Highly Stretchable and Sensitive SBS/Graphene Composite Fiber for Strain Sensors

Flexible strain sensors have attracted tremendous interests due to the emergence of intelligent wearable technology. Electrically conductive fibers are desirable candidates for flexible strain sensors, but up til now, there still exist enormous challenges to obtain conductive fibers exhibiting simultaneously high stretchability and high strain sensitivity. This paper introduces a poly (styrene‐butadiene‐styrene) (SBS)/graphene (Gr) composite fiber‐based flexible strain sensor fabricated by a facile and highly scalable wet spinning method. The results demonstrate that the graphene content has significant influence on the morphology, mechanical properties, and electromechanical properties of the composite fibers. The fibers with 5 wt% graphene have a wide response range of up to 100% strain, a high electrical sensitivity with the gauge factor of 10083.98 at 100% strain, and meanwhile, a high level of stability for 2100 stretching–releasing cycles under an applied strain of 20%. Furthermore, the SBS‐5%Gr composite fibers display excellent sensing performance in detecting human upper limb movements at different joints including hand joints, wrist joints, elbow joints, and shoulder joints.     

矿用隔爆型移动变电站的维护与故障处理

保证矿用隔爆型移动变电站的安全可靠运行,已成为煤矿供电安全管理的重要工作内容。结合矿用隔爆型移动变电站在煤矿安全生产中的实际应用情况,对移动变电站的基本特征、工作原理、操作维护方法等方面存在的问题进行常见故障分析,并提出相应的解决措施;在解决故障的同时,对操作过程进行了优化,使之更加安全规范。分析认为,熟悉设备基本性能,提高快速排除各种故障的技能,可以为煤矿供电系统的安全可靠提供保障。     

Enhanced electrochemical performance of supercapattery derived from sulphur-reduced graphene oxide/cobalt oxide composite and activated carbon from peanut shells

Sulphur-reduced graphene oxide/cobalt oxide composites (RGO-S/Co₃O₄) were successfully synthesized by varying mass loading of Co₃O₄ through a simple hydrothermal method. Structural, morphological, chemical compositional and surface area/pore-size distribution analysis of the materials were obtained by using XRD, Raman spectroscopy, SEM, TEM, EDX, FTIR, XPS and BET techniques, which reveal an effective synthesis of the RGO-S/Co₃O₄ composites. Electrochemical performance of the materials was evaluated using a three- and two-electrode system in 1 M KOH electrolyte. An optimized RGO-S/200 mg Co₃O₄ composite displayed the highest specific capacity of 171.8 mA h g⁻¹ and superior cycling stability of 99.7% for over 5000 cycles at 1 and 5 A g⁻¹, respectively, in a three-electrode system. A fabricated supercapattery device utilizing RGO-S/200 mg Co₃O₄ (positive electrode) and activated carbon from peanut shells (AC-PS) (negative electrode), revealed a high specific energy and power of 45.8 W h kg⁻¹ and 725 W kg⁻¹, respectively, at 1 A g⁻¹. The device retained 83.4% of its initial capacitance for over 10, 000 cycles with a columbic efficiency of 99.5%. Also, a capacitance retention of 71.6% was preserved after being subjected to a voltage holding test of over 150 h at its maximum potential of 1.45 V.     

Effects of Sr2+ substitution on the crystal structure,Raman spectra,bond valence and microwave dielectric properties of Ba3-xSrx(VO4)2 solid solutions

The effects of Sr²⁺ substitution for Ba²⁺ on microwave dielectric properties and crystal structure of Ba_3-xSr_x(VO₄)₂ (0 ≤ x ≤ 3, BSVO) solid solution were investigated. Such Sr²⁺ substitution contributes to significant reduction in sintering temperature from 1400 °C to 1150 °C. Both permittivity (∑_r) and quality factor (Q × f) values decreased with increasing x value, which was determined to be related with the descending values of average polarizability and packing fraction, whereas the increase in τ_f value was explained by the decreased average VO bond length, A-site bond valence. BSVO ceramics possessed encouraging dielectric performances with ∑_r = 12.2–15.6 ± 0.1, Q × f = 44,340 - 62,000 ± 800 GHz, and τ_f = 24.5–64.5 ± 0.2 ppm/°C. Low-temperature sintering was manipulated by adding B₂O₃ as sintering additive for the representative Sr₃V₂O₈ (SVO) ceramic and only 1 wt.% B₂O₃ addition successfully contributed to a 21.7% decrease in sintering temperature to 900 °C, showing good chemical compatibility with silver electrodes, which render BSVO series and SVO ceramics potential candidates in multilayer electronic devices fabrication.     

