submitted to electrical excitation. In the second part of this study we are interested in the theory of elasticity, which is used to obtain exact solutions of piezo-thermo-elastic consoles gradually coupled evaluated under different loads. These solutions are used to identify the piezoelectric parameter and thermal coefficients of the materials. In addition, numerical results are obtained for the analysis of the loaded console by two different types of loading. In this study we show also that changing the linear thermal parameters of the material does not affect the distribution of the stress and the induction of the beam. However it affetcs the components of the deformation, electric field, the displacement and the electric potential of the console.

Progress in Piezo-Phototronic-Effect-Enhanced Light-Emitting Diodes and Pressure Imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Caofeng; Chen, Mengxiao; Yu, Ruomeng; Yang, Qing; Hu, Youfan; Zhang, Yan; Wang, Zhong Lin

2016-02-24

Wurtzite materials exhibit both semiconductor and piezoelectric properties under strains due to the non-central symmetric crystal structures. The three-way coupling of semiconductor properties, piezoelectric polarization and optical excitation in ZnO, GaN, CdS and other piezoelectric semiconductors leads to the emerging field of piezo-phototronics. This effect can efficiently manipulate the emission intensity of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) by utilizing the piezo-polarization charges created at the junction upon straining to modulate the energy band diagrams and the optoelectronic processes, such as generation, separation, recombination and/or transport of charge carriers. Starting from fundamental physics principles, recent progress in piezo-phototronic-effect-enhanced LEDs is reviewed; following their development from single-nanowire pressure-sensitive devices to high-resolution array matrices for pressure-distribution mapping applications. The piezo-phototronic effect provides a promising method to enhance the light emission of LEDs based on piezoelectric semiconductors through applying static strains, and may find perspective applications in various optoelectronic devices and integrated systems. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Bubbles in piezo-acoustic inkjet printing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lohse, D.; Jeurissen, R.J.M.; de Jong, J.; Versluis, M.; Wijshoff, H.M.A.; van den Berg, M.; Reinten, H.

2008-01-01

Ink-jet printing is considered as the hitherto most successful application of microfluidics. A notorious problem in piezo-acoustic ink-jet systems is the formation of air bubbles during operation. They seriously disturb the acoustics and can cause the droplet formation to stop. We could show by a

Tunable band gaps in acoustic metamaterials with periodic arrays of resonant shunted piezos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Sheng-Bing; Wen Ji-Hong; Wang Gang; Wen Xi-Sen

2013-01-01

Periodic arrays of resonant shunted piezoelectric patches are employed to control the wave propagation in a two-dimensional (2D) acoustic metamaterial. The performance is characterized by the finite element method. More importantly, we propose an approach to solving the conventional issue of the nonlinear eigenvalue problem, and give a convenient solution to the dispersion properties of 2D metamaterials with periodic arrays of resonant shunts in this article. Based on this modeling method, the dispersion relations of a 2D metamaterial with periodic arrays of resonant shunted piezos are calculated. The results show that the internal resonances of the shunting system split the dispersion curves, thereby forming a locally resonant band gap. However, unlike the conventional locally resonant gap, the vibrations in this locally resonant gap are unable to be completely localized in oscillators consisting of shunting inductors and piezo-patches

Enhancing the Efficiency of Silicon-Based Solar Cells by the Piezo-Phototronic Effect.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Laipan; Wang, Longfei; Pan, Caofeng; Chen, Libo; Xue, Fei; Chen, Baodong; Yang, Leijing; Su, Li; Wang, Zhong Lin

2017-02-28

Although there are numerous approaches for fabricating solar cells, the silicon-based photovoltaics are still the most widely used in industry and around the world. A small increase in the efficiency of silicon-based solar cells has a huge economic impact and practical importance. We fabricate a silicon-based nanoheterostructure (p + -Si/p-Si/n + -Si (and n-Si)/n-ZnO nanowire (NW) array) photovoltaic device and demonstrate the enhanced device performance through significantly enhanced light absorption by NW array and effective charge carrier separation by the piezo-phototronic effect. The strain-induced piezoelectric polarization charges created at n-doped Si-ZnO interfaces can effectively modulate the corresponding band structure and electron gas trapped in the n + -Si/n-ZnO NW nanoheterostructure and thus enhance the transport process of local charge carriers. The efficiency of the solar cell was improved from 8.97% to 9.51% by simply applying a static compress strain. This study indicates that the piezo-phototronic effect can enhance the performance of a large-scale silicon-based solar cell, with great potential for industrial applications.

Note: A rigid piezo motor with large output force and an effective method to reduce sliding friction force.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Ying; Hou, Yubin; Lu, Qingyou

2014-05-01

We present a completely practical TunaDrive piezo motor. It consists of a central piezo stack sandwiched by two arm piezo stacks and two leg piezo stacks, respectively, which is then sandwiched and spring-clamped by a pair of parallel polished sapphire rods. It works by alternatively fast expanding and contracting the arm/leg stacks while slowly expanding/contracting the central stack simultaneously. The key point is that sufficiently fast expanding and contracting a limb stack can make its two sliding friction forces well cancel, resulting in the total sliding friction force is piezo motor's high compactness, precision, and output force make it perfect in building a high-quality harsh-condition (vibration resistant) atomic resolution scanning probe microscope.

Confinement Sensing and Signal Optimization via Piezo1/PKA and Myosin II Pathways

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei-Chien Hung

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Summary: Cells adopt distinct signaling pathways to optimize cell locomotion in different physical microenvironments. However, the underlying mechanism that enables cells to sense and respond to physical confinement is unknown. Using microfabricated devices and substrate-printing methods along with FRET-based biosensors, we report that, as cells transition from unconfined to confined spaces, intracellular Ca2+ level is increased, leading to phosphodiesterase 1 (PDE1-dependent suppression of PKA activity. This Ca2+ elevation requires Piezo1, a stretch-activated cation channel. Moreover, differential regulation of PKA and cell stiffness in unconfined versus confined cells is abrogated by dual, but not individual, inhibition of Piezo1 and myosin II, indicating that these proteins can independently mediate confinement sensing. Signals activated by Piezo1 and myosin II in response to confinement both feed into a signaling circuit that optimizes cell motility. This study provides a mechanism by which confinement-induced signaling enables cells to sense and adapt to different physical microenvironments. : Hung et al. demonstrate that a Piezo1-dependent intracellular calcium increase negatively regulates protein kinase A (PKA as cells transit from unconfined to confined spaces. The Piezo1/PKA and myosin II signaling modules constitute two confinement-sensing mechanisms. This study provides a paradigm by which signaling enables cells to sense and adapt to different microenvironments.

Wound healing of osteotomy defects prepared with piezo or conventional surgical instruments: a pilot study in rabbits.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Li; Mattheos, Nikos; Sun, Yan; Liu, Xi Ling; Yip Chui, Ying; Lang, Niklaus Peter

2015-08-01

The aim of the present study was to evaluate and compare the wound-healing process following osteotomies performed with either conventional rotary burs or piezoelectric surgery in a rabbit model. Two types of osteotomy window defects of the nasal cavities were prepared on the nasal bone of 16 adult New Zealand white rabbits with either a conventional rotary bur or piezo surgery. The defects were covered with a resorbable membrane. Four animals were killed at 1, 2, 3, and 5 weeks after the surgical procedure, respectively. Histological and morphometric evaluations were performed to assess the volumetric density of various tissue components: the blood clot, vascularized structures, provisional matrix, osteoid, mineralized bone, bone debris, residual tissue, and old bone. Significantly more bone debris was found at 1 week in the conventionally-prepared defects compared to the piezo surgically-prepared defects. At 2 and 3 weeks, a newly-formed hard tissue bridge, mainly composed of woven bone, was seen; however, no statistically-significant differences were observed. At 5 weeks, the defects were completely filled with newly-formed bone. The defects prepared by piezo surgery showed a significantly decreased proportion of bone debris at 1 week, compared to conventional rotary bur defect. © 2014 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

In Touch With the Mechanosensitive Piezo Channels: Structure, Ion Permeation, and Mechanotransduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Geng, J; Zhao, Q; Zhang, T; Xiao, B

2017-01-01

Mechanotransduction, the conversion of mechanical forces into biological signals, plays critical roles in various physiological and pathophysiological processes in mammals, such as conscious sensing of touch, pain, and sound, as well as unconscious sensing of blood flow-associated shear stress, urine flow, and bladder distention. Among the various molecules involved in mechanotransduction, mechanosensitive (MS) cation channels have long been postulated to represent one critical class of mechanotransducers that directly and rapidly converts mechanical force into electrochemical signals. Despite the awareness of their functional significance, the molecular identities of MS cation channels in mammals had remained elusive for decades till the groundbreaking finding that the Piezo family of genes, including Piezo1 and Piezo2, constitutes their essential components. Since their identification about 6years ago, tremendous progress has been made in understanding their physiological and pathophysiological importance in mechanotransduction and their structure-function relationships of being the prototypic class of mammalian MS cation channels. On the one hand, Piezo proteins have been demonstrated to serve as physiologically and pathophysiologically important mechanotransducers for most, if not all, mechanotransduction processes. On the other hand, they have been shown to form a remarkable three-bladed, propeller-shaped homotrimeric channel complex comprising a separable ion-conducting pore module and mechanotransduction modules. In this chapter, we review the major advancements, with a particular focus on the structural and biophysical features that enable Piezo proteins to serve as sophisticated MS cation channels for force sensing, transduction, and ion conduction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Origin of the Force: The Force-From-Lipids Principle Applied to Piezo Channels.

Science.gov (United States)

Cox, C D; Bavi, N; Martinac, B

2017-01-01

Piezo channels are a ubiquitously expressed, principal type of molecular force sensor in eukaryotes. They enable cells to decode a myriad of physical stimuli and are essential components of numerous mechanosensory processes. Central to their physiological role is the ability to change conformation in response to mechanical force. Here we discuss the evolutionary origin of Piezo in relation to other MS channels in addition to the force that gates Piezo channels. In particular, we discuss whether Piezo channels are inherently mechanosensitive in accordance with the force-from-lipid paradigm which has been firmly established for bacterial MS channels and two-pore domain K + (K 2P ) channels. We also discuss the evidence supporting a reliance on or direct interaction with structural scaffold proteins of the cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix according to the force-from-filament principle. In doing so, we explain the false dichotomy that these distinctions represent. We also discuss the possible unifying models that shed light on channel mechanosensitivity at the molecular level. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Piezo-Phototronic Enhanced UV Sensing Based on a Nanowire Photodetector Array.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Xun; Du, Weiming; Yu, Ruomeng; Pan, Caofeng; Wang, Zhong Lin

2015-12-22

A large array of Schottky UV photodetectors (PDs) based on vertical aligned ZnO nanowires is achieved. By introducing the piezo-phototronic effect, the performance of the PD array is enhanced up to seven times in photoreponsivity, six times in sensitivity, and 2.8 times in detection limit. The UV PD array may have applications in optoelectronic systems, adaptive optical computing, and communication. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Air entrapment in piezo-driven inkjet printheads

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Jong, J.; de Bruin, G.J.; de Bruin, Gerrit; Reinten, Hans; van den Berg, Marc; Wijshoff, Herman; Wijshoff, H.; Versluis, Michel; Lohse, Detlef

2006-01-01

The stability of inkjet printers is a major requirement for high-quality-printing. However, in piezo-driven inkjet printheads, air entrapment can lead to malfunctioning of the jet formation. The piezoactuator is employed to actively monitor the channel acoustics and to identify distortions at an

The structure of a conserved Piezo channel domain reveals a novel beta sandwich fold

Science.gov (United States)

Kamajaya, Aron; Kaiser, Jens; Lee, Jonas; Reid, Michelle; Rees, Douglas C.

2014-01-01

Summary Piezo has recently been identified as a family of eukaryotic mechanosensitive channels composed of subunits containing over 2000 amino acids, without recognizable sequence similarity to other channels. Here, we present the crystal structure of a large, conserved extramembrane domain located just before the last predicted transmembrane helix of C. elegans PIEZO, which adopts a novel beta sandwich fold. The structure was also determined of a point mutation located on a conserved surface at the position equivalent to the human PIEZO1 mutation found in Dehydrated Hereditary Stomatocytosis (DHS) patients (M2225R). While the point mutation does not change the overall domain structure, it does alter the surface electrostatic potential that may perturb interactions with a yet-to-be identified ligand or protein. The lack of structural similarity between this domain and any previously characterized fold, including those of eukaryotic and bacterial channels, highlights the distinctive nature of the Piezo family of eukaryotic mechanosensitive channels. PMID:25242456

PIEZO channel protein naturally expressed in human breast cancer cell MDA-MB-231 as probed by atomic force microscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Weng, Yuanqi; Yan, Fei; Chen, Runkang; Qian, Ming; Ou, Yun; Xie, Shuhong; Zheng, Hairong; Li, Jiangyu

2018-05-01

Mechanical stimuli drives many physiological processes through mechanically activated channels, and the recent discovery of PIEZO channel has generated great interests in its mechanotransduction. Many previous researches investigated PIEZO proteins by transcribing them in cells that originally have no response to mechanical stimulation, or by forming PIEZO-combined complexes in vitro, and few studied PIEZO protein's natural characteristics in cells. In this study we show that MDA-MB-231, a malignant cell in human breast cancer cell line, expresses the mechanosensitive behavior of PIEZO in nature without extra treatment, and we report its characteristics in response to localized mechanical stimulation under an atomic force microscope, wherein a correlation between the force magnitude applied and the channel opening probability is observed. The results on PIEZO of MDA-MB-231 can help establish a basis of preventing and controlling of human breast cancer cell via mechanical forces.

Note: A rigid piezo motor with large output force and an effective method to reduce sliding friction force

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, Ying; Lu, Qingyou, E-mail: qxl@ustc.edu.cn [High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences and University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Hou, Yubin [High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences and University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China)

2014-05-15

We present a completely practical TunaDrive piezo motor. It consists of a central piezo stack sandwiched by two arm piezo stacks and two leg piezo stacks, respectively, which is then sandwiched and spring-clamped by a pair of parallel polished sapphire rods. It works by alternatively fast expanding and contracting the arm/leg stacks while slowly expanding/contracting the central stack simultaneously. The key point is that sufficiently fast expanding and contracting a limb stack can make its two sliding friction forces well cancel, resulting in the total sliding friction force is <10% of the total static friction force, which can help increase output force greatly. The piezo motor's high compactness, precision, and output force make it perfect in building a high-quality harsh-condition (vibration resistant) atomic resolution scanning probe microscope.

Note: A rigid piezo motor with large output force and an effective method to reduce sliding friction force

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Ying; Lu, Qingyou; Hou, Yubin

2014-01-01

We present a completely practical TunaDrive piezo motor. It consists of a central piezo stack sandwiched by two arm piezo stacks and two leg piezo stacks, respectively, which is then sandwiched and spring-clamped by a pair of parallel polished sapphire rods. It works by alternatively fast expanding and contracting the arm/leg stacks while slowly expanding/contracting the central stack simultaneously. The key point is that sufficiently fast expanding and contracting a limb stack can make its two sliding friction forces well cancel, resulting in the total sliding friction force is <10% of the total static friction force, which can help increase output force greatly. The piezo motor's high compactness, precision, and output force make it perfect in building a high-quality harsh-condition (vibration resistant) atomic resolution scanning probe microscope

The piezo-magnetic parameters of Terfenol-D: An experimental viewpoint

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davino, D.; Giustiniani, A.; Visone, C.

2012-01-01

Magnetostrictive and all multifunctional materials have experienced in the last decades a growing technological interest. Several contributions, in the literature, propose the above-mentioned materials in innovative sensors and actuators both for bulk and MEMS devices. More recently, magnetostrictive materials have been proposed for energy harvesting applications by exploiting the so-called Villari effect. In this case, the behavior and the amplitude of the piezo-magnetic coefficients are an important element to evaluate the conversion efficiency. Aim of this paper is to study the experimental behavior of the piezo-magnetic coefficients of a commercial Terfenol-D rod under controlled conditions.

The Function of the Novel Mechanical Activated Ion Channel Piezo1 in the Human Osteosarcoma Cells

OpenAIRE

Jiang, Long; Zhao, Yi-ding; Chen, Wei-xiang

2017-01-01

Background The Piezo1 protein ion channel is a novel mechanical activated ion channel which is related to mechanical signal transduction. However, the function of the mechanically activated ion channel Piezo1 had not been explored. In this study, we explored the function of the Piezo1 ion channel in human osteosarcoma (OS) cells related to apoptosis, invasion, and the cell proliferation. Material/Methods Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western-blotting were used t...

Numerical Modelling of a Piezo Roof Harvesting System: The Right Component Selection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Di Leo Romeo

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The present work focuses on a first study for a piezoelectric harvesting system, finalized to the obtaining of electrical energy from the kinetic energy of rainy precipitation, a renewable energy source not really considered until now. The system, after the realization, can be collocated on the roof of an house, configuring a “Piezo Roof Harvesting System”. After presenting a state of art of the harvesting systems from environmental energy, linked to vibrations, using piezoelectric structures, and of piezoelectric harvesting systems functioning with rain, the authors propose an analysis of the fundamental features of rainy precipitations for the definition of the harvesting system. Then, four key patterns for the realization of a piezoelectric energy harvesting system are discussed and analysed, arriving to the choice of a cantilever beam scheme, in which the piezoelectric material works in 31 mode. An electro-mechanical model for the simulation of performance of the unit for the energetic conversion, composed of three blocks, is proposed. The model is used for a simulation campaign to perform the final choice of the more suitable piezoelectric unit, available on the market, which will be adopted for the realization of the “Piezo Roof Harvesting System”.

Piezo-phototronic UV/visible photosensing with optical-fiber-nanowire hybridized structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhaona; Yu, Ruomeng; Pan, Caofeng; Liu, Ying; Ding, Yong; Wang, Zhong Lin

2015-03-04

An optical-fiber-nanowire hybridized UV-visible photodetector (PD) is reported. The PD is designed to allow direct integration in optical communication systems without requiring the use of couplers via fiber-welding technology. The PD works in two modes: axial and off-axial illumination mode. By using the piezo-phototronic effect, the performance of the PD is enhanced/optimized by up to 718% in sensitivity and 2067% in photoresponsivity. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The structure of a conserved piezo channel domain reveals a topologically distinct β sandwich fold.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamajaya, Aron; Kaiser, Jens T; Lee, Jonas; Reid, Michelle; Rees, Douglas C

2014-10-07

Piezo has recently been identified as a family of eukaryotic mechanosensitive channels composed of subunits containing over 2,000 amino acids, without recognizable sequence similarity to other channels. Here, we present the crystal structure of a large, conserved extramembrane domain located just before the last predicted transmembrane helix of C. elegans PIEZO, which adopts a topologically distinct β sandwich fold. The structure was also determined of a point mutation located on a conserved surface at the position equivalent to the human PIEZO1 mutation found in dehydrated hereditary stomatocytosis patients (M2225R). While the point mutation does not change the overall domain structure, it does alter the surface electrostatic potential that may perturb interactions with a yet-to-be-identified ligand or protein. The lack of structural similarity between this domain and any previously characterized fold, including those of eukaryotic and bacterial channels, highlights the distinctive nature of the Piezo family of eukaryotic mechanosensitive channels. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Control Software for Piezo Stepping Actuators

Science.gov (United States)

Shields, Joel F.

2013-01-01

A control system has been developed for the Space Interferometer Mission (SIM) piezo stepping actuator. Piezo stepping actuators are novel because they offer extreme dynamic range (centimeter stroke with nanometer resolution) with power, thermal, mass, and volume advantages over existing motorized actuation technology. These advantages come with the added benefit of greatly reduced complexity in the support electronics. The piezo stepping actuator consists of three fully redundant sets of piezoelectric transducers (PZTs), two sets of brake PZTs, and one set of extension PZTs. These PZTs are used to grasp and move a runner attached to the optic to be moved. By proper cycling of the two brake and extension PZTs, both forward and backward moves of the runner can be achieved. Each brake can be configured for either a power-on or power-off state. For SIM, the brakes and gate of the mechanism are configured in such a manner that, at the end of the step, the actuator is in a parked or power-off state. The control software uses asynchronous sampling of an optical encoder to monitor the position of the runner. These samples are timed to coincide with the end of the previous move, which may consist of a variable number of steps. This sampling technique linearizes the device by avoiding input saturation of the actuator and makes latencies of the plant vanish. The software also estimates, in real time, the scale factor of the device and a disturbance caused by cycling of the brakes. These estimates are used to actively cancel the brake disturbance. The control system also includes feedback and feedforward elements that regulate the position of the runner to a given reference position. Convergence time for smalland medium-sized reference positions (less than 200 microns) to within 10 nanometers can be achieved in under 10 seconds. Convergence times for large moves (greater than 1 millimeter) are limited by the step rate.

Piezo pump and pressurized circuit provided therewith

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Es, Johannes; Wits, Wessel Willems

2015-01-01

A piezo pump for use in a pressurized circuit includes a pump chamber with an inlet provided with a one way inlet valve, for connection to a feeding line of the pressurized circuit and an outlet provided with a one way outlet valve, for connection to a discharge line of the pressurized circuit and a

Analogy between dynamics of thermo-rheological and piezo-rheological pendulums

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hedrih, K

2008-01-01

The constitutive stress-strain relations of the standard thermo-rheological and piezo-rheological hereditary element in differential form as well as in two different integro-differential forms are defined. The considered problem of a thermo-rheological hereditary discrete system nonlinear dynamics in the form of thermo-rheological double pendulum system with coupled pendulums gets the significance of two constrained bodies in plane motion problem, as a problem important for studying a sensor dynamics or actuator dynamics in active structure dynamics. System of the averaged equations in the first approximation for amplitudes and phases are derived and qualitatively analyzed. Analogy between nonlinear dynamics of the double pendulum systems with thermo-rheological and piezo-rheological properties between pendulums is pointed out

Piezo type mechanosensitive ion channel component 1 functions as a regulator of the cell fate determination of mesenchymal stem cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Sugimoto, Asuna; Miyazaki, Aya; Kawarabayashi, Keita; Shono, Masayuki; Akazawa, Yuki; Hasegawa, Tomokazu; Ueda-Yamaguchi, Kimiko; Kitamura, Takamasa; Yoshizaki, Keigo; Fukumoto, Satoshi; Iwamoto, Tsutomu

2017-12-18

The extracellular environment regulates the dynamic behaviors of cells. However, the effects of hydrostatic pressure (HP) on cell fate determination of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are not clearly understood. Here, we established a cell culture chamber to control HP. Using this system, we found that the promotion of osteogenic differentiation by HP is depend on bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) expression regulated by Piezo type mechanosensitive ion channel component 1 (PIEZO1) in MSCs. The PIEZO1 was expressed and induced after HP loading in primary MSCs and MSC lines, UE7T-13 and SDP11. HP and Yoda1, an activator of PIEZO1, promoted BMP2 expression and osteoblast differentiation, whereas inhibits adipocyte differentiation. Conversely, PIEZO1 inhibition reduced osteoblast differentiation and BMP2 expression. Furthermore, Blocking of BMP2 function by noggin inhibits HP induced osteogenic maker genes expression. In addition, in an in vivo model of medaka with HP loading, HP promoted caudal fin ray development whereas inhibition of piezo1 using GsMTx4 suppressed its development. Thus, our results suggested that PIEZO1 is responsible for HP and could functions as a factor for cell fate determination of MSCs by regulating BMP2 expression.

Predicting the dental implant stability based on the antiresonance phase of a piezo-based impedance sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paramita Banerjee

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background: The stability of dental implants (DIs in in vivo tests can be determined using noninvasive resonance frequency analysis technique. A low-cost piezo-based sensor has been developed for this purpose which uses a readily available two-terminal piezo element, to which a metal substrate is adhesively glued for attaching the implant. Aim: The attainment of implant stability in dynamic tests using this sensor must be standardized in terms of the major antiresonance (AR in the impedance phase responses using sensor-DI assembly. This will be used to predetermine the dimensions of the glued metal substrate in the sensor design. Materials and Methods: Multiple sensors with varying sensor dimensions were developed. Static and dynamic impedance studies were performed on these and corresponding sensor-implant assemblies. Static tests as well as in vitro tests with the sensor-implant assembly dipped in a standardized dental plaster mixture were performed in controlled laboratory conditions. Results: The probability of acceptance of the hypothesis has been checked using binomial distribution with a significance level of 5%. Statistically observed that for 95% of the cases where the DI becomes stable in dental plaster, both AR phase and AR frequency (ARF return to their corresponding static values. Furthermore, for a piezo element, whose ARF is within 6–6.6 kHz, the sensor yields maximal phase when the length of the metallic strip is 2 cm. Conclusions: Experimental validation supports both claims. Hence, this work can be extended to in vivo DI stability determination and design aspects of the corresponding sensor.

Detecting Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) at Room Temperature Using ZnSnO3/ZnO Nanowire Piezo-Nanogenerator as Self-Powered Gas Sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Yongming; Nie, Yuxin; Zhao, Yayu; Wang, Penglei; Xing, Lili; Zhang, Yan; Xue, Xinyu

2015-05-20

High sensitivity, selectivity, and reliability have been achieved from ZnSnO3/ZnO nanowire (NW) piezo-nanogenerator (NG) as self-powered gas sensor (SPGS) for detecting liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at room temperature (RT). After being exposed to 8000 ppm LPG, the output piezo-voltage of ZnSnO3/ZnO NW SPGS under compressive deformation is 0.089 V, much smaller than that in air ambience (0.533 V). The sensitivity of the SPGS against 8000 ppm LPG is up to 83.23, and the low limit of detection is 600 ppm. The SPGS has lower sensitivity against H2S, H2, ethanol, methanol and saturated water vapor than LPG, indicating good selectivity for detecting LPG. After two months, the decline of the sensing performance is less than 6%. Such piezo-LPG sensing at RT can be ascribed to the new piezo-surface coupling effect of ZnSnO3/ZnO nanocomposites. The practical application of the device driven by human motion has also been simply demonstrated. This work provides a novel approach to fabricate RT-LPG sensors and promotes the development of self-powered sensing system.

H∞ control of piezo actuated tilting mirror mechanism

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Dijk, J.

2015-01-01

In here the high bandwidth (2000 Hz.) feedback control of a precision mechanisms driven by a piezo actuator demanding a high absolute accuracy is discussed. The mechanism considered is rotating a mirror for laser bundle manipulation. It will be shown that a loopshaping controller design using the

Structure-based membrane dome mechanism for Piezo mechanosensitivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Yusong R; MacKinnon, Roderick

2017-12-12

Mechanosensitive ion channels convert external mechanical stimuli into electrochemical signals for critical processes including touch sensation, balance, and cardiovascular regulation. The best understood mechanosensitive channel, MscL, opens a wide pore, which accounts for mechanosensitive gating due to in-plane area expansion. Eukaryotic Piezo channels have a narrow pore and therefore must capture mechanical forces to control gating in another way. We present a cryo-EM structure of mouse Piezo1 in a closed conformation at 3.7Å-resolution. The channel is a triskelion with arms consisting of repeated arrays of 4-TM structural units surrounding a pore. Its shape deforms the membrane locally into a dome. We present a hypothesis in which the membrane deformation changes upon channel opening. Quantitatively, membrane tension will alter gating energetics in proportion to the change in projected area under the dome. This mechanism can account for highly sensitive mechanical gating in the setting of a narrow, cation-selective pore. © 2017, Guo et al.

A new dimension for piezo actuators: free-form out-of-plane displacement of single piezo layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wapler, Matthias C; Brunne, Jens; Wallrabe, Ulrike

2013-01-01

We present a controlled mode of ‘topological’ displacement of homogeneous piezo films that arises solely from an inhomogeneous in-plane strain due to an inhomogeneous polarization. For the rotationally symmetric case, we develop a theoretical model that analytically relates the shape of the displacement to the polarization for the cases of in-plane and out-of-plane polarization. This is verified experimentally for several examples, and we further demonstrate controlled asymmetric deformations. (fast track communication)

Master-slave control with trajectory planning and Bouc-Wen model for tracking control of piezo-driven stage

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Xiaojun; Liu, Changli; Chen, Lei

2018-04-01

In this paper, a redundant Piezo-driven stage having 3RRR compliant mechanism is introduced, we propose the master-slave control with trajectory planning (MSCTP) strategy and Bouc-Wen model to improve its micro-motion tracking performance. The advantage of the proposed controller lies in that its implementation only requires a simple control strategy without the complexity of modeling to avoid the master PEA's tracking error. The dynamic model of slave PEA system with Bouc-Wen hysteresis is established and identified via particle swarm optimization (PSO) approach. The Piezo-driven stage with operating period T=1s and 2s is implemented to track a prescribed circle. The simulation results show that MSCTP with Bouc-Wen model reduces the trajectory tracking errors to the range of the accuracy of our available measurement.

Measuring leg movements during sleep using accelerometry: comparison with EMG and piezo-electric scored events.

Science.gov (United States)

Terrill, Philip I; Leong, Matthew; Barton, Katrina; Freakley, Craig; Downey, Carl; Vanniekerk, Mark; Jorgensen, Greg; Douglas, James

2013-01-01

Periodic Limb Movements during Sleep (PLMS) can cause significant disturbance to sleep, resulting in daytime sleepiness and reduced quality of life. In conventional clinical practice, PLMS are measured using overnight electromyogram (EMG) of the tibialis anterior muscle, although historically they have also been measured using piezo-electric gauges placed over the muscle. However, PLMS counts (PLM index) do not correlate well with clinical symptomology. In this study, we propose that because EMG and piezo derived signals measure muscle activation rather than actual movement, they may count events with no appreciable movement of the limb and therefore no contribution to sleep disturbance. The aim of this study is thus to determine the percentage of clinically scored limb movements which are not associated with movement of the great toe measured using accelerometry. 9 participants were studied simultaneously with an overnight diagnostic polysomnogram (including EMG and piezo instrumentation of the right leg) and high temporal resolution accelerometry of the right great toe. Limb movements were scored, and peak acceleration during each scored movement was quantified. Across the participant population, 54.9% (range: 26.7-76.3) and 39.0% (range: 4.8-69.6) of limb movements scored using piezo and EMG instrumentation respectively, were not associated with toe movement measured with accelerometry. If sleep disturbance is the consequence of the limb movements, these results may explain why conventional piezo or EMG derived PLMI is poorly correlated with clinical symptomology.

The dynamics of the piezo inkjet printhead operation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wijshoff, H.M.A.

2010-01-01

The operation of a piezo inkjet printhead involves a chain of processes in many physical domains at different length scales. The final goal is the formation of droplets of all kinds of fluids with any desired volume, velocity, and a reliability as high as possible. The physics behind the chain of

High-bandwidth and flexible tracking control for precision motion with application to a piezo nanopositioner.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Zhao; Ling, Jie; Ming, Min; Xiao, Xiao-Hui

2017-08-01

For precision motion, high-bandwidth and flexible tracking are the two important issues for significant performance improvement. Iterative learning control (ILC) is an effective feedforward control method only for systems that operate strictly repetitively. Although projection ILC can track varying references, the performance is still limited by the fixed-bandwidth Q-filter, especially for triangular waves tracking commonly used in a piezo nanopositioner. In this paper, a wavelet transform-based linear time-varying (LTV) Q-filter design for projection ILC is proposed to compensate high-frequency errors and improve the ability to tracking varying references simultaneously. The LVT Q-filter is designed based on the modulus maximum of wavelet detail coefficients calculated by wavelet transform to determine the high-frequency locations of each iteration with the advantages of avoiding cross-terms and segmenting manually. The proposed approach was verified on a piezo nanopositioner. Experimental results indicate that the proposed approach can locate the high-frequency regions accurately and achieve the best performance under varying references compared with traditional frequency-domain and projection ILC with a fixed-bandwidth Q-filter, which validates that through implementing the LTV filter on projection ILC, high-bandwidth and flexible tracking can be achieved simultaneously by the proposed approach.

New piezo driven gas inlet valve for fusion experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Usselmann, E.; Hemmerich, J.L.; How, J.; Holland, D.; Orchard, J.; Winkel, T.; Schargitz, U.; Pocheim, N.

1989-01-01

The gas inlet valves used at the JET experiment are described and their performances are discussed. A new gas-valve development suitable to replace the existing valves at JET and for future use in large fusion experiments is presented. The new valve is equipped with a piezo-electric translator and has a dosing range of 0-800 mbarls -1 for D 2 . The operating mode of the valve is fail-safe closed with a leak-rate of ≤ 10 -9 mbarls -1 . The design, the test results and throughput values in dependence of filling pressure and control voltage are presented and experiences with the prototype valve as a new gas inlet valve for the JET operation are described

Digital Imaging and Piezo-dispenser Actuator in Automatic Flocculation Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jani TOMPERI

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This study presents an image-based on-line control system for a coiled pipe flocculator. A digital imaging technique developed previously is utilized to measure the characteristic floc size and a high-pressure piezo-dispenser is introduced for accurate dosing and rapid mixing of the flocculant. The controller is a conventional PI controller. Step change experiments on feed water quality, flow rate and desired floc size have been carried out for controller tuning and testing. The paper shows that the piezo-dispenser provides better flocculation results than a conventional dosing pump, and the flocculation result can be automatically controlled even when the feed water quality rapidly changes. The proposed flocculator is a simple, inexpensive and practical system for long-term laboratory tests to investigate the functionality of flocculants on varying feed waters.

Lower blastocyst quality after conventional vs. Piezo ICSI in the horse reflects delayed sperm component remodeling and oocyte activation.

Science.gov (United States)

Salgado, R M; Brom-de-Luna, J G; Resende, H L; Canesin, H S; Hinrichs, Katrin

2018-04-10

The aim of this study was to evaluate the differential effects of conventional and Piezo-driven ICSI on blastocyst development, and on sperm component remodeling and oocyte activation, in an equine model. In vitro-matured equine oocytes underwent conventional (Conv) or Piezo ICSI, the latter utilizing fluorocarbon ballast. Blastocyst development was compared between treatments to validate the model. Then, oocytes were fixed at 0, 6, or 18 h after injection, and stained for the sperm tail, acrosome, oocyte cortical granules, and chromatin. These parameters were compared between injection techniques and between sham-injected and sperm-injected oocytes among time periods. Blastocyst rates were 39 and 40%. The nucleus number was lower, and the nuclear fragmentation rate was higher, in blastocysts produced by Conv. Cortical granule loss started at 0H after both sperm and sham injection. The acrosome was present at 0H in both ICSI treatments, and persisted to 18H in significantly more Conv than Piezo oocytes (72 vs. 21%). Sperm head area was unchanged at 6H in Conv but significantly increased at this time in Piezo; correspondingly, at 6H significantly more Conv than Piezo oocytes remained at MII (80 vs. 9.5%). Sham injection did not induce significant meiotic resumption. These data show that Piezo ICSI is associated with more rapid sperm component remodeling and oocyte meiotic resumption after sperm injection than is conventional ICSI, and with higher embryo quality at the blastocyst stage. This suggests that there is value in exploring the Piezo technique, utilized with a non-toxic fluorocarbon ballast, for use in clinical human ICSI.

Theoretical and experimental evaluation of piezo-optic parameters and photoelastic constant in tetragonal PWO.

Science.gov (United States)

Natali, Pier Paolo; Montalto, Luigi; Daví, Fabrizio; Mengucci, Paolo; Ciriaco, Andrea; Paone, Nicola; Rinaldi, Daniele

2018-02-01

The tetragonal PbWO 4 (PWO) is one of the most important scintillating crystals, being used both in the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and in the PANDA project at the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR). Light yield and other relevant scintillation properties depend, among many factors, also on the crystal mechanical quality. Accordingly, a detailed knowledge of crystal piezo-optic properties is a mandatory step toward understanding elasto-optic behavior and performing crystal quality control. In this paper, we evaluate for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, by means of both photoelastic and x-ray measurements, some components of the piezo-optic tensor; moreover, when the crystal is acted upon by a uniaxial stress, we obtain an evaluation for the rotation angle of the optic plane under stress as well as the photoelastic constant. These parameters are necessary to detect the residual stresses within the crystal, if any, and to give an overall quality measure. Such a methodology is in general suitable for any tetragonal crystals.

Piezo films with adjustable anisotropic strain for bending actuators with tunable bending profiles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wapler, Matthias C; Stürmer, Moritz; Brunne, Jens; Wallrabe, Ulrike

2014-01-01

We present a method to produce in-plane polarized piezo films with a freely adjustable ratio of the strains in orthogonal in-plane directions. They can be used in piezo bending actuators with a tunable curvature profile. The strains are obtained as mean strains from a periodic polarization pattern produced by a suitable doubly interdigitated electrode structure. This mechanism is demonstrated for several examples using PZT sheets. We further discuss how this tuning and the parameters of the electrode layout affect the overall magnitude of the displacement. (paper)

Piezo-optic tensor of crystals from quantum-mechanical calculations.

Science.gov (United States)

Erba, A; Ruggiero, M T; Korter, T M; Dovesi, R

2015-10-14

An automated computational strategy is devised for the ab initio determination of the full fourth-rank piezo-optic tensor of crystals belonging to any space group of symmetry. Elastic stiffness and compliance constants are obtained as numerical first derivatives of analytical energy gradients with respect to the strain and photo-elastic constants as numerical derivatives of analytical dielectric tensor components, which are in turn computed through a Coupled-Perturbed-Hartree-Fock/Kohn-Sham approach, with respect to the strain. Both point and translation symmetries are exploited at all steps of the calculation, within the framework of periodic boundary conditions. The scheme is applied to the determination of the full set of ten symmetry-independent piezo-optic constants of calcium tungstate CaWO4, which have recently been experimentally reconstructed. Present calculations unambiguously determine the absolute sign (positive) of the π61 constant, confirm the reliability of 6 out of 10 experimentally determined constants and provide new, more accurate values for the remaining 4 constants.

Piezo-phototronic effect enhanced UV photodetector based on CuI/ZnO double-shell grown on flexible copper microwire.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jingyu; Zhang, Yang; Liu, Caihong; Peng, Mingzeng; Yu, Aifang; Kou, Jinzong; Liu, Wei; Zhai, Junyi; Liu, Juan

2016-12-01

In this work, we present a facile, low-cost, and effective approach to fabricate the UV photodetector with a CuI/ZnO double-shell nanostructure which was grown on common copper microwire. The enhanced performances of Cu/CuI/ZnO core/double-shell microwire photodetector resulted from the formation of heterojunction. Benefiting from the piezo-phototronic effect, the presentation of piezocharges can lower the barrier height and facilitate the charge transport across heterojunction. The photosensing abilities of the Cu/CuI/ZnO core/double-shell microwire detector are investigated under different UV light densities and strain conditions. We demonstrate the I-V characteristic of the as-prepared core/double-shell device; it is quite sensitive to applied strain, which indicates that the piezo-phototronic effect plays an essential role in facilitating charge carrier transport across the CuI/ZnO heterojunction, then the performance of the device is further boosted under external strain.

Experimental characterization of a bi-dimensional array of negative capacitance piezo-patches for vibroacoustic control

Science.gov (United States)

Tateo, F.; Collet, M.; Ouisse, M.; Ichchou, M. N.; Cunefare, K. A.

2013-04-01

A recent technological revolution in the fields of integrated MEMS has finally rendered possible the mechanical integration of active smart materials, electronics and power supply systems for the next generation of smart composite structures. Using a bi-dimensional array of electromechanical transducers, composed by piezo-patches connected to a synthetic negative capacitance, it is possible to modify the dynamics of the underlying structure. In this study, we present an application of the Floquet-Bloch theorem for vibroacoustic power flow optimization, by means of distributed shunted piezoelectric material. In the context of periodically distributed damped 2D mechanical systems, this numerical approach allows one to compute the multi-modal waves dispersion curves into the entire first Brillouin zone. This approach also permits optimization of the piezoelectric shunting electrical impedance, which controls energy diffusion into the proposed semi-active distributed set of cells. Furthermore, we present experimental evidence that proves the effectiveness of the proposed control method. The experiment requires a rectangular metallic plate equipped with seventy-five piezo-patches, controlled independently by electronic circuits. More specifically, the out-of-plane displacements and the averaged kinetic energy of the controlled plate are compared in two different cases (open-circuit and controlled circuit). The resulting data clearly show how this proposed technique is able to damp and selectively reflect the incident waves.

Study of pyroelectric activity of PZT/PVDF-HFP composite

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luiz Francisco Malmonge

2003-12-01

Full Text Available Flexible, free-standing piezo and pyroelectric composite with 0 to 3 connectivity was made up from Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT powder and poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-HFP copolymer. The pyroelectric and the piezoelectric longitudinal (d33 coefficients were measured. A 50/50 vol.% PZT/PVDF-HFP composite resulted in piezo and pyroelectric coefficients of d33 = 25.0 pC/N and p = 4.5 × 10-4 C/m²K at 70 °C, respectively. Analysis of the complex permittivity in a wide range of frequency was carried out indicating lower permittivity of the composite in comparison with a permittivity of the PZT ceramic. The low value of the permittivity gives a high pyroelectric figure of merit indicating that this material can be used to build a temperature sensor in spite of the lower pyroelectric coefficient compared with PZT.

Piezopotential gated nanowire devices: Piezotronics and piezo-phototronics

KAUST Repository

Wang, Zhong Lin

2010-12-01

Due to the polarization of ions in a crystal that has non-central symmetry, a piezoelectric potential (piezopotential) is created in the crystal by applying a stress. For materials such as ZnO, GaN, and InN in the wurtzite structure family, the effect of piezopotential on the transport behavior of charge carriers is significant due to their multiple functionalities of piezoelectricity, semiconductor and photon excitation. By utilizing the advantages offered by these properties, a few new fields have been created. Electronics fabricated by using inner-crystal piezopotential as a "gate" voltage to tune/control the charge transport behavior is named piezotronics, with applications in strain/force/pressure triggered/controlled electronic devices, sensors and logic units. Piezo-phototronic effect is a result of three-way coupling among piezoelectricity, photonic excitation and semiconductor transport, which allows tuning and controlling of electro-optical processes by strain induced piezopotential. The objective of this review article is to introduce the fundamentals of piezotronics and piezo-phototronics and to give an updated progress about their applications in energy science and sensors. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.

Air Entrapment and Drop Formation in Piezo Inkjet Printing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Bos, J.A.

2011-01-01

Piezo drop-on-demand (DOD) inkjet printers are used in an increasing number of applications for their reliable deposition of droplets onto a substrate. Droplets of a few picoliters are ejected from an ink jet nozzle at a frequency of up to 50 kHz. However, entrapment of an air microbubble into the

Sensing and Energy Harvesting Novel Polymer Composites

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zwaag, S. van der; Ende, D.A. van der; Groen, W.A.

2014-01-01

This chapter describes the development and properties of novel functional composite materials consisting of aligned piezo-ceramic particles or fibers in a polymeric matrix, which can be fully integrated in thermoset or thermoplastic products. The materials have a low potential for applications

Snoring detection using a piezo snoring sensor based on hidden Markov models.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Hyo-Ki; Lee, Jeon; Kim, Hojoong; Ha, Jin-Young; Lee, Kyoung-Joung

2013-05-01

This study presents a snoring detection method based on hidden Markov models (HMMs) using a piezo snoring sensor. Snoring is a major symptom of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). In most sleep studies, snoring is detected with a microphone. Since these studies analyze the acoustic properties of snoring, they need to acquire data at high sampling rates, so a large amount of data should be processed. Recently, several sleep studies have monitored snoring using a piezo snoring sensor. However, an automatic method for snoring detection using a piezo snoring sensor has not been reported in the literature. This study proposed the HMM-based method to detect snoring using this sensor, which is attached to the neck. The data from 21 patients with OSA were gathered for training and test sets. The short-time Fourier transform and short-time energy were computed so they could be applied to HMMs. The data were classified as snoring, noise and silence according to their HMMs. As a result, the sensitivity and the positive predictivity values were 93.3% and 99.1% for snoring detection, respectively. The results demonstrated that the method produced simple, portable and user-friendly detection tools that provide an alternative to the microphone-based method.

Snoring detection using a piezo snoring sensor based on hidden Markov models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Hyo-Ki; Lee, Jeon; Lee, Kyoung-Joung; Kim, Hojoong; Ha, Jin-Young

2013-01-01

This study presents a snoring detection method based on hidden Markov models (HMMs) using a piezo snoring sensor. Snoring is a major symptom of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). In most sleep studies, snoring is detected with a microphone. Since these studies analyze the acoustic properties of snoring, they need to acquire data at high sampling rates, so a large amount of data should be processed. Recently, several sleep studies have monitored snoring using a piezo snoring sensor. However, an automatic method for snoring detection using a piezo snoring sensor has not been reported in the literature. This study proposed the HMM-based method to detect snoring using this sensor, which is attached to the neck. The data from 21 patients with OSA were gathered for training and test sets. The short-time Fourier transform and short-time energy were computed so they could be applied to HMMs. The data were classified as snoring, noise and silence according to their HMMs. As a result, the sensitivity and the positive predictivity values were 93.3% and 99.1% for snoring detection, respectively. The results demonstrated that the method produced simple, portable and user-friendly detection tools that provide an alternative to the microphone-based method. (note)

Improved passive shunt vibration control of smart piezo-elastic beams using modal piezoelectric transducers with shaped electrodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasques, C M A

2012-01-01

Modal control and spatial filtering technologies for mitigation of vibration and/or structural acoustics radiation may be achieved through the use of distributed modal piezoelectric transducers with properly shaped electrodes. This approach filters out undesirable and uncontrollable modes over the bandwidth of interest in order to increase the robustness and stability of the controlled structural system, and may also yield higher values of the generalized modal electromechanical coupling coefficient, which is an important design parameter for achieving efficient passive shunt damping design. In this paper the improvements in passive shunt damping performance when using modal piezoelectric transducers with shaped electrodes are investigated for a two-layered resonant-shunted piezo-elastic smart beam structure. An electromechanical one-dimensional equivalent single-layer Euler–Bernoulli analytical model of two-layered smart piezo-elastic beams with arbitrary spatially shaped electrodes is established for modal and uniform electrode designs. The model is verified and validated by comparison with a one-dimensional discrete-layer (layerwise) finite element model, the damping performance of the shunted smart beam with shaped electrodes is investigated and assessed in terms of the generalized electromechanical coupling coefficient and frequency responses obtained when considering uniform and modally shaped electrodes and the underlying improved performance and advantages are assessed and discussed. (paper)

Nonlinear wave beams in a piezo semiconducting layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bagdoev, A.G.; Shekoyan, A.V.; Danoyan, Z.N.

1997-01-01

The propagation of quasi-monochromatic nonlinear wave in a piezo semiconducting layer taking into account electron-concentration nonlinearity is considered. For such medium the evolution equations for incoming and reflected waves are derived. Nonlinear Schroedinger equations and solutions for narrow beams are obtained. It is shown that symmetry of incoming and reflected waves does not take place. The focusing of beams is investigated.18 refs

Characterization of a next-generation piezo bimorph X-ray mirror for synchrotron beamlines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alcock, Simon G., E-mail: simon.alcock@diamond.ac.uk; Nistea, Ioana; Sutter, John P.; Sawhney, Kawal [Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE (United Kingdom); Fermé, Jean-Jacques; Thellièr, Christophe; Peverini, Luca [Thales-SESO, 305 rue Louis Armand, Pôle d’Activités d’Aix les Milles, Aix-en-Provence (France)

2015-01-01

A next-generation bimorph mirror with piezos bonded to the side faces of a monolithic substrate was created. When replacing a first-generation bimorph mirror suffering from the junction effect, the new type of mirror significantly improved the size and shape of the reflected synchrotron X-ray beam. No evidence of the junction effect was observed even after eight months of continuous beamline usage. Piezo bimorph mirrors are versatile active optics used on many synchrotron beamlines. However, many bimorphs suffer from the ‘junction effect’: a periodic deformation of the optical surface which causes major aberrations to the reflected X-ray beam. This effect is linked to the construction of such mirrors, where piezo ceramics are glued directly below the thin optical substrate. In order to address this problem, a next-generation bimorph with piezos bonded to the side faces of a monolithic substrate was developed at Thales-SESO and optimized at Diamond Light Source. Using metrology feedback from the Diamond-NOM, the optical slope error was reduced to ∼0.5 µrad r.m.s. for a range of ellipses. To maximize usability, a novel holder was built to accommodate the substrate in any orientation. When replacing a first-generation bimorph on a synchrotron beamline, the new mirror significantly improved the size and shape of the reflected X-ray beam. Most importantly, there was no evidence of the junction effect even after eight months of continuous beamline usage. It is hoped that this new design will reinvigorate the use of active bimorph optics at synchrotron and free-electron laser facilities to manipulate and correct X-ray wavefronts.

Characterization of a next-generation piezo bimorph X-ray mirror for synchrotron beamlines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alcock, Simon G.; Nistea, Ioana; Sutter, John P.; Sawhney, Kawal; Fermé, Jean-Jacques; Thellièr, Christophe; Peverini, Luca

2015-01-01

A next-generation bimorph mirror with piezos bonded to the side faces of a monolithic substrate was created. When replacing a first-generation bimorph mirror suffering from the junction effect, the new type of mirror significantly improved the size and shape of the reflected synchrotron X-ray beam. No evidence of the junction effect was observed even after eight months of continuous beamline usage. Piezo bimorph mirrors are versatile active optics used on many synchrotron beamlines. However, many bimorphs suffer from the ‘junction effect’: a periodic deformation of the optical surface which causes major aberrations to the reflected X-ray beam. This effect is linked to the construction of such mirrors, where piezo ceramics are glued directly below the thin optical substrate. In order to address this problem, a next-generation bimorph with piezos bonded to the side faces of a monolithic substrate was developed at Thales-SESO and optimized at Diamond Light Source. Using metrology feedback from the Diamond-NOM, the optical slope error was reduced to ∼0.5 µrad r.m.s. for a range of ellipses. To maximize usability, a novel holder was built to accommodate the substrate in any orientation. When replacing a first-generation bimorph on a synchrotron beamline, the new mirror significantly improved the size and shape of the reflected X-ray beam. Most importantly, there was no evidence of the junction effect even after eight months of continuous beamline usage. It is hoped that this new design will reinvigorate the use of active bimorph optics at synchrotron and free-electron laser facilities to manipulate and correct X-ray wavefronts

Clinical efficiency of Piezo-ICSI using micropipettes with a wall thickness of 0.625 μm.

Science.gov (United States)

Hiraoka, Kenichiro; Kitamura, Seiji

2015-12-01

The purposes of the present study are to assess the clinical efficiency of Piezo-intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and to improve the Piezo-ICSI method for human oocytes. We examined three ICSI methods to determine their clinical efficiency by comparing the survival, fertilization, good-quality day-3 embryo, pregnancy, and live birth rates. The three ICSI methods tested were conventional ICSI (CI) (using beveled spiked micropipettes with a wall thickness of 1 μm), conventional Piezo-ICSI (CPI) (using flat-tipped micropipettes with a wall thickness of 0.925 μm), and improved Piezo-ICSI (IPI) (using flat-tipped micropipettes with a wall thickness of 0.625 μm). We collectively investigated 2020 mature oocytes retrieved from 437 patients between October 2010 and January 2014. The survival rates after CI, CPI, and IPI were 90, 95, and 99 %, respectively. The fertilization rates after CI, CPI, and IPI were 68, 75, and 89 %, respectively. The good-quality day-3 embryo rates after CI, CPI, and IPI were 37, 43, and 55 %, respectively. The pregnancy rates after the transfer of good-quality day-3 embryo of CI, CPI, and IPI were 19, 21, and 31 %, respectively. The live birth rates of CI, CPI, and IPI were 15, 16, and 25 %, respectively. Significantly higher survival, fertilization, good-quality day-3 embryo, pregnancy, and live birth rates were obtained using IPI. When comparing the IPI to the CI and CPI, the results revealed that the Piezo-ICSI using flat-tipped micropipettes with a wall thickness of 0.625 μm significantly improves survival, fertilization, good-quality day-3 embryo, pregnancy, and live birth rates.

Oxygen Reduction Reaction for Generating H2 O2 through a Piezo-Catalytic Process over Bismuth Oxychloride.

Science.gov (United States)

Shao, Dengkui; Zhang, Ling; Sun, Songmei; Wang, Wenzhong

2018-02-09

Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for generating H 2 O 2 through green pathways have gained much attention in recent years. Herein, we introduce a piezo-catalytic approach to obtain H 2 O 2 over bismuth oxychloride (BiOCl) through an ORR pathway. The piezoelectric response of BiOCl was directly characterized by piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM). The BiOCl exhibits efficient catalytic performance for generating H 2 O 2 (28 μmol h -1 ) only from O 2 and H 2 O, which is above the average level of H 2 O 2 produced by solar-to-chemical processes. A piezo-catalytic mechanism was proposed: with ultrasonic waves, an alternating electric field will be generated over BiOCl, which can drive charge carriers (electrons) to interact with O 2 and H 2 O, then to form H 2 O 2 . © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The Application of a Piezo-Resistive Cardiorespiratory Sensor System in an Automobile Safety Belt

Science.gov (United States)

Hamdani, Syed Talha Ali; Fernando, Anura

2015-01-01

Respiratory and heart failure are conditions that can occur with little warning and may also be difficult to predict. Therefore continuous monitoring of these bio-signals is advantageous for ensuring human health. The car safety belt is mainly designed to secure the occupants of the vehicle in the event of an accident. In the current research a prototype safety belt is developed, which is used to acquire respiratory and heart signals, under laboratory conditions. The current safety belt is constructed using a copper ink based nonwoven material, which works based on the piezo-resistive effect due to the pressure exerted on the sensor as a result of expansion of the thorax/abdomen area of the body for respiration and due to the principle of ballistocardiography (BCG) in heart signal sensing. In this research, the development of a theoretical model to qualitatively describe the piezo-resistive material is also presented in order to predict the relative change in the resistance of the piezo-resistive material due to the pressure applied. PMID:25831088

The application of a piezo-resistive cardiorespiratory sensor system in an automobile safety belt.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamdani, Syed Talha Ali; Fernando, Anura

2015-03-30

Respiratory and heart failure are conditions that can occur with little warning and may also be difficult to predict. Therefore continuous monitoring of these bio-signals is advantageous for ensuring human health. The car safety belt is mainly designed to secure the occupants of the vehicle in the event of an accident. In the current research a prototype safety belt is developed, which is used to acquire respiratory and heart signals, under laboratory conditions. The current safety belt is constructed using a copper ink based nonwoven material, which works based on the piezo-resistive effect due to the pressure exerted on the sensor as a result of expansion of the thorax/abdomen area of the body for respiration and due to the principle of ballistocardiography (BCG) in heart signal sensing. In this research, the development of a theoretical model to qualitatively describe the piezo-resistive material is also presented in order to predict the relative change in the resistance of the piezo-resistive material due to the pressure applied.

The Application of a Piezo-Resistive Cardiorespiratory Sensor System in an Automobile Safety Belt

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Syed Talha Ali Hamdani

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Respiratory and heart failure are conditions that can occur with little warning and may also be difficult to predict. Therefore continuous monitoring of these bio-signals is advantageous for ensuring human health. The car safety belt is mainly designed to secure the occupants of the vehicle in the event of an accident. In the current research a prototype safety belt is developed, which is used to acquire respiratory and heart signals, under laboratory conditions. The current safety belt is constructed using a copper ink based nonwoven material, which works based on the piezo-resistive effect due to the pressure exerted on the sensor as a result of expansion of the thorax/abdomen area of the body for respiration and due to the principle of ballistocardiography (BCG in heart signal sensing. In this research, the development of a theoretical model to qualitatively describe the piezo-resistive material is also presented in order to predict the relative change in the resistance of the piezo-resistive material due to the pressure applied.

Synthesis of CdS nanorod arrays and their applications in flexible piezo-driven active H2S sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Penglei; Deng, Ping; Nie, Yuxin; Zhao, Yayu; Xing, Lili; Xue, Xinyu; Zhang, Yan

2014-01-01

A flexible piezo-driven active H 2 S sensor has been fabricated from CdS nanorod arrays. By coupling the piezoelectric and gas sensing properties of CdS nanorods, the piezoelectric output generated by CdS nanorod arrays acts not only as a power source, but also as a response signal to H 2 S. Under externally applied compressive force, the piezoelectric output of CdS nanorod arrays is very sensitive to H 2 S. Upon exposure to 600 ppm H 2 S, the piezoelectric output of the device decreased from 0.32 V (in air) to 0.12 V. Such a flexible device can be driven by the tiny mechanical energy in our living environment, such as human finger pinching. Our research can stimulate a research trend on designing new material systems and device structures for high-performance piezo-driven active gas sensors. (paper)

On the use of non-MPB lead zirconium titanate (PZT) granules for piezoelectric ceramic–polymer sensorial composites

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Shaji Karapuzha, A.; Kunnamkuzhakkal James, N.; van der Zwaag, S.; Groen, W.A.

2016-01-01

Modern flexible and sensitive sensors based on polymer–ceramic composites employ lead zirconate titanate (PZT) granulates having the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) composition as the piezo active ingredient, as this composition gives the best properties in fully ceramic piezoelectric sensors.

On the use of non-MPB lead zirconium titanate (PZT) granules for piezoelectric ceramic–polymer sensorial composites

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Shaji Karapuzha, A.; Zwaag, S. van der; Groen, W.A.

2016-01-01

Modern flexible and sensitive sensors based on polymer–ceramic composites employ lead zirconate titanate (PZT) granulates having the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) composition as the piezo active ingredient, as this composition gives the best properties in fully ceramic piezoelectric sensors. In

A study on the performance of piezoelectric composite materials for designing embedded transducers for concrete assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Dumoulin, Cédric; Deraemaeker, Arnaud

2018-03-01

Ultrasonic measurements of concrete can provide crucial information about its state of health. The most common practice in the construction industry consists in using external probes which strongly limits the use of the method since large parts of the in-service structures are difficult to access. It is also possible to assess in real time the setting process of the concrete using ultrasonic measurements. In practice, the field measurement of the concrete hardening is limited by the formworks. As an alternative, some research teams have studied the possibility to directly embed the transducers into the concrete structures. The current embedded ultrasonic transducers are of two categories: bulk piezoelectric elements surrounded by several coating and matching layers and composites piezoelectric elements. Both technologies aim at optimizing the wave energy transmitted to the tested medium. The performances of the transducers of the first kind have been studied in a previous study. A fair amount of recent research has been focused on the development of novel cement-based piezoelectric composites. In this study, we first compare the effective properties of such cement-based materials with more widespread composites made with matrices of epoxy resins or polyurethane. The study only concerns the 1-3 fiber arrangement composites. The effective properties are computed using both an analytical mixing rule method and a finite element based homogenization method using representative volume elements (RVEs) which allows for considering more realistic fiber arrangements, leading yet to very similar results. The effective piezoelectric properties of cement-based composites appear to be very low compared to composites made of epoxy or polyurethane. This result is underlined by looking at the acoustic response and the electric input impedance of different piezoelectric disks where we compare performances of such transducers with a low-cost bulk piezoelectric disc element. The first

Enhancing Photoresponsivity of Self-Aligned MoS2 Field-Effect Transistors by Piezo-Phototronic Effect from GaN Nanowires.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xingqiang; Yang, Xiaonian; Gao, Guoyun; Yang, Zhenyu; Liu, Haitao; Li, Qiang; Lou, Zheng; Shen, Guozhen; Liao, Lei; Pan, Caofeng; Lin Wang, Zhong

2016-08-23

We report high-performance self-aligned MoS2 field-effect transistors (FETs) with enhanced photoresponsivity by the piezo-phototronic effect. The FETs are fabricated based on monolayer MoS2 with a piezoelectric GaN nanowire (NW) as the local gate, and a self-aligned process is employed to define the source/drain electrodes. The fabrication method allows the preservation of the intrinsic property of MoS2 and suppresses the scattering center density in the MoS2/GaN interface, which results in high electrical and photoelectric performances. MoS2 FETs with channel lengths of ∼200 nm have been fabricated with a small subthreshold slope of 64 mV/dec. The photoresponsivity is 443.3 A·W(-1), with a fast response and recovery time of ∼5 ms under 550 nm light illumination. When strain is introduced into the GaN NW, the photoresponsivity is further enhanced to 734.5 A·W(-1) and maintains consistent response and recovery time, which is comparable with that of the mechanical exfoliation of MoS2 transistors. The approach presented here opens an avenue to high-performance top-gated piezo-enhanced MoS2 photodetectors.

High-Precision Control of a Piezo-Driven Nanopositioner Using Fuzzy Logic Controllers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammed Altaher

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents single- and dual-loop fuzzy control schemes to precisely control the piezo-driven nanopositioner in the x- and y-axis directions. Various issues are associated with this control problem, such as low stability margin due to the sharp resonant peak, nonlinear dynamics, parameter uncertainty, etc. As such, damping controllers are often utilised to damp the mechanical resonance of the nanopositioners. The Integral Resonant Controller (IRC is used in this paper as a damping controller to damp the mechanical resonance. A further inherent problem is the hysteresis phenomenon (disturbance, which leads to degrading the positioning performance (accuracy of the piezo-driven stage. The common approach to treat this disturbance is to invoke tracking controllers in a closed-loop feedback scheme in conjunction with the damping controllers. The traditional approach uses the Integral Controller (I or Proportional Integral (PI as a tracking controller, whereas this paper introduces the Proportional and Integral (PI-like Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC as a tracking controller. The effectiveness of the proposed control schemes over conventional schemes is confirmed through comparative simulation studies, and results are presented. The stability boundaries of the proposed control schemes are determined in the same way as with a conventional controller. Robustness against variations in the resonant frequency of the proposed control schemes is verified.

Robust independent modal space control of a coupled nano-positioning piezo-stage

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Wei; Yang, Fufeng; Rui, Xiaoting

2018-06-01

In order to accurately control a coupled 3-DOF nano-positioning piezo-stage, this paper designs a hybrid controller. In this controller, a hysteresis observer based on a Bouc-Wen model is established to compensate the hysteresis nonlinearity of the piezoelectric actuator first. Compared to hysteresis compensations using Preisach model and Prandt-Ishlinskii model, the compensation method using the hysteresis observer is computationally lighter. Then, based on the proposed dynamics model, by constructing the modal filter, a robust H∞ independent modal space controller is designed and utilized to decouple the piezo-stage and deal with the unmodeled dynamics, disturbance, and hysteresis compensation error. The effectiveness of the proposed controller is demonstrated experimentally. The experimental results show that the proposed controller can significantly achieve the high-precision positioning.

On compressible and piezo-viscous flow in thin porous media.

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez-Ràfols, F; Wall, P; Almqvist, A

2018-01-01

In this paper, we study flow through thin porous media as in, e.g. seals or fractures. It is often useful to know the permeability of such systems. In the context of incompressible and iso-viscous fluids, the permeability is the constant of proportionality relating the total flow through the media to the pressure drop. In this work, we show that it is also relevant to define a constant permeability when compressible and/or piezo-viscous fluids are considered. More precisely, we show that the corresponding nonlinear equation describing the flow of any compressible and piezo-viscous fluid can be transformed into a single linear equation. Indeed, this linear equation is the same as the one describing the flow of an incompressible and iso-viscous fluid. By this transformation, the total flow can be expressed as the product of the permeability and a nonlinear function of pressure, which represents a generalized pressure drop.

Tuning Light Emission of a Pressure-Sensitive Silicon/ZnO Nanowires Heterostructure Matrix through Piezo-phototronic Effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Mengxiao; Pan, Caofeng; Zhang, Taiping; Li, Xiaoyi; Liang, Renrong; Wang, Zhong Lin

2016-06-28

Based on white light emission at silicon (Si)/ZnO hetrerojunction, a pressure-sensitive Si/ZnO nanowires heterostructure matrix light emitting diode (LED) array is developed. The light emission intensity of a single heterostructure LED is tuned by external strain: when the applied stress keeps increasing, the emission intensity first increases and then decreases with a maximum value at a compressive strain of 0.15-0.2%. This result is attributed to the piezo-phototronic effect, which can efficiently modulate the LED emission intensity by utilizing the strain-induced piezo-polarization charges. It could tune the energy band diagrams at the junction area and regulate the optoelectronic processes such as charge carriers generation, separation, recombination, and transport. This study achieves tuning silicon based devices through piezo-phototronic effect.

Piezo-phototronic Effect Enhanced UV/Visible Photodetector Based on Fully Wide Band Gap Type-II ZnO/ZnS Core/Shell Nanowire Array.

Science.gov (United States)

Rai, Satish C; Wang, Kai; Ding, Yong; Marmon, Jason K; Bhatt, Manish; Zhang, Yong; Zhou, Weilie; Wang, Zhong Lin

2015-06-23

A high-performance broad band UV/visible photodetector has been successfully fabricated on a fully wide bandgap ZnO/ZnS type-II heterojunction core/shell nanowire array. The device can detect photons with energies significantly smaller (2.2 eV) than the band gap of ZnO (3.2 eV) and ZnS (3.7 eV), which is mainly attributed to spatially indirect type-II transition facilitated by the abrupt interface between the ZnO core and ZnS shell. The performance of the device was further enhanced through the piezo-phototronic effect induced lowering of the barrier height to allow charge carrier transport across the ZnO/ZnS interface, resulting in three orders of relative responsivity change measured at three different excitation wavelengths (385, 465, and 520 nm). This work demonstrates a prototype UV/visible photodetector based on the truly wide band gap semiconducting 3D core/shell nanowire array with enhanced performance through the piezo-phototronic effect.

Extremely stable piezo mechanisms for the New Gravitational Wave Observatory

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pijnenburg, J.A.C.M.; Rijnveld, N.; Hogenhuis, H.

2012-01-01

Detection and observation of gravitational waves requires extreme stability in the frequency range 3e-5 Hz to 1 Hz. NGO/LISA will attain this by creating a giant interferometer in space, based on free floating proof masses in three spacecrafts. To operate NGO/LISA, the following piezo mechanisms are

Characterization of a next-generation piezo bimorph X-ray mirror for synchrotron beamlines.

Science.gov (United States)

Alcock, Simon G; Nistea, Ioana; Sutter, John P; Sawhney, Kawal; Fermé, Jean Jacques; Thellièr, Christophe; Peverini, Luca

2015-01-01

Piezo bimorph mirrors are versatile active optics used on many synchrotron beamlines. However, many bimorphs suffer from the `junction effect': a periodic deformation of the optical surface which causes major aberrations to the reflected X-ray beam. This effect is linked to the construction of such mirrors, where piezo ceramics are glued directly below the thin optical substrate. In order to address this problem, a next-generation bimorph with piezos bonded to the side faces of a monolithic substrate was developed at Thales-SESO and optimized at Diamond Light Source. Using metrology feedback from the Diamond-NOM, the optical slope error was reduced to ∼ 0.5 µrad r.m.s. for a range of ellipses. To maximize usability, a novel holder was built to accommodate the substrate in any orientation. When replacing a first-generation bimorph on a synchrotron beamline, the new mirror significantly improved the size and shape of the reflected X-ray beam. Most importantly, there was no evidence of the junction effect even after eight months of continuous beamline usage. It is hoped that this new design will reinvigorate the use of active bimorph optics at synchrotron and free-electron laser facilities to manipulate and correct X-ray wavefronts.

Piezo-Phototronic Effect on Selective Electron or Hole Transport through Depletion Region of Vis-NIR Broadband Photodiode.

Science.gov (United States)

Zou, Haiyang; Li, Xiaogan; Peng, Wenbo; Wu, Wenzhuo; Yu, Ruomeng; Wu, Changsheng; Ding, Wenbo; Hu, Fei; Liu, Ruiyuan; Zi, Yunlong; Wang, Zhong Lin

2017-08-01

Silicon underpins nearly all microelectronics today and will continue to do so for some decades to come. However, for silicon photonics, the indirect band gap of silicon and lack of adjustability severely limit its use in applications such as broadband photodiodes. Here, a high-performance p-Si/n-ZnO broadband photodiode working in a wide wavelength range from visible to near-infrared light with high sensitivity, fast response, and good stability is reported. The absorption of near-infrared wavelength light is significantly enhanced due to the nanostructured/textured top surface. The general performance of the broadband photodiodes can be further improved by the piezo-phototronic effect. The enhancement of responsivity can reach a maximum of 78% to 442 nm illumination, the linearity and saturation limit to 1060 nm light are also significantly increased by applying external strains. The photodiode is illuminated with different wavelength lights to selectively choose the photogenerated charge carriers (either electrons or holes) passing through the depletion region, to investigate the piezo-phototronic effect on electron or hole transport separately for the first time. This is essential for studying the basic principles in order to develop a full understanding about piezotronics and it also enables the development of the better performance of optoelectronics. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Lateral nanowire/nanobelt based nanogenerators, piezotronics and piezo-phototronics

KAUST Repository

Wang, Zhong Lin

2010-11-01

Relying on the piezopotential created in ZnO under straining, nanogenerators, piezotronics and piezo-phototronics developed based on laterally bonded nanowires on a polymer substrate have been reviewed. The principle of the nanogenerator is a transient flow of electrons in external load as driven by the piezopotential created by dynamic straining. By integrating the contribution made by millions of nanowires, the output voltage has been raised to 1.2 V. Consequently, self-powered nanodevices have been demonstrated. This is an important platform technology for the future sensor network and the internet of things. Alternatively, the piezopotential can act as a gate voltage that can tune/gate the transport process of the charge carriers in the nanowire, which is a gate-electrode free field effect transistor (FET). The device fabricated based on this principle is called the piezotronic device. Piezo-phototronic effect is about the tuning and controlling of electro-optical processes by strain induced piezopotential. The piezotronic, piezophotonic and pieozo-phototronic devices are focused on low frequency applications in areas involving mechanical actions, such as MEMS/NEMS, nanorobotics, sensors, actuators and triggers. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Installation and evaluation of weigh-in-motion utilizing quartz-piezo sensor technology.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-06-28

The objective of the research study was: to install a quartz-piezo based WIM system, and to : determine sensor survivability, accuracy and reliability under actual traffic conditions in : Connecticuts environment. If the systems prove dependable a...

Portable bench tester for piezo weigh-in-motion equipment : executive summary report.

Science.gov (United States)

2006-06-01

The Ohio Department of Transportation's (ODOT) piezo weigh-in-motion (WIM) equipment must be tested for initial working operation and to insure continued correct operation. Currently, the only available method to verify the vehicle classification par...

Simple, low-noise piezo driver with feed-forward for broad tuning of external cavity diode lasers.

Science.gov (United States)

Doret, S Charles

2018-02-01

We present an inexpensive, low-noise (piezo driver suitable for frequency tuning of external-cavity diode lasers. This simple driver improves upon many commercially available drivers by incorporating circuitry to produce a "feed-forward" signal appropriate for making simultaneous adjustments to the piezo voltage and laser current, enabling dramatic improvements in a mode-hop-free laser frequency tuning range. We present the theory behind our driver's operation, characterize its output noise, and demonstrate its use in absorption spectroscopy on the rubidium D 1 line.

Using piezo-electric material to simulate a vibration environment

Science.gov (United States)

Jepsen, Richard A.; Davie, Neil T.; Vangoethem, Douglas J.; Romero, Edward F.

2010-12-14

A target object can be vibrated using actuation that exploits the piezo-electric ("PE") property. Under combined conditions of vibration and centrifugal acceleration, a centrifugal load of the target object on PE vibration actuators can be reduced by using a counterweight that offsets the centrifugal loading. Target objects are also subjected to combinations of: spin, vibration, and acceleration; spin and vibration; and spin and acceleration.

Enhancing Light Emission of ZnO-Nanofilm/Si-Micropillar Heterostructure Arrays by Piezo-Phototronic Effect.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xiaoyi; Chen, Mengxiao; Yu, Ruomeng; Zhang, Taiping; Song, Dongsheng; Liang, Renrong; Zhang, Qinglin; Cheng, Shaobo; Dong, Lin; Pan, Anlian; Wang, Zhong Lin; Zhu, Jing; Pan, Caofeng

2015-06-22

n-ZnO nanofilm/p-Si micropillar heterostructure light-emitting diode (LED) arrays for white light emissions are achieved and the light emission intensity of LED array is enhanced by 120% under -0.05% compressive strains. These results indicate a promising approach to fabricate Si-based light-emitting components with high performances enhanced by piezo-phototronic effect, with potential applications in touchpad technology, personalized signatures, smart skin, and silicon-based photonic integrated circuits. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Influence of the Lubricant Thermo-Piezo-Viscous Property on Hydrostatic Bearings in Oil Hydraulics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Johansen, Per; Roemer, Daniel Beck; Andersen, Torben O.

2016-01-01

adds to the discrepancy of such simple design approach. In this paper the hydrostatic pressure force calculation is reviewed in terms of thermohydrodynamic (THD) lubrication theory, and simple analytical approximations of the hydrostatic pressure force, incorporating the piezo-viscous and thermo...... of these analytical approximations are explored in order to clarify the limits of application. In conclusion, it is found that the spatial gradient of the thermal field on the bearing surface is the significant factor in the thermo-viscous effect on the hydrostatic pressure profile, which leads to the conclusion...... that design engineers need to understand the thermodynamics of hydrostatic bearings, when using the conventional simple analytical approach, neglecting thermo-piezo-viscosity, in hydrostatic pressure force calculations....

ウサギICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection)におけるPiezo-ICSIの有用性の検討

OpenAIRE

鈴木, 智草; 細井, 美彦; 加藤, 博己; 松本, 和也; 佐伯, 和弘; 入谷, 明

2000-01-01

Piezo-ICSIは、マウス、ヒト、ウシにおいて、Conventional ICSIよりも有用であることが報告されている。Piezo-ICSIはConventional ICSIと比較して、透明帯や卵細胞膜へのダメージが少ないといわれている。本実験では、ウサギ卵子を用いて、Conventional ICSI (Con) と Piezo-ICSI (Piezo)を行い、in vitro とin vivoにおいての発生率を比較、検討した。Conおける生存率、卵割率、胚盤胞期胚への発生率はそれぞれ65.1％、83.5％、16.4％であった。対して、Piezoでは、69.6％、82.8％、34.3％であった。生存率、受精率に有為な差は見られなかったが、胚盤胞期胚への発生率は、5％水準で有為差が見られた。また、同期化処理をした雌ウサギへの卵管移植の結果、Con 1％ (1/70)、Piezo6％ (4/70)の割合で産子が得られた。以上のことより、ウサギ卵子に対してのPiezo-ICSIは Conventional ICSIよりも有用であることが示唆された。　（英文）　It report...

CdS nanorods/organic hybrid LED array and the piezo-phototronic effect of the device for pressure mapping.

Science.gov (United States)

Bao, Rongrong; Wang, Chunfeng; Dong, Lin; Shen, Changyu; Zhao, Kun; Pan, Caofeng

2016-04-21

As widely applied in light-emitting diodes and optical devices, CdS has attracted the attention of many researchers due to its nonlinear properties and piezo-electronic effect. Here, we demonstrate a LED array composed of PSS and CdS nanorods and research the piezo-photonic effect of the array device. The emission intensity of the device depends on the electron-hole recombination at the interface of the p-n junction which can be adjusted using the piezo-phototronic effect and can be used to map the pressure applied on the surface of the device with spatial resolution as high as 1.5 μm. A flexible LED device array has been prepared using a CdS nanorod array on a Au/Cr/kapton substrate. This device may be used in the field of strain mapping using its high pressure spatial-resolution and flexibility.

Portable bench tester for piezo weigh-in-motion equipment : final report, June 2006.

Science.gov (United States)

2006-06-01

The Ohio Department of Transportation's (ODOT) piezo weigh-in-motion (WIM) equipment must be tested for initial working operation and to insure continued correct operation. Currently, the only available method to verify the vehicle classification par...

Topology optimization of piezo modal transducers with null-polarity phases

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Donoso, A.; Sigmund, O.

2016-01-01

Piezo modal transducers in 2d can be designed theoretically by tailoring polarity of the surface electrodes. However, it is also necessary to include null-polarity phases of known width separating areas of opposite polarity in the manufacturing process in order to avoid short-circuiting. Otherwise...... the performance of such devices could be spoiled. In this work, we propose an appropriate topology optimization interpolation function for the electrode profile such that the effect of this new phase (hereafter gap-phase) is included in the formulation of the design problem. The approach is density-based, where...... the interface is controlled by including the gradient norm in the electrode profile interpolation. Through a detailed case study in 1d, conclusions on how to control the width of this gap-phase are extracted, and subsequently extended to the 2d case....

The effect of z-binding yarns on the electrical properties of 3D woven composites

KAUST Repository

Saleh, Mohamed Nasr

2017-09-28

Electrical resistance monitoring (ERM) has been used to study the effect of the z-binding yarns on the initial electrical resistance (ER) and its change of three architectures of 3D woven carbon fibre composites namely (orthogonal “ORT”, layer-to-layer “LTL” and angle interlock “AI”) when tested in tension. Specimens are loaded in on-axis “warp” and off-axis “45°” directions. In-situ ERM is achieved using the four-probe technique. Monotonic and cyclic “load/unload” tests are performed to investigate the effect of piezo-resistivity and residual plasticity on resistance variation. The resistance increase for the off-axis loaded specimens (∼90%) is found to be higher than that of their on-axis counterparts (∼20%). In the case of cyclic testing, the resistance increase upon unloading is irreversible which suggests permanent damage presence not piezo-resistive effect. At the moment, it is difficult to obtain a direct correlation between resistance variation and damage in 3D woven composites due to the complexity of the conduction path along the three orthogonal directions, however this study demonstrates the potential of using ERM for damage detection in 3D woven carbon fibre-based composites and highlights the challenges that need to be overcome to establish ERM as a Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) technique for such material systems.

Monolithic optofluidic mode coupler for broadband thermo- and piezo-optical characterization of liquids.

Science.gov (United States)

Pumpe, Sebastian; Chemnitz, Mario; Kobelke, Jens; Schmidt, Markus A

2017-09-18

We present a monolithic fiber device that enables investigation of the thermo- and piezo-optical properties of liquids using straightforward broadband transmission measurements. The device is a directional mode coupler consisting of a multi-mode liquid core and a single-mode glass core with pronounced coupling resonances whose wavelength strongly depend on the operation temperature. We demonstrated the functionality and flexibility of our device for carbon disulfide, extending the current knowledge of the thermo-optic coefficient by 200 nm at 20 °C and uniquely for high temperatures. Moreover, our device allows measuring the piezo-optic coefficient of carbon disulfide, confirming results first obtained by Röntgen in 1891. Finally, we applied our approach to obtain the dispersion of the thermo-optic coefficients of benzene and tetrachloroethylene between 450 and 800 nm, whereas no data was available for the latter so far.

Omnidirectional piezo-optical ring sensor for enhanced guided wave structural health monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giurgiutiu, Victor; Roman, Catalin; Lin, Bin; Frankforter, Erik

2015-01-01

This paper presents a novel method for the detection of ultrasonic waves from acoustic emission events using piezoelectric wafer ac3tive sensors (PWAS) and optical fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensing combined with mechanical resonance amplification principles. The method is best suited for detecting the out-of-plane motion of the AE wave with preference for a certain frequency that can be adjusted by design. Several issues are discussed: (a) study the mode shapes of the sensors under different resonance frequencies in order to understand the behavior of the ring in a frequency band of interest; (b) comparison of analytical results and mode shapes with FEM predictions; (c) choice of the final piezo-optical ring sensor shape; (d) testing of the piezo-optical ring sensor prototype; (e) discussion of the ring-sensor test results in comparison with conventional results from PWAS and FBG sensors mounted directly on the test structure. The paper ends with summary, conclusions, and suggestions for further work. (paper)

Miniaturized Low-Power Piezo Microvalve for NanoSat and CubeSat Propulsion, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — In the Phase I effort, Busek developed a miniature precision piezo-actuated microvalve weighing 32g and occupying 4.5 cm^3. The valve demonstrated continuous flow...

Determination of flow-rate characteristics and parameters of piezo pilot valves

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Takosoglu Jakub

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Pneumatic directional valves are used in most industrial pneumatic systems. Most of them are two-stage valves controlled by a pilot valve. Pilot valves are often chosen randomly. Experimental studies in order to determine the flow-rate characteristics and parameters of pilot valves were not conducted. The paper presents experimental research of two piezo pilot valves.

Simple and robust phase-locking of optical cavities with > 200 KHz servo-bandwidth using a piezo-actuated mirror mounted in soft materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldovsky, David; Jouravsky, Valery; Pe'er, Avi

2016-12-12

We present an approach to locking of optical cavities with piezoelectric actuated mirrors based on a simple and effective mechanical decoupling of the mirror and actuator from the surrounding mount. Using simple elastic materials (e.g. rubber or soft silicone gel pads) as mechanical dampers between the piezo-mirror compound and the surrounding mount, a firm and stable mounting of a relatively large mirror (8mm diameter) can be maintained that is isolated from external mechanical resonances, and is limited only by the internal piezo-mirror resonance of > 330 KHz. Our piezo lock showed positive servo gain up to 208 KHz, and a temporal response to a step interference within < 3 μs.

Piezo channels and GsMTx4: Two milestones in our understanding of excitatory mechanosensitive channels and their role in pathology.

Science.gov (United States)

Suchyna, Thomas M

2017-11-01

Discovery of Piezo channels and the reporting of their sensitivity to the inhibitor GsMTx4 were important milestones in the study of non-selective cationic mechanosensitive channels (MSCs) in normal physiology and pathogenesis. GsMTx4 had been used for years to investigate the functional role of cationic MSCs, especially in muscle tissue, but with little understanding of its target or inhibitory mechanism. The sensitivity of Piezo channels to bilayer stress and its robust mechanosensitivity when expressed in heterologous systems were keys to determining GsMTx4's mechanism of action. However, questions remain regarding Piezo's role in muscle function due to the non-selective nature of GsMTx4 inhibition toward membrane mechanoenzymes and the implication of MCS channel types by genetic knockdown. Evidence supporting Piezo like activity, at least in the developmental stages of muscle, is presented. While the MSC targets of GsMTx4 in muscle pathology are unclear, its muscle protective effects are clearly demonstrated in two recent in situ studies on normal cardiomyocytes and dystrophic skeletal muscle. The muscle protective function may be due to the combined effect of GsMTx4's inhibitory action on cationic MSCs like Piezo and TRP, and its potentiation of repolarizing K + selective MSCs like K2P and SAKCa. Paradoxically, the potent in vitro action of GsMTx4 on many physiological functions seems to conflict with its lack of in situ side-effects on normal animal physiology. Future investigations into cytoskeletal control of sarcolemma mechanics and the suspected inclusion of MSCs in membrane micro/nano sized domains with distinct mechanical properties will aide our understanding of this dichotomy. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Growth and characterization of Pb(Lu{sub 1/2}Nb{sub 1/2})O{sub 3}-Pb(Mg{sub 1/3}Nb{sub 2/3})O{sub 3}-PbTiO{sub 3} ternary piezo-/ferroelectric crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Ying [Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials Chemistry and Physics, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002 (China); College of Physics and Energy, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350117 (China); He, Chao [Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials Chemistry and Physics, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002 (China); Yang, Xiaoming [Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials Chemistry and Physics, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002 (China); College of Physics and Energy, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350117 (China); Li, Xiuzhi; Wang, Zujian [Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials Chemistry and Physics, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002 (China); Huang, Zhigao; Lai, Fachun [College of Physics and Energy, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350117 (China); Long, Xifa, E-mail: lxf@fjirsm.ac.cn [Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials Chemistry and Physics, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002 (China)

2016-08-05

Piezo-/ferroelectric crystals of Pb(Lu{sub 1/2}Nb{sub 1/2})O{sub 3}-Pb(Mg{sub 1/3}Nb{sub 2/3})O{sub 3}-PbTiO{sub 3} ternary solid solution system with high Curie temperature, in the vicinity of morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) region, are grown by the top-seeded solution growth (TSSG) method for the first time. The compositions and structures of the crystals are analyzed, all the structures are found to have pure perovskite structure using X-ray diffraction analysis. Di-/piezo-/ferroelectric properties of the crystals are also characterized systematically. The Curie temperature T{sub c} and coercive field E{sub c}, increase gradually with increasing PbTiO{sub 3} content. In particular, the crystal with composition 0.34PLN-0.31PMN-0.35PT possesses excellent electric properties including the Curie temperature, the rhombohedral–tetragonal phase transition temperature, the piezoelectric coefficient, the remnant polarization and the coercive field, which are T{sub c} = 228 °C, T{sub RT} = 156 °C, d{sub 33} = 2092 pC N{sup −1}, Pr = 35.5 μC cm{sup −2} and E{sub c} = 8.1 kV cm{sup −1}, respectively, making it a promising material for transducers or detectors in a wide temperature range. - Highlights: • PLN-PMN-PT Piezo-/ferroelectric crystals are grown by TSSG method. • The Curie temperature and coercive field increase gradually with increasing PT. • The crystal of 0.34PLN-0.31PMN-0.35PT possesses excellent electric properties.

A new piezo-driven microgripper based on the double-rocker mechanism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Yi-ling; Wei, Yan-ding; Tian, Geng; Zhao, Xiao-wei; Fu, Lei; Lou, Jun-qiang

2015-01-01

This paper reports the design and modelling of a new piezo-driven microgripper with large output displacements. The design of the microgripper is based on the double-rocker mechanism and the parallelogram mechanism. The microgripper can produce a large output displacement and a parallel movement of the gripper tips. Theoretical models for the microgripper are derived using the pseudorigid-body-model method. Through several finite-element analysis simulations, the optimal geometric parameters of the microgripper are obtained, and the theoretical models are evaluated and verified. The performance of the proposed microgripper is demonstrated by several experiments, and a micromanipulation case is presented. The experimental results indicate that the microgripper with the double-rocker mechanism has a large output displacement of 213.9 μm and a large amplification ratio of 21.4. The microgripper is capable of multiscale micromanipulation. (paper)

Test of piezo-ceramic motor technology in ITER relevant high magnetic fields

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Monti, Chiara, E-mail: chiara.monti@enea.it [Associazione EURATOM-ENEA sulla Fusione, via Enrico Fermi 45, 00044 Frascati, Rome (Italy); Besi Vetrella, Ugo; Mugnaini, Giampiero; Neri, Carlo; Rossi, Paolo; Viola, Rosario [Associazione EURATOM-ENEA sulla Fusione, via Enrico Fermi 45, 00044 Frascati, Rome (Italy); Dubus, Gregory; Damiani, Carlo [Fusion for Energy, c/ Josep Pla, 2 Torres Diagonal Litoral, 08019 Barcelona (Spain)

2014-10-15

In the framework of a Fusion for Energy (F4E) grant, a test campaign started in 2012 in order to assess the performance of the in-vessel viewing system (IVVS) probe concept and to verify its compatibility when exposed to ITER typical working conditions. ENEA laboratories went through with several tests simulating high magnetic fields, high temperature, high vacuum, gamma radiation and neutron radiation. A customized motor has been adopted to study the performances of ultrasonic piezo motors technology in high magnetic field conditions. This paper reports on the testing activity performed on the motor in a multi Tesla magnetic field. The job was carried out in a test facility of ENEA laboratories able to achieve 14 T. A maximum field of 10 T, fully compliant with ITER requirements (8 T), was applied. A specific mechanical assembly has been designed and manufactured to hold the motor in the region with high homogeneity of the field. Results obtained so far indicate that the motor is compatible with high magnetic fields, and are presented in the paper.

Design issues of the piezo motor for the spacecraft reflector control system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Azin Anton

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Creation of large-size reflectors for spacecrafts is a topical issue for the space industry. The accuracy of the reflecting surface form and the structure weight are the main criteria for the reflector design. The accuracy of the reflecting surface form during a long-term operation is provided by adjustment when using piezoelectric motors in the reflector design. These motors have small weight-size parameters and can reach great torque values. The piezo motor is a distributed mechanical-acoustic oscillation system. Mechanical-acoustic oscillations are generated in the piezo motor by a PZT-stack and transmitted to an oscillator element, and then from the oscillator element to a load action element. At high frequencies, when dimensions of the oscillator are proportionate to the wavelength, the energy is transmitted by means of acoustic waves. In this case, mechanical waves practically are not involved in the energy transmission process. This thesis shows a method for selecting the material of a mechanical-acoustic oscillation system according to the efficiency of the acoustic energy transmission via a piezoelectric layered structure.

Chemical gas sensors based on functionalized self-actuated piezo-resistive cantilevers

OpenAIRE

Filenko, Denys

2008-01-01

Der Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit liegt in der Anwendung funktionalisierter Mikrocantilever mit integrierter bimorpher Aktuation und piezo-resistiver Detektion als chemische Gassensoren für den schnellen, tragbaren und preisgünstigen Nachweis verschiedener flüchtiger Substanzen. Besondere Beachtung erfährt die Verbesserung der Cantilever-Arbeitsleistung durch den Betrieb in speziellen Modi. Weiterer Schwerpunkt liegt in der Untersuchung von spezifischen Sorptionswechselwirkungen und Anwendung von...

Structural identification and damage diagnosis using self-sensing piezo-impedance transducers

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Yee Yan; Bhalla, Suresh; Kiong Soh, Chee

2006-08-01

The use of smart materials, such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT), has accelerated developments in the fields of structural identification and automated structural health monitoring (SHM). One such technique that has made much progress is the electro-mechanical impedance (EMI) technique, which employs self-sensing piezo-impedance transducers. In this technique, a PZT patch is surface bonded to the structure to be monitored and its corresponding electro-mechanical admittance signature is used for damage detection. This paper introduces a new method for identifying structures from the measured admittance signatures in terms of equivalent structural parameters, whereby the identified parameters are used for damage characterization. The new method has been applied to a truss, a beam and a concrete cube, and found to be able to successfully perform structural identification and damage diagnosis. In addition, several advantages have been ascertained in comparison with the conventional, non-parametric statistical methods.

A Low Mass Translation Mechanism for Planetary FTIR Spectrometry using an Ultrasonic Piezo Linear Motor

Science.gov (United States)

Heverly, Matthew; Dougherty, Sean; Toon, Geoffrey; Soto, Alejandro; Blavier, Jean-Francois

2004-01-01

One of the key components of a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR) is the linear translation stage used to vary the optical path length between the two arms of the interferometer. This translation mechanism must produce extremely constant velocity motion across its entire range of travel to allow the instrument to attain high signal-to-noise ratio and spectral resolving power. A new spectrometer is being developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory under NASA s Planetary Instrument Definition and Development Program (PIDDP). The goal of this project is to build upon existing spaceborne FTIR spectrometer technology to produce a new instrument prototype that has drastically superior spectral resolution and substantially lower mass, making it feasible for planetary exploration. In order to achieve these goals, Alliance Spacesystems, Inc. (ASI) has developed a linear translation mechanism using a novel ultrasonic piezo linear motor in conjunction with a fully kinematic, fault tolerant linear rail system. The piezo motor provides extremely smooth motion, is inherently redundant, and is capable of producing unlimited travel. The kinematic rail uses spherical Vespel(R). rollers and bushings, which eliminates the need for wet lubrication, while providing a fault tolerant platform for smooth linear motion that will not bind under misalignment or structural deformation. This system can produce velocities from 10 - 100 mm/s with less than 1% velocity error over the entire 100-mm length of travel for a total mechanism mass of less than 850 grams. This system has performed over half a million strokes under vacuum without excessive wear or degradation in performance. This paper covers the design, development, and testing of this linear translation mechanism as part of the Planetary Atmosphere Occultation Spectrometer (PAOS) instrument prototype development program.

Inactivation of Mechanically Activated Piezo1 Ion Channels Is Determined by the C-Terminal Extracellular Domain and the Inner Pore Helix

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jason Wu

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Piezo proteins form mechanically activated ion channels that are responsible for our sense of light touch, proprioception, and vascular blood flow. Upon activation by mechanical stimuli, Piezo channels rapidly inactivate in a voltage-dependent manner through an unknown mechanism. Inactivation of Piezo channels is physiologically important, as it modulates overall mechanical sensitivity, gives rise to frequency filtering of repetitive mechanical stimuli, and is itself the target of numerous human disease-related channelopathies that are not well understood mechanistically. Here, we identify the globular C-terminal extracellular domain as a structure that is sufficient to confer the time course of inactivation and a single positively charged lysine residue at the adjacent inner pore helix as being required for its voltage dependence. Our results are consistent with a mechanism for inactivation that is mediated through voltage-dependent conformations of the inner pore helix and allosteric coupling with the C-terminal extracellular domain.

Entrapped air bubbles in piezo-driven inkjet printing: their effect on the droplet velocity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jong, de J.; Jeurissen, R.J.M.; Borel, H.; Berg, van den M.; Versluis, M.; Wijshoff, H.M.A.; Prosperetti, A.; Reinten, H.; Lohse, D.

2006-01-01

Air bubbles entrapped in the ink channel are a major problem in piezo-driven inkjet printing. They grow by rectified diffusion and eventually counteract the pressure buildup at the nozzle, leading to a breakdown of the jetting process. Experimental results on the droplet velocity udrop as a function

Entrapped air bubbles in piezo-driven inkjet printing: Their effect on the droplet velocity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Jong, J.; Jeurissen, R.J.M.; Borel, Huub; van den Berg, Marc; Wijshoff, Herman; Versluis, Michel; Wijshoff, H.; Reinten, Hans; Prosperetti, Andrea; Lohse, Detlef

2006-01-01

Air bubbles entrapped in the ink channel are a major problem in piezo-driven inkjet printing. They grow by rectified diffusion and eventually counteract the pressure buildup at the nozzle, leading to a breakdown of the jetting process. Experimental results on the droplet velocity udrop as a function

PZT/PLZT - elastomer composites with improved piezoelectric voltage coefficient

Science.gov (United States)

Harikrishnan, K.; Bavbande, D. V.; Mohan, Dhirendra; Manoharan, B.; Prasad, M. R. S.; Kalyanakrishnan, G.

2018-02-01

Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) and Lanthanum-modified Lead Zirconate Titanate (PLZT) ceramic sensor materials are widely used because of their excellent piezoelectric coefficients. These materials are brittle, high density and have low achievable piezoelectric voltage coefficients. The density of the sintered ceramics shall be reduced by burnable polymeric sponge method. The achievable porosity level in this case is nearly 60 - 90%. However, the porous ceramic structure with 3-3 connectivity produced by this method is very fragile in nature. The strength of the porous structure is improved with Sylgard®-184 (silicone elastomer) by vacuum impregnation method maintaining the dynamic vacuum level in the range of -650 mm Hg. The elastomer Sylgard®-184 is having low density, low dielectric constant and high compliance (as a resultant stiffness of the composites is increased). To obtain a net dipole moment, the impregnated ceramic composites were subjected to poling treatment with varying conditions of D.C. field and temperature. The properties of the poled PZT/PLZT - elastomer composites were characterized with LCR meter for measuring the dielectric constant values (k), d33 meter used for measuring piezo-electric charge coefficient values (d33) and piezo-electric voltage coefficient (g33) values which were derived from d33 values. The voltage coefficient (g33) values of these composites are increased by 10 fold as compared to the conventional solid ceramics demonstrates that it is possible to fabricate a conformable detector.

A Study on the Optimal Actuation Structure Design of a Direct Needle-Driven Piezo Injector for a CRDi Engine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sangik Han

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Recently, the high-pressure fuel injection performance of common-rail direct injection (CRDi engines has become more important, due to the need to improve the multi-injection strategy. A multiple injection strategy provides better emission and fuel economy characteristics than a normal single injection scheme. The CRDi engine performance changes with the type of high-pressure electro-mechanical injector that is used and its injection response in a multi-injection scheme. In this study, a direct needle-driven piezo injector (DPI was investigated, to optimize its actuation components, including the plate length, number of springs, and the elasticity of the spring between the injector needle and the piezo stack. Three prototype DPIs were proposed by this research. They were classified as Type 1, 2, and 3, depending on whether the injector needle was hydraulic or mechanical. Then, the optimal prototype was determined by conducting four evaluation experiments analyzing the maximum injection pressure, injection rate, spray visualization, and real engine combustion application. As a result, it was found that the Type 3 DPI prototype, with several pan-springs and plates, had the highest injection pressure, a steady injection rate, and the fastest spray speed. It also demonstrated the most effective emission reduction for a two-stage rapid spray injection in a single-cylinder CRDi engine. The Type 3 DPI displays an increased elasticity from its hydraulic needle that provides a synergy effect for improving DPI actuation.

Infrared imaging and acoustic sizing of a bubble inside a MEMS piezo ink channel

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bos, van der A.; Segers, T.; Jeurissen, R.J.M.; Berg, van den M.; Reinten, H.; Wijshoff, H.M.A.; Versluis, M.; Lohse, D.

2011-01-01

Piezo drop-on-demand inkjet printers are used in an increasing number of applications because of their reliable deposition of droplets onto a substrate. Droplets of a few picoliters are ejected from an inkjet nozzle at frequencies of up to 100 kHz. However, the entrapment of an air microbubble in

Study on Temperature and Synthetic Compensation of Piezo-Resistive Differential Pressure Sensors by Coupled Simulated Annealing and Simplex Optimized Kernel Extreme Learning Machine.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Ji; Hu, Guoqing; Zhou, Yonghong; Zou, Chong; Peng, Wei; Alam Sm, Jahangir

2017-04-19

As a high performance-cost ratio solution for differential pressure measurement, piezo-resistive differential pressure sensors are widely used in engineering processes. However, their performance is severely affected by the environmental temperature and the static pressure applied to them. In order to modify the non-linear measuring characteristics of the piezo-resistive differential pressure sensor, compensation actions should synthetically consider these two aspects. Advantages such as nonlinear approximation capability, highly desirable generalization ability and computational efficiency make the kernel extreme learning machine (KELM) a practical approach for this critical task. Since the KELM model is intrinsically sensitive to the regularization parameter and the kernel parameter, a searching scheme combining the coupled simulated annealing (CSA) algorithm and the Nelder-Mead simplex algorithm is adopted to find an optimal KLEM parameter set. A calibration experiment at different working pressure levels was conducted within the temperature range to assess the proposed method. In comparison with other compensation models such as the back-propagation neural network (BP), radius basis neural network (RBF), particle swarm optimization optimized support vector machine (PSO-SVM), particle swarm optimization optimized least squares support vector machine (PSO-LSSVM) and extreme learning machine (ELM), the compensation results show that the presented compensation algorithm exhibits a more satisfactory performance with respect to temperature compensation and synthetic compensation problems.

Sleep Apnea Detection Based on Thoracic and Abdominal Movement Signals of Wearable Piezo-Electric Bands.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Yin-Yan; Wu, Hau-Tieng; Hsu, Chi-An; Huang, Po-Chiun; Huang, Yuan-Hao; Lo, Yu-Lun

2016-12-07

Physiologically, the thoracic (THO) and abdominal (ABD) movement signals, captured using wearable piezo-electric bands, provide information about various types of apnea, including central sleep apnea (CSA) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, the use of piezo-electric wearables in detecting sleep apnea events has been seldom explored in the literature. This study explored the possibility of identifying sleep apnea events, including OSA and CSA, by solely analyzing one or both the THO and ABD signals. An adaptive non-harmonic model was introduced to model the THO and ABD signals, which allows us to design features for sleep apnea events. To confirm the suitability of the extracted features, a support vector machine was applied to classify three categories - normal and hypopnea, OSA, and CSA. According to a database of 34 subjects, the overall classification accuracies were on average 75.9%±11.7% and 73.8%±4.4%, respectively, based on the cross validation. When the features determined from the THO and ABD signals were combined, the overall classification accuracy became 81.8%±9.4%. These features were applied for designing a state machine for online apnea event detection. Two event-byevent accuracy indices, S and I, were proposed for evaluating the performance of the state machine. For the same database, the S index was 84.01%±9.06%, and the I index was 77.21%±19.01%. The results indicate the considerable potential of applying the proposed algorithm to clinical examinations for both screening and homecare purposes.

Contribution of current carrier mobility variation to piezo-resistive effect in SmS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasil'ev, L.N.; Kaminskij, V.V.

1999-01-01

The value of the contribution from the change in the current carriers mobility and pressure to the piezo-resistive effect value in the materials on the basis of the samarium, monosulfide is studied. The conclusion, that the value of the piezoresistance of comprehensive compression should not exceed 7x10 -3 MPa -1 at T=300 K, experimental data [ru

Active Damping of a Piezoelectric Tube Scanner using Self-Sensing Piezo Actuation

Science.gov (United States)

Kuiper, S.; Schitter, G.

2010-01-01

In most Atomic Force Microscopes (AFM), a piezoelectric tube scanner is used to position the sample underneath the measurement probe. Oscillations stemming from the weakly damped resonances of the tube scanner are a major source of image distortion, putting a limitation on the achievable imaging speed. This paper demonstrates active damping of these oscillations in multiple scanning axes without the need for additional position sensors. By connecting the tube scanner in a capacitive bridge circuit the scanner oscillations can be measured in both scanning axes, using the same piezo material as an actuator and sensor simultaneously. In order to compensate for circuit imbalance caused by hysteresis in the piezo element, an adaptive balancing circuit is used. The obtained measurement signal is used for feedback control, reducing the resonance peaks in both scanning axes by 18 dB and the cross-coupling at those frequencies by 30 dB. Experimental results demonstrate a significant reduction in scanner oscillations when applying the typical triangular scanning signals, as well as a strong reduction in coupling induced oscillations. Recorded AFM images show a considerable reduction in image distortion due to the proposed control method, enabling artifact free AFM imaging at a speed of 122 lines per second with a standard piezoelectric tube scanner. PMID:26412944

Modification of the process dynamics in micro-EDM by means of an additional piezo-control system

Science.gov (United States)

Herzig, M.; Berger, T.; Schulze, H.-P.; Hackert-Oschätzchen, M.; Kröning, O.; Schubert, A.

2017-10-01

For the application of spark erosion in micro- and precision manufacturing, it is particularly important that small structures with small spark gaps can be machined in the range of a few micrometers. Due to the application of an additional high- dynamic piezo positioning system, smaller feed steps can be implemented which ensure a higher process stability. This additional feed system can be adapted to existing feed systems, whereby the process variable to be influenced is the spark gap. The primary feed system does not have to be directly influenced. The article shows how the structures of parallel regulation circuits for such operating piezo positioning systems are constructed and how they can improve the productivity, the machining accuracy and the surface quality. A selected example shows how the structural design of the highly dynamic system can be designed for different process parameters of industrial basic systems.

Finite Element Modelling and Analysis of Damage Detection Methodology in Piezo Electric Sensor and Actuator Integrated Sandwich Cantilever Beam

Science.gov (United States)

Pradeep, K. R.; Thomas, A. M.; Basker, V. T.

2018-03-01

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is an essential component of futuristic civil, mechanical and aerospace structures. It detects the damages in system or give warning about the degradation of structure by evaluating performance parameters. This is achieved by the integration of sensors and actuators into the structure. Study of damage detection process in piezoelectric sensor and actuator integrated sandwich cantilever beam is carried out in this paper. Possible skin-core debond at the root of the cantilever beam is simulated and compared with undamaged case. The beam is actuated using piezoelectric actuators and performance differences are evaluated using Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) sensors. The methodology utilized is the voltage/strain response of the damaged versus undamaged beam against transient actuation. Finite element model of piezo-beam is simulated in ANSYSTM using 8 noded coupled field element, with nodal degrees of freedoms are translations in the x, y directions and voltage. An aluminium sandwich beam with a length of 800mm, thickness of core 22.86mm and thickness of skin 0.3mm is considered. Skin-core debond is simulated in the model as unmerged nodes. Reduction in the fundamental frequency of the damaged beam is found to be negligible. But the voltage response of the PVDF sensor under transient excitation shows significantly visible change indicating the debond. Piezo electric based damage detection system is an effective tool for the damage detection of aerospace and civil structural system having inaccessible/critical locations and enables online monitoring possibilities as the power requirement is minimal.

The structure of new germanates, gallates, borates and silicates with laser, piezo, ferroelectric and ion conducting properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belokonev, E.L.

1994-01-01

The results of structure investigation of more than 50 new crystalline germanates, gallates, borogermanates, borates, and silicates with laser, piezo, ferroelectric, and ion-conducting properties are described. The structure - properties relationship is examined. 71 refs.; 24 figs.; 10 tabs

Characterization and optimization of an ultrasonic piezo-optical ring sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frankforter, Erik; Lin, Bin; Giurgiutiu, Victor

2016-01-01

A resonant piezo-optical ring sensor with both piezoelectric and fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensing elements was assessed for ultrasonic wave detection. The ring sensor is an existing device that has been shown experimentally to exhibit a number of sensing features: omnidirectionality, mode selectivity, and frequency tunability. The present study uses finite element modeling to understand these features as a means to characterize and optimize the sensor. A combined vibration-wave propagation modeling approach was used, where the vibrational modeling provided a basis for understanding sensing features, and the wave propagation modeling provided predictive power for sensor performance. The sensor features corresponded to the fundamental vibrational mode of the sensor, particularly to the base motion of this mode. The vibrational modeling was also used to guide sensor optimization, with an emphasis on the FBG and piezoelectric sensing elements. It was found that sensor symmetry and nodes of extraneous resonance modes could be exploited to provide a single-resonance response. A series of pitch-catch guided wave experiments were performed on a thin aluminum plate to assess the optimized sensor configuration. Tuning curves showed a single-frequency response to a Lamb wave and mechanical filtering away from the dominant frequency; the sensor capability for mechanical amplification of a Lamb wave and mechanical amplification of a pencil-lead-break acoustic emission event were also demonstrated. (paper)

Simultaneously Enhancing Light Emission and Suppressing Efficiency Droop in GaN Microwire-Based Ultraviolet Light-Emitting Diode by the Piezo-Phototronic Effect.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xingfu; Peng, Wenbo; Yu, Ruomeng; Zou, Haiyang; Dai, Yejing; Zi, Yunlong; Wu, Changsheng; Li, Shuti; Wang, Zhong Lin

2017-06-14

Achievement of p-n homojuncted GaN enables the birth of III-nitride light emitters. Owing to the wurtzite-structure of GaN, piezoelectric polarization charges present at the interface can effectively control/tune the optoelectric behaviors of local charge-carriers (i.e., the piezo-phototronic effect). Here, we demonstrate the significantly enhanced light-output efficiency and suppressed efficiency droop in GaN microwire (MW)-based p-n junction ultraviolet light-emitting diode (UV LED) by the piezo-phototronic effect. By applying a -0.12% static compressive strain perpendicular to the p-n junction interface, the relative external quantum efficiency of the LED is enhanced by over 600%. Furthermore, efficiency droop is markedly reduced from 46.6% to 7.5% and corresponding droop onset current density shifts from 10 to 26.7 A cm -2 . Enhanced electrons confinement and improved holes injection efficiency by the piezo-phototronic effect are revealed and theoretically confirmed as the physical mechanisms. This study offers an unconventional path to develop high efficiency, strong brightness and high power III-nitride light sources.

The fast piezo-based frequency tuner for sc CH-cavities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Amberg, Michael [Helmholtz-Institut Mainz (HIM), Mainz (Germany); IAP University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main (Germany); Aulenbacher, Kurt; Barth, Winfried [Helmholtz-Institut Mainz (HIM), Mainz (Germany); Busch, Marco; Dziuba, Florian; Podlech, Holger; Ratzinger, Ulrich [IAP University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main (Germany)

2014-07-01

Superconducting (sc) structures have to fulfill strict mechanical requirements to assure a stable operation of a cavity. Even small mechanical disturbances caused by effects like microphonic noise, pressure fluctuations of the liquid helium bath or Lorentz force detuning can change the resonance frequency of the cavity in the range of several hundred kHz. To control the slow and fast frequency variations during operation a compact frequency tuner prototype equipped with a stepper motor and a piezo actuator has been developed at the Institute for Applied Physics (IAP) of Frankfurt University. The tuner design and the results of first mechanical tests at room temperature of the first prototype are presented.

Fabrication of Tb0.3Dy0.7Fe2/epoxy composites: Enhanced uniform magnetostrictive and mechanical properties using a dryprocess

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dong Xufeng; Qi Min; Guan Xinchun; Ou Jinping

2011-01-01

To improve the uniformity of the magnetostrictive properties of Terfenol-D composites along the field direction, a dry method is developed in the present study. We examined the compaction pressure, particle volume fraction, particle size and composite configuration as factors that affected the magnetostrictive properties of the composites. The experimental results indicated that the magnetostrictive properties were improved with the increase of compaction pressure and particle volume fraction. In addition, larger average particle size was shown to result in more pronounced magnetostrictive properties. The particle alignment due to the orientation field is beneficial for the promotion of the magnetostrictive properties. The largest saturation magnetostriction and the maximum piezo-magnetic coefficient in the absence of a mechanical preload was obtained at 1005 ppm and 4.08 nm/A, respectively, for the aligned composite including a particle volume fraction of 77% and an average particle size of 210 μm. - Research Highlights: → Magnetostrictive composites were usually fabricated using a wet process. Since the settlement of the particles in the liquid polymers frequently occurred, the properties of the composites were inhomogeneous. → The dry process developed in the present study was proved effective to fabricate magnetostrictive composites with uniform properties. → The largest saturation magnetostriction and the maximum piezo-magnetic coefficient in the absence of a mechanical preload was obtained at 1005 ppm and 4.08 nm/A.

Dynamic Mechanical Properties of PMN/CNFs/EP Composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi Minxian; Huang Zhixiong; Qin Yan

2011-01-01

In this research, piezoelectric ceramic PMN(lead magnesium niobate-lead zirconate-lead titanate)/carbon nano-fibers(CNFs)/epoxy resin(EP) ccomposites were prepared and the dynamic mechanical properties and damping mechanism of PMN/CNFs/EP composites were investigated. The addition of CNFs into PMN/EP composite results in decrease of volume resistivity of the composite. When the concentration of CNFs is 0.6% weight of epoxy resin the volume resistivity of PMN/CNFs/EP composite is about 10 8 Ω·m. Dynamic mechanical analysis indicates that the loss factor, loss area, and damping temperature range of PMN/CNFs/EP composites increase with the CNFs content increasing till to 0.6% of weight of epoxy resin. When the CNFs content is more than 0.6% the damping properties of composites decrease oppositely. In PMN/CNFs/EP composites, the CNFs content 0.6% and the volume resistivity of PMN/CNFs/EP composites about 10 8 Ω·m just satisfy the practicing condition of piezo-damping, so the composites show optimal damping property.

Design and Implementation of Output Feedback Control for Piezo Actuated Structure Using Embedded System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R.Maheswari

2008-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the design of periodic output feedback control using state feedback gain to control the vibration of piezo actuated cantilever beam. The effectiveness of the controller is evaluated through simulation and experimentally by exciting the structure at resonance. Real time implementation of the controller is done using microcontroller. The closed loop eigen values of the system with periodic output feedback and state feedback are identical.

Enhanced Solar Cell Conversion Efficiency of InGaN/GaN Multiple Quantum Wells by Piezo-Phototronic Effect.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Chunyan; Jing, Liang; Huang, Xin; Liu, Mengmeng; Du, Chunhua; Liu, Ting; Pu, Xiong; Hu, Weiguo; Wang, Zhong Lin

2017-09-26

The piezo-phototronic effect is the tuning of piezoelectric polarization charges at the interface to largely enhance the efficiency of optoelectronic processes related to carrier separation or recombination. Here, we demonstrated the enhanced short-circuit current density and the conversion efficiency of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well solar cells with an external stress applied on the device. The external-stress-induced piezoelectric charges generated at the interfaces of InGaN and GaN compensate the piezoelectric charges induced by lattice mismatch stress in the InGaN wells. The energy band realignment is calculated with a self-consistent numerical model to clarify the enhancement mechanism of optical-generated carriers. This research not only theoretically and experimentally proves the piezo-phototronic effect modulated the quantum photovoltaic device but also provides a great promise to maximize the use of solar energy in the current energy revolution.

Development of a fast piezo-based frequency tuner for superconducting CH cavities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amberg, Michael

2015-01-01

In this thesis, a fast piezo-based frequency tuner for current and prospective superconducting (sc) CH-cavities has been developed. The novel tuning concept differs fundamentally from conventional tuning systems for superconducting cavities. So called dynamic bellow tuners are welded into the resonator to act against slow and fast frequency variations during operation. Because of their adjustable length it is possible to specifically influence the capacitance and therefore the resonance frequency of the cavity. To change the length of the dynamic bellow tuners the frequency tuner drive, which consists of a slow tuning device controlled by a stepper motor and a fast piezo-based tuning system, is mounted to the helium vessel of the cavity. To validate the whole tuning concept a frequency tuner drive prototype was built in the workshop of the Institute for Applied Physics (IAP) of Frankfurt University. First successful room temperature measurements show that the developed frequency tuning system is an excellent and promising candidate to fulfill the requirements of slow and fast frequency tuning of sc CH-cavities during operation. Furthermore, several coupled structural and electromagnetic simulations of the sc 325 MHz CH-cavity as well as the sc 217 MHz CH-cavity have been performed with the simulation softwares ANSYS Workbench and CST MicroWave Studio, respectively. With these simulations it was possible to reduce the required frequency range and thus the mechanical stroke of the dynamic bellow tuners on the one hand, and on the other hand the mechanical stability of the particular CH-cavity was investigated to avoid plastic deformations due to limiting external effects. To verify the accuracy of the coupled simulations the structural mechanical behaviour and the resulting frequency variations of the sc CH-cavities dependent on the external influences were measured at room temperature as well as at cryogenic temperatures around 4.2 K. The measurement results of both

Integral force feedback control with input shaping: Application to piezo-based scanning systems in ECDLs

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Meng; Liu, Zhigang; Zhu, Yu; Bu, Mingfan; Hong, Jun

2017-07-01

In this paper, a hybrid control system is developed by integrating the closed-loop force feedback and input shaping method to overcome the problem of the hysteresis and dynamic behavior in piezo-based scanning systems and increase the scanning speed of tunable external cavity diode lasers. The flexible hinge and piezoelectric actuators are analyzed, and a dynamic model of the scanning systems is established. A force sensor and an integral controller are utilized in integral force feedback (IFF) to directly augment the damping of the piezoelectric scanning systems. Hysteresis has been effectively eliminated, but the mechanical resonance is still evident. Noticeable residual vibration occurred after the inflection points and then gradually disappeared. For the further control of mechanical resonance, based on the theory of minimum-acceleration trajectory planning, the time-domain input shaping method was developed. The turning sections of a scanning trajectory are replaced by smooth curves, while the linear sections are retained. The IFF method is combined with the input shaping method to control the non-linearity and mechanical resonance in high-speed piezo-based scanning systems. Experiments are conducted, and the results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control approach.

Integral force feedback control with input shaping: Application to piezo-based scanning systems in ECDLs.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Meng; Liu, Zhigang; Zhu, Yu; Bu, Mingfan; Hong, Jun

2017-07-01

In this paper, a hybrid control system is developed by integrating the closed-loop force feedback and input shaping method to overcome the problem of the hysteresis and dynamic behavior in piezo-based scanning systems and increase the scanning speed of tunable external cavity diode lasers. The flexible hinge and piezoelectric actuators are analyzed, and a dynamic model of the scanning systems is established. A force sensor and an integral controller are utilized in integral force feedback (IFF) to directly augment the damping of the piezoelectric scanning systems. Hysteresis has been effectively eliminated, but the mechanical resonance is still evident. Noticeable residual vibration occurred after the inflection points and then gradually disappeared. For the further control of mechanical resonance, based on the theory of minimum-acceleration trajectory planning, the time-domain input shaping method was developed. The turning sections of a scanning trajectory are replaced by smooth curves, while the linear sections are retained. The IFF method is combined with the input shaping method to control the non-linearity and mechanical resonance in high-speed piezo-based scanning systems. Experiments are conducted, and the results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control approach.

Infrared imaging and acoustic sizing of a bubble inside a micro-electro-mechanical system piezo ink channel

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Bos, J.A.; van der Bos, Arjan; Segers, Tim; Segers, T.J.; Jeurissen, R.J.M.; van den Berg, Marc; Reinten, Hans; Wijshoff, Herman; Wijshoff, H.; Versluis, Michel; Lohse, Detlef

2011-01-01

Piezo drop-on-demand inkjet printers are used in an increasing number of applications because of their reliable deposition of droplets onto a substrate. Droplets of a few picoliters are ejected from an inkjet nozzle at frequencies of up to 100 kHz. However, the entrapment of an air microbubble in

Visible-Light Modulation on Lattice Dielectric Responses of a Piezo-Phototronic Soft Material.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, E-Wen; Hsu, Yu-Hsiang; Chuang, Wei-Tsung; Ko, Wen-Ching; Chang, Chung-Kai; Lee, Chih-Kung; Chang, Wen-Chi; Liao, Tzu-Kang; Thong, Hao Cheng

2015-12-16

In situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction is used to investigate a three-way piezo-phototronic soft material. This new system is composed of a semi-crystalline poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) piezoelectric polymer and titanium oxide nanoparticles. Under light illumination, photon-induced piezoelectric responses are nearly two times higher at both the lattice-structure and the macroscopic level than under conditions without light illumination. A mechanistic model is proposed. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Identification of a type of defects in CdTe crystals by the piezo spectroscopic method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tarbajev, M.Yi.

1999-01-01

The dependence of line shifts and the photoluminescence line intensity of bound exciton complexes on the direction of elastic deformation are studied for CdTe crystals at 4.2 K. On the basis of the found differences in piezo optic behavior of excitons bound to neutral donors and acceptors, the method of identification of a type of defects in CdTe crystals is proposed

Piezo-phototronic Boolean logic and computation using photon and strain dual-gated nanowire transistors.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Ruomeng; Wu, Wenzhuo; Pan, Caofeng; Wang, Zhaona; Ding, Yong; Wang, Zhong Lin

2015-02-04

Using polarization charges created at the metal-cadmium sulfide interface under strain to gate/modulate electrical transport and optoelectronic processes of charge carriers, the piezo-phototronic effect is applied to process mechanical and optical stimuli into electronic controlling signals. The cascade nanowire networks are demonstrated for achieving logic gates, binary computations, and gated D latches to store information carried by these stimuli. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Fabrication of Tb{sub 0.3}Dy{sub 0.7}Fe{sub 2}/epoxy composites: Enhanced uniform magnetostrictive and mechanical properties using a dryprocess

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dong Xufeng, E-mail: dongxf@dlut.edu.c [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, 116024 Dalian (China); Qi Min [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, 116024 Dalian (China); Guan Xinchun [School of Civil Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, 150090 Harbin (China); Ou Jinping [School of Civil Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, 150090 Harbin (China); School of Civil Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, 116024 Dalian (China)

2011-02-15

To improve the uniformity of the magnetostrictive properties of Terfenol-D composites along the field direction, a dry method is developed in the present study. We examined the compaction pressure, particle volume fraction, particle size and composite configuration as factors that affected the magnetostrictive properties of the composites. The experimental results indicated that the magnetostrictive properties were improved with the increase of compaction pressure and particle volume fraction. In addition, larger average particle size was shown to result in more pronounced magnetostrictive properties. The particle alignment due to the orientation field is beneficial for the promotion of the magnetostrictive properties. The largest saturation magnetostriction and the maximum piezo-magnetic coefficient in the absence of a mechanical preload was obtained at 1005 ppm and 4.08 nm/A, respectively, for the aligned composite including a particle volume fraction of 77% and an average particle size of 210 {mu}m. - Research Highlights: Magnetostrictive composites were usually fabricated using a wet process. Since the settlement of the particles in the liquid polymers frequently occurred, the properties of the composites were inhomogeneous. The dry process developed in the present study was proved effective to fabricate magnetostrictive composites with uniform properties. The largest saturation magnetostriction and the maximum piezo-magnetic coefficient in the absence of a mechanical preload was obtained at 1005 ppm and 4.08 nm/A.

Monitoring early hydration of reinforced concrete structures using structural parameters identified by piezo sensors via electromechanical impedance technique

Science.gov (United States)

Talakokula, Visalakshi; Bhalla, Suresh; Gupta, Ashok

2018-01-01

Concrete is the most widely used material in civil engineering construction. Its life begins when the hydration process is activated after mixing the cement granulates with water. In this paper, a non-dimensional hydration parameter, obtained from piezoelectric ceramic (PZT) patches bonded to rebars embedded inside concrete, is employed to monitor the early age hydration of concrete. The non-dimensional hydration parameter is derived from the equivalent stiffness determined from the piezo-impedance transducers using the electro-mechanical impedance (EMI) technique. The focus of the study is to monitor the hydration process of cementitious materials commencing from the early hours and continue till 28 days using single non-dimensional parameter. The experimental results show that the proposed piezo-based non-dimensional hydration parameter is very effective in monitoring the early age hydration, as it has been derived from the refined structural impedance parameters, obtained by eliminating the PZT contribution, and using both the real and imaginary components of the admittance signature.

Single Piezo-Actuator Rotary-Hammering (SPaRH) Drill

Science.gov (United States)

Sherrit, Stewart (Inventor); Bao, Xiaoqi (Inventor); Badescu, Mircea (Inventor); Bar-Cohen, Yoseph (Inventor)

2014-01-01

A Single Piezo-Actuator Rotary-Hammering (SPaRH) Drill includes a horn actuator having high power piezoelectric materials and a flexure pre-stress to increase the actuators effectiveness. The drill is a low mass, low power, compact coring drill measuring 20-cm high by 7-cm diameter and having a total weight of 2 kg including drive electronics. Using an average power of 50-Watts, the drill basalt is expected to cut basalt at a rate of 0.2 cm/min down to depth of 10-cm and create cuttings and an intact core. The drill is expected to operate under different environments including Martian ambient (6 Torr and down to -50 degree C), and liquid nitrogen temperatures (77 K) and low pressure (<<1 Torr) to simulate lunar polar and Europa conditions. Materials expected to be sampled include Kaolinite, Saddleback Basalt, Limestone, Volcanic Breccia, Siltstone, ice, permafrost and layered rocks with different hardness.

Statics and rotational dynamics of composite beams

CERN Document Server

Ghorashi, Mehrdaad

2016-01-01

This book presents a comprehensive study of the nonlinear statics and dynamics of composite beams and consists of solutions with and without active elements embedded in the beams. The static solution provides the initial conditions for the dynamic analysis. The dynamic problems considered include the analyses of clamped (hingeless) and articulated (hinged) accelerating rotating beams. Two independent numerical solutions for the steady state and the transient responses are presented. The author illustrates that the transient solution of the nonlinear formulation of accelerating rotating beam converges to the steady state solution obtained by the shooting method. Other key areas considered include calculation of the effect of perturbing the steady state solution, coupled nonlinear flap-lag dynamics of a rotating articulated beam with hinge offset and aerodynamic damping, and static and dynamic responses of nonlinear composite beams with embedded anisotropic piezo-composite actuators. The book is intended as a t...

On the application of reynolds theory to thermo-piezo-viscous lubrication in oil hydraulics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Johansen, Per; Roemer, Daniel Beck; Andersen, Torben O.

2015-01-01

The efficiency of fluid power motors and pumps is a subject to research, which has generated numerous publications during the last three decades. The main incentives for this research are optimization of reliability and efficiency through the study of loss and wear mechanisms, which are very....... In this paper the derivation of Reynolds equation from the continuum assumption is reviewed and it is shown that the validity of Reynolds theory based pressure field solutions in oil hydraulic thermo-piezo-viscous lubrication models are subject to maximum bounds on the pressure and temperature field gradients...

Quantitative Modeling of Coupled Piezo-Elastodynamic Behavior of Piezoelectric Actuators Bonded to an Elastic Medium for Structural Health Monitoring: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guoliang Huang

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Elastic waves, especially guided waves, generated by a piezoelectric actuator/sensor network, have shown great potential for on-line health monitoring of advanced aerospace, nuclear, and automotive structures in recent decades. Piezoelectric materials can function as both actuators and sensors in these applications due to wide bandwidth, quick response and low costs. One of the most fundamental issues surrounding the effective use of piezoelectric actuators is the quantitative evaluation of the resulting elastic wave propagation by considering the coupled piezo-elastodynamic behavior between the actuator and the host medium. Accurate characterization of the local interfacial stress distribution between the actuator and the host medium is the key issue for the problem. This paper presents a review of the development of analytical, numerical and hybrid approaches for modeling of the coupled piezo-elastodynamic behavior. The resulting elastic wave propagation for structural health monitoring is also summarized.

Quantitative Modeling of Coupled Piezo-Elastodynamic Behavior of Piezoelectric Actuators Bonded to an Elastic Medium for Structural Health Monitoring: A Review

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Guoliang; Song, Fei; Wang, Xiaodong

2010-01-01

Elastic waves, especially guided waves, generated by a piezoelectric actuator/sensor network, have shown great potential for on-line health monitoring of advanced aerospace, nuclear, and automotive structures in recent decades. Piezoelectric materials can function as both actuators and sensors in these applications due to wide bandwidth, quick response and low costs. One of the most fundamental issues surrounding the effective use of piezoelectric actuators is the quantitative evaluation of the resulting elastic wave propagation by considering the coupled piezo-elastodynamic behavior between the actuator and the host medium. Accurate characterization of the local interfacial stress distribution between the actuator and the host medium is the key issue for the problem. This paper presents a review of the development of analytical, numerical and hybrid approaches for modeling of the coupled piezo-elastodynamic behavior. The resulting elastic wave propagation for structural health monitoring is also summarized. PMID:22319319

A High-Performance Deformable Mirror with Integrated Driver ASIC for Space Based Active Optics

Science.gov (United States)

Shelton, Chris

electronics. On its part Microscale will continue its design and fabrication of the ASIC-DM combination. Both the SM-ASIC and the DM are currently at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 3; the major goal of the proposed effort is to raise the TRL of the combined system to 4 by scaling up the array formats and by testing, characterizing, and operating multiple generations of the integrated DM-ASIC systems in a laboratory environment. We propose a three year effort, with these tasks: Year 1: Optimize the influence function of an 8x8 DM for active / adaptive optics, by modeling and fabricating different geometric parameters of the facesheet, with its mechanical linkage posts. Fabricate an SM-ASIC and an 8x8 piezo stack DM, and evaluate their performance. Characterize and optimize the integration processes to achieve a driver/DM combination that can support high contrast imaging of exoplanets. Test the control resolution of the ASIC in driving actuators using a commercial interferometer, to ensure the ASIC can command the piezo stack actuator to nanometer levels. The goal, by year three, is control to a small number of picometers; 10-20 pm (surface) may be a practical goal, while 5 pm is the ultimate goal. Year 2: Fabricate 16x16 piezo stack DMs and matching driver ASICS, and repeat Year 1 tasks with the larger format devices. Year 3: Fabricate 32x32 DMs and SM-ASICs, and repeat Year 1 tasks with the larger format devices. Fabricate versions of the 32x32 devices that can be formed into a 2x2 array, to make a composite 64x64 DM/driver. Fabricate such a composite 64x64 DM/ASIC and evaluate its performance.

Characterization and Comparison of Control Units for Piezo Actuators to be used for Lorentz Force Compensation inth ILC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bhattacharyya, Sampriti; Pilipenko, Roman; /Fermilab

2010-01-01

Superconducting accelerators, such as the International Linear Collider (ILC), rely on very high Q accelerating cavities to achieve high electric fields at low RF power. Such cavities have very narrow resonances: a few kHz with a 1.3GHz resonance frequency for the ILC. Several mechanical factors cause tune shifts much larger than this: pressure variations in the liquid helium bath; microphonics from pumps and other mechanical devices; and for a pulsed machine such as the ILC, Lorentz force detuning (pressure from the contained RF field). Simple passive stiffening is limited by many manufacturing and material considerations. Therefore, active tuning using piezo actuators is needed. Here we study a supply for their operation. Since commercial power amplifiers are expensive, we analyzed the characteristics of four power amplifiers: (iPZD) built by Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (Sezione di Pisa); and a DC-DC converter power supply built in Fermilab (Piezo Master); and two commercial amplifiers, Piezosystem jena and Piezomechanik. This paper presents an analysis and characterization of these amplifiers to understand the cost benefit and reliability when using in a large scale, pulsed beam accelerator like the ILC.

Piezo Is Essential for Amiloride-Sensitive Stretch-Activated Mechanotransduction in Larval Drosophila Dorsal Bipolar Dendritic Sensory Neurons.

Science.gov (United States)

Suslak, Thomas J; Watson, Sonia; Thompson, Karen J; Shenton, Fiona C; Bewick, Guy S; Armstrong, J Douglas; Jarman, Andrew P

2015-01-01

Stretch-activated afferent neurons, such as those of mammalian muscle spindles, are essential for proprioception and motor co-ordination, but the underlying mechanisms of mechanotransduction are poorly understood. The dorsal bipolar dendritic (dbd) sensory neurons are putative stretch receptors in the Drosophila larval body wall. We have developed an in vivo protocol to obtain receptor potential recordings from intact dbd neurons in response to stretch. Receptor potential changes in dbd neurons in response to stretch showed a complex, dynamic profile with similar characteristics to those previously observed for mammalian muscle spindles. These profiles were reproduced by a general in silico model of stretch-activated neurons. This in silico model predicts an essential role for a mechanosensory cation channel (MSC) in all aspects of receptor potential generation. Using pharmacological and genetic techniques, we identified the mechanosensory channel, DmPiezo, in this functional role in dbd neurons, with TRPA1 playing a subsidiary role. We also show that rat muscle spindles exhibit a ruthenium red-sensitive current, but found no expression evidence to suggest that this corresponds to Piezo activity. In summary, we show that the dbd neuron is a stretch receptor and demonstrate that this neuron is a tractable model for investigating mechanisms of mechanotransduction.

High-performance fiber/epoxy composite pressure vessels

Science.gov (United States)

Chiao, T. T.; Hamstad, M. A.; Jessop, E. S.; Toland, R. H.

1978-01-01

Activities described include: (1) determining the applicability of an ultrahigh-strength graphite fiber to composite pressure vessels; (2) defining the fatigue performance of thin-titanium-lined, high-strength graphite/epoxy pressure vessel; (3) selecting epoxy resin systems suitable for filament winding; (4) studying the fatigue life potential of Kevlar 49/epoxy pressure vessels; and (5) developing polymer liners for composite pressure vessels. Kevlar 49/epoxy and graphite fiber/epoxy pressure vessels, 10.2 cm in diameter, some with aluminum liners and some with alternation layers of rubber and polymer were fabricated. To determine liner performance, vessels were subjected to gas permeation tests, fatigue cycling, and burst tests, measuring composite performance, fatigue life, and leak rates. Both the metal and the rubber/polymer liner performed well. Proportionately larger pressure vessels (20.3 and 38 cm in diameter) were made and subjected to the same tests. In these larger vessels, line leakage problems with both liners developed the causes of the leaks were identified and some solutions to such liner problems are recommended.

Dynamic characterization, monitoring and control of rotating flexible beam-mass structures via piezo-embedded techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Steven H.-Y.

1992-01-01

A variational principle and a finite element discretization technique were used to derive the dynamic equations for a high speed rotating flexible beam-mass system embedded with piezo-electric materials. The dynamic equation thus obtained allows the development of finite element models which accommodate both the original structural element and the piezoelectric element. The solutions of finite element models provide system dynamics needed to design a sensing system. The characterization of gyroscopic effect and damping capacity of smart rotating devices are addressed. Several simulation examples are presented to validate the analytical solution.

High precision silicon piezo resistive SMART pressure sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, Rod

2005-01-01

Instruments for test and calibration require a pressure sensor that is precise and stable. Market forces also dictate a move away from single measurand test equipment and, certainly in the case of pressure, away from single range equipment. A pressure 'module' is required which excels in pressure measurement but is interchangble with sensors for other measurands. A communications interface for such a sensor has been specified. Instrument Digital Output Sensor (IDOS) that permits this interchanagability and allows the sensor to be inside or outside the measuring instrument. This paper covers the design and specification of a silicon diaphragm piezo resistive SMART sensor using this interface. A brief history of instrument sensors will be given to establish the background to this development. Design choices of the silicon doping, bridge energisation method, temperature sensing, signal conversion, data processing, compensation method, communications interface will be discussed. The physical format of the 'in-instrument' version will be shown and then extended to the packaging design for the external version. Test results will show the accuracy achieved exceeds the target of 0.01%FS over a range of temperatures

High precision silicon piezo resistive SMART pressure sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Rod

2005-01-01

Instruments for test and calibration require a pressure sensor that is precise and stable. Market forces also dictate a move away from single measurand test equipment and, certainly in the case of pressure, away from single range equipment. A pressure `module' is required which excels in pressure measurement but is interchangble with sensors for other measurands. A communications interface for such a sensor has been specified. Instrument Digital Output Sensor (IDOS) that permits this interchanagability and allows the sensor to be inside or outside the measuring instrument. This paper covers the design and specification of a silicon diaphragm piezo resistive SMART sensor using this interface. A brief history of instrument sensors will be given to establish the background to this development. Design choices of the silicon doping, bridge energisation method, temperature sensing, signal conversion, data processing, compensation method, communications interface will be discussed. The physical format of the `in-instrument' version will be shown and then extended to the packaging design for the external version. Test results will show the accuracy achieved exceeds the target of 0.01%FS over a range of temperatures.

Actuation control of a PiezoMEMS biomimetic robotic jellyfish

Science.gov (United States)

Alejandre, Alvaro; Olszewski, Oskar; Jackson, Nathan

2017-06-01

Biomimetic micro-robots try to mimic the motion of a living system in the form of a synthetically developed microfabricated device. Dynamic motion of living systems have evolved through the years, but trying to mimic these motions is challenging. Micro-robotics are particular challenging as the fabrication of devices and controlling the motion in 3 dimensions is difficult. However, micro-scale robotics have potential to be used in a wide range of applications. MEMS based robots that can move and function in a liquid environment is of particular interest. This paper describes the development of a piezoMEMS based device that mimics the movement of a jellyfish. The paper focuses on the development of a finite element model that investigates a method of controlling the individual piezoelectric beams in order to create a jet propulsion motion, consisting of a quick excitation pulse followed by a slow recovery pulse in order to maximize thrust and velocity. By controlling the individual beams or legs of the jellyfish robot the authors can control the robot to move precisely in 3 dimensions.

Natural Composites: Cellulose Fibres and the related Performance of Composites

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lilholt, Hans; Madsen, Bo

2014-01-01

Biobased materials are becoming of increasing interest as potential structural materials for the future. A useful concept in this context is the fibre reinforcement of materials by stiff and strong fibres. The biobased resources can contribute with cellulose fibres and biopolymers. This offers th...... in stiffness, on the packing ability of cellulose fibres and the related maximum fibre volume fraction in composites, on the moisture sorption of cellulose fibres and the related mass increase and (large) hygral strains induced, and on the mechanical performance of composites....

High performance nano-composite technology development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Whung Whoe; Rhee, C. K.; Kim, S. J.; Park, S. D.; Kim, E. K.; Jung, S. Y.; Ryu, H. J.; Hwang, S. S.; Kim, J. K.; Hong, S. M.; Chea, Y. B.; Choi, C. H.; Kim, S. D.; Cho, B. G.; Lee, S. H.

1999-06-01

The trend of new material development are being to carried out not only high performance but also environmental attraction. Especially nano composite material which enhances the functional properties of components, extending the component life resulting to reduced the wastes and environmental contamination, has a great effect on various industrial area. The application of nano composite, depends on the polymer matrix and filler materials, has various application from semiconductor to medical field. In spite of nano composite merits, nano composite study are confined to a few special materials as a lab, scale because a few technical difficulties are still on hold. Therefore, the purpose of this study establishes the systematical planning to carried out the next generation projects on order to compete with other countries and overcome the protective policy of advanced countries with grasping over sea's development trends and our present status. (author).

High performance nano-composite technology development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Whung Whoe; Rhee, C. K.; Kim, S. J.; Park, S. D. [KAERI, Taejon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, E. K.; Jung, S. Y.; Ryu, H. J. [KRICT, Taejon (Korea, Republic of); Hwang, S. S.; Kim, J. K.; Hong, S. M. [KIST, Taejon (Korea, Republic of); Chea, Y. B. [KIGAM, Taejon (Korea, Republic of); Choi, C. H.; Kim, S. D. [ATS, Taejon (Korea, Republic of); Cho, B. G.; Lee, S. H. [HGREC, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1999-06-15

The trend of new material development are being to carried out not only high performance but also environmental attraction. Especially nano composite material which enhances the functional properties of components, extending the component life resulting to reduced the wastes and environmental contamination, has a great effect on various industrial area. The application of nano composite, depends on the polymer matrix and filler materials, has various application from semiconductor to medical field. In spite of nano composite merits, nano composite study are confined to a few special materials as a lab, scale because a few technical difficulties are still on hold. Therefore, the purpose of this study establishes the systematical planning to carried out the next generation projects on order to compete with other countries and overcome the protective policy of advanced countries with grasping over sea's development trends and our present status. (author).

High-performance composite chocolate

Science.gov (United States)

Dean, Julian; Thomson, Katrin; Hollands, Lisa; Bates, Joanna; Carter, Melvyn; Freeman, Colin; Kapranos, Plato; Goodall, Russell

2013-07-01

The performance of any engineering component depends on and is limited by the properties of the material from which it is fabricated. It is crucial for engineering students to understand these material properties, interpret them and select the right material for the right application. In this paper we present a new method to engage students with the material selection process. In a competition-based practical, first-year undergraduate students design, cost and cast composite chocolate samples to maximize a particular performance criterion. The same activity could be adapted for any level of education to introduce the subject of materials properties and their effects on the material chosen for specific applications.

Magnetoelectric(ME) Composites and Functional Devices Based on ME Effect

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Junqi

Magnetoelectric (ME) effect, a cross-coupling effect between magnetic and electric orders, has stimulated lots of investigations due to the potential for applications as multifunctional devices. In this thesis, I have investigated and optimized the ME effect in Metglas/piezo-fibers ME composites with a multi-push pull configuration. Moreover, I have also proposed several devices based on such composites. In this thesis, several methods for ME composites optimization have been investigated. (i) the ME coefficients can be enhanced greatly by using single crystal fibers with high piezoelectric properties; (ii) the influence of volume ratio between Metglas and piezo-fibers on ME coefficients has been studied both experimentally and theoretically. Modulating the volume ratio can increase the ME coefficient greatly; and (iii) the annealing process can change the properties of Metglas, which can enhance the ME response as well. Moreover, one differential structure for ME composites has been proposed, which can reject the external vibration noise by a factor of 10 to 20 dB. This differential structure may allow for practical applications of such sensors in real-world environments. Based on optimized ME composites, two types of AC magnetic sensor have been developed. The objective is to develop one alternative type of magnetic sensor with low noise, low cost and room-temperature operation; that makes the sensor competitive with the commercially available magnetic sensor, such as Fluxgate, GMR, SQUID, etc. Conventional passive sensors have been fully investigated, including the design of sensor working at specific frequency range, sensitivity, noise density characterization, etc. Furthermore, the extremely low frequency (man-portable multi-axial geomagnetic sensor has been developed which has the highest resolution of 10 nT for DC magnetic field. Based on the geomagnetic sensor, some demonstrations have been finished, such as orientation monitor, magnetic field mapping, and

A Self-Powered Wearable Noninvasive Electronic-Skin for Perspiration Analysis Based on Piezo-Biosensing Unit Matrix of Enzyme/ZnO Nanoarrays.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Wuxiao; He, Haoxuan; Zhang, Linlin; Dong, Chuanyi; Zeng, Hui; Dai, Yitong; Xing, Lili; Zhang, Yan; Xue, Xinyu

2017-09-06

The emerging multifunctional flexible electronic-skin for establishing body-electric interaction can enable real-time monitoring of personal health status as a new personalized medicine technique. A key difficulty in the device design is the flexible power supply. Here a self-powered wearable noninvasive electronic-skin for perspiration analysis has been realized on the basis of a piezo-biosensing unit matrix of enzyme/ZnO nanoarrays. The electronic-skin can detect lactate, glucose, uric acid, and urea in the perspiration, and no outside electrical power supply or battery is used in the biosensing process. The piezoelectric impulse of the piezo-biosensing units serves as the power supply and the data biosensor. The working mechanism can be ascribed to the piezoelectric-enzymatic-reaction coupling effect of enzyme/ZnO nanowires. The electronic-skin can real-time/continuously monitor the physiological state of a runner through analyzing the perspiration on his skin. This approach can promote the development of a new-type of body electric and self-powered biosensing electronic-skin.

Modal Analysis of 27 mm Piezo Electric Plate for Small-Scale Underwater Sonar-Based Navigation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. O. Afolayan

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This work presents progress towards the development of a small-scale, purely sonar-based navigation device for a robotic fish (~394 mm long. Aperture overloading of small (5 mm diameter ultrasonic transmitters does not allow them to be used effectively inside water. A test on a 27 mm diameter buzzer piezo plate shows promising performance under water at frequencies from 4.5 kHz to 80 kHz. ANSYS-based simulation was therefore used to find modal frequencies at higher frequencies so as to optimize this encouraging result. The simulation process also discovered several antiresonant frequencies such as 38.5 kHz, 54 kHz, and 57.5 kHz. All frequencies above the 8th harmonic (10,589.02 Hz are out of phase with the input load except a resonance frequency of 42.5 kHz and an antiresonance frequency of 56.5 kHz. Also, the first harmonic (1,648.73 Hz is the only frequency that gave a nodal deformation.

Study of piezo-actuators for the improvement of the frequency tuning and setup of a quench locating system for the accelerating structures of the S-DALINAC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sievers, Sven Thorsten

2013-01-01

The intention of this doctoral thesis was to find a replacement for the magnetostrictive fine tuners of the superconducting accelerating cavities of the S-DALINAC and to enlarge the range of diagnostics for these cavities. For these purposes a vertical bath cryostat has been assembled and put into operation. Within the framework of this thesis that cryostat was used (i) to test stroke and reliability of modern piezo actuators in liquid helium at 4 and 2 K and (ii) to set up a newly developed system for the localization of quenches in superconducting cavities based on second sound in superfluid helium. The negative impact of magnetic fields on the quality factor of superconducting cavities make the operation of magnetostrictive tuners nearby the cavities disadvantageous. In order to avoid a decrease of the quality factor of the cavities the magnetostrictive tuners should be replaced by non-magnetic ones. For that purpose modern piezo actuators were tested within this doctoral thesis relating to their stroke at cryogenic temperatures, their compatibility with the RF-control system of the S-DALINAC and their operational reliability in superfluid helium. The results indicate the possibility of operation of these actuators. Because piezo actuators of the same stroke only have the seventh part of length of a magnetostrictive tuner, it is possible to operate several piezo actuators at every cavity. This increases not only the range of the tuning system but also its reliability. Already tiny defects at the inner surface of superconducting cavities can cause quenching before the designed field intensity is reached. A quench results in waves of second sound in superfluid helium. The second sound can be measured by special microphones, so called Oscillating Superleak Transducers (OST), and the location of quenching can be calculated via triangulation. Such a system has been built up and tested successfully in the context of this doctoral thesis. The visual examination of the

High performance nano-composite technology development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Whung Whoe; Rhee, C. K.; Kim, S. J.; Park, S. D. [KAERI, Taejon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, E. K.; Jung, S. Y.; Ryu, H. J. [KRICT, Taejon (Korea, Republic of); Hwang, S. S.; Kim, J. K.; Hong, S. M. [KIST, Taejon (Korea, Republic of); Chea, Y. B. [KIGAM, Taejon (Korea, Republic of); Choi, C. H.; Kim, S. D. [ATS, Taejon (Korea, Republic of); Cho, B. G.; Lee, S. H. [HGREC, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1999-06-15

The trend of new material development are being to carried out not only high performance but also environmental attraction. Especially nano composite material which enhances the functional properties of components, extending the component life resulting to reduced the wastes and environmental contamination, has a great effect on various industrial area. The application of nano composite, depends on the polymer matrix and filler materials, has various application from semiconductor to medical field. In spite of nano composite merits, nano composite study are confined to a few special materials as a lab, scale because a few technical difficulties are still on hold. Therefore, the purpose of this study establishes the systematical planning to carried out the next generation projects on order to compete with other countries and overcome the protective policy of advanced countries with grasping over sea's development trends and our present status. (author).

High temperature performance of polymer composites

CERN Document Server

Keller, Thomas

2014-01-01

The authors explain the changes in the thermophysical and thermomechanical properties of polymer composites under elevated temperatures and fire conditions. Using microscale physical and chemical concepts they allow researchers to find reliable solutions to their engineering needs on the macroscale. In a unique combination of experimental results and quantitative models, a framework is developed to realistically predict the behavior of a variety of polymer composite materials over a wide range of thermal and mechanical loads. In addition, the authors treat extreme fire scenarios up to more than 1000°C for two hours, presenting heat-protection methods to improve the fire resistance of composite materials and full-scale structural members, and discuss their performance after fire exposure. Thanks to the microscopic approach, the developed models are valid for a variety of polymer composites and structural members, making this work applicable to a wide audience, including materials scientists, polymer chemist...

Remarkable Electromechanical Coupling in the 2–2 Composite Based on Single-domain PMN–0.33PT Crystal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vitaly Yu. TOPOLOV

2009-10-01

Full Text Available A novel parallel-connected 2–2 single-domain 0.67Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3O3 – 0.33PbTiO3 crystal / polymer composite with various orientations of polarization vectors of the components is proposed to analyze behavior of electromechanical coupling factors k*3j and k*k where j = 1, 2 and 3. It is shown that the combination of the highly piezo-active relaxor-ferroelectric single-domain component and the piezoelectric polymer provides considerable values of k*k (min k*k » –0.8 and max k*k» 0.7 and |k*33| (about 0.9. The active role of the polarization orientation effect and the composite structure in attaining the high performance is emphasized in this work. A strong correlation between k*k and the hydrostatic piezoelectric coefficient is first revealed near min k*k and max k*k of the 2–2 composite. Some advantages concerned with the presence of the single-domain component in the 2–2 composite are discussed in connection with the large values of k*3j and k*k as well as with the considerable anisotropy of k*3j.

A Temperature Compensation Method for Piezo-Resistive Pressure Sensor Utilizing Chaotic Ions Motion Algorithm Optimized Hybrid Kernel LSSVM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ji Li

2016-10-01

Full Text Available A piezo-resistive pressure sensor is made of silicon, the nature of which is considerably influenced by ambient temperature. The effect of temperature should be eliminated during the working period in expectation of linear output. To deal with this issue, an approach consists of a hybrid kernel Least Squares Support Vector Machine (LSSVM optimized by a chaotic ions motion algorithm presented. To achieve the learning and generalization for excellent performance, a hybrid kernel function, constructed by a local kernel as Radial Basis Function (RBF kernel, and a global kernel as polynomial kernel is incorporated into the Least Squares Support Vector Machine. The chaotic ions motion algorithm is introduced to find the best hyper-parameters of the Least Squares Support Vector Machine. The temperature data from a calibration experiment is conducted to validate the proposed method. With attention on algorithm robustness and engineering applications, the compensation result shows the proposed scheme outperforms other compared methods on several performance measures as maximum absolute relative error, minimum absolute relative error mean and variance of the averaged value on fifty runs. Furthermore, the proposed temperature compensation approach lays a foundation for more extensive research.

A Temperature Compensation Method for Piezo-Resistive Pressure Sensor Utilizing Chaotic Ions Motion Algorithm Optimized Hybrid Kernel LSSVM.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Ji; Hu, Guoqing; Zhou, Yonghong; Zou, Chong; Peng, Wei; Alam Sm, Jahangir

2016-10-14

A piezo-resistive pressure sensor is made of silicon, the nature of which is considerably influenced by ambient temperature. The effect of temperature should be eliminated during the working period in expectation of linear output. To deal with this issue, an approach consists of a hybrid kernel Least Squares Support Vector Machine (LSSVM) optimized by a chaotic ions motion algorithm presented. To achieve the learning and generalization for excellent performance, a hybrid kernel function, constructed by a local kernel as Radial Basis Function (RBF) kernel, and a global kernel as polynomial kernel is incorporated into the Least Squares Support Vector Machine. The chaotic ions motion algorithm is introduced to find the best hyper-parameters of the Least Squares Support Vector Machine. The temperature data from a calibration experiment is conducted to validate the proposed method. With attention on algorithm robustness and engineering applications, the compensation result shows the proposed scheme outperforms other compared methods on several performance measures as maximum absolute relative error, minimum absolute relative error mean and variance of the averaged value on fifty runs. Furthermore, the proposed temperature compensation approach lays a foundation for more extensive research.

Improved electrochemical performance of hierarchical porous carbon/polyaniline composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu Juan; Wang Huanlei; Huang Xiao

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Polyaniline-coated hierarchical porous carbon (HPC) composites have been synthesized by in situ polymerization. ► The HPC/polyaniline composite has significantly better electrochemical capacitance performance than pure HPC and polyaniline. ► The amount of polyaniline loading has a significant effect on the composites’ electrochemical performances. - Abstract: Polyaniline (PANI)-coated hierarchical porous carbon (HPC) composites (HPC/PANI) for use as supercapacitor electrodes were prepared by in situ chemical oxidation polymerization at 273 K of an aniline solution containing well-dispersed HPC particles. After polymerization, a thin layer of PANI was coated on the surface of the HPC particles, which was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Compared to pure PANI and HPC, the electrochemical capacitance performance of the composites was significantly improved. The highest specific capacitance of the composites obtained is 478 F g −1 at 1 mV s −1 , which is more than twice as that of pure PANI and three times as that of pure HPC. Because of the influence from the hierarchical pore structure of the carbon material, the calculated specific capacitance of PANI in the composite (pseudocapacitance contribution from PANI) is almost one magnitude higher than that of pure PANI.

In situ ZnO nanowire growth to promote the PVDF piezo phase and the ZnO-PVDF hybrid self-rectified nanogenerator as a touch sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zetang; Zhang, Xu; Li, Guanghe

2014-03-28

A PVDF-ZnO nanowires (NWs) hybrid generator (PZHG) was designed. A simple, cost effective method to produce the PVDF β phase by nano force is introduced. With the ZnO NWs growing, the in situ nano extension force promotes the phase change. A theoretical analysis of the ZnO NWs acting as a self-rectifier of the nano generator is established. The ZnO NWs acted as a self-adjustment diode to control the current output of the PZHG by piezo-electric and semi-conductive effects. Based on the self-controllability of the piezoelectric output, three kinds of finger touching are distinguished by the output performances of the PZHG, which is applicable to an LCD touch pad.

Fabrication of self supporting metallic rare earth targets using a piezo-electric quartz as substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonetti, C.P.

1975-01-01

Metallic self-supporting targets of cerium and praseodymium of 1 to 2.5mg/cm 2 on a diameter of 18mm were made using the process of evaporation by electron bombardment. Materials are placed on a piezo-electric quartz which permits the direct and precise measurement of the mass of the deposit. Then, such a deposit must be removed and placed on a frame in an environment of argon gas. This method is important because it can be used for small quantities of materials (case of separated isotopes). These high purity foils are used for the study of (d,n) reactions with the Tandem Van de Graaff Accelerator [fr

Piezo-optic and elasto-optic properties of monoclinic triglycine sulfate crystals.

Science.gov (United States)

Mytsyk, Bogdan; Demyanyshyn, Natalya; Erba, Alessandro; Shut, Viktor; Mozzharov, Sergey; Kost, Yaroslav; Mys, Oksana; Vlokh, Rostyslav

2017-12-01

For the first time, to the best of our knowledge, we have experimentally determined all of the components of the piezo-optic tensor for monoclinic crystals. This has been implemented on a specific example of triglycine sulfate crystals. Based on the results obtained, the complete elasto-optic tensor has been calculated. Acousto-optic figures of merit (AOFMs) have been estimated for the case of acousto-optic interaction occurring in the principal planes of the optical indicatrix ellipsoid and for geometries in which the highest elasto-optic coefficients are involved as effective parameters. It has been found that the highest AOFM value is equal to 6.8×10 -15   s 3 /kg for the case of isotropic acousto-optic interaction with quasi-longitudinal acoustic waves in the principal planes. This AOFM is higher than the corresponding values typical for canonic acousto-optic materials, which are transparent in the deep ultraviolet spectral range.

Acousto-optic modulation and opto-acoustic gating in piezo-optomechanical circuits

Science.gov (United States)

Balram, Krishna C.; Davanço, Marcelo I.; Ilic, B. Robert; Kyhm, Ji-Hoon; Song, Jin Dong; Srinivasan, Kartik

2017-01-01

Acoustic wave devices provide a promising chip-scale platform for efficiently coupling radio frequency (RF) and optical fields. Here, we use an integrated piezo-optomechanical circuit platform that exploits both the piezoelectric and photoelastic coupling mechanisms to link 2.4 GHz RF waves to 194 THz (1550 nm) optical waves, through coupling to propagating and localized 2.4 GHz acoustic waves. We demonstrate acousto-optic modulation, resonant in both the optical and mechanical domains, in which waveforms encoded on the RF carrier are mapped to the optical field. We also show opto-acoustic gating, in which the application of modulated optical pulses interferometrically gates the transmission of propagating acoustic pulses. The time-domain characteristics of this system under both pulsed RF and pulsed optical excitation are considered in the context of the different physical pathways involved in driving the acoustic waves, and modelled through the coupled mode equations of cavity optomechanics. PMID:28580373

High performance thin-film composite forward osmosis membrane.

Science.gov (United States)

Yip, Ngai Yin; Tiraferri, Alberto; Phillip, William A; Schiffman, Jessica D; Elimelech, Menachem

2010-05-15

Recent studies show that osmotically driven membrane processes may be a viable technology for desalination, water and wastewater treatment, and power generation. However, the absence of a membrane designed for such processes is a significant obstacle hindering further advancements of this technology. This work presents the development of a high performance thin-film composite membrane for forward osmosis applications. The membrane consists of a selective polyamide active layer formed by interfacial polymerization on top of a polysulfone support layer fabricated by phase separation onto a thin (40 mum) polyester nonwoven fabric. By careful selection of the polysulfone casting solution (i.e., polymer concentration and solvent composition) and tailoring the casting process, we produced a support layer with a mix of finger-like and sponge-like morphologies that give significantly enhanced membrane performance. The structure and performance of the new thin-film composite forward osmosis membrane are compared with those of commercial membranes. Using a 1.5 M NaCl draw solution and a pure water feed, the fabricated membranes produced water fluxes exceeding 18 L m(2-)h(-1), while consistently maintaining observed salt rejection greater than 97%. The high water flux of the fabricated thin-film composite forward osmosis membranes was directly related to the thickness, porosity, tortuosity, and pore structure of the polysulfone support layer. Furthermore, membrane performance did not degrade after prolonged exposure to an ammonium bicarbonate draw solution.

High Performance Thin-Film Composite Forward Osmosis Membrane

KAUST Repository

Yip, Ngai Yin

2010-05-15

Recent studies show that osmotically driven membrane processes may be a viable technology for desalination, water and wastewater treatment, and power generation. However, the absence of a membrane designed for such processes is a significant obstacle hindering further advancements of this technology. This work presents the development of a high performance thin-film composite membrane for forward osmosis applications. The membrane consists of a selective polyamide active layer formed by interfacial polymerization on top of a polysulfone support layer fabricated by phase separation onto a thin (40 μm) polyester nonwoven fabric. By careful selection of the polysulfone casting solution (i.e., polymer concentration and solvent composition) and tailoring the casting process, we produced a support layer with a mix of finger-like and sponge-like morphologies that give significantly enhanced membrane performance. The structure and performance of the new thin-film composite forward osmosis membrane are compared with those of commercial membranes. Using a 1.5 M NaCl draw solution and a pure water feed, the fabricated membranes produced water fluxes exceeding 18 L m2-h-1, while consistently maintaining observed salt rejection greater than 97%. The high water flux of the fabricated thin-film composite forward osmosis membranes was directly related to the thickness, porosity, tortuosity, and pore structure of the polysulfone support layer. Furthermore, membrane performance did not degrade after prolonged exposure to an ammonium bicarbonate draw solution. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

Flexible Light Emission Diode Arrays Made of Transferred Si Microwires-ZnO Nanofilm with Piezo-Phototronic Effect Enhanced Lighting.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xiaoyi; Liang, Renrong; Tao, Juan; Peng, Zhengchun; Xu, Qiming; Han, Xun; Wang, Xiandi; Wang, Chunfeng; Zhu, Jing; Pan, Caofeng; Wang, Zhong Lin

2017-04-25

Due to the fragility and the poor optoelectronic performances of Si, it is challenging and exciting to fabricate the Si-based flexible light-emitting diode (LED) array devices. Here, a flexible LED array device made of Si microwires-ZnO nanofilm, with the advantages of flexibility, stability, lightweight, and energy savings, is fabricated and can be used as a strain sensor to demonstrate the two-dimensional pressure distribution. Based on piezo-phototronic effect, the intensity of the flexible LED array can be increased more than 3 times (under 60 MPa compressive strains). Additionally, the device is stable and energy saving. The flexible device can still work well after 1000 bending cycles or 6 months placed in the atmosphere, and the power supplied to the flexible LED array is only 8% of the power of the surface-contact LED. The promising Si-based flexible device has wide range application and may revolutionize the technologies of flexible screens, touchpad technology, and smart skin.

Improving Delay-Margin of Noncollocated Vibration Control of Piezo-Actuated Flexible Beams via a Fractional-Order Controller

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teerawat Sangpet

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Noncollocated control of flexible structures results in nonminimum-phase systems because the separation between the actuator and the sensor creates an input-output delay. The delay can deteriorate stability of closed-loop systems. This paper presents a simple approach to improve the delay-margin of the noncollocated vibration control of piezo-actuated flexible beams using a fractional-order controller. Results of real life experiments illustrate efficiency of the controller and show that the fractional-order controller has better stability robustness than the integer-order controller.

Composite measures for profiling hospitals on bariatric surgery performance

Science.gov (United States)

Dimick, Justin B.; Birkmeyer, Nancy J.; Finks, Jonathan F.; Share, David A.; English, Wayne J.; Carlin, Arthur M.; Birkmeyer, John D.

2014-01-01

Objective We sought to develop a novel composite measure for profiling hospital performance with bariatric surgery. Design, Setting, and Patients Using clinical registry data from the Michigan Bariatric Surgery Collaborative (MBSC), we studied all patients undergoing bariatric surgery from 2008 to 2010. For gastric bypass surgery, we used empirical Bayes techniques to create a composite measure by combining several measures, including serious complications, reoperations, and readmissions; hospital and surgeon volume; and outcomes with other, related procedures. Hospitals were ranked based on 2008-09 and placed in one of 3 groups: 3-star (top third), 2-star (middle third), and 1-star (bottom third). We assessed how well these ratings predicted outcomes in the next year (2010), compared to other widely used measures. Main Outcome Measures Risk-adjusted serious complications. Results Composite measures explained a larger proportion of hospital-level variation in serious complication rates with gastric bypass than other measures. For example, the composite measure explained 89% of the variation compared to only 28% for risk-adjusted complication rates alone. Composite measures also appeared better at predicting future performance compared to individual measures. When ranked on the composite measure, 1-star hospitals (bottom 20%), had 2-fold higher serious complication rates (4.6% vs. 2.4%; OR 2.0; 95% CI, 1.1 to 3.5) compared to 3-star (top 20%) hospitals. Differences in serious complications rates between 1-star and 3-star hospitals were much smaller when hospitals were ranked using serious complications (4.0% vs. 2.7%; OR 1.6; 95% CI, 0.8-2.9) and hospital volume (3.3% vs. 3.2%; OR 0.85; 95% CI, 0.4 to 1.7) Conclusions Composite measures are much better at explaining hospital-level variation in serious complications and predicting future performance than other approaches. In this preliminary study, it appears that such composite measures may be better than existing

Composition determination of CdSxSe1-x mixed crystals by optical dispersion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iliev, I.; Dimov, T.; Ribarov, D.; Lange, H.

1989-01-01

An optical dispersion method has been developed determining the CdS/CdSe ratio in CdS x Se 1-x mixed crystals from the relationship between position of the isotropic point (birefrigence becomes zero for a definite wavelength at the absorption edge) and chemical composition x. Birefrigence spectra and piezo-optic spectra of samples with x = 0.2, 0.6, and 0.875 give the spectral position of the isotropic point (ip). A curve of wavelength of ip versus x of CdS x Se 1-x is evaluated by the least-squares procedure and tested by X-ray fluorescence analysis

Static and dynamic strain energy release rates in toughened thermosetting composite laminates

Science.gov (United States)

Cairns, Douglas S.

1992-01-01

In this work, the static and dynamic fracture properties of several thermosetting resin based composite laminates are presented. Two classes of materials are explored. These are homogeneous, thermosetting resins and toughened, multi-phase, thermosetting resin systems. Multi-phase resin materials have shown enhancement over homogenous materials with respect to damage resistance. The development of new dynamic tests are presented for composite laminates based on Width Tapered Double Cantilevered Beam (WTDCB) for Mode 1 fracture and the End Notched Flexure (ENF) specimen. The WTDCB sample was loaded via a low inertia, pneumatic cylinder to produce rapid cross-head displacements. A high rate, piezo-electric load cell and an accelerometer were mounted on the specimen. A digital oscilloscope was used for data acquisition. Typical static and dynamic load versus displacement plots are presented. The ENF specimen was impacted in three point bending with an instrumented impact tower. Fracture initiation and propagation energies under static and dynamic conditions were determined analytically and experimentally. The test results for Mode 1 fracture are relatively insensitive to strain rate effects for the laminates tested in this study. The test results from Mode 2 fracture indicate that the toughened systems provide superior fracture initiation and higher resistance to propagation under dynamic conditions. While the static fracture properties of the homogeneous systems may be relatively high, the apparent Mode 2 dynamic critical strain energy release rate drops significantly. The results indicate that static Mode 2 fracture testing is inadequate for determining the fracture performance of composite structures subjected to conditions such as low velocity impact. A good correlation between the basic Mode 2 dynamic fracture properties and the performance is a combined material/structural Compression After Impact (CAI) test is found. These results underscore the importance of

Load sensor

OpenAIRE

Van den Ende, D.; Almeida, P.M.R.; Dingemans, T.J.; Van der Zwaag, S.

2007-01-01

The invention relates to a load sensor comprising a polymer matrix and a piezo-ceramic material such as PZT, em not bedded in the polymer matrix, which together form a compos not ite, wherein the polymer matrix is a liquid crystalline resin, and wherein the piezo-ceramic material is a PZT powder forming 30-60% by volume of the composite, and wherein the PZT powder forms 40-50% by volume of the composite.

High Performance Fiber Reinforced Cement Composites 6 HPFRCC 6

CERN Document Server

Reinhardt, Hans; Naaman, A

2012-01-01

High Performance Fiber Reinforced Cement Composites (HPFRCC) represent a class of cement composites whose stress-strain response in tension undergoes strain hardening behaviour accompanied by multiple cracking, leading to a high strain prior to failure. The primary objective of this International Workshop was to provide a compendium of up-to-date information on the most recent developments and research advances in the field of High Performance Fiber Reinforced Cement Composites. Approximately 65 contributions from leading world experts are assembled in these proceedings and provide an authoritative perspective on the subject. Special topics include fresh and hardening state properties; self-compacting mixtures; mechanical behavior under compressive, tensile, and shear loading; structural applications; impact, earthquake and fire resistance; durability issues; ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concrete; and textile reinforced concrete. Target readers: graduate students, researchers, fiber producers, desi...

Pyrotechnic countermeasures: IV. Radiometric performance of a sulphur-based Flare composition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koch, Ernst-Christian [NATO Munitions Safety Information Analysis Center (MSIAC), Brussels (Belgium)

2008-10-15

Radiometric performance of a sulphur-based flare composition has been investigated. Composition comprising sulphur, potassium perchlorate and antimony sulphide has acceptable band ratio but an order of magnitude weaker spectral efficiency than typical carbon-based compositions. The use of other sulphur compounds with potential for increased performance is discussed. For part III see Ref. [1]. (Abstract Copyright [2008], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Enhanced piezo-humidity sensing of a Cd-ZnO nanowire nanogenerator as a self-powered/active gas sensor by coupling the piezoelectric screening effect and dopant displacement mechanism.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Binwei; Fu, Yongming; Wang, Penglei; Zhao, Yayu; Xing, Lili; Xue, Xinyu

2015-04-28

Highly sensitive humidity sensing has been realized from a Cd-doped ZnO nanowire (NW) nanogenerator (NG) as a self-powered/active gas sensor. The piezoelectric output of the device acts not only as a power source, but also as a response signal to the relative humidity (RH) in the environment. The response of Cd-ZnO (1 : 10) NWs reached up to 85.7 upon exposure to 70% relative humidity, much higher than that of undoped ZnO NWs. Cd dopant can increase the number of oxygen vacancies in the NWs, resulting in more adsorption sites on the surface of the NWs. Upon exposure to a humid environment, a large amount of water molecules can displace the adsorbed oxygen ions on the surface of Cd-ZnO NWs. This procedure can influence the carrier density in Cd-ZnO NWs and vary the screening effect on the piezoelectric output. Our study can stimulate a research trend on exploring composite materials for piezo-gas sensing.

High Performance Graphene Oxide Based Rubber Composites

Science.gov (United States)

Mao, Yingyan; Wen, Shipeng; Chen, Yulong; Zhang, Fazhong; Panine, Pierre; Chan, Tung W.; Zhang, Liqun; Liang, Yongri; Liu, Li

2013-01-01

In this paper, graphene oxide/styrene-butadiene rubber (GO/SBR) composites with complete exfoliation of GO sheets were prepared by aqueous-phase mixing of GO colloid with SBR latex and a small loading of butadiene-styrene-vinyl-pyridine rubber (VPR) latex, followed by their co-coagulation. During co-coagulation, VPR not only plays a key role in the prevention of aggregation of GO sheets but also acts as an interface-bridge between GO and SBR. The results demonstrated that the mechanical properties of the GO/SBR composite with 2.0 vol.% GO is comparable with those of the SBR composite reinforced with 13.1 vol.% of carbon black (CB), with a low mass density and a good gas barrier ability to boot. The present work also showed that GO-silica/SBR composite exhibited outstanding wear resistance and low-rolling resistance which make GO-silica/SBR very competitive for the green tire application, opening up enormous opportunities to prepare high performance rubber composites for future engineering applications. PMID:23974435

High performance dental resin composites with hydrolytically stable monomers.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiaohong; Huyang, George; Palagummi, Sri Vikram; Liu, Xiaohui; Skrtic, Drago; Beauchamp, Carlos; Bowen, Rafael; Sun, Jirun

2018-02-01

The objectives of this project were to: 1) develop strong and durable dental resin composites by employing new monomers that are hydrolytically stable, and 2) demonstrate that resin composites based on these monomers perform superiorly to the traditional bisphenol A glycidyl dimethacrylate/triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (Bis-GMA/TEGDMA) composites under testing conditions relevant to clinical applications. New resins comprising hydrolytically stable, ether-based monomer, i.e., triethylene glycol divinylbenzyl ether (TEG-DVBE), and urethane dimethacrylate (UDMA) were produced via composition-controlled photo-polymerization. Their composites contained 67.5wt% of micro and 7.5wt% of nano-sized filler. The performances of both copolymers and composites were evaluated by a battery of clinically-relevant assessments: degree of vinyl conversion (DC: FTIR and NIR spectroscopy); refractive index (n: optical microscopy); elastic modulus (E), flexural strength (F) and fracture toughness (K IC ) (universal mechanical testing); Knoop hardness (HK; indentation); water sorption (W sp ) and solubility (W su ) (gravimetry); polymerization shrinkage (S v ; mercury dilatometry) and polymerization stress (tensometer). The experimental UDMA/TEG-DVBE composites were compared with the Bis-GMA/TEGDMA composites containing the identical filler contents, and with the commercial micro hybrid flowable composite. UDMA/TEG-DBVE composites exhibited n, E, W sp , W su and S v equivalent to the controls. They outperformed the controls with respect to F (up to 26.8% increase), K IC (up to 27.7% increase), modulus recovery upon water sorption (full recovery vs. 91.9% recovery), and stress formation (up to 52.7% reduction). In addition, new composites showed up to 27.7% increase in attainable DC compared to the traditional composites. Bis-GMA/TEGDMA controls exceeded the experimental composites with respect to only one property, the composite hardness. Significantly, up to 18.1% lower HK values in

Mechanical performance of oil palm empty fruit bunches/jute fibres reinforced epoxy hybrid composites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jawaid, M. [School of Industrial Technology, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang (Malaysia); Abdul Khalil, H.P.S., E-mail: akhalilhps@gmail.com [School of Industrial Technology, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang (Malaysia); Abu Bakar, A. [School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Penang (Malaysia)

2010-11-15

Research highlights: {yields} Hybrid composites constituents of natural fibres show good mechanical performances. {yields} Hybridization with 20% jute fibre gives rise to sufficient modulus to composites. {yields} Outer or core material affect mechanical performance of hybrid composites. {yields} Impact strength of pure EFB composite is higher than hybrid composites. - Abstract: Oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB)/jute fibre reinforced epoxy hybrid composites with different sequence of fibre mat arrangement such as EFB/jute/EFB and jute/EFB/jute were fabricated by hand lay-up method. The effect of layering patterns on the mechanical performance of the composites was studied. The hybrid composites are intended for engineering applications as an alternative to synthetic fibre composites. Mechanical performance of hybrid composites were evaluated and compared with the pure EFB, pure jute composites and neat epoxy using flexural and impact testing. The flexural properties of hybrid composite is higher than that of pure EFB composite with respect to the weight fraction of fibre, where as the impact strength of pure EFB composite is much higher than those of hybrid composites. The flexural results were interpreted using sandwich theory. The fracture surface morphology of the impact testing samples of the hybrid composites was performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Mechanical performance of oil palm empty fruit bunches/jute fibres reinforced epoxy hybrid composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jawaid, M.; Abdul Khalil, H.P.S.; Abu Bakar, A.

2010-01-01

Research highlights: → Hybrid composites constituents of natural fibres show good mechanical performances. → Hybridization with 20% jute fibre gives rise to sufficient modulus to composites. → Outer or core material affect mechanical performance of hybrid composites. → Impact strength of pure EFB composite is higher than hybrid composites. - Abstract: Oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB)/jute fibre reinforced epoxy hybrid composites with different sequence of fibre mat arrangement such as EFB/jute/EFB and jute/EFB/jute were fabricated by hand lay-up method. The effect of layering patterns on the mechanical performance of the composites was studied. The hybrid composites are intended for engineering applications as an alternative to synthetic fibre composites. Mechanical performance of hybrid composites were evaluated and compared with the pure EFB, pure jute composites and neat epoxy using flexural and impact testing. The flexural properties of hybrid composite is higher than that of pure EFB composite with respect to the weight fraction of fibre, where as the impact strength of pure EFB composite is much higher than those of hybrid composites. The flexural results were interpreted using sandwich theory. The fracture surface morphology of the impact testing samples of the hybrid composites was performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Low cost fabrication of polymer composite (h-ZnO + PDMS) material for piezoelectric device application

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Akanksha; Das, Sonatan; Bharathkumar, Mareddi; Revanth, D.; Karthik, ARB; Sudhakara Sastry, Bala; Ramgopal Rao, V.

2016-07-01

Flexible piezoelectric composites offer alternative and/or additional solutions to sensor, actuator and transducer applications. Here in this work, we have successfully fabricated highly flexible piezoelectric composites with poly dimethyl siloxane (PDMS) using herbal zinc oxide (h-ZnO) as filler having weight fractions up to 50 wt.% by solution casting of dispersions of h-ZnO in PDMS. Excellent piezo properties (Resonant frequency 935 Hz, d*33 29.76 pm V-1), physiochemical properties (Wurtzite structure ZnO, 380 nm absorbance) and mechanical properties (Young modulus 16.9 MPa) have been optimized with theoretical simulations and observed experimentally for h-ZnO + PDMS. As such, the demonstrated piezoelectric PDMS membranes combined with the excellent properties of these composites open new ways to ‘soft touch’ applications and could serve as a variety of soft and sensitive electromechanical transducers, which are desired for a variety of sensor and energy harvesting applications.

FEM Analysis of Beam-coupling Impedance and RF Contacts Criticality on the LHC UA9 Piezo Goniometer

CERN Document Server

Danisi, A; Passarelli, A; Masi, A; Losito, R; Salvant, B

2014-01-01

The UA9 piezo-goniometer has been designed to guarantee micro-radians-accuracy angular positioning of a silicon crystal for a crystal collimation experiment in the LHC, and to minimize the impact on the LHC beam coupling impedance. This paper presents a Finite Element Method (FEM) study of the device, in both parking and operational positions, to evaluate its impact on the LHC impedance budget. In addition, the shielding contribution of the RF gaskets has been carefully evaluated, with the objective to assess the consequences for operation in case of their failure. A final word is drawn on the overall device impedance criticality.

Composite Measures of Health Care Provider Performance: A Description of Approaches

Science.gov (United States)

Shwartz, Michael; Restuccia, Joseph D; Rosen, Amy K

2015-01-01

Context Since the Institute of Medicine’s 2001 report Crossing the Quality Chasm, there has been a rapid proliferation of quality measures used in quality-monitoring, provider-profiling, and pay-for-performance (P4P) programs. Although individual performance measures are useful for identifying specific processes and outcomes for improvement and tracking progress, they do not easily provide an accessible overview of performance. Composite measures aggregate individual performance measures into a summary score. By reducing the amount of data that must be processed, they facilitate (1) benchmarking of an organization’s performance, encouraging quality improvement initiatives to match performance against high-performing organizations, and (2) profiling and P4P programs based on an organization’s overall performance. Methods We describe different approaches to creating composite measures, discuss their advantages and disadvantages, and provide examples of their use. Findings The major issues in creating composite measures are (1) whether to aggregate measures at the patient level through all-or-none approaches or the facility level, using one of the several possible weighting schemes; (2) when combining measures on different scales, how to rescale measures (using z scores, range percentages, ranks, or 5-star categorizations); and (3) whether to use shrinkage estimators, which increase precision by smoothing rates from smaller facilities but also decrease transparency. Conclusions Because provider rankings and rewards under P4P programs may be sensitive to both context and the data, careful analysis is warranted before deciding to implement a particular method. A better understanding of both when and where to use composite measures and the incentives created by composite measures are likely to be important areas of research as the use of composite measures grows. PMID:26626986

Do Nanofilled/Nanohybrid Composites Allow for Better Clinical Performance of Direct Restorations Than Traditional Microhybrid Composites? A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Angerame, D; De Biasi, M

2018-03-23

This systematic review was carried out to assess the clinical effectiveness of nanofilled and nanohybrid composites used for direct restorations in comparison with microhybrid composites. The guidelines for the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses were followed. A search of articles published from July 1996 to February 2017 was performed in PubMed, SciVerse Scopus, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences, the Scientific Electronic Library Online, and the Cochrane Library. The present review selected only randomized controlled trials comparing the clinical performance of a nanofilled or nanohybrid composite for direct restorations with that of a microhybrid composite. The research found 201 studies. Twenty-one articles fulfilled the criteria of the present review. However, the included studies were characterized by great methodological diversities. As a general trend, nanofilled and nanohybrid composites were found to be capable of clinical performance, marginal quality, and resistance to wear similar to that of traditional composites without showing improved surface characteristics. The risk of bias of included studies was judged unclear or high. The clinical performance of nanofilled/nanohybrid composites was found to be comparable to that of traditional composites in the posterior area. The data concerning anterior and cervical restorations were insufficient. With regard to the esthetic properties, there is a compelling need for studies on anterior teeth in which the operators are kept unaware of the restorative material. Nanofilled/nanohybrid composites seem to be a valid alternative to traditional microhybrid composites, and at the moment, there is low-level evidence attesting a lack of their superiority.

Development of high performance electroless Ni-P-HNT composite coatings

Science.gov (United States)

Ranganatha, S.; Venkatesha, T. V.; Vathsala, K.

2012-12-01

Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) of the dimension 50 nm × 1-3 μm (diameter × length) are utililized to fabricate the alloy composite by employing electroless/autocatalytic deposition technique. Electroless Ni-P-HNT binary alloy composite coatings are prepared successfully on low carbon steel. These nanotubes were made to get inserted/incorporated into nickel matrix and corresponding composites are examined for their electrochemical, mechanical and tribological performances and compared with that of plain Ni-P. The coatings were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) techniques to analyze surface nature and composition correspondingly. Small amount of incorporated HNTs made Ni-P deposits appreciable enhancement and betterment in corrosion resistance, hardness and friction resistance. This drastic improvement in the properties reflects the effect of addition of HNTs into Ni-P matrix leading to the development of high performance Ni-P-HNT composite coatings.

Electron beam position stabilization with a piezo-electric optical correction system

CERN Document Server

Averett, T; McKeown, R D; Pitt, M

1999-01-01

A piezo-electrically controlled optical correction system was successfully used to reduce the helicity-correlated pulse-to-pulse position differences of a laser spot to better than +-100 nm at a pulse rate of 600 Hz. Using a simple feedback algorithm, average position differences of DELTA x-bar=-3.5+-4.2 nm and DELTA y-bar=2.6+-6.6 nm were obtained over a 6 h period. This optical correction system was successfully used in the polarized electron source at the Bates Linear Accelerator Center to stabilize the position of the electron beam during the recent SAMPLE experiment. Because this experiment measures a parity violating signal at the 10 sup - sup 6 level, it is sensitive to systematic effects which are correlated with the helicity of the incident electrons. One potentially large systematic effect is the helicity-correlated motion of the incident electron beam. By using this optical correction system, electron beam position differences at the location of the experiment were routinely kept well below +-100 n...

Development of high performance electroless Ni–P–HNT composite coatings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ranganatha, S.; Venkatesha, T.V.; Vathsala, K.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Novel Ni–P composites were prepared by incorporating Halloysite nanotubes. ► Mild steel specimens surface engineered by nickel using electroless technique. ► Incorporated halloysite nanotubes made nickel matrix highly corrosion resistant. ► HNT composite exhibits high hardness and largely reduces friction. - Abstract: Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) of the dimension 50 nm × 1–3 μm (diameter × length) are utililized to fabricate the alloy composite by employing electroless/autocatalytic deposition technique. Electroless Ni–P–HNT binary alloy composite coatings are prepared successfully on low carbon steel. These nanotubes were made to get inserted/incorporated into nickel matrix and corresponding composites are examined for their electrochemical, mechanical and tribological performances and compared with that of plain Ni–P. The coatings were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) techniques to analyze surface nature and composition correspondingly. Small amount of incorporated HNTs made Ni–P deposits appreciable enhancement and betterment in corrosion resistance, hardness and friction resistance. This drastic improvement in the properties reflects the effect of addition of HNTs into Ni–P matrix leading to the development of high performance Ni–P–HNT composite coatings.

High performance co-polyimide nanofiber reinforced composites

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yao, Jian; Li, Guang; Bastiaansen, Cees; Peijs, Ton

2015-01-01

Electrospun co-polyimide BPDA (3, 3′, 4, 4′-Biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride)/PDA (p-Phenylenediamine)/ODA (4, 4′-oxydianiline) nanofiber reinforced flexible composites were manufactured by impregnating these high performance nanofibers with styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) triblock copolymer

Board Composition and Firm Performance: Evidence from Bangladesh

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Afzalur Rashid

2010-03-01

Full Text Available This study examines the influence of corporate board composition in the form of representation of outsideindependent directors on firm economic performance in Bangladesh. Two hypotheses are developed toexamine the relationship among composition of board memberships including independent directors andfirm performance. An observation of 274 Bangladeshi firm-years is used in the study. A linear regressionanalysis is used to test the hypotheses. Results reveal that the outside (independent directors cannot addpotential value to the firm’s economic performance in Bangladesh. The idea of the introduction ofindependent directors may have benefits for greater transparency, but the non-consideration of theunderlying institutional and cultural differences in an emerging economy such as Bangladesh may not resultin economic value addition to the firm. The findings provide an insight to the regulators in their quest forharmonization of international corporate governance practices.

Bodies in Composition: Teaching Writing through Kinesthetic Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Butler, Janine

2017-01-01

This article calls on composition instructors to reflect consciously on how we can use our bodies kinesthetically to perform multimodal writing processes through gestural, visual, and spatial modes. Teaching writing through kinesthetic performance can show students that our bodies are being constructed via interaction with audiences, akin to the…

Evaluation of Shielding Performance for Newly Developed Composite Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Beren Richard

This work details an investigation into the contributing factors behind the success of newly developed composite neutron shield materials. Monte Carlo simulation methods were utilized to assess the neutron shielding capabilities and secondary radiation production characteristics of aluminum boron carbide, tungsten boron carbide, bismuth borosilicate glass, and Metathene within various neutron energy spectra. Shielding performance and secondary radiation data suggested that tungsten boron carbide was the most effective composite material. An analysis of the macroscopic cross-section contributions from constituent materials and interaction mechanisms was then performed in an attempt to determine the reasons for tungsten boron carbide's success over the other investigated materials. This analysis determined that there was a positive correlation between a non-elastic interaction contribution towards a material's total cross-section and shielding performance within the thermal and epi-thermal energy regimes. This finding was assumed to be a result of the boron-10 absorption reaction. The analysis also determined that within the faster energy regions, materials featuring higher non-elastic interaction contributions were comparable to those exhibiting primarily elastic scattering via low Z elements. This allowed for the conclusion that composite shield success within higher energy neutron spectra does not necessitate the use elastic scattering via low Z elements. These findings suggest that the inclusion of materials featuring high thermal absorption properties is more critical to composite neutron shield performance than the presence of constituent materials more inclined to maximize elastic scattering energy loss.

A State of the Art Review- Methods to Evaluate Electrical Performance of Composite Cross-arms and Composite-based Pylons

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, Qian; Bak, Claus Leth; Silva, Filipe Miguel Faria da

2016-01-01

A novel uni-body composite pylon has been proposed for 400 kV transmission lines with advantages of compacted size, friendly looking and cost competitiveness. As its configuration is quite different from the traditional lattice pylon, its electrical performance needs in-depth investigation...... and evaluation, for which electrical testing methods are essential. However, as research on composite-based pylons is still in initial stage, leaving international standards and theoretical analysis on this topic very limited, effective testing methods to evaluate the fully composite pylon’s electrical...... performance need to be studied. This paper sums up experience and key advances on testing methods to evaluate electrical performance of composite cross-arms and composite-based pylons. Based on state of the art review, several feasible testing methods that can be used to verify the feasibility of the novel...

On the design of 1-3 piezo-composites using topology optimization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sigmund, Ole; Torquato, S.; Aksay, I.A.

1998-01-01

(h)((*))g(h)((*)), and the electromechanical coupling factor k(h)((*)). The piezocomposite consists of piezoelectric rods embedded in an optimal polymer matrix. We use the topology optimization method to design the optimal (porous) matrix microstructure. When we design for maximum d(h)((*)) and d(h)((*))g(h)((*)) the optimal transversally......We use a topology optimization method to design 1-3 piezocomposites with optimal performance characteristics for hydrophone applications. The performance characteristics we focus on are the hydrostatic charge coefficient d(h)((*)), the hydrophone figure of merit d...

Strain-Modulated Bandgap and Piezo-Resistive Effect in Black Phosphorus Field-Effect Transistors.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zuocheng; Li, Likai; Horng, Jason; Wang, Nai Zhou; Yang, Fangyuan; Yu, Yijun; Zhang, Yu; Chen, Guorui; Watanabe, Kenji; Taniguchi, Takashi; Chen, Xian Hui; Wang, Feng; Zhang, Yuanbo

2017-10-11

Energy bandgap largely determines the optical and electronic properties of a semiconductor. Variable bandgap therefore makes versatile functionality possible in a single material. In layered material black phosphorus, the bandgap can be modulated by the number of layers; as a result, few-layer black phosphorus has discrete bandgap values that are relevant for optoelectronic applications in the spectral range from red, in monolayer, to mid-infrared in the bulk limit. Here, we further demonstrate continuous bandgap modulation by mechanical strain applied through flexible substrates. The strain-modulated bandgap significantly alters the density of thermally activated carriers; we for the first time observe a large piezo-resistive effect in black phosphorus field-effect transistors (FETs) at room temperature. The effect opens up opportunities for future development of electromechanical transducers based on black phosphorus, and we demonstrate an ultrasensitive strain gauge constructed from black phosphorus thin crystals.

Development of high performance electroless Ni-P-HNT composite coatings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ranganatha, S., E-mail: kamath.ranganath@gmail.com [Department of studies in chemistry, School of chemical sciences, Kuvempu university, Shankaraghatta-577451, Shimoga, Karnataka (India); Venkatesha, T.V., E-mail: drtvvenkatesha@yahoo.co.uk [Department of studies in chemistry, School of chemical sciences, Kuvempu university, Shankaraghatta-577451, Shimoga, Karnataka (India); Vathsala, K., E-mail: vathsala.mahesh@gmail.com [Nanotribology Laboratory, Mechanical engineering department, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, Karnataka (India)

2012-12-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Novel Ni-P composites were prepared by incorporating Halloysite nanotubes. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Mild steel specimens surface engineered by nickel using electroless technique. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Incorporated halloysite nanotubes made nickel matrix highly corrosion resistant. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer HNT composite exhibits high hardness and largely reduces friction. - Abstract: Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) of the dimension 50 nm Multiplication-Sign 1-3 {mu}m (diameter Multiplication-Sign length) are utililized to fabricate the alloy composite by employing electroless/autocatalytic deposition technique. Electroless Ni-P-HNT binary alloy composite coatings are prepared successfully on low carbon steel. These nanotubes were made to get inserted/incorporated into nickel matrix and corresponding composites are examined for their electrochemical, mechanical and tribological performances and compared with that of plain Ni-P. The coatings were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) techniques to analyze surface nature and composition correspondingly. Small amount of incorporated HNTs made Ni-P deposits appreciable enhancement and betterment in corrosion resistance, hardness and friction resistance. This drastic improvement in the properties reflects the effect of addition of HNTs into Ni-P matrix leading to the development of high performance Ni-P-HNT composite coatings.

Piezo-Catalytic Effect on the Enhancement of the Ultra-High Degradation Activity in the Dark by Single- and Few-Layers MoS2 Nanoflowers.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Jyh Ming; Chang, Wei En; Chang, Yu Ting; Chang, Chih-Kai

2016-05-01

Single- and few-layer MoS2 nanoflowers are first discovered to have a piezo-catalyst effect, exhibiting an ultra-high degradation activity in the dark by introducing external mechanical strains. The degradation ratio of the Rhodamine-B dye solution reaches 93% within 60 s under ultrasonic-wave assistance in the dark. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

M10.6.9: Design and fabrication of AMC modules for controlling step motors, piezo and waveguide tuners

CERN Document Server

Przygoda, K; Kielar, E

2011-01-01

FLASH accelerator is using superconducting RF cavities to accelerate electron beam. These cavities must be precisely tuned to RF frequency due to very high Q factor (~109 unloaded Q and ~106 loaded Q). They are tuned by slight dimension change (particularly length) induced by tuners driven by step motors. For high gradients (~20MV/m and more) the cavities are dynamically detuned during RF pulse due to Lorentz Force Detuning (LFD). To keep them in resonance the fast tuners with piezos are used. Both slow and fast tuners need the control integrated with the LLRF system.

Neural adaptive control for vibration suppression in composite fin-tip of aircraft.

Science.gov (United States)

Suresh, S; Kannan, N; Sundararajan, N; Saratchandran, P

2008-06-01

In this paper, we present a neural adaptive control scheme for active vibration suppression of a composite aircraft fin tip. The mathematical model of a composite aircraft fin tip is derived using the finite element approach. The finite element model is updated experimentally to reflect the natural frequencies and mode shapes very accurately. Piezo-electric actuators and sensors are placed at optimal locations such that the vibration suppression is a maximum. Model-reference direct adaptive neural network control scheme is proposed to force the vibration level within the minimum acceptable limit. In this scheme, Gaussian neural network with linear filters is used to approximate the inverse dynamics of the system and the parameters of the neural controller are estimated using Lyapunov based update law. In order to reduce the computational burden, which is critical for real-time applications, the number of hidden neurons is also estimated in the proposed scheme. The global asymptotic stability of the overall system is ensured using the principles of Lyapunov approach. Simulation studies are carried-out using sinusoidal force functions of varying frequency. Experimental results show that the proposed neural adaptive control scheme is capable of providing significant vibration suppression in the multiple bending modes of interest. The performance of the proposed scheme is better than the H(infinity) control scheme.

High performance hydrophilic pervaporation composite membranes for water desalination

KAUST Repository

Liang, Bin

2014-08-01

A three-layer thin film nanofibrous pervaporation composite (TFNPVC) membrane was prepared by sequential deposition using electrospraying/electrospinning. The poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) top barrier layer was first electrosprayed on aluminum foil and its thickness can be easily controlled by adjusting the collecting time. Next a polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibrous scaffold was deposited by electrospinning as a mid-layer support. A nonwoven PET layer is used to complete the composite membrane. The pervaporation desalination performance of TFNPVC membranes was tested using NaCl solutions at 100. Pa and at room temperature. The TFNPVC membranes show excellent desalination performance (high water flux and salt rejection >. 99.5%) for different salt concentrations with virtually no change in performance after 50. h of operation. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.

Optimal Design of Silicon-based Chips for Piezo-induced Ultrasound Resonances in Embedded Microchannels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Garofalo, F.; Laurell, T.; Bruus, Henrik

2015-01-01

constituting the device (the piezo transducer, the silicon walls, the fluid-filled microchannel, and the glass lid) allows for the introduction of the weak formulation used in the finite element discretization of the equations describing the system in its oscillatory regime. Additionally, the knowledge...... of the Lagrangian density leads to the derivation of the correct structure of the Hamiltonian density, i.e. the energy density, which is important for the quantification of the energy content of the whole system and its individual parts. Specifically, the energy content of the embedded microchannel is quantified...... by means of the acoustofluidic yield η defined as the ratio between the energy in the channel and the total energy. From the standpoint of acoustophoretic application, the introduction of the acoustophoretic mean orientation allows us to identify the frequencies for which an acoustophoretic effect, i...

High performance thermoplastics: A review of neat resin and composite properties

Science.gov (United States)

Johnston, Norman J.; Hergenrother, Paul M.

1987-01-01

A review was made of the principal thermoplastics used to fabricate high performance composites. Neat resin tensile and fracture toughness properties, glass transition temperatures (Tg), crystalline melt temperatures (Tm) and approximate processing conditions are presented. Mechanical properties of carbon fiber composites made from many of these thermoplastics are given, including flexural, longitudinal tensile, transverse tensile and in-plane shear properties as well as short beam shear and compressive strengths and interlaminar fracture toughness. Attractive features and problems involved in the use of thermo-plastics as matrices for high performance composites are discussed.

Enhanced electrochemical performance of porous activated carbon by forming composite with graphene as high-performance supercapacitor electrode material

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Zhi-Hang; Yang, Jia-Ying [Central South University, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Efficient and Clean Utilization of Manganese Resources (China); Wu, Xiong-Wei [Hunan Agricultural University, College of Science (China); Chen, Xiao-Qing; Yu, Jin-Gang, E-mail: yujg@csu.edu.cn [Central South University, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Efficient and Clean Utilization of Manganese Resources (China); Wu, Yu-Ping, E-mail: wuyp@fudan.edu.cn [Fudan University, New Energy and Materials Laboratory (NEML), Department of Chemistry and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials (China)

2017-02-15

In this work, a novel activated carbon containing graphene composite was developed using a fast, simple, and green ultrasonic-assisted method. Graphene is more likely a framework which provides support for activated carbon (AC) particles to form hierarchical microstructure of carbon composite. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area measurement, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Raman spectra analysis, XRD, and XPS were used to analyze the morphology and surface structure of the composite. The electrochemical properties of the supercapacitor electrode based on the as-prepared carbon composite were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), charge/discharge, and cycling performance measurements. It exhibited better electrochemical performance including higher specific capacitance (284 F g{sup −1} at a current density of 0.5 A g{sup −1}), better rate behavior (70.7% retention), and more stable cycling performance (no capacitance fading even after 2000 cycles). It is easier for us to find that the composite produced by our method was superior to pristine AC in terms of electrochemical performance due to the unique conductive network between graphene and AC.

Enhanced electrochemical performance of porous activated carbon by forming composite with graphene as high-performance supercapacitor electrode material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Zhi-Hang; Yang, Jia-Ying; Wu, Xiong-Wei; Chen, Xiao-Qing; Yu, Jin-Gang; Wu, Yu-Ping

2017-01-01

In this work, a novel activated carbon containing graphene composite was developed using a fast, simple, and green ultrasonic-assisted method. Graphene is more likely a framework which provides support for activated carbon (AC) particles to form hierarchical microstructure of carbon composite. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area measurement, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Raman spectra analysis, XRD, and XPS were used to analyze the morphology and surface structure of the composite. The electrochemical properties of the supercapacitor electrode based on the as-prepared carbon composite were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), charge/discharge, and cycling performance measurements. It exhibited better electrochemical performance including higher specific capacitance (284 F g"−"1 at a current density of 0.5 A g"−"1), better rate behavior (70.7% retention), and more stable cycling performance (no capacitance fading even after 2000 cycles). It is easier for us to find that the composite produced by our method was superior to pristine AC in terms of electrochemical performance due to the unique conductive network between graphene and AC.

Consequences of sludge composition on combustion performance derived from thermogravimetry analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Meiyan; Xiao, Benyi; Wang, Xu; Liu, Junxin, E-mail: jxliu@rcees.ac.cn

2015-01-15

Highlights: • Volatiles, particularly proteins, play a key role in sludge combustion. • Sludge combustion performance varies with different sludge organic concentrations. • Carbohydrates significantly affect the combustion rate in the second stage. • Combustion performance of digested sludge is more negative compared with others. - Abstract: Wastewater treatment plants produce millions of tons of sewage sludge. Sewage sludge is recognized as a promising feedstock for power generation via combustion and can be used for energy crisis adaption. We aimed to investigate the quantitative effects of various sludge characteristics on the overall sludge combustion process performance. Different types of sewage sludge were derived from numerous wastewater treatment plants in Beijing for further thermogravimetric analysis. Thermogravimetric–differential thermogravimetric curves were used to compare the performance of the studied samples. Proximate analytical data, organic compositions, elementary composition, and calorific value of the samples were determined. The relationship between combustion performance and sludge composition was also investigated. Results showed that the performance of sludge combustion was significantly affected by the concentration of protein, which is the main component of volatiles. Carbohydrates and lipids were not correlated with combustion performance, unlike protein. Overall, combustion performance varied with different sludge organic composition. The combustion rate of carbohydrates was higher than those of protein and lipid, and carbohydrate weight loss mainly occurred during the second stage (175–300 °C). Carbohydrates have a substantial effect on the rate of system combustion during the second stage considering the specific combustion feature. Additionally, the combustion performance of digested sewage sludge is more negative than the others.

Consequences of sludge composition on combustion performance derived from thermogravimetry analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Meiyan; Xiao, Benyi; Wang, Xu; Liu, Junxin

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Volatiles, particularly proteins, play a key role in sludge combustion. • Sludge combustion performance varies with different sludge organic concentrations. • Carbohydrates significantly affect the combustion rate in the second stage. • Combustion performance of digested sludge is more negative compared with others. - Abstract: Wastewater treatment plants produce millions of tons of sewage sludge. Sewage sludge is recognized as a promising feedstock for power generation via combustion and can be used for energy crisis adaption. We aimed to investigate the quantitative effects of various sludge characteristics on the overall sludge combustion process performance. Different types of sewage sludge were derived from numerous wastewater treatment plants in Beijing for further thermogravimetric analysis. Thermogravimetric–differential thermogravimetric curves were used to compare the performance of the studied samples. Proximate analytical data, organic compositions, elementary composition, and calorific value of the samples were determined. The relationship between combustion performance and sludge composition was also investigated. Results showed that the performance of sludge combustion was significantly affected by the concentration of protein, which is the main component of volatiles. Carbohydrates and lipids were not correlated with combustion performance, unlike protein. Overall, combustion performance varied with different sludge organic composition. The combustion rate of carbohydrates was higher than those of protein and lipid, and carbohydrate weight loss mainly occurred during the second stage (175–300 °C). Carbohydrates have a substantial effect on the rate of system combustion during the second stage considering the specific combustion feature. Additionally, the combustion performance of digested sewage sludge is more negative than the others

High Performance Thin-Film Composite Forward Osmosis Membrane

KAUST Repository

Yip, Ngai Yin; Tiraferri, Alberto; Phillip, William A.; Schiffman, Jessica D.; Elimelech, Menachem

2010-01-01

obstacle hindering further advancements of this technology. This work presents the development of a high performance thin-film composite membrane for forward osmosis applications. The membrane consists of a selective polyamide active layer formed

Influence of hydrogen environment on the tribological performance of polymer composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geraldine Theiler; Thomas Gradt

2006-01-01

In the past few years several projects dealing with the influence of hydrogen on the tribological properties of friction couples were conducted at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing. This paper reports some investigations carried out with polymer composites. The results of tribological experiments with PTFE and PEEK composites against steel are presented here. Friction and wear were measured for continuous sliding and analyses of the worn surfaces were performed after the experiments. Tests were performed at room temperature in hydrogen as well as in LH 2 . The influence of hydrogen on the material properties was also evaluated by means of heat treatment in hydrogen before the tribological tests. Results indicate a good performance of the selected composites regarding friction and wear resistance. (authors)

Coherent coupling between radio frequency, optical, and acoustic waves in piezo-optomechanical circuits

Science.gov (United States)

Balram, Krishna C.; Davanço, Marcelo I.; Song, Jin Dong; Srinivasan, Kartik

2016-01-01

Optomechanical cavities have been studied for applications ranging from sensing to quantum information science. Here, we develop a platform for nanoscale cavity optomechanical circuits in which optomechanical cavities supporting co-localized 1550 nm photons and 2.4 GHz phonons are combined with photonic and phononic waveguides. Working in GaAs facilitates manipulation of the localized mechanical mode either with a radio frequency (RF) field through the piezo-electric effect, which produces acoustic waves that are routed and coupled to the optomechanical cavity by phononic crystal waveguides, or optically through the strong photoelastic effect. Along with mechanical state preparation and sensitive readout, we use this to demonstrate an acoustic wave interference effect, similar to atomic coherent population trapping, in which RF-driven coherent mechanical motion is cancelled by optically-driven motion. Manipulating cavity optomechanical systems with equal facility through both photonic and phononic channels enables new architectures for signal transduction between the optical, electrical, and mechanical domains. PMID:27446234

Bonding performance of self-adhesive flowable composites to enamel, dentin and a nano-hybrid composite.

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson, Jana; Rizk, Marta; Hoch, Monika; Wiegand, Annette

2018-04-01

This study aimed to analyze bond strengths of self-adhesive flowable composites on enamel, dentin and nano-hybrid composite. Enamel, dentin and nano-hybrid composite (Venus Diamond, Heraeus Kulzer, Germany) specimens were prepared. Three self-adhesive composites (Constic, DMG, Germany; Fusio Liquid Dentin, Pentron Clinical, USA; Vertise Flow, Kerr Dental, Italy) or a conventional flowable composite (Venus Diamond Flow, Heraeus Kulzer, Germany, etch&rinse technique) were applied to enamel and dentin. Nano-hybrid composite specimens were initially aged by thermal cycling (5000 cycles, 5-55 °C). Surfaces were left untreated or pretreated by mechanical roughening, Al 2 O 3 air abrasion or silica coating/silanization. In half of the composite specimens, an adhesive (Optibond FL, Kerr Dental, Italy) was used prior to the application of the flowable composites. Following thermal cycling (5000 cycles, 5-55 °C) of all specimens, shear bond strengths (SBS) and failure modes were analyzed (each subgroup n = 16). Statistical analysis was performed by ANOVAs/Bonferroni post hoc tests, Weibull statistics and χ 2 -tests (p composites on enamel and dentin were significantly lower (enamel: composite (enamel: 13.0 ± 5.1, dentin: 11.2 ± 6.3), and merely adhesive failures could be observed. On the nano-hybrid composite, SBS were significantly related to the pretreatment. Adhesive application improved SBS of the conventional, but not of the self-adhesive composites. The self-adhesive composite groups showed less cohesive failures than the reference group; the occurence of cohesive failures increased after surface pretreatment. Bonding of self-adhesive flowable composites to enamel and dentin is lower than bonding to a nano-hybrid composite.

Evaluation of mechanical properties and durability performance of HDPE-wood composites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tazi, M.; Erchiqui, F. [Engineering department, Université de Quebec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (Canada); Kaddami, H. [Université Caddi Ayad Marrakech, Laboratoire ’LCO2MC’, B.P. 549, Marrakech 40000, Maroc (Morocco); Bouazara, M. [Mechanical department, Université de Québec à Chicoutimi Canada (Canada); Poaty, B. [Technology Center of industrial residuals, QC Canada (Canada)

2015-05-22

The objective of this work is to evaluate the mechanical properties and durability performance of bio-composite materials made from sawdust and thermoplastic polymer (HDPE). For the preparation of the composites, sawdust in different proportions with Maleic Anhydride grafted Polyethylene (MAPE) as the coupling agent was used. The thermal and mechanical properties were successively characterized. The results indicate that adding wood fillers to a polymer matrix increases the degree of crystallinity and improves the tensile strength and ductility of composites. On the contrary, resistance to water absorption decreases as a function of the wood fillers. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to analyze morphological structure alteration when exposed to intense weathering. The biodegradability of bio-composites up to 97 days was also investigated; the results indicate that, by increasing the filler content, the amount of weight loss increased as well. In other words, even though the addition of sawdust to thermoplastic polymer improves the mechanical performance of a composite material, it also accelerates the biodegradation rate of the composite. An optimum amount of filler content might compromise the effect of biodegradation and mechanical properties of composite materials.

Evaluation of mechanical properties and durability performance of HDPE-wood composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tazi, M.; Erchiqui, F.; Kaddami, H.; Bouazara, M.; Poaty, B.

2015-01-01

The objective of this work is to evaluate the mechanical properties and durability performance of bio-composite materials made from sawdust and thermoplastic polymer (HDPE). For the preparation of the composites, sawdust in different proportions with Maleic Anhydride grafted Polyethylene (MAPE) as the coupling agent was used. The thermal and mechanical properties were successively characterized. The results indicate that adding wood fillers to a polymer matrix increases the degree of crystallinity and improves the tensile strength and ductility of composites. On the contrary, resistance to water absorption decreases as a function of the wood fillers. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to analyze morphological structure alteration when exposed to intense weathering. The biodegradability of bio-composites up to 97 days was also investigated; the results indicate that, by increasing the filler content, the amount of weight loss increased as well. In other words, even though the addition of sawdust to thermoplastic polymer improves the mechanical performance of a composite material, it also accelerates the biodegradation rate of the composite. An optimum amount of filler content might compromise the effect of biodegradation and mechanical properties of composite materials

Polydopamine and MnO2 core-shell composites for high-performance supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Ding; Tao, Haisheng; Zhu, Xuezhen; Li, Maoguo

2017-10-01

Polydopamine and MnO2 core-shell composites (PDA@MnO2) for high-performance supercapacitors had been successfully synthesized by a facile and fast method. The morphology, crystalline phase and chemical composition of PDA@MnO2 composites are characterized using SEM, TEM, XRD, EDS and XPS. The performance of PDA@MnO2 composites are further investigated by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in 1 M Na2SO4 electrolyte. The PDA@MnO2 core-shell nanostructure composites exhibit a high capacitance of 193 F g-1 at the current density of 1A g-1 and retained over 81.2% of its initial capacitance after 2500 cycles of charge-discharge at 2 A g-1. The results manifest that the PDA@MnO2 composites can be potentially applied in supercapacitors.

Wear performance of garnet aluminium composites at high contact pressure

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Anju; Arora, Rama; Kumar, Suresh; Singh, Gurmel; Pandey, O. P.

2016-05-01

To satisfy the needs of the engineering sector, researchers and material scientists in this area adopted the development of composites with tailor made properties to enhance efficiency and cost savings in the manufacturing sector. The technology of the mineral industry is shaping the supply and demand of minerals derived materials. The composites are best classified as high performance materials have high strength-to-weight ratios, and require controlled manufacturing environments for optimum performance. Natural mineral garnet was used as the reinforcement of composite because of satisfactory mechanical properties as well as an attractive ecological alternative to others ceramics. For this purpose, samples have been prepared with different sizesof the garnet reinforcement using the mechanical stirring method to achieve the homogeneously dispersed strengthening phase. A systematic study of the effect of high contact pressure on the sliding wear behaviour of garnet reinforced LM13 alloy composites is presented in this paper. The SEM analysis of the worn samples and debris reveals the clues about the wear mechanism. The drastic improvement in the wear resistance of the composites at high contact pressure shows the high potential of the material to be used in engineering applications.

Performance Evaluation of Refractory Composite Coatings in Potassium Rich Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kristina BRINKIENĖ

2016-09-01

Full Text Available A laboratory scale method was used to study the performance of reinforced cement composites in potassium rich environment of biomass combustion. Buckwheat husk (BH was used as potential source of unexploited biomass product applicable as biomass derived fuel. In order to enhance the alkali effect on the properties of the investigated materials, the solution of potassium carbonate (K2CO3 was selected as potassium rich aggressive environment. Two reinforced cement composites as potential repair coatings for restoration of damaged refractory surfaces with different composition of aggregate were used in corrosion tests. Performance of refractory coatings was evaluated by analysing the microstructure of the treated composites as well as mechanical properties. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS and optical microscopy were used to study the microstructure in the corroded region of the refractory coatings. Long term studies in the solution of 1M K2CO3 for 56 months have demonstrated that composite with the additive of fluid cracking catalyst of oil refinery and petrochemical industries is more durable in the potassium rich environment.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.22.3.8348

A micro-optical system for endoscopy based on mechanical compensation paradigm using miniature piezo-actuation.

Science.gov (United States)

Cerveri, Pietro; Zazzarini, Cynthia Corinna; Patete, Paolo; Baroni, Guido

2014-06-01

The goal of the study was to investigate the feasibility of a novel miniaturized optical system for endoscopy. Fostering the mechanical compensation paradigm, the modeled optical system, composed by 14 lenses, separated in 4 different sets, had a total length of 15.55mm, an effective focal length ranging from 1.5 to 4.5mm with a zoom factor of about 2.8×, and an angular field of view up to 56°. Predicted maximum lens travel was less than 3.5mm. The consistency of the image plane height across the magnification range testified the zoom capability. The maximum predicted achromatic astigmatism, transverse spherical aberration, longitudinal spherical aberration and relative distortion were less than or equal to 25μm, 15μm, 35μm and 12%, respectively. Tests on tolerances showed that the manufacturing and opto-mechanics mounting are critical as little deviations from design dramatically decrease the optical performances. However, recent micro-fabrication technology can guarantee tolerances close to nominal design. A closed-loop actuation unit, devoted to move the zoom and the focus lens sets, was implemented adopting miniaturized squiggle piezo-motors and magnetic position encoders based on Hall effect. Performance results, using a prototypical test board, showed a positioning accuracy of less than 5μm along a lens travel path of 4.0mm, which was in agreement with the lens set motion features predicted by the analysis. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the feasibility of the optical design and the viability of the actuation approach while tolerances must be carefully taken into account. Copyright © 2014 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Performance Study of the Natural Rubber Composite with Clay Minerals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nyo Nyo Myint; Tin Tin Aye; Kyaw Myo Naing; Nyunt Wynn

2008-03-01

The preparation, characterization and some applications of natural rubber clay composite have been studied. This study investigated the possibility of natural rubber latex to replace some part of natural clays. In formulation of rubber clay composite from natural rubber latex and various clay minerals, three main steps were involved (i) preparation of latex cream (ii) prevulcanization of latex cream (iii) mixing vulcanized latex compound, with other ingredients. In each step, several parameters have been carefully investigated to optimize the performance of natural rubber clay composite production. The composite products were of better quality and can be considered to be more cost effective.

Size-dependent free vibration and dynamic analyses of piezo-electro-magnetic sandwich nanoplates resting on viscoelastic foundation

Science.gov (United States)

Arefi, Mohammad; Zenkour, Ashraf M.

2017-09-01

In this paper, size-dependent free vibration analysis of a sandwich nanoplate is presented. The sandwich nanoplate is including an elastic nano core and two piezo-electro-magnetic face-sheets as sensor and actuator actuated by electric and magnetic potentials. The sandwich nanoplate is resting on visco-Pasternak's foundation. Hamilton's principle is employed to derive the governing equations of motion based on Kirchhoff plate and nonlocal elasticity theory. The numerical results are presented to study the influence of important parameters of the problem such as applied electric and magnetic potentials, nonlocal parameter and visco-Pasternak's parameters. Furthermore, the influence of various boundary conditions is discussed on the vibration characteristics of the sandwich nanoplate.

Modifications Caused by Enzyme-Retting and Their Effect on Composite Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonn A. Foulk

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Bethune seed flax was collected from Canada with seed removed using a stripper header and straw pulled and left in field for several weeks. Unretted straw was decorticated providing a coarse fiber bundle feedstock for enzyme treatments. Enzyme treatments using a bacterial pectinolytic enzyme with lyase activity were conducted in lab-scale reactors. Four fiber specimens were created: no retting, minimal retting, moderate retting, and full retting. Fiber characterization tests: strength, elongation, diameter, metal content, wax content, and pH were conducted with significant differences between fibers. Thermosetting vinyl ester resin was used to produce composite panels via vacuum-assisted infusion. Composite performance was evaluated using fiber bundle pull-out, tensile, impact, and interlaminar shear tests. Composite tests indicate that composite panels are largely unchanged among fiber samples. Variation in composite performance might not be realized due to poor interfacial bonding being of larger impact than the more subtle changes incurred by the enzyme treatment.

The Piezo Actuator-Driven Pulsed Water Jet System for Minimizing Renal Damage after Off-Clamp Laparoscopic Partial Nephrectomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamiyama, Yoshihiro; Yamashita, Shinichi; Nakagawa, Atsuhiro; Fujii, Shinji; Mitsuzuka, Koji; Kaiho, Yasuhiro; Ito, Akihiro; Abe, Takaaki; Tominaga, Teiji; Arai, Yoichi

2017-09-01

In the setting of partial nephrectomy (PN) for renal cell carcinoma, postoperative renal dysfunction might be caused by surgical procedure. The aim of this study was to clarify the technical safety and renal damage after off-clamp laparoscopic PN (LPN) with a piezo actuator-driven pulsed water jet (ADPJ) system. Eight swine underwent off-clamp LPN with this surgical device, while off-clamp open PN was also performed with radio knife or soft coagulation. The length of the removed kidney was 40 mm, and the renal parenchyma was dissected until the renal calyx became clearly visible. The degree of renal degeneration from the resection surface was compared by Hematoxylin-Eosin staining and immunostaining for 1-methyladenosine, a sensitive marker for the ischemic tissue damage. The mRNA levels of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (Ngal), a biomarker for acute kidney injury, were measured by quantitative real-time PCR. Off-clamp LPN with ADPJ system was successfully performed while preserving fine blood vessels and the renal calix with little bleeding. In contrast to other devices, the resection surface obtained with the ADPJ system showed only marginal degree of ischemic changes. Indeed, the expression level of Ngal mRNA was lower in the resection surface obtained with the ADPJ system than that with soft coagulation (p = 0.02). Furthermore, using the excised specimens of renal cell carcinoma, we measured the breaking strength at each site of the human kidney, suggesting the applicability of this ADPJ to clinical trials. In conclusion, off-clamp LPN with the ADPJ system could be safely performed with attenuated renal damage.

Chromium picolinate effects on body composition and muscular performance in wrestlers.

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, L S; Bemben, M G; Bemben, D A; Knehans, A W

1998-12-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of 14 wk of chromium picolinate supplementation during the final 16 wk of a preseason resistance and conditioning program on body composition and neuromuscular performance in NCAA Division I wrestlers. During this phase of training, wrestlers are primarily interested in trying to improve physical performance and wrestling technique and are not engaged in severe, acute weight loss practices commonly employed before competition. This double-blinded, randomized placebo-controlled study involved 20 wrestlers from the University of Oklahoma assigned to either a treatment group (Cr+3; N = 7; 20.4 yr +/- 0.1) receiving 200 micrograms chromium picolinate daily, a placebo group (P; N = 7; 19.9 yr +/- 0.2), or a control group (C; N = 6; 20.2 yr +/- 0.1) using a stratified random sampling technique based on weight classification. Body composition, neuromuscular performance, metabolic performance, and serum insulin and glucose were measured before and immediately following the supplementation and training period. Repeated measures ANOVA indicated no significant changes in body composition for any of the groups. Aerobic power increased significantly (P pre- to post-test changes in bench press power were significant. These results suggest that chromium picolinate supplementation coupled with a typical preseason training program does not enhance body composition or performance variables beyond improvements seen with training alone.

Future technology of the spark-ignition engine: spray-guided direct injection with piezo injector; Die Zukunftstechnologie des Ottomotors: Strahlgefuehrte Direkteinspritzung mit Piezo-Injektor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Waltner, A.; Lueckert, P.; Schaupp, U.; Rau, E.; Kemmler, R.; Weller, R. [DaimlerChrysler AG, Stuttgart (Germany)

2006-07-01

The completely new-style second-generation direct-injection for spark-ignition engines from Mercedes-Benz offers clear improvements in fuel consumption, power and emission levels. Faced with the necessity of further reducing fuel consumption, primarily in spark-ignition engines, the Mercedes-Benz combustion system represents a significant leap in technology. It was possible to noticeably expand the mapping range in which stratified operation can be used compared with the first generation. This significant improvement in efficiency results in more useable energy and a substantial reduction in consumption in city traffic, and also on cross-country and highway trips at roughly constant speeds. These benefits make themselves felt not only in the test cycle, but also in the real-world consumption achieved by the customer. Development proceeded from the base aspirated engine on the principle of the modular expansion of technology. Since production development of this combustion system was not possible using the hydraulic and ignition components available on the market, a new outward-opening piezo fuel injector had to be developed for production readiness, along with a 200-bar high-pressure fuel system, which is being introduced here for the first time world-wide. The injection spray stability and excellent mixture preparation that it achieves produce an optimally combustible mixture at the spark plug. The potential of multiple injection, along with stability in stratified operation, brings further benefits and possibilities for direct injection in fuel consumption and emissions. (orig.)

Composition determination of CdS sub x Se sub 1-x mixed crystals by optical dispersion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Iliev, I; Dimov, T; Ribarov, D [Pedagogical High School, Schumen (Bulgaria); Lange, H [Akademie der Wissenschaften der DDR, Berlin (German Democratic Republic). Zentralinstitut fuer Elektronenphysik

1989-10-16

An optical dispersion method has been developed determining the CdS/CdSe ratio in CdS{sub x}Se{sub 1-x} mixed crystals from the relationship between position of the isotropic point (birefrigence becomes zero for a definite wavelength at the absorption edge) and chemical composition x. Birefrigence spectra and piezo-optic spectra of samples with x = 0.2, 0.6, and 0.875 give the spectral position of the isotropic point (ip). A curve of wavelength of ip versus x of CdS{sub x}Se{sub 1-x} is evaluated by the least-squares procedure and tested by X-ray fluorescence analysis.

Post-impact performance of composites; Predicting Compression after Impact (CAI) in composite laminates

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Esrall, F.

2013-01-01

Impact damage has been known to seriously limit the performance of composite aircraft structures. In the preliminary design phase, tens of thousands of subparts need to be analyzed for impact. Over the years, many approaches have been proposed to study the creation of impact damage and to determine

Study on Fatigue Performance of Composite Bolted Joints with Bolt-Hole Delamination

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, M. J.; Yu, S.; Zhao, Q. Y.

2018-03-01

Fatigue performance of composite structure with imperfections is a challenging subject at present. Based on cohesive zone method and multi-continuum theory, delamination evolution response and fatigue life prediction of a 3D composite single-lap joint with a bolt-hole have been investigated through computer codes Abaqus and Fe-safe. Results from the comparison of a perfect composite bolted joint with another defect one indicates that a relatively small delamination damage around the bolt hole brings about significant degradation of local material performance. More notably, fatigue life of stress concentration region of composite bolted joints is highly sensitive to external loads, as an increase of 67% cyclic load amplitude leads to an decrease of 99.5% local fatigue life in this study. However, the numerical strategy for solving composite fatigue problems is meaningful to engineering works.

Polyaniline/single-wall carbon nanotube (PANI/SWCNT) composites for high performance supercapacitors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gupta, Vinay; Miura, Norio [Art, Science and Technology Center for Cooperative Research, Kyushu University, Kasuga-shi, Fukuoka 816-8580 (Japan)

2006-12-01

PANI/SWCNT composites were prepared by electrochemical polymerisation of polyaniline onto SWCNTs and their capacitive performance was evaluated by means of cyclic voltammetry and charge-discharge cycling in 1M H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} electrolyte. The PANI/SWCNT composites single electrode showed much higher specific capacitance, specific energy and specific power than pure PANI and SWCNTs. The highest specific capacitance, specific power and specific energy values of 485F/g, 228Wh/kg and 2250W/kg were observed for 73wt.% PANI deposited onto SWCNTs. PANI/SWCNT composites also showed long cyclic stability. Based upon the variations in the surface morphologies and specific capacitance of the composite, a mechanism is proposed to explain enhancement in the capacitive characteristics. The PANI/SWCNT composites have demonstrated the potential as excellent electrode materials for application in high performance supercapacitors. (author)

Autoclave cycle optimization for high performance composite parts manufacturing

OpenAIRE

Nele, L.; Caggiano, A.; Teti, R.

2016-01-01

In aeronautical production, autoclave curing of composite parts must be performed according to a specified diagram of temperature and pressure vs time. Part-tool assembly thermal inertia and shape have a large influence on the heating and cooling rate, and therefore on the dwell time within the target temperature range. When simultaneously curing diverse composite parts, the total autoclave cycle time is driven by the part-tool assembly with the lower heating and cooling rates. With the aim t...

High-resolution dynamic pressure sensor array based on piezo-phototronic effect tuned photoluminescence imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Mingzeng; Li, Zhou; Liu, Caihong; Zheng, Qiang; Shi, Xieqing; Song, Ming; Zhang, Yang; Du, Shiyu; Zhai, Junyi; Wang, Zhong Lin

2015-03-24

A high-resolution dynamic tactile/pressure display is indispensable to the comprehensive perception of force/mechanical stimulations such as electronic skin, biomechanical imaging/analysis, or personalized signatures. Here, we present a dynamic pressure sensor array based on pressure/strain tuned photoluminescence imaging without the need for electricity. Each sensor is a nanopillar that consists of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells. Its photoluminescence intensity can be modulated dramatically and linearly by small strain (0-0.15%) owing to the piezo-phototronic effect. The sensor array has a high pixel density of 6350 dpi and exceptional small standard deviation of photoluminescence. High-quality tactile/pressure sensing distribution can be real-time recorded by parallel photoluminescence imaging without any cross-talk. The sensor array can be inexpensively fabricated over large areas by semiconductor product lines. The proposed dynamic all-optical pressure imaging with excellent resolution, high sensitivity, good uniformity, and ultrafast response time offers a suitable way for smart sensing, micro/nano-opto-electromechanical systems.

Tribological performance of polymer composites used in electrical ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

engineering applications. ZAFER DEMIR. Anadolu University, Eskisehir, Turkey. MS received 28 December 2011; revised 13 March 2012. Abstract. Sliding wear performance of 20% mica-filled polyamide 6 (PA6 + 20% mica) and 20% short glass fibre- reinforced polysulphone (PSU + 20 GFR) polymer composites used in ...

Use of a piezo-electric quartz as substrate for the preparation of self-supporting rare earth targets, in metallic form, not oxidized

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonetti, C.

1975-01-01

A technique for preparing rare earth self-supporting targets is described. These high purity foils are used for nuclear spectroscopy, with a tandem Van de Graaff accelerator. Target thicknesses range from 1000μg/cm 2 to 2500μg/cm 2 . The originality of this procedure consists in using the piezo-electric quartz for target thickness measurements and for temporary substrate. With this method, it is possible to measure the target thickness without geometrical errors and to suppress the effects of the molecular flux anisotropy. (Auth.)

Tunable Fiber Bragg Grating Ring Lasers using Macro Fiber Composite Actuators

Science.gov (United States)

Geddis, Demetris L.; Allison, Sidney G.; Shams, Qamar A.

2006-01-01

The research reported herein includes the fabrication of a tunable optical fiber Bragg grating (FBG) fiber ring laser (FRL)1 from commercially available components as a high-speed alternative tunable laser source for NASA Langley s optical frequency domain reflectometer (OFDR) interrogator, which reads low reflectivity FBG sensors. A Macro-Fiber Composite (MFC) actuator invented at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) was selected to tune the laser. MFC actuators use a piezoelectric sheet cut into uniaxially aligned rectangular piezo-fibers surrounded by a polymer matrix and incorporate interdigitated electrodes to deliver electric fields along the length of the piezo-fibers. This configuration enables MFC actuators to produce displacements larger than the original uncut piezoelectric sheet. The FBG filter was sandwiched between two MFC actuators, and when strained, produced approximately 3.62 nm of wavelength shift in the FRL when biasing the MFC actuators from 500 V to 2000 V. This tunability range is comparable to that of other tunable lasers and is adequate for interrogating FBG sensors using OFDR technology. Three different FRL configurations were studied. Configuration A examined the importance of erbium-doped fiber length and output coupling. Configuration B demonstrated the importance of the FBG filter. Configuration C added an output coupler to increase the output power and to isolate the filter. Only configuration C was tuned because it offered the best optical power output of the three configurations. Use of Plastic Optical Fiber (POF) FBG s holds promise for enhanced tunability in future research.

State of the art of durability-performance evaluation of hardened cement based on phase compositions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurashige, Isao; Imoto, Harutake; Yamamoto, Takeshi; Hironaga, Michihiko

2006-01-01

Upgrading durability-performance evaluation technique for concrete is urgently demanded in connection to its application to radio-active waste repository which needs ultra long-term durability. Common concrete structures also require an advanced method for minimizing the life-cycle cost. The purpose of this research is to investigate current problems and future tasks on durability-performance evaluation of hardened cement from the view point of phase composition. Although the phase composition of hardened cement has not fully been reflected to durability-performance evaluation, it influences concrete durability as well as its pore structure. This report reviews state of the art of the factors affecting phase composition, analytical and experimental evaluation techniques for phase composition, and durability-performance evaluation methods of hardened cement based on phase composition. (author)

“Climb!” – A Composition Case Study. Actualising and Replicating Virtual Spaces in Classical Music Composition and Performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kallionpaa, Maria; Gasselseder, Hans-Peter

2018-01-01

, for example, the acoustics of the concert hall, the instrumentation, the qualities of the concert instrument, or the technologies used. Today´s electroacoustic repertoires frequently contain manipulation of (either physical or virtual) space or acoustic qualities, which sets new requirements...... to the capabilities of the performers. This leads to a question what these requirements may be and how can the performers and composers best deal with them? Can the space itself form part of the structure of a composition and/or performance? This chapter explores the topic through a composition case study “Climb...

Electrochemical performance of polypyrrole/silver vanadium oxide composite cathodes in lithium primary batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Anguchamy, Yogesh K.; Lee, Jong-Won; Popov, Branko N.

Polypyrrole (PPy)/silver vanadium oxide (SVO) composite cathode materials were synthesized by polymerizing pyrrole onto the surface of pure SVO particles. Electrochemical characterization was carried out by performing galvanostatic discharge, pulse discharge and ac-impedance experiments. The composite electrode exhibited better performance than pristine SVO in all the experiments. The composite electrodes yielded a higher discharge capacity and a better pulse discharge capability when compared to the pristine SVO electrode. The pulse discharge and ac-impedance studies indicated that PPy forms an effective conductive network on the SVO surface and thereby reduces the particle-to-particle contact resistance and facilitates the interfacial charge transfer kinetics. To determine the thermal stability of the composite cathode, galvanostatic discharge and ac-impedance experiments were performed at different temperatures. The capacity increased with temperature due to enhanced charge transfer kinetics and low mass transfer limitations. The peak capacity was obtained at 60 °C, after which the performance degraded with any further increase in temperature.

Electrochemical performance of polypyrrole/silver vanadium oxide composite cathodes in lithium primary batteries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anguchamy, Yogesh K.; Lee, Jong-Won; Popov, Branko N. [Center for Electrochemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208 (United States)

2008-09-15

Polypyrrole (PPy)/silver vanadium oxide (SVO) composite cathode materials were synthesized by polymerizing pyrrole onto the surface of pure SVO particles. Electrochemical characterization was carried out by performing galvanostatic discharge, pulse discharge and ac-impedance experiments. The composite electrode exhibited better performance than pristine SVO in all the experiments. The composite electrodes yielded a higher discharge capacity and a better pulse discharge capability when compared to the pristine SVO electrode. The pulse discharge and ac-impedance studies indicated that PPy forms an effective conductive network on the SVO surface and thereby reduces the particle-to-particle contact resistance and facilitates the interfacial charge transfer kinetics. To determine the thermal stability of the composite cathode, galvanostatic discharge and ac-impedance experiments were performed at different temperatures. The capacity increased with temperature due to enhanced charge transfer kinetics and low mass transfer limitations. The peak capacity was obtained at 60 C, after which the performance degraded with any further increase in temperature. (author)

Board Composition and Firm Performance: Evidence from BIST 100 Companies in Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mete KARAYEL

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This study examines how board composition affects firm performance. Female directors, independent directors and foreign directors and board size were taken as the indicators of board composition. The empirical analysis, based on a sample of 100 firms drawn from the BIST 100 Index over a 3-year period, the years between 2012 and 2014. In the study, for financial performance indicators, Return on Assets, and Return on Equity were used and for market performance indicator Market Value to Book Value was used. After the analysis, it is found that, board composition has an impact on firm performance in BIST 100 companies. This study is unique in terms of analyzing the effects of 2012 regulation of mandating at least 1/3 of all board members to be independent directors and suggesting at least one female director to BIST 100 company boards by Capital Boards of Turkey.

Thermal buffering performance of composite phase change materials applied in low-temperature protective garments

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Kai; Jiao, Mingli; Yu, Yuanyuan; Zhu, Xueying; Liu, Rangtong; Cao, Jian

2017-07-01

Phase change material (PCM) is increasingly being applied in the manufacturing of functional thermo-regulated textiles and garments. This paper investigated the thermal buffering performance of different composite PCMs which are suitable for the application in functional low-temperature protective garments. First, according to the criteria selecting PCM for functional textiles/garments, three kinds of pure PCM were selected as samples, which were n-hexadecane, n-octadecane and n-eicosane. To get the adjustable phase change temperature range and higher phase change enthalpy, three kinds of composite PCM were prepared using the above pure PCM. To evaluate the thermal buffering performance of different composite PCM samples, the simulated low-temperature experiments were performed in the climate chamber, and the skin temperature variation curves in three different low temperature conditions were obtained. Finally composite PCM samples’ thermal buffering time, thermal buffering capacity and thermal buffering efficiency were calculated. Results show that the comprehensive thermal buffering performance of n-octadecane and n-eicosane composite PCM is the best.

Influence of the spray characteristics of a piezo-A-nozzle on the inflammation at spray guided combustion processes; Einfluss der Spraycharakteristik einer Piezo-A-Duese auf die Entflammung beim strahlgefuehrten Brennverfahren

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Breuninger, Tobias; Schmidt, Juergen [Magdeburg Univ. (DE). Inst. fuer Stroemungstechnik und Thermodynamik (ISUT); Hese, Martin; Tschoeke, Helmut [Magdeburg Univ. (DE). Inst. fuer Mobile Systeme (IMS); Kufferath, Andreas [Robert Bosch GmbH, Schwieberdingen (Germany); Altenschmidt, Frank [Daimler AG, Stuttgart (Germany)

2011-07-01

The spray-guided combustion process offers a significant potential for improvement on the fuel consumption in partial-load engine operation. Due to the very close positioning of the injector to the spark plug, there is only very little time for the fuel mixture generation which leads to the presence of still liquid fuel particles next to already evaporized one. Furthermore the fuel-mixture generation is primarily driven by the dynamics of the fuel spray. In this article the spray characteristics of a Piezo-A-injector under pressure-chamber conditions as well as the combustion behavior on a one-cylinder test motor are analyzed. The global spray dispersion is analyzed using high-speed visualization while laser-optical measurements are used to observe the ignition-area. The mean diameter as well as the velocity of fuel droplets are determined using the phase-doppler-anemometry (PDA). An extinction-measuring methodology is used to quantify the liquid fuel particles. Analyzing the evaluated misfire-rate as a function of the spray-attributes allows for rating the spray-sections according to their ignition behavior. (orig.)

PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE AND BODY COMPOSITION IN MAINTENANCE HEMODIALYSIS (MHD PATIENTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M Zhang

2012-06-01

Conclusions: These findings indicate that adult MHD pts had a higher % body fat. Measures of physical performance were markedly reduced in MHD pts as compared to Normals. Physical performance in MHD, measured especially by 6-MW, correlated negatively with some measures of body composition, particularly with LBMI.

Overview of SNS Cryomodule Performance

CERN Document Server

Drury, Michael A; Davis, Kirk; Delayen, Jean R; Grenoble, Christiana; Hicks, William R; King, Larry; Plawski, Tomasz; Powers, Tom; Preble, Joseph P; Wang, Haipeng; Wiseman, Mark

2005-01-01

Thomas Jefferson National Accelerating Facility (Jefferson Lab) has completed production of 24 Superconducting Radio Frequency (SRF) cryomodules for the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) superconducting linac. This includes one medium-beta (0.61) prototype, eleven medium-beta and twelve high-beta (0.81) production cryomodules. Ten medium-beta cryomodules as well as two high beta cryomodules have undergone complete operational performance testing in the Cryomodule Test Facility at Jefferson Lab. The set of tests includes measurements of maximum gradient, unloaded Q (Q0), microphonics, and response to Lorentz forces. The Qext's of the various couplers are measured and the behavior of the higher order mode couplers is examined. The mechanical and piezo tuners are also characterized. The results of these performance tests will be discussed in this paper.

Improvement of performance of ultra-high performance concrete based composite material added with nano materials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pang Jinchang

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC, a kind of composite material characterized by ultra high strength, high toughness and high durability. It has a wide application prospect in engineering practice. But there are some defects in concrete. How to improve strength and toughness of UHPC remains to be the target of researchers. To obtain UHPC with better performance, this study introduced nano-SiO2 and nano-CaCO3 into UHPC. Moreover, hydration heat analysis, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD, mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP and nanoindentation tests were used to explore hydration process and microstructure. Double-doped nanomaterials can further enhance various mechanical performances of materials. Nano-SiO2 can promote early progress of cement hydration due to its high reaction activity and C-S-H gel generates when it reacts with cement hydration product Ca(OH2. Nano-CaCO3 mainly plays the role of crystal nucleus effect and filling effect. Under the combined action of the two, the composite structure is denser, which provides a way to improve the performance of UHPC in practical engineering.

Effect of ramadan fasting on body composition and physical performance in female athletes.

Science.gov (United States)

Memari, Amir-Hossein; Kordi, Ramin; Panahi, Nekoo; Nikookar, Laya R; Abdollahi, Mohammad; Akbarnejad, Ali

2011-09-01

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of Ramadan fasting on body composition, calorie intake and physical performance in young female athletes undertaking training sessions during Ramadan. Twelve voluntary female athletes (15-27 years old) were assigned to the research. A prospective study was conducted to investigate the athletes on four different occasions: one week before Ramadan (T1), the second (T2) and fourth (T3) weeks of Ramadan, and two weeks after the end of Ramadan (T4). Food intake, body composition and physical performance (agility, balance and explosive leg power) were investigated on each occasion. Further, Physical performance was assessed by agility, vertical jump and balance tests. There was a significant main effect for time for body composition indices. A significant decrease was observed in weight (P=0.01) and body mass index (BMI) (P=0.01) in T2 compared with T1, further decrease in weight (Peffect for time for agility performance (P=0.03), but no significant main effect for time was observed for vertical jumping (P=0.1) and balance performance (P=0.3). This study has found that Ramadan fasting could affect the body composition, but not physical performance in female athletes during Ramadan.

A Fast Optimization Method for Reliability and Performance of Cloud Services Composition Application

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhao Wu

2013-01-01

Full Text Available At present the cloud computing is one of the newest trends of distributed computation, which is propelling another important revolution of software industry. The cloud services composition is one of the key techniques in software development. The optimization for reliability and performance of cloud services composition application, which is a typical stochastic optimization problem, is confronted with severe challenges due to its randomness and long transaction, as well as the characteristics of the cloud computing resources such as openness and dynamic. The traditional reliability and performance optimization techniques, for example, Markov model and state space analysis and so forth, have some defects such as being too time consuming and easy to cause state space explosion and unsatisfied the assumptions of component execution independence. To overcome these defects, we propose a fast optimization method for reliability and performance of cloud services composition application based on universal generating function and genetic algorithm in this paper. At first, a reliability and performance model for cloud service composition application based on the multiple state system theory is presented. Then the reliability and performance definition based on universal generating function is proposed. Based on this, a fast reliability and performance optimization algorithm is presented. In the end, the illustrative examples are given.

Composite Materials for Thermal Energy Storage: Enhancing Performance through Microstructures

Science.gov (United States)

Ge, Zhiwei; Ye, Feng; Ding, Yulong

2014-01-01

Chemical incompatibility and low thermal conductivity issues of molten-salt-based thermal energy storage materials can be addressed by using microstructured composites. Using a eutectic mixture of lithium and sodium carbonates as molten salt, magnesium oxide as supporting material, and graphite as thermal conductivity enhancer, the microstructural development, chemical compatibility, thermal stability, thermal conductivity, and thermal energy storage performance of composite materials are investigated. The ceramic supporting material is essential for preventing salt leakage and hence provides a solution to the chemical incompatibility issue. The use of graphite gives a significant enhancement on the thermal conductivity of the composite. Analyses suggest that the experimentally observed microstructural development of the composite is associated with the wettability of the salt on the ceramic substrate and that on the thermal conduction enhancer. PMID:24591286

Aligned Carbon Nanotubes for High-Performance Films and Composites

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Liwen

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with extraordinary properties and thus many potential applications have been predicted to be the best reinforcements for the next-generation multifunctional composite materials. Difficulties exist in transferring the most use of the unprecedented properties of individual CNTs to macroscopic forms of CNT assemblies. Therefore, this thesis focuses on two main goals: 1) discussing the issues that influence the performance of bulk CNT products, and 2) fabricating high-performance dry CNT films and composite films with an understanding of the fundamental structure-property relationship in these materials. Dry CNT films were fabricated by a winding process using CNT arrays with heights of 230 mum, 300 im and 360 mum. The structures of the as-produced films, as well as their mechanical and electrical properties were examined in order to find out the effects of different CNT lengths. It was found that the shorter CNTs synthesized by shorter time in the CVD furnace exhibited less structural defects and amorphous carbon, resulting in more compact packing and better nanotube alignment when made into dry films, thus, having better mechanical and electrical performance. A novel microcombing approach was developed to mitigate the CNT waviness and alignment in the dry films, and ultrahigh mechanical properties and exceptional electrical performance were obtained. This method utilized a pair of sharp surgical blades with microsized features at the blade edges as micro-combs to, for the first time, disentangle and straighten the wavy CNTs in the dry-drawn CNT sheet at single-layer level. The as-combed CNT sheet exhibited high level of nanotube alignment and straightness, reduced structural defects, and enhanced nanotube packing density. The dry CNT films produced by microcombing had a very high Young's modulus of 172 GPa, excellent tensile strength of 3.2 GPa, and unprecedented electrical conductivity of 1.8x10 5 S/m, which were records for CNT films or

The nociception genes painless and Piezo are required for the cellular immune response of Drosophila larvae to wasp parasitization.

Science.gov (United States)

Tokusumi, Yumiko; Tokusumi, Tsuyoshi; Schulz, Robert A

2017-05-13

In vertebrates, interaction between the nervous system and immune system is important to protect a challenged host from stress inputs from external sources. In this study, we demonstrate that sensory neurons are involved in the cellular immune response elicited by wasp infestation of Drosophila larvae. Multidendritic class IV neurons sense contacts from external stimuli and induce avoidance behaviors for host defense. Our findings show that inactivation of these sensory neurons impairs the cellular response against wasp parasitization. We also demonstrate that the nociception genes encoding the mechanosensory receptors Painless and Piezo, both expressed in class IV neurons, are essential for the normal cellular immune response to parasite challenge. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Composite materials for thermal energy storage: enhancing performance through microstructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Ge, Zhiwei; Ye, Feng; Ding, Yulong

2014-05-01

Chemical incompatibility and low thermal conductivity issues of molten-salt-based thermal energy storage materials can be addressed by using microstructured composites. Using a eutectic mixture of lithium and sodium carbonates as molten salt, magnesium oxide as supporting material, and graphite as thermal conductivity enhancer, the microstructural development, chemical compatibility, thermal stability, thermal conductivity, and thermal energy storage performance of composite materials are investigated. The ceramic supporting material is essential for preventing salt leakage and hence provides a solution to the chemical incompatibility issue. The use of graphite gives a significant enhancement on the thermal conductivity of the composite. Analyses suggest that the experimentally observed microstructural development of the composite is associated with the wettability of the salt on the ceramic substrate and that on the thermal conduction enhancer. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Electrochemical performance of electroactive poly(amic acid)-Cu{sup 2+} composites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yan, Ying [Alan G. MacDiarmid Institute, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012 (China); Li, Fangfei [State Key Lab of Superhard Materials, Jilin University, Changchun 130012 (China); Hanlon, Ashley M.; Berda, Erik B. [Department of Chemistry and Materials Science Program, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 03824 (United States); Liu, Xincai; Wang, Ce [Alan G. MacDiarmid Institute, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012 (China); Chao, Danming, E-mail: chaodanming@jlu.edu.cn [Alan G. MacDiarmid Institute, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012 (China)

2017-01-15

Graphical abstract: Electroactive poly(amic acid)-Cu{sup 2+} (EPAA-Cu) composites on the substrates have been prepared, whose electrochemical properties, including electroactivity, electrochromism and anticorrosion, reveal drastic enhancement after incorporation of Cu{sup 2+} ions. - Highlights: • The electroactive poly(amic acid)-Cu{sup 2+} (EPAA-Cu) composites were prepared. • A significant current enhancement phenomenon of EPAA-Cu/ITO electrodes was observed. • EPAA-Cu/ITO electrochromic electrodes reveals a shorter switching times. • Excellent corrosive protection for the CS was achieved by incorporating Cu{sup 2+} ions. - Abstract: Electroactive poly(amic acid)-Cu{sup 2+} (EPAA-Cu) composites on substrates were successfully prepared via nucleophilic polycondensation followed by the use of an immersing method. Analysis of the structure properties of EPAA-Cu composites was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) and Fourier-transform infrared spectra (FTIR). A significant current enhancement phenomenon of EPAA-Cu/ITO electrodes was found as evident from cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements. In addition, Cu{sup 2+} ions were incorporated into the composites and had a positive effect on their electrochromic behaviors decreasing their switching times. The anticorrosive performance of EPAA-Cu composites coatings on the carbon steel in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution were also investigated in detail using tafel plots analysis and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The anticorrosive ability of these coatings significantly enhanced through the incorporation of Cu{sup 2+} ions.

Body composition and military performance--many things to many people.

Science.gov (United States)

Friedl, Karl E

2012-07-01

Soldiers are expected to maintain the highest possible level of physical readiness because they must be ready to mobilize and perform their duties anywhere in the world at any time. The objective of Army body composition standards is to motivate physical training and good nutrition habits to ensure a high state of readiness. Establishment of enforceable and rational standards to support this objective has been challenging even at extremes of body size. Morbidly obese individuals are clearly not suited to military service, but very large muscular individuals may be superbly qualified for soldier performance demands. For this reason, large individuals are measured for body fat using a waist circumference-based equation (female soldiers are also measured for hip circumference). The main challenge comes in setting appropriate fat standards to support the full range of Army requirements. Military appearance ideals dictate the most stringent body fat standards, whereas health risk thresholds anchor the most liberal standards, and physical performance associations fall on a spectrum between these 2 poles. Standards should not exclude or penalize specialized performance capabilities such as endurance running or power lifting across a spectrum of body sizes and fat. The full integration of women into the military further complicates the issue because of sexually dimorphic characteristics that make gender-appropriate standards essential and where inappropriately stringent standards can compromise both health and performance of this segment of the force. Other associations with body composition such as stress effects on intraabdominal fat distribution patterns and metabolic implications of a fat reserve for survival in extreme environments are also relevant considerations. This is a review of the science that underpins the U.S. Army body composition standards.

Modulation of persistent magnetoresistance by piezo-strain effect in manganite-based heterostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Li, W.; Yan, H.; Chai, X. J.; Wang, S. H.; Dong, X. L.; Ren, L. X.; Chen, C. L.; Jin, K. X.

2017-05-01

Persistent magnetoresistance effects in the phase-separated Pr0.65(Ca0.25Sr0.75)0.35MnO3/SrTiO3 and Pr0.65(Ca0.25Sr0.75)0.35MnO3/0.7PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3-0.3PbTiO3 heterostructures under a low magnetic field are investigated. It is observed that the persistent magnetoresistance effects decrease with increasing temperatures and the values for the heterostructures on 0.7Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.3PbTiO3 and SrTiO3 substrates are about 86.6% and 33.2% at 40 K, respectively. More interestingly, the applied electric field on the 0.7PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3-0.3PbTiO3 substrate can suppress the persistent magnetoresistance effect, indicating that different energy landscapes can be dramatically modulated by the piezo-strain. These results are discussed in terms of the strain-induced competition in the ferromagnetic state and the charge-ordering phase by the energy scenario, which provide a promising approach for designing devices of electric-magnetic memories in all-oxide heterostructures.

Development of a high-performance composite cathode for LT-SOFC

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Byung Wook

carried out to develop a high-performance composite cathode, in particular, for LT-SOFC operating 650°C and below since stability and compatibility of the materials in interest are secured at low temperatures. First, a nano-sized pyrochlore bismuth ruthenate (Bi2Ru 2O7 or BRO7 shortly), one of the promising cathode materials, was successfully synthesized using glycine-nitrate combustion (GNC) route. Stoichiometric Bi2Ru2O7 without any impurity phase was achieved with considerably improved processing condition, leading to the crystallite size of ~24nm in diameter. Even though the resulting powder tends to agglomerate, resulting in overall 200~400nm size range, it still showed better quality than the one prepared by solid state (SS) reaction route followed by extra milling steps such as vibro-milling and sonication for further particle size reduction. Glycine-to-nitrate (G/N) ratio was found to play a critical role in determining the reaction temperature and reaction duration, thus phase purity and particle morphology (particle size, shape, and agglomeration etc). Composite cathodes of such prepared BRO7 (GNC BRO7) combined with SS erbia-stabilized bismuth oxide, Bi1.6Er0.4O3 or ESB, showed better electrochemical performance than vibro-milled BRO7 (VM BRO7)-SS ESB. ASR values of 0.123Ocm2 at 700°C and 4.59cOm 2 at 500°C, respectively, were achieved, which follows well the trend of particle size effect on performance of composite cathodes. Additionally, the number of processing steps (thus time) was reduced by GNC route. Several issues in regard to synthesis process and characteristics of BRO7 material itself will be addressed in this dissertation. Secondly, a unique in-situ composite cathode synthesis was successfully developed and applied for BRO7-ESB composite cathodes to improve percolation and to reduce agglomeration of each phase inside the cathode so that the effective triple phase boundary (TPB) length was extended. To disperse and stabilize ESB powder in de

Review of high and ultrahigh performance cementitious composites incorporating various combinations of fibers and ultrafines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.I. Khan

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The outcomes of the research in modern cementitious composites have paved the way for their wide use in construction industry. The introduction of short, discontinuous and randomly distributed fibers to these composites has altered their inherent brittleness. Extensive research has been carried out on the effects of using of mono-fibers in a cementitious composite. However, limited reports in the approachable references on the use of hybrid fibers are available. The synergetic interaction between hybrid fibers have beneficial impact on cementitious composites. The incorporation of micro- and nano-pozzolanic materials, such as fly ash and silica fume have been used to develop high performance cementitious composites such as reactive powder concrete, DUCTAL and CEMTEC multiscale. Further developments were recently achieved by the development of ultra-high performance cementitious composites. The matter of developing high and ultrahigh cementitious composites using various kinds of fibers and particles has received enormous attention from the scientific community. This paper presents a comprehensive critical literature review on the area of high and ultra-high performance cement-based materials.

Simplified High-Performance Roll Out Composite Magnetometer Boom, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — In response to NASA's need for compact, low-cost deployable magnetometer booms for CubeSats, Roccor proposes to develop a Simple High-performance Roll-Out Composite...

The effect of carbon nanofillers on the performance of electromechanical polyaniline-based composite actuators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

García-Gallegos, J C; Martín-Gullón, I; Conesa, J A; Vega-Cantú, Y I; Rodríguez-Macías, F J

2016-01-01

Different types of crystalline carbon nanomaterials were used to reinforce polyaniline for use in electromechanical bilayer bending actuators. The objective is to analyze how the different graphitic structures of the nanocarbons affect and improve the in situ polymerized polyaniline composites and their subsequent actuator behavior. The nanocarbons investigated were multiwalled carbon nanotubes, nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes, helical-ribbon carbon nanofibers and graphene oxide, each one presenting different shape and structural characteristics. Films of nanocarbon-PAni composite were tested in a liquid electrolyte cell system. Experimental design was used to select the type of nanocarbon filler and composite loadings, and yielded a good balance of electromechanical properties. Raman spectroscopy suggests good interaction between PAni and the nanocarbon fillers. Electron microscopy showed that graphene oxide dispersed the best, followed by multiwall carbon nanotubes, while nitrogen-doped nanotube composites showed dispersion problems and thus poor performance. Multiwall carbon nanotube composite actuators showed the best performance based on the combination of bending angle, bending velocity and maximum working cycles, while graphene oxide attained similarly good performance due to its best dispersion. This parallel testing of a broad set of nanocarbon fillers on PAni-composite actuators is unprecedented to the best of our knowledge and shows that the type and properties of the carbon nanomaterial are critical to the performance of electromechanical devices with other conditions remaining equal. (paper)

Clinical performance of a hybrid resin composite with and without an intermediate layer of flowable resin composite: a 7-year evaluation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

van Dijken, Jan W V; Pallesen, Ulla

2011-01-01

The objective of this prospective clinical follow up was to evaluate the long term clinical performance of a hybrid resin composite in Class II restorations with and without intermediate layer of flowable resin composite....

Synthesis and electrochemical performance of polyaniline-MnO2 nanowire composites for supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ling; Song, Zhaoxia; Liu, Guichang; Qiu, Jieshan; Yu, Chang; Qin, Jiwei; Ma, Lin; Tian, Fengqin; Liu, Wei

2013-02-01

Polyaniline-MnO2 nanowire (PANI-MNW) composites were prepared by in situ chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline monomer in a suspension of MnO2 nanowires. The structure and morphology of the PANI-MNW composites were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Their electrochemical properties were investigated using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in 1 mol/L KOH electrolyte. The PANI-MNW composites show significantly better specific capacity and redox performance in comparison to the untreated MnO2 nanowires. The enhanced properties can be mainly attributed to the composite structure wherein high porosity is created between MnO2 nanowires and PANI during the process of fabricating the PANI-MNW nanocomposites. A specific capacitance as high as 256 F/g is obtained at a current density of 1 A/g for PANI-MNW-5, and the composite also shows a good cyclic performance and coulomb efficiency.

Overview of SNS Cryomodule Performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Michael Drury; Edward Daly; Christiana Grenoble; William Hicks; Lawrence King; Tomasz Plawski; Thomas Powers; Joseph Preble; Haipeng Wang; Mark Wiseman; G. Davis; Jean Delayen

2005-01-01

Thomas Jefferson National Accelerating Facility (Jefferson Lab) has completed production of 24 Superconducting Radio Frequency (SRF) cryomodules for the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) superconducting linac. This includes one medium-β (0.61) prototype, eleven medium-β and twelve high-β (0.81) production cryomodules. Nine medium-β cryomodules as well as two high-β cryomodules have undergone complete operational performance testing in the Cryomodule Test Facility at Jefferson Lab. The set of tests includes measurements of maximum gradient, unloaded Q (Q 0 ), microphonics, and response to Lorentz forces. The Q ext 's of the various couplers are measured and the behavior of the higher order mode couplers is examined. The mechanical and piezo tuners are also characterized. The results of these performance tests will be discussed in this paper

Self-powered vision electronic-skin basing on piezo-photodetecting Ppy/PVDF pixel-patterned matrix for mimicking vision

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Wuxiao; Zhang, Linlin; He, Haoxuan; Liu, Hongmin; Xing, Lili; Xue, Xinyu

2018-06-01

The development of multifunctional electronic-skin that establishes human-machine interfaces, enhances perception abilities or has other distinct biomedical applications is the key to the realization of artificial intelligence. In this paper, a new self-powered (battery-free) flexible vision electronic-skin has been realized from pixel-patterned matrix of piezo-photodetecting PVDF/Ppy film. The electronic-skin under applied deformation can actively output piezoelectric voltage, and the outputting signal can be significantly influenced by UV illumination. The piezoelectric output can act as both the photodetecting signal and electricity power. The reliability is demonstrated over 200 light on–off cycles. The sensing unit matrix of 6 × 6 pixels on the electronic-skin can realize image recognition through mapping multi-point UV stimuli. This self-powered vision electronic-skin that simply mimics human retina may have potential application in vision substitution.

Self-powered vision electronic-skin basing on piezo-photodetecting Ppy/PVDF pixel-patterned matrix for mimicking vision.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Wuxiao; Zhang, Linlin; He, Haoxuan; Liu, Hongmin; Xing, Lili; Xue, Xinyu

2018-06-22

The development of multifunctional electronic-skin that establishes human-machine interfaces, enhances perception abilities or has other distinct biomedical applications is the key to the realization of artificial intelligence. In this paper, a new self-powered (battery-free) flexible vision electronic-skin has been realized from pixel-patterned matrix of piezo-photodetecting PVDF/Ppy film. The electronic-skin under applied deformation can actively output piezoelectric voltage, and the outputting signal can be significantly influenced by UV illumination. The piezoelectric output can act as both the photodetecting signal and electricity power. The reliability is demonstrated over 200 light on-off cycles. The sensing unit matrix of 6 × 6 pixels on the electronic-skin can realize image recognition through mapping multi-point UV stimuli. This self-powered vision electronic-skin that simply mimics human retina may have potential application in vision substitution.

Porous polymer composite membrane based nanogenerator: A realization of self-powered wireless green energy source for smart electronics applications

Science.gov (United States)

Ghosh, Sujoy Kumar; Sinha, Tridib Kumar; Mahanty, Biswajit; Jana, Santanu; Mandal, Dipankar

2016-11-01

An efficient, flexible and unvaryingly porous polymer composite membrane based nanogenerator (PPCNG) without any electrical poling treatment has been realised as wireless green energy source to power up smart electronic gadgets. Owing to self-polarized piezo- and ferro-electretic phenomenon of in situ platinum nanoparticles (Pt-NPs) doped porous poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene)-membrane, a simple, inexpensive and scalable PPCNG fabrication is highlighted. The molecular orientations of the -CH2/-CF2 dipoles that cause self-polarization phenomenon has been realized by angular dependent near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. The square-like hysteresis loop with giant remnant polarization, Pr ˜ 68 μC/cm2 and exceptionally high piezoelectric charge coefficient, d33 ˜ - 836 pC/N promises a best suited ferro- and piezo-electretic membrane. The PPCNG exhibits a high electrical throughput such as, ranging from 2.7 V to 23 V of open-circuit voltage (Voc) and 2.9 μA to 24.7 μA of short-circuit current (Isc) under 0.5 MPa to 4.3 MPa of imparted stress amplitude by periodic human finger motion. The harvested mechanical and subsequent electrical energy by PPCNG is shown to transfer wirelessly via visible and infrared transmitter-receiver systems, where 17% and 49% of wireless power transfer efficiency, respectively, has been realized to power up several consumer electronics.

The Effect of Training Data Set Composition on the Performance of a Neural Image Caption Generator

Science.gov (United States)

2017-09-01

REPORT TYPE Technical Report 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE The Effect of Training Data Set Composition on the Performance of a...ARL-TR-8124 ● SEP 2017 US Army Research Laboratory The Effect of Training Data Set Composition on the Performance of a Neural...Laboratory The Effect of Training Data Set Composition on the Performance of a Neural Image Caption Generator by Abigail Wilson Montgomery Blair

Tree cover and species composition effects on academic performance of primary school students.

Science.gov (United States)

Sivarajah, Sivajanani; Smith, Sandy M; Thomas, Sean C

2018-01-01

Human exposure to green space and vegetation is widely recognized to result in physical and mental health benefits; however, to date, the specific effects of tree cover, diversity, and species composition on student academic performance have not been investigated. We compiled standardized performance scores in Grades 3 and 6 for the collective student body in 387 schools across the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), and examined variation in relation to tree cover, tree diversity, and tree species composition based on comprehensive inventories of trees on school properties combined with aerial-photo-based assessments of tree cover. Analyses accounted for variation due to socioeconomic factors using the learning opportunity index (LOI), a regional composite index of external challenges to learning that incorporates income and other factors, such as students with English as a second language. As expected, LOI had the greatest influence on student academic performance; however, the proportion of tree cover, as distinct from other types of "green space" such as grass, was found to be a significant positive predictor of student performance, accounting for 13% of the variance explained in a statistical model predicting mean student performance assessments. The effects of tree cover and species composition were most pronounced in schools that showed the highest level of external challenges, suggesting the importance of urban forestry investments in these schools.

Design and performance prediction of a new generation adsorption chiller using composite adsorbent

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gong, L.X.; Wang, R.Z.; Xia, Z.Z.; Chen, C.J.

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → Composite adsorbent 'employing lithium chloride in silica gel' and water as working pair. → A new type adsorbent bed is used to accommodate the composite adsorbent. → A dynamic model of the adsorption chiller is built. → The coefficient of performance (COP) and the cooling capacity will be improved. -- Abstract: This paper presents a novel adsorption chiller using composite adsorbent 'employing lithium chloride in silica gel' as adsorbent and water as adsorbate. A new type adsorbent bed is used to accommodate the composite adsorbent. The mass recovery between two adsorbent beds usually results in the adsorbate unbalance. So a novel auto water makeup unite is used to solve the problem. A dynamic model of the adsorption chiller is built based on the adsorption isotherms to predict the performance. The simulation result shows that the coefficient of performance (COP) and the cooling capacity will increase by using this new composite adsorbent. When the temperatures of hot water inlet, cooling water inlet, and chilled water inlet are 363, 303 and 293 K, COP will be 0.43, and the cooling capacity will be 5.295 kW. Also operation strategy is optimized. Different temperatures of hot water inlet, cooling water inlet and chilling water inlet will result in different COP and cooling capacity.

SnTe-TiC-C composites as high-performance anodes for Li-ion batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Son, Seung Yeon; Hur, Jaehyun; Kim, Kwang Ho; Son, Hyung Bin; Lee, Seung Geol; Kim, Il Tae

2017-10-01

Intermetallic SnTe composites dispersed in a conductive TiC/C hybrid matrix are synthesized by high-energy ball milling (HEBM). The electrochemical performances of the composites as potential anodes for Li-ion batteries are evaluated. The structural and morphological characteristics of the SnTe-TiC-C composites with various TiC contents are investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, which reveal that SnTe and TiC are uniformly dispersed in a carbon matrix. The electrochemical performance is significantly improved by introducing TiC to the SnTe-C composite; higher TiC contents result in better performances. Among the prepared composites, the SnTe-TiC (30%)-C and SnTe-TiC (40%)-C electrodes exhibit the best electrochemical performance, showing the reversible capacities of, respectively, 652 mAh cm-3 and 588 mAh cm-3 after 400 cycles and high rate capabilities with the capacity retentions of 75.4% for SnTe-TiC (30%)-C and 82.2% for SnTe-TiC (40%)-C at 10 A g-1. Furthermore, the Li storage reaction mechanisms of Te or Sn in the SnTe-TiC-C electrodes are confirmed by ex situ XRD.

Thermal expansion behaviour of high performance PEEK matrix composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goyal, R K; Mulik, U P; Tiwari, A N; Negi, Y S

2008-01-01

The thermal expansion behaviour of high performance poly(ether-ether-ketone) (PEEK) composites reinforced with micro- (8 μm) and nano- (39 nm) sized Al 2 O 3 particles was studied. The distribution of Al 2 O 3 in the PEEK matrix was studied by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) was reduced from 58 x 10 -6 deg. C -1 for pure PEEK to 22 x 10 -6 deg. C -1 at 43 vol% micro-Al 2 O 3 and to 23 x 10 -6 deg. C -1 at 12 vol% nano-Al 2 O 3 composites. For a given volume fraction, nano-Al 2 O 3 particles are more effective in reducing the CTE of composites than that of micro-Al 2 O 3 particles. This may be attributed to the much higher interfacial area or volume of nanocomposites than that of microcomposites. The upper limit and lower limit of the Schapery model separately fit closely the CTE of the micro- and nano-composites, respectively. Other models such as the rule of mixture and Kerner and Turner models were also correlated with the data

Robust and thermal-enhanced melamine formaldehyde–modified glassfiber composite separator for high-performance lithium batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Qingfu

2015-01-01

The composite separator of melamine formaldehyde resin coated glass microfiber membrane was prepared for high performance lithium ion battery. It was demonstrated that this composite membranes possessed a significantly enhanced tensile strength and a modified porous structure, compared with that of pristine glass microfiber membrane. Impressive improvements in thermo-stability, with no shrinkage at an elevated temperature of 150 °C. Meanwhile, such composite membrane presented a favorable wettability and remarkable electrochemical stability in commercial liquid electrolyte. In addition, the battery test results of LiCoO 2 /graphite cells proved the composite membrane was a promising separator with an improved cycling performance and rate capability. The cycle performance of LiFePO 4 /Li cells at the elevated temperature of 120 °C demonstrated their excellent safety characteristic as separator in LIB, indicating the composite membrane was a potential separator candidate for high power battery.

High Piezo-photocatalytic Efficiency of CuS/ZnO Nanowires Using Both Solar and Mechanical Energy for Degrading Organic Dye.

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Deyi; Zang, Weili; Guo, Xiao; Fu, Yongming; He, Haoxuan; Sun, Jing; Xing, Lili; Liu, Baodan; Xue, Xinyu

2016-08-24

High piezo-photocatalytic efficiency of degrading organic pollutants has been realized from CuS/ZnO nanowires using both solar and mechanical energy. CuS/ZnO heterostructured nanowire arrays are compactly/vertically aligned on stainless steel mesh by a simple two-step wet-chemical method. The mesh-supported nanocomposites can facilitate an efficient light harvesting due to the large surface area and can also be easily removed from the treated solution. Under both solar and ultrasonic irradiation, CuS/ZnO nanowires can rapidly degrade methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution, and the recyclability is investigated. In this process, the ultrasonic assistance can greatly enhance the photocatalytic activity. Such a performance can be attributed to the coupling of the built-in electric field of heterostructures and the piezoelectric field of ZnO nanowires. The built-in electric field of the heterostructure can effectively separate the photogenerated electrons/holes and facilitate the carrier transportation. The CuS component can improve the visible light utilization. The piezoelectric field created by ZnO nanowires can further separate the photogenerated electrons/holes through driving them to migrate along opposite directions. The present results demonstrate a new water-pollution solution in green technologies for the environmental remediation at the industrial level.

Composition of Exports and Export Performance of Eurozone Countries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wierts, P.J.; Kerkhoff, H.; de Haan, J.

2014-01-01

This article investigates to what extent the composition of exports is related to the export performance of eurozone countries using a data set on exports from the oldest eurozone countries to their top 20 trade partners for the period 1988-2009. The results suggest that a higher share of high

Hemocompatible polyethersulfone/polyurethane composite membrane for high-performance antifouling and antithrombotic dialyzer.

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Zehua; Cheng, Chong; Qin, Hui; Nie, Chuanxiong; He, Chao; Zhao, Changsheng

2015-01-01

Researches on blood purification membranes are fuelled by diverse clinical needs, such as hemodialysis, hemodiafiltration, hemofiltration, plasmapheresis, and plasma collection. To approach high-performance dialyzer, the integrated antifouling and antithrombotic properties are highly necessary for the design/modification of advanced artificial membranes. In this study, we propose and demonstrate that the physical blend of triblock polyurethane (PU) and polyethersulfone (PES) may advance the performance of hemodialysis membranes with greatly enhanced blood compatibility. It was found that the triblock PU could be blended with PES at high ratio owing to their excellent miscibility. The surfaces of the PES/PU composite membranes were characterized using attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, water contact angle measurement, and surface ζ-potentials. The results indicated that the membrane surfaces were assembled with hydrophilic segregation layer owing to the migration of amphiphilic PU segments during membrane preparation, which might confer the composite membranes with superior hemocompatibility. The cross-section scanning electron microscopy images of the composite membranes exhibited structure transformation from finger-like structure to sponge-like structure, which indicated that the composite membrane had tunable porosity and permeability. The further ultrafiltration experiments indicated that the composite membranes showed increased permeability and excellent antifouling ability. The blood compatibility observation indicated that PES/PU composite membranes owned decreased protein adsorption, suppressed platelet adhesion, and prolonged plasma recalcification time. These results indicated that the PES/PU composite membranes exhibited enhanced antifouling and antithrombotic properties than the pristine PES membrane. The strategy may forward the fabrication of blood compatible composite membranes for

MnO2 Nanorods Intercalating Graphene Oxide/Polyaniline Ternary Composites for Robust High-Performance Supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Guangqiang; Liu, Yun; Zhang, Lingling; Kan, Erjun; Zhang, Shaopeng; Tang, Jian; Tang, Weihua

2014-04-01

New ternary composites of MnO2 nanorods, polyaniline (PANI) and graphene oxide (GO) have been prepared by a two-step process. The 100 nm-long MnO2 nanorods with a diameter ~20 nm are conformably coated with PANI layers and fastened between GO layers. The MnO2 nanorods incorporated ternary composites electrode exhibits significantly increased specific capacitance than PANI/GO binary composite in supercapacitors. The ternary composite with 70% MnO2 exhibits a highest specific capacitance reaching 512 F/g and outstanding cycling performance, with ~97% capacitance retained over 5000 cycles. The ternary composite approach offers an effective solution to enhance the device performance of metal-oxide based supercapacitors for long cycling applications.

Effect of flexure beam geometry and material on the displacement of piezo actuated diaphragm for micropump

Science.gov (United States)

Roopa, R.; Navin Karanth, P.; Kulkarni, S. M.

2018-02-01

In this paper, we present a COMSOL analysis of flexure diaphragm for piezo actuated valveless micropump. Diaphragms play an important role in micropumps, till now plane diaphragms are commonly used in micropumps. Use of compliant flexure hinges in diaphragm and other MEMS application is one of the new approach to achieving high deflection in diaphragm at low operating voltage. Flexures hinges in diaphragm acts as simply supported beam. Out-off plane compliance value and stiffness is considered for the selection of proper flexure for diaphragm. Diaphragm material also plays an important role in the diaphragm central deflection. Factor considered for diaphragm material selection is resilience; it is the ratio of yield stress to static modulus. Higher is the resilience will leads to higher deflection generated, it also imparts good compliance. Based on the resilience beryllium copper, stainless steel and brass materials are selected for diaphragm analysis. Simulations have been performed using COMSOL multiphysics. This study reports the effect of flexure hinge geometry and diaphragm material on the central deflection of diaphragms and compared with existing plane diaphragm. Simulation results illustrates that the deflection of three flexure diaphragm with 2mm width and 2mm length flexure is 6.75µm for stainless steel, 10.89 for beryllium copper and 12.10µm for brass, at 140V which is approximately twice that of plane diaphragm deflection. The maximum in both plane and three flexure diaphragm deflection is obtained for brass diaphragm compared to stainless steel and beryllium copper.

Enhanced electrochemical performances with a copper/xylose-based carbon composite electrode

Science.gov (United States)

Sirisomboonchai, Suchada; Kongparakul, Suwadee; Nueangnoraj, Khanin; Zhang, Haibo; Wei, Lu; Reubroycharoen, Prasert; Guan, Guoqing; Samart, Chanatip

2018-04-01

Copper/carbon (Cu/C) composites were prepared through the simple and environmentally benign hydrothermal carbonization of xylose in the presence of Cu2+ ions. The morphology, specific surface area, phase structure and chemical composition were investigated. Using a three-electrode system in 0.1 M H2SO4 aqueous electrolyte, the Cu/C composite (10 wt% Cu) heat-treated at 600 °C gave the highest specific capacitance (316.2 and 350.1 F g-1 at 0.5 A g-1 and 20 mV s-1, respectively). The addition of Cu was the major factor in improving the electrochemical performance, enhancing the specific capacitance more than 30 times that of the C without Cu. Therefore, the Cu/C composite presented promising results in improving biomass-based C electrodes for supercapacitors.

Effect of gamma radiation on the performance of jute fabrics-reinforced polypropylene composites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haydaruzzaman [Department of Physics, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka (Bangladesh); Khan, Ruhul A. [Radiation and Polymer Chemistry Laboratory, Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, G. P.O. Box 3787, Dhaka 1000 (Bangladesh); Khan, Mubarak A. [Radiation and Polymer Chemistry Laboratory, Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, G. P.O. Box 3787, Dhaka 1000 (Bangladesh)], E-mail: makhan.inst@gmail.com; Khan, A.H.; Hossain, M.A. [Department of Physics, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka (Bangladesh)

2009-11-15

Jute fabrics-reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites (50% fiber) were prepared by compression molding. Composites were fabricated with non-irradiated jute fabrics/non-irradiated PP (C-0), non-irradiated jute fabrics/irradiated PP (C-1), irradiated jute fabrics/non-irradiated PP (C-2) and irradiated jute fabrics/irradiated PP (C-3). It was found that C-3 composite performed the best mechanical properties over other composites. Total radiation dose varied from 250-1000 krad and composites made of using 500 krad showed the best results. The optimized values (C-3 composites) for tensile strength (TS), bending strength (BS) and impact strength (IS) were found to be 63 MPa, 73 MPa and 2.93 kJ/m{sup 2}, respectively.

Three-dimensional microporous polypyrrole/polysulfone composite film electrode for supercapacitance performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng, Xiaojuan; Shi, Yanlong; Jin, Shuping

2015-01-01

The three-dimensional microporous polypyrrole/polysulfone (PPY/PSF) composite film was fabricated via a simple polymerization method. The morphology structure and chemical composition of the composite film were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. The electrochemical properties of the composite film electrode were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charging-discharging and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The material exhibits excellent capacitance performance including high capacitance of 500 F g"−"1 at 0.3 A g"−"1 current density, good cycle stability in 800 continuous cycles (only 4.5% decay after 800 cycles at 0.3 A g"−"1), and low inter resistance. The good property of the PPY/PSF electrode should be attributed to its structural features, including two-layer microporous structure which facilitates the penetration of electrolytes into the inner surface, high surface area which provides more active sites. These results show that the composite film is a promising candidate for high energy electrochemical capacitors.

Three-dimensional microporous polypyrrole/polysulfone composite film electrode for supercapacitance performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Feng, Xiaojuan, E-mail: cherry-820@163.com; Shi, Yanlong; Jin, Shuping

2015-10-30

The three-dimensional microporous polypyrrole/polysulfone (PPY/PSF) composite film was fabricated via a simple polymerization method. The morphology structure and chemical composition of the composite film were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. The electrochemical properties of the composite film electrode were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charging-discharging and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The material exhibits excellent capacitance performance including high capacitance of 500 F g{sup −1} at 0.3 A g{sup −1} current density, good cycle stability in 800 continuous cycles (only 4.5% decay after 800 cycles at 0.3 A g{sup −1}), and low inter resistance. The good property of the PPY/PSF electrode should be attributed to its structural features, including two-layer microporous structure which facilitates the penetration of electrolytes into the inner surface, high surface area which provides more active sites. These results show that the composite film is a promising candidate for high energy electrochemical capacitors.

Performance of Plain Woven Jute Fabric-Reinforced Polyester Matrix Composite in Multilayered Ballistic System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergio Neves Monteiro

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The ballistic performance of plain woven jute fabric-reinforced polyester matrix composites was investigated as the second layer in a multilayered armor system (MAS. Volume fractions of jute fabric, up to 30 vol %, were mixed with orthophthalic polyester to fabricate laminate composites. Ballistic tests were conducted using high velocity 7.62 mm ammunition. The depth of penetration caused by the bullet in a block of clay witness, simulating a human body, was used to evaluate the MAS ballistic performance according to the international standard. The fractured materials after tests were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM. The results indicated that jute fabric composites present a performance similar to that of the much stronger Kevlar™, which is an aramid fabric laminate, as MAS second layer with the same thickness. The mechanism of this similar ballistic behavior as well as the comparative advantages of the jute fabric composites over the Kevlar™ are discussed.

Performance of a 1 kW Class Nafion-PTFE Composite Membrane Fuel Cell Stack

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pattabiraman Krishnamurthy

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Composite membranes have been prepared by impregnation of Nafion into the expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (EPTFE matrix. Nafion loading in the composite membranes was kept constant at 2 mg/cm2. The lower amount of electrolyte per unit area in the composite membranes offers cost advantages compared to conventional membrane of 50 μm thickness with an electrolyte loading of ~9 mg/cm2. Composite membranes (30 μm thickness were found to have higher thermal stability and mechanical strength compared to the conventional membranes (50 μm thickness. The performance of the membrane electrode assembly made with these composite membranes was comparable to that of the conventional membranes. Single cells fabricated from these MEAs were tested for their performance and durability before scaling them up for large area. The performance of a 20-cell stack of active area 330 cm2 fabricated using these membranes is reported.

Performance characterization of geopolymer composites for hot sodium exposed sacrificial layer in fast breeder reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haneefa, K. Mohammed, E-mail: mhkolakkadan@gmail.com [Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras, Chennai (India); Santhanam, Manu [Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras, Chennai (India); Parida, F. C. [Radiological Safety Division, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam (India)

2013-12-15

Highlights: • Performance evaluation of geopolymers subjected to hot liquid sodium is performed. • Apart from mechanical properties, micro-analytical techniques are used for material characterization. • The geopolymer composite showed comparatively lesser damage than conventional cement composites. • Geopolymer technology can emerge as a new choice for sacrificial layer in SCFBRs. - Abstract: A sacrificial layer of concrete is used in sodium cooled fast breeder reactors (SCFBRs) to mitigate thermo-chemical effect of accidentally spilled sodium at and above 550 °C on structural concrete. Performance of this layer is governed by thermo-chemical stability of the ingredients of sacrificial layer concrete. Concrete with limestone aggregate is generally used as a sacrificial layer. Conventional cement based systems exhibit instability in hot liquid sodium environment. Geo-polymer composites are well known to perform excellently at elevated temperatures compared to conventional cement systems. This paper discusses performance of such composites subjected to exposure of hot liquid sodium in air. The investigation includes comprehensive evaluation of various geo-polymer composites before any exposure, after heating to 550 °C in air, and after immersing in hot liquid sodium initially heated to 550 °C in air. Results from the current study indicate that hot liquid sodium produces less damage to geopolymer composites than to the existing conventional cement based system. Hence, the geopolymer technology has potential application in mitigating the degrading effects of sodium fires and can emerge as a new choice for sodium exposed sacrificial layer in SCFBRs.

Understanding the Enhanced Catalytic Performance of Ultrafine Transition Metal Nanoparticles–Graphene Composites

KAUST Repository

Liu, Xin

2015-08-11

Catalysis, as the key to minimize the energy requirement and environmental impact of today\\'s chemical industry, plays a vital role in many fields directly related to our daily life and economy, including energy generation, environment control, manufacture of chemicals, medicine synthesis, etc. Rational design and fabrication of highly efficient catalysts have become the ultimate goal of today\\'s catalysis research. For the purpose of handling and product separation, heterogeneous catalysts are highly preferred for industrial applications and a large part of which are the composites of transition metal nanoparticles (TMNPs). With the fast development of nanoscience and nanotechnology and assisted with theoretical investigations, basic understanding on tailoring the electronic structure of these nanocomposites has been gained, mainly by precise control of the composition, morphology, interfacial structure and electronic states. With the rise of graphene, chemical routes to prepare graphene were developed and various graphene-based composites were fabricated. Transition metal nanoparticles-reduced graphene oxide (TMNPs–rGO) composites have attracted considerable attention, because of their intriguing catalytic performance which have been extensively explored for energy- and environment-related applications to date. This review summarizes our recent experimental and theoretical efforts on understanding the superior catalytic performance of subnanosized TMNPs–rGO composites.

Natural composites: Strength, packing ability and moisture sorption of cellulose fibres, and the related performance of composites

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lilholt, Hans; Madsen, Bo

2012-01-01

Biobased materials are becoming of increasing interest as potential structural materials for the future. A useful concept in this context is the fibre reinforcement of materials by stiff and strong fibres. The bio-resources can contribute with cellulose fibres and (bio) polymers from hemicelluloses...... in stiffness, on the packing ability of cellulose fibres and the related maximum fibre volume fraction in composites, on the moisture sorption of cellulose fibres and the related mass increase and (large) hygral strains induced, and on the mechanical performance of composites....

High performance thermoplastics - A review of neat resin and composite properties

Science.gov (United States)

Johnston, Norman J.; Hergenrother, Paul M.

1987-01-01

A review was made of the principal thermoplastics used to fabricate high performance composites. Neat resin tensile and fracture toughness properties, glass transition temperatures (Tg), crystalline melt temperatures (Tm) and approximate processing conditions are presented. Mechanical properties of carbon fiber composites made from many of these thermoplastics are given, including flexural, longitudinal tensile, transverse tensile and in-plane shear properties as well as short beam shear and compressive strengths and interlaminar fracture toughness.

High performance carbon-carbon composites

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

These composites are made of fibres in various directions and carbonaceous polymers and hydrocarbons as matrix precursors. Their density and properties depend on the type and volume fraction of reinforcement, matrix precursor used and end heat treatment temperature. Composites made with thermosetting resins as ...

Patient guided Piezo-electric Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy as treatment for chronic severe patellar tendinopathy: A pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Zwerver, Johannes; Dekker, Femke; Pepping, Gert-Jan

2010-01-01

Patellar tendinopathy is a common overuse injury for which no evidence-based treatment guidelines exist. Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) seems to be an effective treatment for patellar tendinopathy but the most beneficial treatment strategies still need to be ascertained. Aim of this pilot study was to investigate if patient guided Piezo-electric, focused ESWT, without local anesthesia is a safe and well tolerated treatment which improves pain and function in patients with patellar tendinopathy. Nineteen male athletes with severe chronic patellar tendinopathy received 3 patient guided focused medium to high energy ESWT treatments at a weekly interval. Before and after 3 months VISA-P and VAS (pain) scores were recorded. Data on side effects and complications of treatment were also collected. No serious complications were reported and patients tolerated the treatment well. Mean VISA-P score improved from 36.1 to 50.1 (p patellar tendinopathy.

High-performance thermoelectric materials based on ternary TiO2/CNT/PANI composites.

Science.gov (United States)

Erden, Fuat; Li, Hui; Wang, Xizu; Wang, FuKe; He, Chaobin

2018-04-04

In the present work, we report the fabrication of high-performance thermoelectric materials using TiO2/CNT/PANI ternary composites. We showed that a conductivity of ∼2730 S cm-1 can be achieved for the binary CNT (70%)/PANI (30%) composite, which is the highest recorded value for the reported CNT/PANI composites. We further demonstrated that the Seebeck coefficient of CNT/PANI composites could be enhanced by incorporating TiO2 nanoparticles into the binary CNT/PANI composites, which could be attributed to lower carrier density and the energy scattering of low-energy carriers at the interfaces of TiO2/a-CNT and TiO2/PANI. The resulting TiO2/a-CNT/PANI ternary system exhibits a higher Seebeck coefficient and enhanced thermoelectric power. Further optimization of the thermoelectric power was achieved by water treatment and by tuning the processing temperature. A high thermoelectric power factor of 114.5 μW mK-2 was obtained for the ternary composite of 30% TiO2/70% (a-CNT (70%)/PANI (30%)), which is the highest reported value among the reported PANI based ternary composites. The improvement of thermoelectric performance by incorporation of TiO2 suggests a promising approach to enhance power factor of organic thermoelectric materials by judicial tuning of the carrier concentration and electrical conductivity.

Performance enhancement of quantum dot-sensitized solar cells based on polymer nano-composite catalyst

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seo, Hyunwoong; Gopi, Chandu V.V.M.; Kim, Hee-Je; Itagaki, Naho; Koga, Kazunori; Shiratani, Masaharu

2017-01-01

Highlights: •We studied polymer nano-composite containing TiO 2 nano-particles as a catalyst. •Polymer nano-composite was applied for quantum dot-sensitized solar cells. •Polymer nano-composite catalyst was considerably improved with TiO 2 nano-particles. •Polymer nano-composite showed higher photovoltaic performance than conventional Au. -- Abstract: Polymer nano-composite composed of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly (styrenesulfonate) and TiO 2 nano-particles was deposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide substrate and applied as an alternative to Au counter electrode of quantum dot-sensitized solar cell (QDSC). It became surface-richer with the increase in nano-particle amount so that catalytic reaction was increased by widened catalytic interface. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry clearly demonstrated the enhancement of polymer nano-composite counter electrode. A QDSC based on polymer nano-composite counter electrode showed 0.56 V of V OC , 12.24 mA cm −2 of J SC , 0.57 of FF, and 3.87% of efficiency and this photovoltaic performance was higher than that of QDSC based on Au counter electrode (3.75%).

High performance carbon–carbon composites

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

R. Narasimhan (Krishtel eMaging) 1461 1996 Oct 15 13:05:22

protected against oxidation either through matrix modification with Si, Zr, Hf etc. or by multilayer oxidation protection ... advanced composites for a wide range of applications. The majority of products still ... CVD is a very slow process and it takes months together to get dense carbon–carbon composites. Porous structures ...

Analysis of Piezoelectric Structural Sensors with Emergent Computing Techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Ramers, Douglas L.

2005-01-01

The purpose of this project was to try to interpret the results of some tests that were performed earlier this year and to demonstrate a possible use of emergence in computing to solve IVHM problems. The test data used was collected with piezoelectric sensors to detect mechanical changes in structures. This project team was included of Dr. Doug Ramers and Dr. Abdul Jallob of the Summer Faculty Fellowship Program, Arnaldo Colon-Lopez - a student intern from the University of Puerto Rico of Turabo, and John Lassister and Bob Engberg of the Structural and Dynamics Test Group. The tests were performed by Bob Engberg to compare the performance two types of piezoelectric (piezo) sensors, Pb(Zr(sub 1-1)Ti(sub x))O3, which we will label PZT, and Pb(Zn(sub 1/3)Nb(sub 2/3))O3-PbTiO, which we will label SCP. The tests were conducted under varying temperature and pressure conditions. One set of tests was done by varying water pressure inside an aluminum liner covered with carbon-fiber composite layers (a cylindrical "bottle" with domed ends) and the other by varying temperatures down to cryogenic levels on some specially prepared composite panels. This report discusses the data from the pressure study. The study of the temperature results was not completed in time for this report. The particular sensing done with these piezo sensors is accomplished by the sensor generating an controlled vibration that is transmitted into the structure to which the sensor is attached, and the same sensor then responding to the induced vibration of the structure. There is a relationship between the mechanical impedance of the structure and the resulting electrical impedance produced in the in the piezo sensor. The impedance is also a function of the excitation frequency. Changes in the real part of impendance signature relative to an original reference signature indicate a change in the coupled structure that could be the results of damage or strain. The water pressure tests were conducted by

Nanofiber reinforcement of a geopolymer matrix for improved composite materials mechanical performance

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, AKM Samsur

Geopolymers have the potential to cross the process performance gap between polymer matrix and ceramic matrix composites (CMC), enabling high temperature capable composites that are manufactured at relatively low temperatures. Unfortunately, the inherently low toughness of these geopolymers limits the performance of the resulting fiber reinforced geopolymer matrix composites. Toughness improvements in composites can be addressed through the adjustments in the fiber/matrix interfacial strength and through the improvements in the inherent toughness of the constituent materials. This study investigates the potential to improve the inherent toughness of the geopolymer matrix material through the addition of nanofillers, by considering physical dimensions, mechanical properties, reinforcing capability and interfacial bond strength effects. A process optimization study was first undertaken to develop the ability to produce consistent, neat geopolymer samples, a critical precursor to producing nano-filled geopolymer for toughness evaluation. After that, single edge notched bend beam fracture toughness and un-notched beam flexural strength were evaluated for silicon carbide, alumina and carbon nanofillers reinforced geopolymer samples treated at various temperatures in reactive and inert environments. Toughness results of silicon carbide and carbon nanofillers reinforced geopolymers suggested that with the improved baseline properties, high aspect ratio nanofillers with high interfacial bond strength are the most capable in further improving the toughness of geopolymers. Among the high aspect ratio nanofillers i.e. nanofibers, 2vol% silicon carbide whicker (SCW) showed the highest improvement in fracture toughness and flexural strength of ~164% & ~185%, respectively. After heat treatment at 650 °C, SCW reinforcement was found to be effective, with little reduction in the performance, while the performance of alumina nanofiber (ANF) reinforced geopolymer significantly

[Atraumatic bone expansion: Interest of piezo-surgery, conicals expanders and immediate implantation combination].

Science.gov (United States)

Iraqui, O; Lakhssassi, N; Berrada, S; Merzouk, N

2016-06-01

The durability of dental implants depends on the presence of a 1mm coating bone sheath all around the fixture. Therefore, bone resorption represents a challenge for the practitioner. Bone expansion is a surgical technique that allows the management of horizontal bone atrophy. Cortical bone splitting allows for an enlargement of the residual crest by displacement of the vestibular bone flap. The immediate placement of implants secures the widening and allows for a 97% survival rate. However, bone expansion is hard to undertake in sites with high bone density. Furthermore, the use of traditional instruments increases patient's stress and the risk for an interruptive fracture during bone displacement. Non-traumatic bone expansion is one solution to this problem. The combination of piezo-surgery and conical expanders allows for a secured displacement of the selected bone flap as well as an immediate implant placement, avoiding the risk of slipping, overheating, or fracture, all within an undeniable operative comfort. Non-traumatic bone expansion is a reliable, reproducible, conservative, and economical in time and cost procedure. We describe our atraumatic bone expension and immediate implant placement technique in high bone density sites and illustrate it by a clinical case. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Predicting the losses and the efficiency of a 1-3 piezo-composite transducer through a partial homogeneization method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pastor, J.

2002-02-01

Full Text Available The topic of this work is the theoretical study of a disc-shaped acoustic transducer made with a 1-3 piezoelectric composite material. This material consists of PZT ceramic rods embedded in a polymer matrix. A modeling of this ideal transversally periodic structure is proposed. It is based on a finite element approach derived from homogenization techniques mainly used for composite material studies. The analysis focuses on a representative unit cell with specific boundary conditions on the lateral surfaces taking accurately into account the periodicity of the structure. The first step proposed is the development of a three-dimensional Fortran code with complex variables, especially adapted for this problem. Using the principle of correspondence of Lee-Mandel, this technique allows the prediction of the damping properties of the transducer from the complex modulus of the constituents. Both the versatility of the method and the rigorous character of the model are pointed out through various boundary conditions and mixed loadings. An interesting result is that, despite the lossy polymer matrix, a 1-3 composite can advantageously replace a much heavier massive transducer, in terms of efficiency and loss factor.

El objetivo de este trabajo es el estudio teórico de un transductor acústico con forma de disco construido con un composite piezoeléctrico 1-3. Este material consiste en barras cerámicas de PZT embebidas en una matriz polimérica. Se propone un modelo de su estructura periódica transversal ideal basándose en una aproximación mediante elementos finitos derivada de técnicas de homogeneización usadas principalmente para estudios de materiales compuestos. El análisis se enfoca a una celdilla unidad representativa con unas condiciones de contorno específicas sobre las superficies laterales, teniendo en cuenta adecuadamente la periodicidad de la estructura. El primer paso propuesto es el desarrollo de un código Fortran

In situ X-ray diffraction studies on the piezoelectric response of PZT thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Davydok, A., E-mail: davydok@mpie.de [Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, Université de Toulon, IM2NP UMR 7334, 13397 Marseille (France); Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung, Department Structure and Nano-/Micromechanics of Materials, D-40237 Düsseldorf (Germany); Cornelius, T.W. [Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, Université de Toulon, IM2NP UMR 7334, 13397 Marseille (France); Mocuta, C. [SOLEIL Synchrotron, DiffAbs beamline, L' Orme des Merisiers, Saint-Aubin - BP 48, 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex (France); Lima, E.C. [Universidade Federal do Tocantins, 77500-000 Porto Nacional, TO (Brazil); Araujo, E.B. [Departamento de Fisica e Quimica, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Av. Brasil, 56 Centro, 15385-000 Ilha Solteira, SP (Brazil); Thomas, O. [Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, Université de Toulon, IM2NP UMR 7334, 13397 Marseille (France)

2016-03-31

Piezoelectric properties of randomly oriented self-polarized PbZr{sub 0.50}Ti{sub 0.50}O{sub 3} (PZT) thin films were investigated using in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Possibilities for investigating the piezoelectric effect using micro-sized hard X-ray beams are demonstrated and perspectives for future dynamical measurements on PZT samples with variety of compositions and thicknesses are given. Studies performed on the crystalline [100, 110] directions evidenced piezoelectric anisotropy. The piezoelectric coefficient d{sub 33} was calculated in terms of the lab reference frame (d{sub perp}) and found to be two times larger along the [100] direction than along the [110] direction. The absolute values for the d{sub perp} amount to 120 and 230 pm/V being in good agreement with experimental and theoretical values found in literature for bulk PZT ceramics. - Highlights: • We performed in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction studies on (PZT) thin films. • We discuss anisotropy of piezo effect in different crystallographic directions. • Perpendicular component Piezo coefficient of thin PZT layer is defined.

Modeling and performance analysis for composite network–compute service provisioning in software-defined cloud environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qiang Duan

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The crucial role of networking in Cloud computing calls for a holistic vision of both networking and computing systems that leads to composite network–compute service provisioning. Software-Defined Network (SDN is a fundamental advancement in networking that enables network programmability. SDN and software-defined compute/storage systems form a Software-Defined Cloud Environment (SDCE that may greatly facilitate composite network–compute service provisioning to Cloud users. Therefore, networking and computing systems need to be modeled and analyzed as composite service provisioning systems in order to obtain thorough understanding about service performance in SDCEs. In this paper, a novel approach for modeling composite network–compute service capabilities and a technique for evaluating composite network–compute service performance are developed. The analytic method proposed in this paper is general and agnostic to service implementation technologies; thus is applicable to a wide variety of network–compute services in SDCEs. The results obtained in this paper provide useful guidelines for federated control and management of networking and computing resources to achieve Cloud service performance guarantees.

Composite and Cascaded Generalized-K Fading Channel Modeling and Their Diversity and Performance Analysis

KAUST Repository

Ansari, Imran Shafique

2010-12-01

The introduction of new schemes that are based on the communication among nodes has motivated the use of composite fading models due to the fact that the nodes experience different multipath fading and shadowing statistics, which subsequently determines the required statistics for the performance analysis of different transceivers. The end-to-end signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) statistics plays an essential role in the determination of the performance of cascaded digital communication systems. In this thesis, a closed-form expression for the probability density function (PDF) of the end-end SNR for independent but not necessarily identically distributed (i.n.i.d.) cascaded generalized-K (GK) composite fading channels is derived. The developed PDF expression in terms of the Meijer-G function allows the derivation of subsequent performance metrics, applicable to different modulation schemes, including outage probability, bit error rate for coherent as well as non-coherent systems, and average channel capacity that provides insights into the performance of a digital communication system operating in N cascaded GK composite fading environment. Another line of research that was motivated by the introduction of composite fading channels is the error performance. Error performance is one of the main performance measures and derivation of its closed-form expression has proved to be quite involved for certain systems. Hence, in this thesis, a unified closed-form expression, applicable to different binary modulation schemes, for the bit error rate of dual-branch selection diversity based systems undergoing i.n.i.d. GK fading is derived in terms of the extended generalized bivariate Meijer G-function.

Photocatalytic Performance of a Novel MOF/BiFeO3 Composite

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yunhui Si

2017-10-01

Full Text Available In this study, MOF/BiFeO3 composite (MOF, metal-organic framework has been synthesized successfully through a one-pot hydrothermal method. The MOF/BiFeO3 composite samples, pure MOF samples and BiFeO3 samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS, and by UV–vis spectrophotometry. The results and analysis reveal that MOF/BiFeO3 composite has better photocatalytic behavior for methylene blue (MB compared to pure MOF and pure BiFeO3. The enhancement of photocatalytic performance should be due to the introduction of MOF change the surface morphology of BiFeO3, which will increase the contact area with MB. This composing strategy of MOF/BiFeO3 composite may bring new insight into the designing of highly efficient photocatalysts.

Performance of aged cement - polymer composite immobilizing borate waste simulates during flooding scenarios

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eskander, S.B.; Bayoumi, T.A.; Saleh, H.M.

2012-01-01

An advanced composite of cement and water extended polyester based on the recycled Poly(ethylene terephthalate) waste was developed to incorporate the borate waste. Previous studies have reported the characterizations of the waste composite (cement-polymer composite immobilizing borate waste simulates) after 28 days of curing time. The current work studied the performance of waste composite aged for seven years and subjected to flooding scenario during 260 days using three types of water. The state of waste composite was assessed at the end of each definite interval of the water infiltration through visual examination and mechanical measurement. Scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and thermal analyses were used to investigate the changes that may occur in the microstructure of the waste composite under aging and flooding effects. The actual experimental results indicated reasonable evidence for the waste composite. Acceptable consistency was confirmed for the waste composite even after aging seven years and exposure to flooding scenario for 260 days.

The performance of integrated active fiber composites in carbon fiber laminates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melnykowycz, M; Brunner, A J

2011-01-01

Piezoelectric elements integrated into fiber-reinforced polymer-matrix laminates can provide various functions in the resulting adaptive or smart composite. Active fiber composites (AFC) composed of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) fibers can be used as a component in a smart material system, and can be easily integrated into woven composites. However, the impact of integration on the device and its functionality has not been fully investigated. The current work focuses on the integration and performance of AFC integrated into carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) laminates, focusing on the strain sensor performance of the AFC–CFRP laminate under tensile loading conditions. AFC were integrated into cross-ply CFRP laminates using simple insertion and interlacing of the CFRP plies, with the AFC always placed in the 90° ply cutout area. Test specimens were strained to different strain levels and then cycled with a 0.01% strain amplitude, and the resulting signal from the AFC was monitored. Acoustic emission monitoring was performed during tensile testing to provide insight to the failure characteristics of the PZT fibers. The results were compared to those from past studies on AFC integration; the strain signal of AFC integrated into CFRP was much lower than that for AFC integrated into woven glass fiber laminates. However, the profiles of the degradations of the AFC signal resulting from the strain were nearly identical, showing that the PZT fibers fragmented in a similar manner for a given global strain. The sensor performance recovered upon unloading, which is attributed to the closure of cracks between PZT fiber fragments

Performance of carbon fiber reinforced rubber composite armour against shaped charge jet penetration

OpenAIRE

Yue Lian-yong; Li Wei; Zu Xu-dong; Huang Zheng-xiang; Gao Zhen-yu

2016-01-01

Natural rubber is reinforced with carbon fiber; the protective performances of the carbonfiber reinforced rubber composite armour to shaped charge jet have been studied based on the depth of penetration experiments. The craters on the witness blocks, the nature rubber based composite plates’ deformation and the Scanning Electron Microscopy for the hybrid fiber reinforced rubber plate also is analyzed. The results showed that the composite armour can affect the stability of the jet and made pa...

Investigation on non-equilibrium performance of composite adsorbent for resorption refrigeration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, L.; Wang, L.W.; Zhou, Z.S.; Zhu, F.Q.; Wang, R.Z.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Performance of resorption refrigeration is analyzed based on non-equilibrium reaction process. • The porous matrix improves the heat and mass performance of composite adsorbent. • The actual desorption process has the significant hysteresis phenomenon. • The highest energy efficiency of Manganese and Calcium chloride working pair is 0.272. - Abstract: The aims of this paper is to indicate that the non-equilibrium adsorption testing results is more suitable for prediction of real refrigeration performance than equilibrium data. Therefore, a test unit is constructed to test the non-equilibrium performance of different composite adsorbents. The adsorption and desorption quantity are measured and calculated by smart differential pressure transmitter. The non-equilibrium adsorption performances of working pair of Manganese chloride–ammonia, Calcium chloride–ammonia and Ammonium chloride–ammonia are investigated respectively. Results show that hysteresis phenomena happens obviously in non-equilibrium desorption process, which is related with dual variables rather than single variable. Based on the testing results, resorption refrigeration performance is analyzed, in which Manganese chloride is used as high temperature salt (HTS), and Calcium chloride, Ammonium chloride are selected as low temperature salt (LTS) for comparison. Results show that the highest COP and SCP for resorption refrigeration are about 0.272 and 45.6 W/kg, respectively. Performance of Manganese chloride–Calcium chloride and Manganese chloride–Ammonium chloride working pairs are much lower when compared with theoretical data.

Board of directors’ composition and performance in French CAC 40 listed firms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Ahmadi

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Reflecting investor expectations, most prior corporate governance research attempt to find a relationship between boards of directors’ composition and firm financial performance. Specifically, we try to examine the relationship between the boards’ size, board independence, CEO duality and gender diversity and two measurements of performance in listed companies in CAC 40, namely return on assets (ROA and return of equities (ROE. We found evidence provide that board characteristics were positively correlated to the firm’ performance. However, our results show a significant association between ROE, ROA and the board of directors’ composition. We find significant negative association between financial information and equity-based management compensation. On the other hand, the presence of independent directors on the board seems to affect, positively, the level of financial performance of CAC 40 firms. Likewise, the stewardship theory assumption, the CEO duality is very high and is significantly associated with a higher level of firm performance. The results show that there was a significant relationship between board gender diversity and firm performance from our samples CAC 40 companies. In addition, we find significant negative impact of leverage on the financial performance for CAC 40 firms.

Manufacturing technology of integrated textile-based sensor networks for in situ monitoring applications of composite wind turbine blades

Science.gov (United States)

Haentzsche, Eric; Mueller, Ralf; Huebner, Matthias; Ruder, Tristan; Unger, Reimar; Nocke, Andreas; Cherif, Chokri

2016-10-01

Based on in situ strain sensors consisting of piezo-resistive carbon filament yarns (CFYs), which have been successfully integrated into textile reinforcement structures during their textile-technological manufacturing process, a continuous load of fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) components has been realised. These sensors are also suitable for structural health monitoring (SHM) applications. The two-dimensional sensor layout is made feasible by the usage of a modular warp yarn path manipulation unit. Using a functional model of a small wind turbine blade in thermoset composite design, the sensor function for basic SHM applications (e.g. static load monitoring) are demonstrated. Any mechanical loads along the pressure or suction side of the wind turbine blade can be measured and calculated via a correlative change in resistance of the CFYs within the textile reinforcement plies. Performing quasi-static load tests on both tensile specimen and full-scale wind turbine blade, elementary results have been obtained concerning electro-mechanical behaviour and spatial resolution of global and even local static stresses according to the CFY sensor integration length. This paper demonstrates the great potential of textile-based and textile-technological integrated sensors in reinforcement structures for future SHM applications of FRPs.

Nonlinear Analysis of Actuation Performance of Shape Memory Alloy Composite Film Based on Silicon Substrate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shuangshuang Sun

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The mechanical model of the shape memory alloy (SMA composite film with silicon (Si substrate was established by the method of mechanics of composite materials. The coupled action between the SMA film and Si substrate under thermal loads was analyzed by combining static equilibrium equations, geometric equations, and physical equations. The material nonlinearity of SMA and the geometric nonlinearity of bending deformation were both considered. By simulating and analyzing the actuation performance of the SMA composite film during one cooling-heating thermal cycle, it is found that the final cooling temperature, boundary condition, and the thickness of SMA film have significant effects on the actuation performance of the SMA composite film. Besides, the maximum deflection of the SMA composite film is affected obviously by the geometric nonlinearity of bending deformation when the thickness of SMA film is very large.

Design and Evaluation of a Direct Drive Valve Actuated by Piezostack Actuator

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Juncheol Jeon

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents performance characteristics of a new type of direct drive valve (DDV system driven by a piezostack actuator. The flexible beam mechanism is employed to amplify the output displacement from the piezostack actuator. After describing the operational principle of the proposed piezo DDV system, the governing equation of the whole piezo DDV system is then obtained by integrating the equations of the valve components. Based on the proposed model, significant structural components of the piezo DDV system are designed in order to achieve operational requirements (operating frequency: over 100 Hz; flow rate: 20 liter/Min.. An optimal design method is proposed for obtaining the geometry of the flexible beam mechanism by considering spool displacement, required operating frequency, and available space of the valve. After deciding the specific geometric dimensions of the piezo DDV system, a PID control algorithm is designed to enforce the spool position to the desired position trajectories by activating the piezostack actuator. Characteristics and control performances of the proposed piezo DDV system are evaluated using the MATLAB Simulink.

Basic role of the fiber/matrix interface on the fatigue performance of unidirectional fiberglass-reinforced composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shih, C.

1985-01-01

The goal of this study was that of determining the fiber/matrix interface in affecting the static bending and flexural fatigue performance of oriented fiber composites, and of evaluating the performance of silicon phthalocyanine coupling agents. Untreated, commercial silane treated, and silicon phthalocyanine agent treated fiberglass composites, as well as boiling-water degraded composites, were used to get different fiber/matrix interface conditions. The dry flexural strength of all composites was about the same. The flexural strength and the fractography of N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyl-trimethoxysilane treated composites essentially remained the same after the hydrothermal treatment. Silicon phthalocyanine agent treated composites had a marginally high wet flexural strength retention as compared with that of the composites without coupling agent. When the interface degraded, the failure modes in a four-point bending (flexural) test changed from tensile flexural failure to compressive flexural failure, then to the shear failure mode

Mechanical performance of laminated composites incorporated with nanofibrous membranes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, L.; Huang, Z.-M.; He, C.L.; Han, X.J.

2006-01-01

The effect of non-woven nanofibrous membranes as interlaminar interfaces on the mechanical performance of laminated composites was investigated experimentally. The nanofibrous membranes are porous, thin and lightweight, and exhibit toughness and strength to some extent. They give little increase in weight and thickness when incorporated into a laminate. More important, they can be used as a functional agent carrier for the laminate. The nanofiber membranes used in this paper were prepared by electrospinning of Nylon-6 (PA6), Epoxy 609 (EPO 1691-410) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), with a thickness ranging from 20 to 150 μm. The non-woven fabrics were attached to one side of a glass/epoxy fabric lamina prior to lamination and each fabric was arranged in between two adjacent plies of the laminate. The nanofibrous membranes were characterized through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and tensile testing, whereas the mechanical properties of the laminate were understood in terms of three-point bending and short-beam shear tests. Results have shown that the nanofibrous membranes in the ply interfaces with a proper thickness did not affect the mechanical performance of the composite laminates significantly

Association between Body Composition and Motor Performance in Preschool Children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tanja H. Kakebeeke

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Objective: Being overweight makes physical movement more difficult. Our aim was to investigate the association between body composition and motor performance in preschool children. Methods: A total of 476 predominantly normal-weight preschool children (age 3.9 ± 0.7 years; m/f: 251/225; BMI 16.0 ± 1.4 kg/m2 participated in the Swiss Preschoolers' Health Study (SPLASHY. Body composition assessments included skinfold thickness, waist circumference (WC, and BMI. The Zurich Neuromotor Assessment (ZNA was used to assess gross and fine motor tasks. Results: After adjustment for age, sex, socioeconomic status, sociocultural characteristics, and physical activity (assessed with accelerometers, skinfold thickness and WC were both inversely correlated with jumping sideward (gross motor task β-coefficient -1.92, p = 0.027; and -3.34, p = 0.014, respectively, while BMI was positively correlated with running performance (gross motor task β-coefficient 9.12, p = 0.001. No significant associations were found between body composition measures and fine motor tasks. Conclusion: The inverse associations between skinfold thickness or WC and jumping sideward indicates that children with high fat mass may be less proficient in certain gross motor tasks. The positive association between BMI and running suggests that BMI might be an indicator of fat-free (i.e., muscle mass in predominately normal-weight preschool children.

Hard carbon coated nano-Si/graphite composite as a high performance anode for Li-ion batteries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeong, Sookyung; Li, Xiaolin; Zheng, Jianming; Yan, Pengfei; Cao, Ruiguo; Jung, Hee Joon; Wang, Chong M.; Liu, Jun; Zhang, Jiguang

2016-08-27

With the ever increasing demands on Li-ion batteries with higher energy densities, alternative anode with higher reversible capacity is required to replace the conventional graphite anode. Here, we demonstrate a cost-effective hydrothermal-carbonization approach to prepare the hard carbon coated nano-Si/graphite (HC-nSi/G) composite as a high performance anode for Li-ion batteries. In this hierarchical structured composite, the hard carbon coating layer not only provides an efficient pathway for electron transfer, but also alleviates the volume variation of silicon during charge/discharge processes. The HC-nSi/G composite electrode shows excellent electrochemical performances including a high specific capacity of 878.6 mAh g-1 based on the total weight of composite, good rate performance and a decent cycling stability, which is promising for practical applications.

Synthesis and Photocatalytic Performance of RGO/ZnO Nanorod Composites

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LU Jia

2016-12-01

Full Text Available ZnO nanorods and RGO/ZnO nanorods composites were prepared by hydrothermal method. The influence of RGO content on the photocatalytic activity of RGO/ZnO nanorods composites was studied. ZnO nanorods and RGO/ZnO nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD, field emission electron microscopy (FESEM, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS and diffuse reflectance UV-visible absorption spectroscopy techniques. The results show that RGO/ZnO samples are synthesized successfully. With different additions of GO, the RGO/ZnO samples obtained exhibit different absorption characteristics in visible light region. The photocatalytic results of using methyl orange (MO as the simulated pollutant show that RGO/ZnO nanorods composites exhibit high degradation efficiency under UV-Vis light illumination. The highest photocatalytic performance is obtained for RGO/ZnO composites when the mass ratio of RGO to ZnO is 3%. MO is almost completely degraded in 120min. RGO/ZnO also shows the visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity under visible light illumination (λ>400nm, and the maximum MO degradation efficiency in 180min can reach 26.2%, meanwhile, RGO/ZnO samples exhibit good photostability.

High-precision piezo-ejection ocular microdosing: Phase II study on local and systemic effects of topical phenylephrine.

Science.gov (United States)

Ianchulev, Tsontcho; Weinreb, Robert; Tsai, James C; Lin, Shan; Pasquale, Louis R

2018-01-01

Conventional eyedropper-delivered volumes (25-50 µl) exceed the eye's usual tear-film volume (7 µl) and precorneal reservoir capacity, risking overflow and ocular/systemic complications. Piezoelectric high-precision microdosing may circumvent these limitations. Results & methodology: In this masked, nonrandomized, cross-over study, subjects (n = 12) underwent pupil dilation with topical phenylephrine (PE) administered by 32-µl eyedropper (2.5% or 10% formulation) and 8-µl electronic microdosing (10% formulation). Microdosing with PE-10% achieved comparable peak dilation as 10% eyedropper-delivery and superior dilation to 2.5% eyedropper-delivery (p = 0.009) at 75 min. Microdosing significantly reduced 20-min plasma PE levels versus PE10% eyedropper; neither treatment altered heart rate/blood pressure. Eye irritation occurred significantly less frequently with microdosing than PE10% eyedrops. Piezo-ejection PE microdosing achieves comparable biological effect as eyedropper dosing; reduced systemic absorption may decrease risk of systemic side effects.

Performance modeling of direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) seawater desalination process using a commercial composite membrane

KAUST Repository

Lee, Junggil

2015-01-10

This paper presents the development of a rigorous theoretical model to predict the transmembrane flux of a flat sheet hydrophobic composite membrane, comprising both an active layer of polytetrafluoroethylene and a scrim-backing support layer of polypropylene, in the direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) process. An integrated model includes the mass, momentum, species and energy balances for both retentate and permeate flows, coupled with the mass transfer of water vapor through the composite membrane and the heat transfer across the membrane and through the boundary layers adjacent to the membrane surfaces. Experimental results and model predictions for permeate flux and performance ratio are compared and shown to be in good agreement. The permeate flux through the composite layer can be ignored in the consideration of mass transfer pathways at the composite membrane. The effect of the surface porosity and the thickness of active and support layers on the process performance of composite membrane has also been studied. Among these parameters, surface porosity is identified to be the main factor significantly influencing the permeate flux and performance ratio, while the relative influence of the surface porosity on the performance ratio is less than that on flux.

Facile synthesis of hybrid CNTs/NiCo2S4 composite for high performance supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Delong; Gong, Youning; Pan, Chunxu

2016-07-01

In this work, a novel carbon nanotubes (CNTs)/NiCo2S4 composite for high performance supercapacitors was prepared via a simple chemical bath deposition combined with a post-anion exchange reaction. The morphologies and phase structures of the composites were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy (Raman), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and low-temperature sorption of nitrogen (BET). The electro-chemical tests revealed that the CNT/NiCo2S4 composite exhibited high electrochemical performance, because the CNTs were used as a conductive network for the NiCo2S4 hexagonal nanoplates. Compared with pure NiCo2S4 and the mechanically mixed CNTs/NiCo2S4 composite, the CNTs/NiCo2S4 composite electrode material exhibited excellent supercapacitive performance, such as a high specific capacitance up to 1537 F/g (discharge current density of 1 A/g) and an outstanding rate capability of 78.1% retention as the discharge current density increased to 100 A/g. It is therefore expected to be a promising alternative material in the area of energy storage.

Facile synthesis of hybrid CNTs/NiCo2S4 composite for high performance supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Delong; Gong, Youning; Pan, Chunxu

2016-07-11

In this work, a novel carbon nanotubes (CNTs)/NiCo2S4 composite for high performance supercapacitors was prepared via a simple chemical bath deposition combined with a post-anion exchange reaction. The morphologies and phase structures of the composites were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy (Raman), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and low-temperature sorption of nitrogen (BET). The electro-chemical tests revealed that the CNT/NiCo2S4 composite exhibited high electrochemical performance, because the CNTs were used as a conductive network for the NiCo2S4 hexagonal nanoplates. Compared with pure NiCo2S4 and the mechanically mixed CNTs/NiCo2S4 composite, the CNTs/NiCo2S4 composite electrode material exhibited excellent supercapacitive performance, such as a high specific capacitance up to 1537 F/g (discharge current density of 1 A/g) and an outstanding rate capability of 78.1% retention as the discharge current density increased to 100 A/g. It is therefore expected to be a promising alternative material in the area of energy storage.

High performance all-carbon composite transparent electrodes containing uniform carbon nanotube networks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yun, Hyung Duk; Kwak, Jinsung; Kim, Se-Yang [School of Materials Science and Engineering & Low-Dimensional Carbon Materials Center, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, 44919 (Korea, Republic of); Seo, Han; Bang, In Cheol; Kim, Sung Youb [School of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, 44919 (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Seoktae [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141 (Korea, Republic of); Kwon, Soon-Yong, E-mail: sykwon@unist.ac.kr [School of Materials Science and Engineering & Low-Dimensional Carbon Materials Center, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, 44919 (Korea, Republic of); School of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, 44919 (Korea, Republic of)

2016-08-05

Indium tin oxide-free, flexible transparent electrodes (TEs) are crucial for the future commercialization of flexible and wearable electronics. While carbon-based TEs containing carbon nanotube (CNT) networks show promise, they usually exhibit poor dispersion properties, limiting their performance and practicality. In this study, we report a highly efficient and bending durable all-carbon composite TE (ac-TE) that employs uniform CNT networks on a monolayer graphene/polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate via a simple air spray deposition method. The air-sprayed CNT/graphene assembly was free-standing on solution, making a polymer-free transfer of carbon composites to target substrates possible. The excellent performance of the ac-TEs was attributed to the uniformly networked CNTs on the polycrystalline graphene with a well-controlled density, effectively bridging the line defects and filling the tears/voids or folds necessarily existing in the as-processed graphene. The sheet resistance of the ac-TEs was increased only 6% from its original value at a bending radius of 2.7 mm, while that of the pristine graphene/PET assembly increased 237%. Mechanical bending of the ac-TEs worsened the electrical performance by only ∼1.7% after 2000 bending cycles at a bending radius of 2.5 mm. Degradation of the performance by the bending was the result of line defects formation in the graphene, demonstrating the potential of the uniform CNT networks to achieve more efficient and flexible carbon-based TEs. Furthermore, the chemically-doped ac-TEs showed commercially suitable electronic and optical properties with much enhanced thermal stability, closer to practical TEs in flexible devices. - Highlights: • Highly efficient and bending durable all-carbon composite transparent electrodes (TEs) are designed. • The performance was strongly dependent on morphology of CNT networks on graphene. • The mechanism relies on the defect reductions in graphene by uniform CNT coating

High performance all-carbon composite transparent electrodes containing uniform carbon nanotube networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yun, Hyung Duk; Kwak, Jinsung; Kim, Se-Yang; Seo, Han; Bang, In Cheol; Kim, Sung Youb; Kang, Seoktae; Kwon, Soon-Yong

2016-01-01

Indium tin oxide-free, flexible transparent electrodes (TEs) are crucial for the future commercialization of flexible and wearable electronics. While carbon-based TEs containing carbon nanotube (CNT) networks show promise, they usually exhibit poor dispersion properties, limiting their performance and practicality. In this study, we report a highly efficient and bending durable all-carbon composite TE (ac-TE) that employs uniform CNT networks on a monolayer graphene/polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate via a simple air spray deposition method. The air-sprayed CNT/graphene assembly was free-standing on solution, making a polymer-free transfer of carbon composites to target substrates possible. The excellent performance of the ac-TEs was attributed to the uniformly networked CNTs on the polycrystalline graphene with a well-controlled density, effectively bridging the line defects and filling the tears/voids or folds necessarily existing in the as-processed graphene. The sheet resistance of the ac-TEs was increased only 6% from its original value at a bending radius of 2.7 mm, while that of the pristine graphene/PET assembly increased 237%. Mechanical bending of the ac-TEs worsened the electrical performance by only ∼1.7% after 2000 bending cycles at a bending radius of 2.5 mm. Degradation of the performance by the bending was the result of line defects formation in the graphene, demonstrating the potential of the uniform CNT networks to achieve more efficient and flexible carbon-based TEs. Furthermore, the chemically-doped ac-TEs showed commercially suitable electronic and optical properties with much enhanced thermal stability, closer to practical TEs in flexible devices. - Highlights: • Highly efficient and bending durable all-carbon composite transparent electrodes (TEs) are designed. • The performance was strongly dependent on morphology of CNT networks on graphene. • The mechanism relies on the defect reductions in graphene by uniform CNT coating

Cryogenic motion performances of a piezoelectric single crystal micromotor

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xiaotian; Wu, Yuting; Chen, Zhijiang; Wei, Xiaoyong; Luo, Haosu; Dong, Shuxiang

2014-04-01

This study investigates the cryogenic performances of a millimeter-size piezoelectric ultrasonic linear micromotor. The piezoelectric vibrator of the micromotor is made of Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3 -Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)-PbTiO3 single crystal and operated in first-bending wobbling mode. Experiments show that the piezoelectric single crystal micromotor works effectively even at extremely low temperature of -175 °C, although its resonance peaks vary with temperature significantly. This work confirms the feasibility of cryogenic operation of the piezo-micromotor, which is meaningful for aerospace or superconducting microwave application.

High-performance supercapacitors using graphene/polyaniline composites deposited on kitchen sponge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moussa, Mahmoud; Michimore, Andrew; Majeswki, Peter; Ma, Jun; El-Kady, Maher F; Wang, Hao; Xu, Jian; Zhou, Qinqin

2015-01-01

We in this study used a commercial grade kitchen sponge as the scaffold where both graphene platelets (GnPs) and polyaniline (PANi) nanorods were deposited. The high electrical conductivity of GnPs (1460 S cm −1 ) enhances the pseudo-capacitive performance of PANi grown vertically on the GnPs basal planes; the interconnected pores of the sponge provide sufficient inner surface between the GnPs/PANi composite and the electrolyte, which thus facilitates ion diffusion during charge and discharge processes. When the composite electrode was used to build a supercapacitor with two-electrode configuration, it exhibited a specific capacitance of 965.3 F g −1 at a scan rate of 10 mV s −1 in 1.0 M H 2 SO 4 solution. In addition, the composite Nyquist plot showed no semicircle at high frequency corresponding to a low equivalent series resistance of 0.35 Ω. At 100 mV s −1 , the supercapacitor demonstrated an energy density of 34.5 Wh kg −1 and a power density of 12.4 kW kg −1 based on the total mass of the active materials on both electrodes. To demonstrate the performance, we built an array consisting of three cells connected in series, which lit up a red light emitting diode for five minutes. This simple method holds promise for high-performance yet low-cost electrodes for supercapacitors. (paper)

Genome Regions Associated with Functional Performance of Soybean Stem Fibers in Polypropylene Thermoplastic Composites.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yarmilla Reinprecht

Full Text Available Plant fibers can be used to produce composite materials for automobile parts, thus reducing plastic used in their manufacture, overall vehicle weight and fuel consumption when they replace mineral fillers and glass fibers. Soybean stem residues are, potentially, significant sources of inexpensive, renewable and biodegradable natural fibers, but are not curretly used for biocomposite production due to the functional properties of their fibers in composites being unknown. The current study was initiated to investigate the effects of plant genotype on the performance characteristics of soybean stem fibers when incorporated into a polypropylene (PP matrix using a selective phenotyping approach. Fibers from 50 lines of a recombinant inbred line population (169 RILs grown in different environments were incorporated into PP at 20% (wt/wt by extrusion. Test samples were injection molded and characterized for their mechanical properties. The performance of stem fibers in the composites was significantly affected by genotype and environment. Fibers from different genotypes had significantly different chemical compositions, thus composites prepared with these fibers displayed different physical properties. This study demonstrates that thermoplastic composites with soybean stem-derived fibers have mechanical properties that are equivalent or better than wheat straw fiber composites currently being used for manufacturing interior automotive parts. The addition of soybean stem residues improved flexural, tensile and impact properties of the composites. Furthermore, by linkage and in silico mapping we identified genomic regions to which quantitative trait loci (QTL for compositional and functional properties of soybean stem fibers in thermoplastic composites, as well as genes for cell wall synthesis, were co-localized. These results may lead to the development of high value uses for soybean stem residue.

Enhanced photocathodic protection performance of Ag/graphene/TiO2 composite for 304SS under visible light

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Hong; Wang, Xiutong; Wei, Qinyi; Liu, Xueqing; Qian, Zhouhai; Hou, Baorong

2017-06-01

Ag and graphene co-sensitized TiO2 composites were successfully fabricated and used as photoanodes for photogenerated cathodic protection of 304 stainless steel (304SS) under visible light. Graphene films was firstly deposited onto the TiO2 nanotube (NT) films via cyclic voltammetric electrodeposition. Ag/graphene/TiO2 films were then fabricated via dipping and photoreduction method. The morphology, composition and optical response of the Ag/graphene/TiO2 NT composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-vis diffusion reflectance spectroscopy, respectively. The photocathodic protection performance of the Ag/graphene/TiO2 composites were systematically studied through open-circuit potential and potentiodynamic polarization measurements in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution under visible light (λ > 400 nm). The composites exhibited enhanced photogenerated cathodic protection performance for 304SS under visible light irradiation compared to pure TiO2. Graphene and Ag have a synergistic effect on the enhancement of photocathodic protection performance of TiO2. The composites prepared with 30-cycle graphene film and 15 mM AgNO3 solution showed the optimal corrosion protection performance.

Performance of carbon fiber reinforced rubber composite armour against shaped charge jet penetration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yue Lian-yong

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Natural rubber is reinforced with carbon fiber; the protective performances of the carbonfiber reinforced rubber composite armour to shaped charge jet have been studied based on the depth of penetration experiments. The craters on the witness blocks, the nature rubber based composite plates’ deformation and the Scanning Electron Microscopy for the hybrid fiber reinforced rubber plate also is analyzed. The results showed that the composite armour can affect the stability of the jet and made part of the jet fracture. The carbon fiber reinforced rubber composite armour has good defence ablity especially when the nature rubber plate hybrid 15% volume percentage carbonfiber and the obliquity angle is 68°. The hybrid fiber reinforced rubber composite armour can be used as a new kind of light protective armour.

High Density Polyethylene Composites Reinforced with Hybrid Inorganic Fillers: Morphology, Mechanical and Thermal Expansion Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Birm-June Kim

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The effect of individual and combined talc and glass fibers (GFs on mechanical and thermal expansion performance of the filled high density polyethylene (HDPE composites was studied. Several published models were adapted to fit the measured tensile modulus and strength of various composite systems. It was shown that the use of silane-modified GFs had a much larger effect in improving mechanical properties and in reducing linear coefficient of thermal expansion (LCTE values of filled composites, compared with the use of un-modified talc particles due to enhanced bonding to the matrix, larger aspect ratio, and fiber alignment for GFs. Mechanical properties and LCTE values of composites with combined talc and GF fillers varied with talc and GF ratio at a given total filler loading level. The use of a larger portion of GFs in the mix can lead to better composite performance, while the use of talc can help lower the composite costs and increase its recyclability. The use of 30 wt % combined filler seems necessary to control LCTE values of filled HDPE in the data value range generally reported for commercial wood plastic composites. Tensile modulus for talc-filled composite can be predicted with rule of mixture, while a PPA-based model can be used to predict the modulus and strength of GF-filled composites.

High Density Polyethylene Composites Reinforced with Hybrid Inorganic Fillers: Morphology, Mechanical and Thermal Expansion Performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Runzhou; Xu, Xinwu; Lee, Sunyoung; Zhang, Yang; Kim, Birm-June; Wu, Qinglin

2013-09-17

The effect of individual and combined talc and glass fibers (GFs) on mechanical and thermal expansion performance of the filled high density polyethylene (HDPE) composites was studied. Several published models were adapted to fit the measured tensile modulus and strength of various composite systems. It was shown that the use of silane-modified GFs had a much larger effect in improving mechanical properties and in reducing linear coefficient of thermal expansion (LCTE) values of filled composites, compared with the use of un-modified talc particles due to enhanced bonding to the matrix, larger aspect ratio, and fiber alignment for GFs. Mechanical properties and LCTE values of composites with combined talc and GF fillers varied with talc and GF ratio at a given total filler loading level. The use of a larger portion of GFs in the mix can lead to better composite performance, while the use of talc can help lower the composite costs and increase its recyclability. The use of 30 wt % combined filler seems necessary to control LCTE values of filled HDPE in the data value range generally reported for commercial wood plastic composites. Tensile modulus for talc-filled composite can be predicted with rule of mixture, while a PPA-based model can be used to predict the modulus and strength of GF-filled composites.

Circadian phenotype composition is a major predictor of diurnal physical performance in teams

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elise Rose Facer-Childs

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Team performance is a complex phenomenon involving numerous influencing factors including physiology, psychology, and management. Biological rhythms and the impact of circadian phenotype have not been studied for their contribution to this array of factors so far despite our knowledge of the circadian regulation of key physiological processes involved in physical and mental performance. This study involved 216 individuals from 12 different teams who were categorized into circadian phenotypes using the novel RBUB chronometric test. The composition of circadian phenotypes within each team was used to model predicted daily team performance profiles based on physical performance tests. Our results show that the composition of circadian phenotypes within teams is variable and unpredictable. Predicted physical peak performance ranged from 1.52pm to 8.59pm with performance levels fluctuating by up to 14.88% over the course of the day. The major predictor for peak performance time of day in a team is the occurrence of late circadian phenotypes. We conclude that circadian phenotype is a performance indicator in teams that allows new insight and a better understanding of team performance variation in the course of a day as often observed in different groupings of individuals.

Performance evaluation on solar still integrated with nano-composite phase change materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rajasekhar, G.; Eswaramoorthy, M.

2015-01-01

This paper communicates the performance evaluation of single slope solar still integrated with nano-composite phase change materials and compare with the experimental results of with and without phase change materials. A solar still with 1 m"2 surface area is developed with non-selective coating of absorber sheet with the provision of thermal energy storage materials. The solar still is tested on typical days with and without thermal energy storage materials. It is found that from the experimental studies that nano-materials (Al_2O_3) dispersed in paraffin wax is giving better cumulative yield of distillate than paraffin wax alone and without paraffin wax thermal storage. The daily efficiency of the solar still is computed for solar still with nano-composite phase change materials is 45% and solar still paraffin wax alone thermal storage is 40% and solar still without any thermal storage is 38%. It is concluded from the experimental studies; solar still integrated with nano-composite phase change materials gives better performance than with and without phase change material alone. (authors)

A new ternary composite based on carbon nanotubes/polyindole/graphene with preeminent electrocapacitive performance for supercapacitors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Weigang; Wu, Shishan

2017-01-01

Graphical abstract: This paper presents a new sandwich-like ternary composite, which was obtained from a two-step method, showing preeminent electrocapacitive performance for supercapacitors. - Highlights: • CNTs/Polyindole/graphene composite has been firstly fabricated with an optimal feed ratio. • The Polyindole shell enhances the dispersity and electrocapacitive performances of CNTs. • The CNTs/Polyindole/graphene exhibited preeminent capacitance and cycling stability. - Abstract: In this work, a hybrid nanocomposite based on carbon nanotubes (CNTs), polyindole (PIn) and reduced graphene oxides (RGO) was firstly fabricated and the optimal feed ratio of this composite was investigated. The morphology and structure of CNTs/PIn/RGO composite were investigated by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The electrocapacitive performances of this ternary electrode composite were researched by cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). And the specific surface area and pore size distribution of the samples were investigated by nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms. The prepared composite shows high dispersibility, high specific capacitance and excellent stability. Specifically, the CNTs/PIn/RGO composite exhibits a large specific capacitance of 383 F g"−"1 at 1 A g"−"1 and outstanding cycling stability of 88.79% capacitive retention after 3000 cycles at 10 A g"−"1. It was anticipated that CNTs/PIn/RGO12 composite could be a practical and valuable material for the application of supercapacitors.

A new ternary composite based on carbon nanotubes/polyindole/graphene with preeminent electrocapacitive performance for supercapacitors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Weigang; Wu, Shishan, E-mail: shishanwu@nju.edu.cn

2017-02-28

Graphical abstract: This paper presents a new sandwich-like ternary composite, which was obtained from a two-step method, showing preeminent electrocapacitive performance for supercapacitors. - Highlights: • CNTs/Polyindole/graphene composite has been firstly fabricated with an optimal feed ratio. • The Polyindole shell enhances the dispersity and electrocapacitive performances of CNTs. • The CNTs/Polyindole/graphene exhibited preeminent capacitance and cycling stability. - Abstract: In this work, a hybrid nanocomposite based on carbon nanotubes (CNTs), polyindole (PIn) and reduced graphene oxides (RGO) was firstly fabricated and the optimal feed ratio of this composite was investigated. The morphology and structure of CNTs/PIn/RGO composite were investigated by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The electrocapacitive performances of this ternary electrode composite were researched by cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). And the specific surface area and pore size distribution of the samples were investigated by nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms. The prepared composite shows high dispersibility, high specific capacitance and excellent stability. Specifically, the CNTs/PIn/RGO composite exhibits a large specific capacitance of 383 F g{sup −1} at 1 A g{sup −1} and outstanding cycling stability of 88.79% capacitive retention after 3000 cycles at 10 A g{sup −1}. It was anticipated that CNTs/PIn/RGO12 composite could be a practical and valuable material for the application of supercapacitors.

Performance evaluation of CNT/polypyrrole/MnO2 composite electrodes for electrochemical capacitors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sivakkumar, S.R.; Ko, Jang Myoun; Kim, Dong Young; Kim, B.C.; Wallace, G.G.

2007-01-01

A ternary composite of CNT/polypyrrole/hydrous MnO 2 is prepared by in situ chemical method and its electrochemical performance is evaluated by using cyclic voltammetry (CV), impedance measurement and constant-current charge/discharge cycling techniques. For comparative purpose, binary composites such as CNT/hydrous MnO 2 and polypyrrole/hydrous MnO 2 are prepared and also investigated for their physical and electrochemical performances. The specific capacitance (SC) values of the ternary composite, CNT/hydrous MnO 2 and polypyrrole/hydrous MnO 2 binary composites estimated by CV technique in 1.0 M Na 2 SO 4 electrolyte are 281, 150 and 35 F g -1 at 20 mV s -1 and 209, 75 and 7 F g -1 at 200 mV s -1 , respectively. The electrochemical stability of ternary composite electrode is investigated by switching the electrode back and forth for 10,000 times between 0.1 and 0.9 V versus Ag/AgCl at 100 mV s -1 . The electrode exhibits good cycling stability, retaining up to 88% of its initial charge at 10,000th cycle. A full cell assembled with the ternary composite electrodes shows a SC value of 149 F g -1 at a current loading of 1.0 mA cm -2 during initial cycling, which decreased drastically to a value of 35 F g -1 at 2000th cycle. Analytical techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) surface area measurement and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) are also used to characterize the composite materials

Experimental study of dual fuel engine performance using variable LPG composition and engine parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elnajjar, Emad; Selim, Mohamed Y.E.; Hamdan, Mohammad O.

2013-01-01

Highlights: • The effect of using variable LPG is studied. • Five fuels with propane to butane % volume ratio are: 100-70-55-25-0. • 100% Propane composition shows the highest noise levels with similar performance. • At 45° BTDC injection timing 55% Propane LPG the only fuel experience knocking. • LPG fuels gave similar engine performance, with differences in levels of noise. - Abstract: The present work investigates experimentally the effect of LPG fuel with different composition and engine parameters on the performance of a dual compression engine. Five different blends of LPG fuels are used with Propane to Butane volume ratio of 100:0, 70:30, 55:45, 25:75, and 0:100. A single cylinder, naturally aspirated, four strokes, indirectly injected, water cooled modified Ricardo E6 engine, is used in this study. The study is carried out by measuring the cylinder pressure, engine load, engine speed, crank angle, and the fuel’s flow rate. The engine performance under variable LPG fuel composition, engine load, pilot fuel injection timing, compression ratio, pilot fuel mass and engine speed, are estimated by comparing the following engine parameters: the cylinder maximum pressure, the indicated mean effective pressure, the maximum rate of pressure rise, and the thermal efficiency. The experimental data indicates that the engine parameters are playing a major role on the engine’s performance. Different LPG fuel composition did not show a major effect on the engine efficiency but directly impacted the levels of generated combustion noise

Development of plasma-treated polypropylene nonwoven-based composites for high-performance lithium-ion battery separators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Xiaofei; He, Jinlin; Wu, Dazhao; Zhang, Mingzu; Meng, Juwen; Ni, Peihong

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: A composite separator based on plasma-treated fluorinated polypropylene (PP) nonwoven, poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVdF-HFP) and SiO 2 nanoparticles exhibiting enhanced thermal stability, ionic conductivity and electrochemical properties. Display Omitted -- Highlights: •Fluorinated segments are introduced on the surface of PP nonwoven through plasma treatment. •The obtained composite separators exhibit better physical and electrochemical properties. •The capacity of half-cell with composite separator keeps above 150 mA h g −1 after 100 charge–discharge cycles. -- Abstract: Separators have drawn substantial attention because of their important role in achieving the safety and good electrochemical performance of lithium-ion batteries. In this study, we report a new type of composite membrane prepared by a combination of fluorinated polypropylene (PP) nonwoven fabric, poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVdF-HFP) and SiO 2 nanoparticles. 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5-Octafluoropentyl methacrylate (OFPMA) is first grafted on the surface of PP nonwoven by plasma treatment to improve the nonwoven’s adhesion with PVdF-HFP. Two kinds of composite separators have been prepared by using the different PP nonwovens together with PVdF-HFP and SiO 2 nanoparticles. They were separately designated as PHS for commercially raw PP nonwoven system and PHS-n for OFPMA-modified PP nonwoven systems (n means plasma treatment time). The morphology, electrolyte uptake, ionic conductivity and electrochemical properties of the composite separators have been analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis, impedance measurement, charge-discharge cycle and C-rate tests, respectively. The results indicate that PHS-10 composite separator using the modified PP nonwoven treated by plasma for 10 min exhibits much better properties than PHS separator, including an improved mechanical property, thermal stability, electrolyte uptake

Enhancement in ballistic performance of composite hard armor through carbon nanotubes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jason Gibson

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The use of carbon nanotubes in composite hard armor is discussed in this study. The processing techniques to make various armor composite panels consisting of Kevlar®29 woven fabric in an epoxy matrix and the subsequent V50 test results for both 44 caliber soft-point rounds and 30 caliber FSP (fragment simulated projectile threats are presented. A 6.5% improvement in the V50 test results was found for a combination of 1.65 wt% loading of carbon nanotubes and 1.65 wt% loading of milled fibers. The failure mechanism of carbon nanotubes during the ballistic event is discussed through scanning electron microscope images of the panels after the failure. Raman Spectroscopy was also utilized to evaluate the residual strain in the Kevlar®29 fibers post shoot. The Raman Spectroscopy shows a Raman shift of 25 cm−1 for the Kevlar®29 fiber utilized in the composite panel that had an enhancement in the V50 performance by using milled fiber and multi-walled carbon nanotubes. Evaluating both scenarios where an improvement was made and other panels without any improvement allows for understanding of how loading levels and synergistic effects between carbon nanotubes and milled fibers can further enhance ballistic performance.

Influence of vermiculite on performance of flyash-based fibre-reinforced hybrid composites as friction materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Satapathy, Bhabani K.; Patnaik, Amar; Dadkar, Nandan; Kolluri, Dilip K.; Tomar, Bharat S.

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Study successfully demonstrates the possibility of designing fibre reinforced friction materials with vermiculite-flyash combination. → Vermiculite has caused an increase in the post-braking onset of degradation temperature. → Fade behaviour was found to be optimally dependent on the flyash-vermiculite combination whereas recovery remained broadly unaffected. → Vermiculite caused reduction in the maximum disc temperature rise and enhanced the frictional amplitude, i.e. μ max -μ min . → Static-friction, fade and recovery acted as major determinants for the overall friction performance whereas wear remained thermally activated. -- Abstract: Flyash-based fibre-reinforced hybrid phenolic composites filled with vermiculite were fabricated and characterized for their physical, thermal, mechanical and tribological performance. The performance were evaluated in terms of their friction-fade, friction-recovery, maximum disc temperature rise and wear behaviour on a Krauss friction tester conforming to the Regulation-90 as per the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) norms. The fade behaviour has been observed to be optimally dependent on the flyash-vermiculite combination whereas the recovery remained broadly unaffected at ∼112 ± 14%. Addition of vermiculite has contributed to the reduction in the maximum disc temperature rise whereas it enhanced the frictional amplitude, i.e. μ max -μ min . The wear behaviour remains closely related to the trend observed in fade. The addition of vermiculite has caused an increase in the post-braking onset of degradation temperature of the surface composition as compared to the pre-braking composition. The analyses of friction and wear performance of the composites were carried out and major factors influencing the tribo-performance were identified. Worn surface morphology investigation using scanning electron microscope has revealed that the addition of vermiculite alters the compositional interactions at the

Quickly updatable hologram images with high performance photorefractive polymer composites

Science.gov (United States)

Tsutsumi, Naoto; Kinashi, Kenji; Nonomura, Asato; Sakai, Wataru

2012-02-01

We present here quickly updatable hologram images using high performance photorefractive (PR) polymer composite based on poly(N-vinyl carbazole) (PVCz). PVCz is one of the pioneer materials for photoconductive polymer. PVCz/7- DCST/CzEPA/TNF (44/35/20/1 by wt) gives high diffraction efficiency of 68 % at E = 45 V/μm with fast response speed. Response speed of optical diffraction is the key parameter for real-time 3D holographic display. Key parameter for obtaining quickly updatable hologram images is to control the glass transition temperature lower enough to enhance chromophore orientation. Object image of the reflected coin surface recorded with reference beam at 532 nm (green beam) in the PR polymer composite is simultaneously reconstructed using a red probe beam at 642 nm. Instead of using coin object, object image produced by a computer was displayed on a spatial light modulator (SLM) is used as an object for hologram. Reflected object beam from a SLM interfered with reference beam on PR polymer composite to record a hologram and simultaneously reconstructed by a red probe beam. Movie produced in a computer was recorded as a realtime hologram in the PR polymer composite and simultaneously clearly reconstructed with a video rate.

Exploration of a digital audio processing platform using a compositional system level performance estimation framework

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tranberg-Hansen, Anders Sejer; Madsen, Jan

2009-01-01

This paper presents the application of a compositional simulation based system-level performance estimation framework on a non-trivial industrial case study. The case study is provided by the Danish company Bang & Olufsen ICEpower a/s and focuses on the exploration of a digital mobile audio...... processing platform. A short overview of the compositional performance estimation framework used is given followed by a presentation of how it is used for performance estimation using an iterative refinement process towards the final implementation. Finally, an evaluation in terms of accuracy and speed...

Enhancement of capacitance performance of activated carbon—Polyaniline composites by introducing methyl orange

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jia Yujie; Jiang Jianchun; Sun Kang; Dai Tingyang

2012-01-01

Activated carbon–methyl orange–polyaniline (AC–MO–PAn) composites have been synthesized for the first time. The structural properties of the composites have been characterized with nitrogen absorption–desorption, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The electrostatic force between MO molecules and aniline (An) salt is assumed to promote the adsorption of aniline on the surface of AC. On the other hand, the sulfonic groups in MO molecules play a role of dopant and provide active sites for the polymerization of aniline. Although the loading amount and structure of PAn in as-prepared AC–MO–PAn composites and conventional AC–PAn composites are almost the same, the electrochemical measurements indicate that the AC–MO–PAn composites have preferable capacitive performance and are favorable to be used as the electrode materials in supercapacitors.

Design and Optimization of Composite Automotive Hatchback Using Integrated Material-Structure-Process-Performance Method

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xudong; Sun, Lingyu; Zhang, Cheng; Li, Lijun; Dai, Zongmiao; Xiong, Zhenkai

2018-03-01

The application of polymer composites as a substitution of metal is an effective approach to reduce vehicle weight. However, the final performance of composite structures is determined not only by the material types, structural designs and manufacturing process, but also by their mutual restrict. Hence, an integrated "material-structure-process-performance" method is proposed for the conceptual and detail design of composite components. The material selection is based on the principle of composite mechanics such as rule of mixture for laminate. The design of component geometry, dimension and stacking sequence is determined by parametric modeling and size optimization. The selection of process parameters are based on multi-physical field simulation. The stiffness and modal constraint conditions were obtained from the numerical analysis of metal benchmark under typical load conditions. The optimal design was found by multi-discipline optimization. Finally, the proposed method was validated by an application case of automotive hatchback using carbon fiber reinforced polymer. Compared with the metal benchmark, the weight of composite one reduces 38.8%, simultaneously, its torsion and bending stiffness increases 3.75% and 33.23%, respectively, and the first frequency also increases 44.78%.

NiO/nanoporous graphene composites with excellent supercapacitive performance produced by atomic layer deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Caiying; Chen, Chaoqiu; Duan, Feifei; Zhao, Shichao; Qin, Yong; Huang, Peipei; Li, Ping; Fan, Jinchuan; Song, Weiguo

2014-01-01

Nickel oxide (NiO) is a promising electrode material for supercapacitors because of its low cost and high theoretical specific capacitance of 2573 F g −1 . However, the low electronic conductivity and poor cycling stability of NiO limit its practical applications. To overcome these limitations, an efficient atomic layer deposition (ALD) method is demonstrated here for the fabrication of NiO/nanoporous graphene (NG) composites as electrode materials for supercapacitors. ALD allows uniform deposition of NiO nanoparticles with controlled sizes on the surface of NG, thus offering a novel route to design NiO/NG composites for supercapacitor applications with high surface areas and greatly improved electrical conductivity and cycle stability. Electrochemical measurements reveal that the NiO/NG composites obtained by ALD exhibited excellent specific capacitance of up to ∼1005.8 F g −1 per mass of the composite electrode (the specific capacitance value is up to ∼1897.1 F g −1 based on the active mass of NiO), and stable performance after 1500 cycles. Furthermore, electrochemical performance of the NiO/NG composites is found to strongly depend on the size of NiO nanoparticles. (paper)

Exergy-based sustainability analysis of a low power, high frequency piezo-based ultrasound reactor for rapid biodiesel production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aghbashlo, Mortaza; Tabatabaei, Meisam; Hosseinpour, Soleiman; Khounani, Zahra; Hosseini, Seyed Sina

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Piezoultrasonic-assisted biodiesel production was exergetically analyzed. • Alcohol content, sonication time, and temperature affected exergetic parameters. • 6:1 methanol/oil, 10 min sonication, and 60 °C temperature were the best conditions. • The exergetic sustainability index at the favorable conditions was found to be 11. - Abstract: In this work a thermodynamic model was developed to attain enhanced process comprehension of waste cooking oil (WCO) transesterification process in a low power, high frequency piezo-based ultrasound reactor. The reactor performance was assessed using the exergy concept to distinguish the effects of various operational variables, i.e., methanol to oil molar ratio (4:1–8:1), ultrasonic irradiation time (6–10 min), and temperature (40–60 °C) on the efficiency and sustainability factors. The exergetic efficiency of the developed reactor was found to be ranging from 98% to 99% and from 9% to 91% using the universal and functional definitions, respectively. The maximum functional exergetic efficiency as a decision making parameter, was found at 91% for methanol to oil molar ratio of 6:1, ultrasonic irradiation time of 10 min, and temperature of 60 °C. The exergetic sustainability index of the transesterification process at the selected conditions was determined at about 11. Under these conditions, the reactor efficiently converted triglycerides to methyl esters with an acceptable conversion efficiency of 97%, satisfying the ASTM standard. Overall, the outcomes of the current survey manifested that exergy analysis can be a preferred basis for decision making on the efficiency and sustainability of various biodiesel synthesizing systems.

Copper nanofiber-networked cobalt oxide composites for high performance Li-ion batteries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shim Hee-Sang

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract We prepared a composite electrode structure consisting of copper nanofiber-networked cobalt oxide (CuNFs@CoO x . The copper nanofibers (CuNFs were fabricated on a substrate with formation of a network structure, which may have potential for improving electron percolation and retarding film deformation during the discharging/charging process over the electroactive cobalt oxide. Compared to bare CoO x thin-film (CoO x TF electrodes, the CuNFs@CoO x electrodes exhibited a significant enhancement of rate performance by at least six-fold at an input current density of 3C-rate. Such enhanced Li-ion storage performance may be associated with modified electrode structure at the nanoscale, improved charge transfer, and facile stress relaxation from the embedded CuNF network. Consequently, the CuNFs@CoO x composite structure demonstrated here can be used as a promising high-performance electrode for Li-ion batteries.

Effects of cyclic impacts on the performance of a piezo-composite electricity generating element in a d33 mode energy harvesting.

Science.gov (United States)

Pham, Van Lai; Ha, Ngoc San; Goo, Nam Seo; Choo, Jinkyo F

2014-10-01

The increasing use of piezoelectric generators to harvest energy from various ambient sources requires the establishment of durability data for piezoelectric materials. In this paper, a d3 mode piezocomposite electricity generating element (PCGE) was tested for its durability under cyclic impact loading. For this purpose, a motor driven lever system was designed to apply constant impact force on PCGEs. To investigate the durability of PCGEs, the output voltage of the PCGEs was observed upon repeated application of an impact force until eventual loss of the generated voltage. The experimental results enabled to determine the number of cycles until which PCGEs can be used without loss of their electricity generation performance with respect to the stress level applied on the PCGEs. At low stress level (around 0.76 MPa or lower), the PCGE showed almost insignificant degradation even after 2 million cycles whereas degradation occurred sooner (after 8 x 10(5) cycles) at higher stress levels (around 0.92 MPa or higher). The effects of impact loading on the durability of the PCGEs were also examined by X-ray photographs of the specimens.

Micro-Spherical Sulfur/Graphene Oxide Composite via Spray Drying for High Performance Lithium Sulfur Batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Yuan; Sun, Zhenghao; Zhang, Yongguang; Yin, Fuxing

2018-01-01

An efficient, industry-accepted spray drying method was used to synthesize micro-spherical sulfur/graphene oxide (S/GO) composites as cathode materials within lithium sulfur batteries. The as-designed wrapping of the sulfur-nanoparticles, with wrinkled GO composites, was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The unique morphological design of this material enabled superior discharge capacity and cycling performance, demonstrating a high initial discharge capacity of 1400 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C. The discharge capacity remained at 828 mAh g−1 after 150 cycles. The superior electrochemical performance indicates that the S/GO composite improves electrical conductivity and alleviates the shuttle effect. This study represents the first time such a facile spray drying method has been adopted for lithium sulfur batteries and used in the fabrication of S/GO composites. PMID:29346303

Comparison of Piezo-material based Energy Transduction Systems for Artificial Nanoswimmer

Science.gov (United States)

Nain, S.; Rathore, J. S.; Sharma, N. N.

2018-04-01

The energy harnessing is a process of obtaining energy from the surrounding environment and converting into electrical energy. In the last two decades, there has been a plenteous study in energy harnessing. Now a day, energy harnessing using piezoelectric materials has drawn attention of researchers due to low cost, flexibility and light weight. The benefits of piezoelectric material can be utilized by designing a self-powered device for artificial nanoswimmer. Some of the ceramics which displays the piezoelectric effect are lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT), lead-titanate (PbTiO2), lead-zirconate (PbZrO3) and Barium Titanate (BaTiO3). PZT is most extensively used piezoelectric material in the field of energy harnessing but it is brittle in nature. Lead based piezoelectric materials are toxic in nature and may not suitable for in-vivo biomedical applications. To eradicate this problem, researchers are interested in synthesizing lead free piezoelectric material such as Aluminium Nitride (AIN), Barium Titanate (BaTiO3) and Polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF). The biocompatibility of PVDF makes it appropriate to be used for energy harnessing in human body for applications like on board powering of nanoswimmer for various disease detection and drug delivery. In this paper, a cantilever beam is being simulated in COMSOL to study electric potential generated on the surface of beam made of different piezoelectric materials such as AIN, PVDF and PZT due to fluidic pressure, which will be utilized as energy for actuation of artificial nanoswimmer. Piezo-based cantilever beams have been compared and maximum electric potential is being observed in PVDF based beam. PVDF seems most promising piezoelectric material for in-vivo biomedical application and it is readily available.

Simple method of calculating the transient thermal performance of composite material and its applicable condition

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

张寅平; 梁新刚; 江忆; 狄洪发; 宁志军

2000-01-01

Degree of mixing of composite material is defined and the condition of using the effective thermal diffusivity for calculating the transient thermal performance of composite material is studied. The analytical result shows that for a prescribed precision of temperature, there is a condition under which the transient temperature distribution in composite material can be calculated by using the effective thermal diffusivity. As illustration, for the composite material whose temperatures of both ends are constant, the condition is presented and the factors affecting the relative error of calculated temperature of composite materials by using effective thermal diffusivity are discussed.

Packaging of active fiber composites for improved sensor performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melnykowycz, M; Barbezat, M; Koller, R; Brunner, A J

2010-01-01

Active fiber composites (AFC) composed of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) fibers embedded in an epoxy matrix and sandwiched between two interdigitated electrodes provide a thin and flexible smart material device which can act as a sensor or actuator. The thin profiles of AFC make them ideal for integration in glass or carbon fiber composite laminates. However, due to the low tensile limit of the PZT fibers, AFC can fail at strains below the tensile limit of many composites. This makes their use as a component in an active laminate design somewhat undesirable. In the current work, tensile testing of smart laminates composed of AFC integrated in glass fiber laminates was conducted to assess the effectiveness of different packaging strategies for improving AFC sensor performance at high strains relative to the tensile limit of the AFC. AFC were encased in carbon fiber, silicon, and pre-stressed carbon fiber to improve the tensile limit of the AFC when integrated in glass fiber laminates. By laminating AFC with pre-stressed carbon fiber, the tensile limit and strain sensor ability of the AFC were significantly improved. Acoustic emission monitoring was used and the results show that PZT fiber breakage was reduced due to the pre-stressed packaging process

Clinical performance of direct versus indirect composite restorations in posterior teeth: A systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Azeem, Rubeena Abdul; Sureshbabu, Nivedhitha Malli

2018-01-01

Composite resin, serves as esthetic alternative to amalgam and cast restorations. Posterior teeth can be restored using direct or indirect composite restorations. The selection between direct and indirect technique is a clinically challenging decision-making process. Most important influencing factor is the amount of remaining tooth substance. The aim of this systematic review was to compare the clinical performance of direct versus indirect composite restorations in posterior teeth. The databases searched included PubMed CENTRAL (until July 2015), Medline, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. The bibliographies of clinical studies and reviews identified in the electronic search were analyzed to identify studies which were published outside the electronically searched journals. The primary outcome measure was evaluation of the survival of direct and indirect composite restorations in posterior teeth. This review included thirteen studies in which clinical performance of various types of direct and indirect composite restorations in posterior teeth were compared. Out of the thirteen studies which were included seven studies had a high risk of bias and five studies had a moderate risk of bias. One study having a low risk of bias, concluded that there was no significant difference between direct and indirect technique. However, the available evidence revealed inconclusive results. Further research should focus on randomized controlled trials with long term follow-up to give concrete evidence on the clinical performce of direct and indirect composite restorations.

Circadian Phenotype Composition is a Major Predictor of Diurnal Physical Performance in Teams.

Science.gov (United States)

Facer-Childs, Elise; Brandstaetter, Roland

2015-01-01

Team performance is a complex phenomenon involving numerous influencing factors including physiology, psychology, and management. Biological rhythms and the impact of circadian phenotype have not been studied for their contribution to this array of factors so far despite our knowledge of the circadian regulation of key physiological processes involved in physical and mental performance. This study involved 216 individuals from 12 different teams who were categorized into circadian phenotypes using the novel RBUB chronometric test. The composition of circadian phenotypes within each team was used to model predicted daily team performance profiles based on physical performance tests. Our results show that the composition of circadian phenotypes within teams is variable and unpredictable. Predicted physical peak performance ranged from 1:52 to 8:59 p.m. with performance levels fluctuating by up to 14.88% over the course of the day. The major predictor for peak performance time in the course of a day in a team is the occurrence of late circadian phenotypes. We conclude that circadian phenotype is a performance indicator in teams that allows new insight and a better understanding of team performance variation in the course of a day as often observed in different groupings of individuals.

The impact of the board of director’s composition on financial performance of LLC’s in Kosovo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bekim Berisha

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to identify, analyze and evaluate the potential impact of the Board of director’s composition on financial performance of Limited Liability Companies (LLC in Kosovo. Composition of the Board of Directors of LLC’s in Kosovo, in terms of corporate governance, plays a crucial role in two aspects as to the responsibilities for the quality of financial reporting as well as in enhancing financial performance. The research describes the impact of the Board of Directors composition (existence, independence, and meetings of the Board on the financial performance of LLC's in Kosovo, evaluated by ROA, ROE and ATR. Data has been collected through questionnaires in 99 LLC’s within different activities. Data analysis has been conducted through SPSS. Findings of the research is going to help on highlighting the importance of the composition of the Board of Directors and the impact of it on raising the financial performance of LLC’s in Kosovo.

Ready to rumble: how team personality composition and task conflict interact to improve performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Bradley, Bret H; Klotz, Anthony C; Postlethwaite, Bennett E; Brown, Kenneth G

2013-03-01

Although prior work has proposed a number of conditions under which task conflict in teams may improve performance, composition variables have been left unexplored. Given the effects of personality traits on team processes and outcomes demonstrated in prior work, investigating whether specific personality compositions influence the effect of task conflict on team performance is critical to researchers' understanding of conflict in teams. Our results indicate that team-level averages of both openness to experience and emotional stability function as moderators of the relationship between task conflict and team performance. Specifically, task conflict had a positive impact on performance in teams with high levels of openness or emotional stability; in contrast, task conflict had a negative impact on performance in teams with low levels of openness or emotional stability. Thus, when task conflict emerges, teams composed of members who are open minded or emotionally stable are best able to leverage conflict to improve performance. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Enhanced photo-electrochemical performances of graphene-based composite functionalized by Zn{sup 2+} tetraphenylporphyrin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Zhongqiang [Key Laboratory for Soft Chemistry and Functional Materials, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Nanjing 210094 (China); Zhu, Junwu, E-mail: zhujw@njust.edu.cn [Key Laboratory for Soft Chemistry and Functional Materials, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Nanjing 210094 (China); Han, Qiaofeng [Key Laboratory for Soft Chemistry and Functional Materials, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Nanjing 210094 (China); Cui, Hao [School of Public Administration, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014 (China); Bi, Huiping, E-mail: hpbi@njust.edu.cn [Key Laboratory for Soft Chemistry and Functional Materials, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Nanjing 210094 (China); Wang, Xin [Key Laboratory for Soft Chemistry and Functional Materials, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Nanjing 210094 (China)

2014-12-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • With the aid of π–π stacking interaction, the graphene was successfully functionalized by zinc tetraphenylporphyrin. • In obtained G/ZnTPP composite, the ZnTPP and graphene can substitute for porphyrin-like ring structure and electron transport chain, respectively. • Combined with graphene, the G/ZnTPP composite shows a high photo-electrochemical performance. - Abstract: Inspired by the role of electron transport chain in chlorophyll, graphene (G) complexation with zinc 5, 10, 15, 20-tetraphenylporphyrin (ZnTPP) is expected to have excellent photo-electrochemical performances. Here, we design a facile strategy to synthesize the functionalized graphene/zinc tetraphenylporphyrin (G/ZnTPP) composite. In which, all characterizations indicate synergistic effect does exist between graphene sheets and ZnTPP. The synergistic effect enables such composite to possess improved photo-electrochemical behaviors that are key features for photoelectric conversion device. On the basis of this, attempts to modify the absorption range, improve specific capacitance and lower resistance to acquire effective photo-current responses have been successfully demonstrated in this research.

Preparation of Reduced Graphene Oxide/MnO Composite and Its Electromagnetic Wave Absorption Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Jiangtao; Li, Kunzhen; Liu, Zhongfei; Jin, Shaowei; Li, Shikuo; Zhang, Hui

2018-02-01

The composite containing reduced graphene oxide and MnO nanoparticles (RGO/MnO) has been prepared via a one step pyrolysis method. The MnO nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed on the surface of RGO nanosheets forming MnO/RGO composite. The composite displays a maximum absorption of ‒38.9 dB at 13.5 GHz and the bandwidth of reflection loss corresponding to -10 dB can reach 4.9 GHz (from 11.5 to 16.4 GHz) with a coating layer thickness of only 2 mm. Therefore, the obtained RGO/MnO composite a perfect lightweight and high-performance electromagnetic wave absorbent.

THE INVESTIGATION TO THE SEX OF BODY COMPOSITION AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE OF ELITE MASTER ATHLETES

OpenAIRE

Aksel ÇELİK; Mert TUNER

2010-01-01

This study was performed to investigate the effect of regular aerobic exercise on body composition by bioelektrik impedance analysis (BIA) methods, respiratory function parameters and physical performance levels. 20 men and 10 women, total 30 long-distance elite master athletes who had joined World, European and The Balkans Championships in Athletics and into at least one degree, were included in the study. The body composition such as skeletal muscle mass, body fat weight, Waist-hip ratio an...

Three-dimensional N-doped graphene/polyaniline composite foam for high performance supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Jun; Kong, Lirong; Shen, Xiaoping; Chen, Quanrun; Ji, Zhenyuan; Wang, Jiheng; Xu, Keqiang; Zhu, Guoxing

2018-01-01

Three-dimensional (3D) graphene aerogel and its composite with interconnected pores have aroused continuous interests in energy storage field owning to its large surface area and hierarchical pore structure. Herein, we reported the preparation of 3D nitrogen-doped graphene/polyaniline (N-GE/PANI) composite foam for supercapacitive material with greatly improved electrochemical performance. The 3D porous structure can allow the penetration and diffusion of electrolyte, the incorporation of nitrogen doping can enhance the wettability of the active material and the number of active sites with electrolyte, and both the N-GE and PANI can ensure the high electrical conductivity of total electrode. Moreover, the synergistic effect between N-GE and PANI materials also play an important role on the electrochemical performance of electrode. Therefore, the as-prepared composite foam could deliver a high specific capacitance of 528 F g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 and a high cyclic stability with 95.9% capacitance retention after 5000 charge-discharge cycles. This study provides a new idea on improving the energy storage capacity of supercapacitors by using 3D graphene-based psedocapacitive electrode materials.

Electrochemical lithiation performance and characterization of silicon-graphite composites with lithium, sodium, potassium, and ammonium polyacrylate binders.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Zhen-Ji; Yamagiwa, Kiyofumi; Yabuuchi, Naoaki; Son, Jin-Young; Cui, Yi-Tao; Oji, Hiroshi; Kogure, Akinori; Harada, Takahiro; Ishikawa, Sumihisa; Aoki, Yasuhito; Komaba, Shinichi

2015-02-07

Poly(acrylic acid) (PAH), which is a water soluble polycarboxylic acid, is neutralized by adding different amounts of LiOH, NaOH, KOH, and ammonia (NH4OH) aqueous solutions to fix neutralization degrees. The differently neutralized polyacid, alkali and ammonium polyacrylates are examined as polymeric binders for the preparation of Si-graphite composite electrodes as negative electrodes for Li-ion batteries. The electrode performance of the Si-graphite composite depends on the alkali chemicals and neutralization degree. It is found that 80% NaOH-neutralized polyacrylate binder (a pH value of the resultant aqueous solution is ca. 6.7) is the most efficient binder to enhance the electrochemical lithiation and de-lithiation performance of the Si-graphite composite electrode compared to that of conventional PVdF and the other binders used in this study. The optimum polyacrylate binder highly improves the dispersion of active material in the composite electrode. The binder also provides the strong adhesion, suitable porosity, and hardness for the composite electrode with 10% (m/m) binder content, resulting in better electrochemical reversibility. From these results, the factors of alkali-neutralized polyacrylate binders affecting the electrode performance of Si-graphite composite electrodes are discussed.

Synergistic effect of tungsten disulfide and cenosphere combination on braking performance of composite friction materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kachhap, Rakesh K.; Satapathy, Bhabani K.

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: Graphical abstract showing correlation between enhanced frictional stability and enhanced visc-oelastic energy dissipation. - Highlights: • Developed new class of brake composites based on WS 2 and cenosphere. • Synergistic effect of WS 2 and cenosphere for enhanced friction stability. • Wear surface morphology revealed composition specific topography. • Friction fade-recovery performance remained optimal. - Abstract: Tungsten disulfide (WS 2 /TDS) based cenosphere (Cn) filled friction composites with varying cenosphere to WS 2 ratio (Cn/TDS) were fabricated by compression molding of phenolic resin based dry formulation mix and evaluated for their thermal, thermo-mechanical and tribological performances. The loss and revival of braking friction effectiveness due to heating or cooling of the disc termed as fade and recovery performance have been characterized on a Krauss friction testing machine following ECE R-90 industrial standards. The fade performance remained dependent on Cn/TDS, where enhanced fading could be correlated to lower Cn/TDS value accompanied with broader frictional fluctuations i.e. μ max –μ min . A decrease in the frictional-recovery response ensued with increase in Cn/TDS. Dynamic mechanical analysis revealed an increase in storage modulus till 2.5 wt.% of TDS loading followed by consistent decrease whereas two distinct peaks in loss modulus plots that are composition independent have been observed. Scanning electron microscopy revealed the worn surface morphology associated with the dynamics of contact patches formation and deformation vis-a-vis friction layer formation as integrally responsible for the observed friction performance. Energy dispersive analysis of X-rays (EDX) enabled compositional analysis of the friction layer viz. Fe, W, Si, and Al content which may have a mechanistic role in controlling phenomena like, disc rubbing, lubricity, porosity, and hardness of friction layer formed during braking

Performance enhancement of direct ethanol fuel cell using Nafion composites with high volume fraction of titania

Science.gov (United States)

Matos, B. R.; Isidoro, R. A.; Santiago, E. I.; Fonseca, F. C.

2014-12-01

The present study reports on the performance enhancement of direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) at 130 °C with Nafion-titania composite electrolytes prepared by sol-gel technique and containing high volume fractions of the ceramic phase. It is found that for high volume fractions of titania (>10 vol%) the ethanol uptake of composites is largely reduced while the proton conductivity at high-temperatures is weakly dependent on the titania content. Such tradeoff between alcohol uptake and conductivity resulted in a boost of DEFC performance at high temperatures using Nafion-titania composites with high fraction of the inorganic phase.

Core-Shell Composite Fibers for High-Performance Flexible Supercapacitor Electrodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Xiaoyan; Shen, Chen; Zhang, Zeyang; Barrios, Elizabeth; Zhai, Lei

2018-01-31

Core-shell nanofibers containing poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and manganese oxide nanoparticles as the core and polypyrrole (PPy) as the shell were fabricated through electrospinning the solution of PAA and manganese ions (PAA/Mn 2+ ). The obtained nanofibers were stabilized by Fe 3+ through the interaction between Fe 3+ ions and carboxylate groups. Subsequent oxidation of Mn 2+ by KMnO 4 produced uniform manganese dioxide (MnO 2 ) nanoparticles in the fibers. A PPy shell was created on the fibers by immersing the fibers in a pyrrole solution where the Fe 3+ ions in the fiber polymerized the pyrrole on the fiber surfaces. In the MnO 2 @PAA/PPy core-shell composite fibers, MnO 2 nanoparticles function as high-capacity materials, while the PPy shell prevents the loss of MnO 2 during the charge/discharge process. Such a unique structure makes the composite fibers efficient electrode materials for supercapacitors. The gravimetric specific capacity of the MnO 2 @PAA/PPy core-shell composite fibers was 564 F/g based on cyclic voltammetry curves at 10 mV/s and 580 F/g based on galvanostatic charge/discharge studies at 5 A/g. The MnO 2 @PAA/PPy core-shell composite fibers also present stable cycling performance with 100% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles.

A layer-wise MITC9 finite element for the free-vibration analysis of plates with piezo-patches

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Maria Cinefra

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The present article considers the free-vibration analysis of plate structures with piezoelectric patches by means of a plate finite element with variable through-the-thickness layer-wise kinematic. The refined models used are derived from Carrera’s Unified Formulation (CUF and they permit the vibration modes along the thickness to be accurately described. The finite-element method is employed and the plate element implemented has nine nodes, and the mixed interpolation of tensorial component (MITC method is used to contrast the membrane and shear locking phenomenon. The related governing equations are derived from the principle of virtual displacement, extended to the analysis of electromechanical problems. An isotropic plate with piezoelectric patches is analyzed, with clamped-free boundary conditions and subjected to open- and short-circuit configurations. The results, obtained with different theories, are compared with the higher-order type solutions given in the literature. The conclusion is reached that the plate element based on the CUF is more suitable and efficient compared to the classical models in the study of multilayered structures embedding piezo-patches.

Thermal performance enhancement of erythritol/carbon foam composites via surface modification of carbon foam

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Li, Junfeng; Lu, Wu; Luo, Zhengping; Zeng, Yibing

2017-03-01

The thermal performance of the erythritol/carbon foam composites, including thermal diffusivity, thermal capacity, thermal conductivity and latent heat, were investigated via surface modification of carbon foam using hydrogen peroxide as oxider. It was found that the surface modification enhanced the wetting ability of carbon foam surface to the liquid erythritol of the carbon foam surface and promoted the increase of erythritol content in the erythritol/carbon foam composites. The dense interfaces were formed between erythritol and carbon foam, which is due to that the formation of oxygen functional groups C=O and C-OH on the carbon surface increased the surface polarity and reduced the interface resistance of carbon foam surface to the liquid erythritol. The latent heat of the erythritol/carbon foam composites increased from 202.0 to 217.2 J/g through surface modification of carbon foam. The thermal conductivity of the erythritol/carbon foam composite before and after surface modification further increased from 40.35 to 51.05 W/(m·K). The supercooling degree of erythritol also had a large decrease from 97 to 54 °C. Additionally, the simple and effective surface modification method of carbon foam provided an extendable way to enhance the thermal performances of the composites composed of carbon foams and PCMs.

Study on Electrochemical Performance of Carbonnanotubes/Fey 04 Composite Electrode Material

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WANG Fang--yong

2017-02-01

Full Text Available For single super capacitor materials，each material has its own unique advantages and defects. In this paper, the synthesis of complex multi walled carbon nanotubes with Fe304 nanoparticles by simple hydrothermal method. Composite performance for Fe3 OQ nanoparticles adsorbed on carbon nano tube wall composed of reticular structure morphology. Synergy of two component，provides the binary nanometer compound larger specific capacity， excellent properties and good cycle stability. The experimental results proved that the improvement effects of CNT carbon materials on the electrochemical properties of pseudocapacitive electrode material，and CNT/Fe3 OQ nano- composites applied to supercapacitor electrode material.

Research on optimizing components of microfine high-performance composite cementitious materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu Shuguang; Guan Xuemao; Ding Qingjun

2002-01-01

The relationship between material components and mechanical properties was studied in terms of composite material principles and orthogonal experimental design. Moreover, the microstructure of microfine high-performance composite cementitious material (MHPCC) paste was investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) methods. The results showed that the composite material consisting of blast furnace slag (BFS), gypsum (G 2 ) and expansive agent (EA) could obviously improve the strength of the cementitious material containing 40% fly ash (FA). Although microfine cement (MC) was merely 45% percent of the MHPCC, the compressive strength of MHPCC paste was higher than that of neat MC paste. BFS played an important role in MHPCC. The optimum-added quantity of BFS was 15%. The needle-shaped ettringite obtained from the EA reacting with Ca(OH) 2 forms a three-dimensional network structure, which not only improved the early strength of MHPCC paste but also increased its late strength. The reason was that the network structure, which was similar to a fiber-reinforced composite, was formed in the late period of hydration with the progress of hydration and the deposition of hydration products into the network structure

High Performance Li4Ti5O12/Si Composite Anodes for Li-Ion Batteries

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Chunhui Chen

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Improving the energy capacity of spinel Li4Ti5O12 (LTO is very important to utilize it as a high-performance Li-ion battery (LIB electrode. In this work, LTO/Si composites with different weight ratios were prepared and tested as anodes. The anodic and cathodic peaks from both LTO and silicon were apparent in the composites, indicating that each component was active upon Li+ insertion and extraction. The composites with higher Si contents (LTO:Si = 35:35 exhibited superior specific capacity (1004 mAh·g−1 at lower current densities (0.22 A·g−1 but the capacity deteriorated at higher current densities. On the other hand, the electrodes with moderate Si contents (LTO:Si = 50:20 were able to deliver stable capacity (100 mAh·g−1 with good cycling performance, even at a very high current density of 7 A·g−1. The improvement in specific capacity and rate performance was a direct result of the synergy between LTO and Si; the former can alleviate the stresses from volumetric changes in Si upon cycling, while Si can add to the capacity of the composite. Therefore, it has been demonstrated that the addition of Si and concentration optimization is an easy yet an effective way to produce high performance LTO-based electrodes for lithium-ion batteries.

Performance ratio hardness characteristics polystyrene-metal composite materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klepikov, V.F.; Prokhorenko, E.M.; Lytvynenko, V.V.; Zakharchenko, A.A.; Hazhmuradov, M.A.

2015-01-01

The methods of measuring the hardness of layered polystyrene-metallic composite materials. It is proposed to use powder-like tungsten and powder-like steel as radiation-protective layer. A measurement of the hardness of composites of different composition, and given its dependence on the particle size and their form. The possibility of increasing the hardness of the composites reinforced with metallic additives. Radiation-protective characteristics were calculated for the studied species of composite materials. Influence of the quantitative composition of the metal components is studied on the change of the absorbed dose of gamma radiation

Activation of Mechanosensitive Transient Receptor Potential/Piezo Channels in Odontoblasts Generates Action Potentials in Cocultured Isolectin B4-negative Medium-sized Trigeminal Ganglion Neurons.

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Sato, Masaki; Ogura, Kazuhiro; Kimura, Maki; Nishi, Koichi; Ando, Masayuki; Tazaki, Masakazu; Shibukawa, Yoshiyuki

2018-04-27

Various stimuli to the dentin surface elicit dentinal pain by inducing dentinal fluid movement causing cellular deformation in odontoblasts. Although odontoblasts detect deformation by the activation of mechanosensitive ionic channels, it is still unclear whether odontoblasts are capable of establishing neurotransmission with myelinated A delta (Aδ) neurons. Additionally, it is still unclear whether these neurons evoke action potentials by neurotransmitters from odontoblasts to mediate sensory transduction in dentin. Thus, we investigated evoked inward currents and evoked action potentials form trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons after odontoblast mechanical stimulation. We used patch clamp recordings to identify electrophysiological properties and record evoked responses in TG neurons. We classified TG cells into small-sized and medium-sized neurons. In both types of neurons, we observed voltage-dependent inward currents. The currents from medium-sized neurons showed fast inactivation kinetics. When mechanical stimuli were applied to odontoblasts, evoked inward currents were recorded from medium-sized neurons. Antagonists for the ionotropic adenosine triphosphate receptor (P2X 3 ), transient receptor potential channel subfamilies, and Piezo1 channel significantly inhibited these inward currents. Mechanical stimulation to odontoblasts also generated action potentials in the isolectin B 4 -negative medium-sized neurons. Action potentials in these isolectin B 4 -negative medium-sized neurons showed a short duration. Overall, electrophysiological properties of neurons indicate that the TG neurons with recorded evoked responses after odontoblast mechanical stimulation were myelinated Aδ neurons. Odontoblasts established neurotransmission with myelinated Aδ neurons via P2X 3 receptor activation. The results also indicated that mechanosensitive TRP/Piezo1 channels were functionally expressed in odontoblasts. The activation of P2X 3 receptors induced an action potential

Ultra High Electrical Performance of Nano Nickel Oxide and Polyaniline Composite Materials

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Xiaomin Cai

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The cooperative effects between the PANI (polyaniline/nano-NiO (nano nickel oxide composite electrode material and redox electrolytes (potassium iodide, KI for supercapacitor applications was firstly discussed in this article, providing a novel method to prepare nano-NiO by using β-cyelodextrin (β-CD as the template agent. The experimental results revealed that the composite electrode processed a high specific capacitance (2122.75 F·g−1 at 0.1 A·g−1 in 0.05 M KI electrolyte solution, superior energy density (64.05 Wh·kg−1 at 0.2 A·g−1 in the two-electrode system and excellent cycle performance (86% capacitance retention after 1000 cycles at 1.5 A·g−1. All those ultra-high electrical performances owe to the KI active material in the electrolyte and the PANI coated nano-NiO structure.

Piezoelectric actuation of helicopter rotor blades

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Lieven, Nicholas A. J.

2001-07-01

The work presented in this paper is concerned with the application of embedded piezo-electric actuators in model helicopter rotor blades. The paper outlines techniques to define the optimal location of actuators to excite particular modes of vibration whilst the blade is rotating. Using composite blades the distribution of strain energy is defined using a Finite Element model with imposed rotor-dynamic and aerodynamics loads. The loads are specified through strip theory to determine the position of maximum bending moment and thus the optimal location of the embedded actuators. The effectiveness of the technique is demonstrated on a 1/4 scale fixed cyclic pitch rotor head. Measurement of the blade displacement is achieved by using strain gauges. In addition a redundant piezo-electric actuator is used to measure the blades' response characteristics. The addition of piezo-electric devices in this application has been shown to exhibit adverse aeroelastic effects, such as counter mass balancing and increased drag. Methods to minimise these effects are suggested. The outcome of the paper is a method for defining the location and orientation of piezo-electric devices in rotor-dynamic applications.

Piezoelectric Actuator/Sensor Technology at Rockwell

Science.gov (United States)

Neurgaonkar, Ratnakar R.

1996-01-01

We describe the state-of-the art of piezoelectric materials based on perovskite and tungsten bronze families for sensor, actuator and smart structure applications. The microstructural defects in these materials have been eliminated to a large extent and the resulting materials exhibit exceedingly high performance for various applications. The performance of Rockwell actuators/sensors is at least 3 times better than commercially available products. These high performance actuators are being incorporated into various applications including, DOD, NASA and commercial. The multilayer actuator stacks fabricated from our piezoceramics are advantageous for sensing and high capacitance applications. In this presentation, we will describe the use of our high performance piezo-ceramics for actuators and sensors, including multilayer stacks and composite structures.

Surface functionalization of hexagonal boron nitride and its effect on the structure and performance of composites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jin, Wenqin; Zhang, Wei; Gao, Yuwen [Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123 (China); Liang, Guozheng, E-mail: lgzheng@suda.edu.cn [Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123 (China); Gu, Aijuan, E-mail: ajgu@suda.edu.cn [Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123 (China); Yuan, Li [Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123 (China)

2013-04-01

A new organized hexagonal boron nitride (OhBN) with significantly increased amount of amine groups was synthesized, and characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, UV–vis Transmittance Spectra, Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and the potentiometric titration. The content of amine groups for OhBN is about 5 times of that for original hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). Based on the preparation of OhBN, new composites consisting of OhBN and bismaleimide (BD) resin were developed, which show greatly improved integrated performance (including dynamic mechanical, dielectric and thermal properties) compared with BD resin and the hBN/BD composites. In the case of the OhBN/BD composite with 15 wt% OhBN, its storage modulus, dielectric loss, thermal conductivity and coefficient of thermal expansion are about 1.2, 0.56, 1.11 and 0.92 times of the corresponding values of hBN/BD composite, respectively; moreover, the glass transition temperature of the former is 15 °C higher than that of the latter. These interesting results suggest that the integrated performance of the composites is closely related to the surface nature of the fillers because the change in the surface nature not only varies the chemical structure, free volume and crosslinking density of the composite, but also determines the interfacial nature between inorganic fillers and the resin matrix. This investigation demonstrates that the method proposed herein provides a new approach to prepare organized inorganic fillers as well as corresponding composites with controlled structure and expected performances for cutting-edge industries.

Facile route to covalently-jointed graphene/polyaniline composite and it's enhanced electrochemical performances for supercapacitors

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Qiu, Hanxun; Han, Xuebin; Qiu, Feilong; Yang, Junhe

2016-07-01

A polyaniline/graphene composite with covalently-bond is synthesized by a novel approach. In this way, graphene oxide is functionalized firstly by introducing amine groups onto the surface with the reduction of graphene oxide in the process and then served as the anchor sites for the growth of polyaniline (PANI) via in-situ polymerization. The composite material is characterized by electron microscopy, the resonant Raman spectra, X-ray diffraction, transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The electrochemical properties of the composite are measured by cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and galvanostatic charging/discharging. With the functionalization process, the graphene/polyaniline composite electrode exhibits remarkably enhanced electrochemical performance with specific capacitance of 489 F g-1 at 0.5 A g-1, which is superior to those of its individual components. The outstanding electrochemical performance of the hybrid can be attributed to its covalently synergistic effect between graphene and polyaniline, suggesting promising potentials for supercapacitors.

Performance of ground-penetrating radar on granitic regoliths with different mineral composition

Science.gov (United States)

Breiner, J.M.; Doolittle, James A.; Horton, Radley M.; Graham, R.C.

2011-01-01

Although ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is extensively used to characterize the regolith, few studies have addressed the effects of chemical and mineralogical compositions of soils and bedrock on its performance. This investigation evaluated the performance of GPR on two different granitic regoliths of somewhat different mineralogical composition in the San Jacinto Mountains of southern California. Radar records collected at a site where soils are Alfisols were more depth restricted than the radar record obtained at a site where soils are Entisols. Although the Alfisols contain an argillic horizon, and the Entisols have no such horizon of clay accumulation, the main impact on GPR effectiveness is related to mineralogy. The bedrock at the Alfisol site, which contains more mafic minerals (5% hornblende and 20% biotite), is more attenuating to GPR than the bedrock at the Entisol site, where mafic mineral content is less (<1% hornblende and 10% biotite). Thus, a relatively minor variation in bedrock mineralogy, specifically the increased biotite content, severely restricts the performance of GPR. Copyright ?? 2011 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Enhanced electrochemical performance of a ZnO-MnO composite as an anode material for lithium ion batteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Min Seob; Nahm, Sahn; Cho, Won Il; Lee, Chongmok

2015-09-28

A ZnO-MnO composite was synthesized using a simple solvothermal method combined with a high-temperature treatment. To observe the phase change during the heating process, in situ high-temperature XRD analysis was performed under vacuum conditions. The results indicated that ZnMn2O4 transformed into the ZnO-MnO composite phase starting from 500 °C and that this composite structure was retained until 700 °C. The electrochemical performances of the ZnO-MnO composite electrode were evaluated through galvanostatic discharge-charge tests and cyclic voltammetry analysis. Its initial coulombic efficiency was significantly improved to 68.3% compared to that of ZnMn2O4 at 54.7%. Furthermore, the ZnO-MnO composite exhibited improved cycling performance and enhanced rate capability compared with untreated ZnMn2O4. To clarify the discharge-charge mechanism of the ZnO-MnO composite electrode, the structural changes during the charge and discharge processes were also investigated using ex situ XRD and TEM.

Effect of variation in LPG composition on emissions and performance in a dual fuel diesel engine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

H.E. Saleh [Mattaria, Helwan University, Cairo (Egypt). Department of Mechanical Power Engineering

2008-10-15

This paper investigates the effect of variation in LPG composition on emissions and performance characteristics in a dual fuel engine run on diesel fuel and five gaseous fuel of LPG with different composition. To quantify the best LPG composition for dual fuel operation especially in order to improve the exhaust emissions quality while maintaining high thermal efficiency comparable to a conventional diesel engine, a two-cylinder, naturally aspirated, four-stroke, DI diesel engine converted to run as pilot-injected dual fuel engine. The tests and data collection were performed under various conditions of load at constant engine speed. From the results, it is observed that the exhaust emissions and fuel conversion efficiency of the dual fuel engine are found to be affected when different LPG composition is used as higher butane content lead to lower NOx levels while higher propane content reduces CO levels. Fuel No. 3 (70% propane, 30% butane) with mass fraction 40% substitution of the diesel fuel was the best LPG composition in the dual fuel operation except that at part loads. Also, tests were made for fuel No. 3-diesel blend in the dual fuel operation at part loads to improve the engine performances and exhaust emissions by using the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) method. 26 refs., 15 figs., 5 tabs.

Performance of high amylose starch-composited gelatin films influenced by gelatinization and concentration.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Wenhang; Wang, Kun; Xiao, Jingdong; Liu, Yaowei; Zhao, Yana; Liu, Anjun

2017-01-01

In order to study the impact of starch in film performance, high amylose corn starch was composited in gelatin films under different gelatinization conditions and, in high and low concentrations (10 and 50wt.%). It was found that hot water gelatinized starch (Gel-Shw) increased film mechanical strength and was dependent upon the starch concentration. The addition of an alkali component to the starch significantly enhanced the swelling of the starch granules and expedited the gelatinization process. Incorporation of starch, especially the alkalized starch (Sha), into the gelatin films decreased film solubility which improved its water resistance and water vapor permeability (WVP). Multiple techniques (DSC, TGA, FT-IR, and XRD) were used to characterize the process and results, including the crosslinking of the dissolved starch molecules and the particles formed from gelatinized starch during retrogradation process, which played an important role in improving the thermal stability of the composited gelatin films. Overall, the starch-gelatin composition provides a potential approach to improve gelatin film performance and benefit its applications in the food industry. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Performance Investigation of a Full-Scale Hybrid Composite Bull Gear

Science.gov (United States)

LaBerge, Kelsen; Handschuh, Robert; Roberts, Gary; Thorp, Scott

2016-01-01

Hybrid composite gears have been investigated as a weight saving technology for rotorcraft transmissions. These gears differ from conventional steel gears in that the structural material between the shaft interface and the gear rim is replaced with a lightweight carbon fiber composite. The work discussed here is an extension of previous coupon level hybrid gear tests to a full-scale bull gear. The NASA Glenn Research Center High-Speed Helical Gear Rig was modified for this program allowing several hybrid gear web configurations to be tested while utilizing the same gear rim. Testing was performed on both a baseline (steel) web configuration and a hybrid (steel-composite)configuration. Vibration, orbit and temperature data were recorded and compared between configurations. Vibration levels did not differ greatly between the hybrid and steel configurations, nor did temperature differential between inlet and outlet. While orbit shape displayed differences between the hybrid and baseline configurations, the general overall amplitude was comparable. The hybrid configuration discussed here successfully ran at 3300 hp(2,460 kW), however, progressive growth of the orbit while running at this test condition discontinued the test. Researchers continue to search for the cause of this orbit shift.

Flexible Self-Powered GaN Ultraviolet Photoswitch with Piezo-Phototronic Effect Enhanced On/Off Ratio.

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Mingzeng; Liu, Yudong; Yu, Aifang; Zhang, Yang; Liu, Caihong; Liu, Jingyu; Wu, Wei; Zhang, Ke; Shi, Xieqing; Kou, Jinzong; Zhai, Junyi; Wang, Zhong Lin

2016-01-26

Flexible self-powered sensing is urgently needed for wearable, portable, sustainable, maintenance-free and long-term applications. Here, we developed a flexible and self-powered GaN membrane-based ultraviolet (UV) photoswitch with high on/off ratio and excellent sensitivity. Even without any power supply, the driving force of UV photogenerated carriers can be well boosted by the combination of both built-in electric field and piezoelectric polarization field. The asymmetric metal-semiconductor-metal structure has been elaborately utilized to enhance the carrier separation and transport for highly sensitive UV photoresponse. Its UV on/off ratio and detection sensitivity reach to 4.67 × 10(5) and 1.78 × 10(12) cm·Hz(0.5) W(1-), respectively. Due to its excellent mechanical flexibility, the piezoelectric polarization field in GaN membrane can be easily tuned/controlled based on piezo-phototronic effect. Under 1% strain, a stronger and broader depletion region can be obtained to further enhance UV on/off ratio up to 154%. As a result, our research can not only provide a deep understanding of local electric field effects on self-powered optoelectronic detection, but also promote the development of self-powered flexible optoelectronic devices and integrated systems.

A piezo surgery with corticotomies and implant placement as part of a multidisciplinary approach to treat malocclusion disorder in an adult patient: clinical report.

Science.gov (United States)

Gelpi, Federico; De Santis, Daniele; Marconcini, Simone; Briguglio, Francesco; Finotti, Marco

2015-12-01

This clinical report illustrates a multidisciplinary approach for the rehabilitation of a young adult patient affected by a bilateral edentulous space and an anterior deep bite. The patient required orthodontics and surgical corticotomy and implantology (both performed with a piezo device). A multidisciplinary planning approach, including orthodontics, oral and periodontic surgery, and restorative dentistry, has an important role in the final outcome of treatment. In fact a dental class I occlusion has been established only on the right side. The left side could not be restored to an ideal class I relationship due to the pontic prosthesis. The original collapsed right posterior occlusion was corrected. A stable posterior occlusion was established, and the balancing interference was eliminated. Centric relation and centric occlusion were established at the same vertical dimension of occlusion. The cephalometric analysis and clinical aspect at the end of treatment showed that the patient had improvements in overbite and overjet.Multidisciplinary management, including endodontic and restorative dentistry, periodontics, corticotomy-assisted orthodontics, implants, and prosthetics, was used for a young female patient with multiple missing teeth, anterior deep bite, and a malocclusion with cant of the occlusal plane. The interaction of interdisciplinary specialties and careful treatment planning were required. The patient also benefited esthetically from our effort.

Piezo-Phototronic Effect Controlled Dual-Channel Visible light Communication (PVLC) Using InGaN/GaN Multiquantum Well Nanopillars.

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Chunhua; Jiang, Chunyan; Zuo, Peng; Huang, Xin; Pu, Xiong; Zhao, Zhenfu; Zhou, Yongli; Li, Linxuan; Chen, Hong; Hu, Weiguo; Wang, Zhong Lin

2015-12-02

Visible light communication (VLC) simultaneously provides illumination and communication via light emitting diodes (LEDs). Keeping a low bit error rate is essential to communication quality, and holding a stable brightness level is pivotal for illumination function. For the first time, a piezo-phototronic effect controlled visible light communication (PVLC) system based on InGaN/GaN multiquantum wells nanopillars is demonstrated, in which the information is coded by mechanical straining. This approach of force coding is also instrumental to avoid LED blinks, which has less impact on illumination and is much safer to eyes than electrical on/off VLC. The two-channel transmission mode of the system here shows great superiority in error self-validation and error self-elimination in comparison to VLC. This two-channel PVLC system provides a suitable way to carry out noncontact, reliable communication under complex circumstances. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.