ASTEMA: Design and preliminary performance assessment of a novel tele-microsurgery system

To overcome the challenges of reconstructive microsurgery, a teleoperated robot called ASTEMA was built to help surgeons performing microanastomoses. The surgeons’ needs are first analyzed then the design steps are summarized. This robot is composed of three orthogonal linear actuators and a spherical wrist with its remote center of motion at the instrument tip. Geometric model of the spherical wrist was calibrated through mathematical optimization in order to compensate for imperfections of machining and assembling. Two preliminary experiments were carried out to assess the ASTEMA performance. The first was performed with a simple circular position trajectory. The second was a complex angular trajectory. Results show a significant improvement of gesture precision with respect to manual trajectory execution. They also show that subjects instinctively compensate the errors from the non-ideal wrist, thanks to visual feedback from microscope.     

Recent Progress of Fiber Shaped Lighting Devices for Smart Display Applications—A Fibertronic Perspective

Advances in material science and nanotechnology have fostered the miniaturization of devices. Over the past two decades, the form-factor of these devices has evolved from 3D rigid, volumetric devices through 2D film-based flexible electronics, finally to 1D fiber electronics (fibertronics). In this regard, fibertronic strategies toward wearable applications (e.g., electronic textiles (e-textiles)) have attracted considerable attention thanks to their capability to impart various functions into textiles with retaining textiles' intrinsic properties as well as imperceptible irritation by foreign matters. In recent years, extensive research has been carried out to develop various functional devices in the fiber form. Among various features, lighting and display features are the highly desirable functions in wearable electronics. This article discusses the recent progress of materials, architectural designs, and new fabrication technologies of fiber-shaped lighting devices and the current challenges corresponding to each device's operating mechanism. Moreover, opportunities and applications that the revolutionary convergence between the state-of-the-art fibertronic technology and age-long textile industry will bring in the future are also discussed.     

基于电润湿效应的自变焦补偿光学系统

变焦光学系统是照相机、摄像机等许多光学器件中的关键元件，实现变焦光学系统的微小型化及增大系统的变倍比是一个长期目标。研制了一种三液体自变焦补偿透镜，可在外加电压作用下实现自变焦补偿功能，因此该透镜元件本身可以作为一个简单的变焦光学系统。通过高斯光学理论分析及Zemax模拟仿真验证了该系统的自变焦补偿功能。结果表明，该系统焦距变化范围为378～424 mm，变倍比为1.217，达到了预期目标，对变焦光学系统的研究具有一定的参考价值。     

Electro-Photoluminescence Color Change for Deformable Visual Encryption

Although structural coloring and photoluminescence (PL) have been investigated for radiation-responsive color change, electroluminescence (EL) has not been used for the radiation-responsive system. An electro-photoluminescence (EPL) color change is presented here. The phosphors in the alternating current electroluminescence (ACEL) act simultaneously as electro-luminophores and photo-luminophores. The EPL chromaticity is systematically investigated depending on the ACEL frequency and UV intensity. It is found that the PL variation depending on UV intensity is the mechanism of the EPL color change. It is revealed that EL and PL can be controlled independently in the low electric field so that the EPL chromaticity can be adjusted by a linear combination of the EL color and the PL color. The EPL color-changing device is used as a deformable visual encryption system and a soft skin for a soft robotic rover, imitating the concealment and signaling functions in nature.     

Peptide Programmed Hydrogels as Safe Sanctuary Microenvironments for Cell Transplantation

Cell transplantation is one of the most promising strategies for the minimally invasive treatment of a raft of injuries and diseases. However, a standing challenge to its efficacy is poor cell survival due to a lack of mechanical protection during administration and an unsupportive milieu thereafter. In response, a shear‐injectable nanoscaffold vector is engineered considering the three equal requirements of protection, support, and survival. Here, the programmed peptide assembly of tissue‐specific epitopes presents a safe sanctuary microenvironment for the transplantation of cells. For the first time, a mechanistic understanding of the multifactorial role of the nanoscaffold in promoting cell survival is presented, where initial cell survival is dependent on the fluid mechanic process of droplet formation rather than on shear rate. However, provided is the first report of the most critical component of a transplantation vector, distinguishing feigned biological support from mechanical properties from true ongoing biological support post transplantation. This is achieved via the presentation of amino acid constituents that significantly improve the efficacy of the vector compared to a biocompatible, yet inert analogue. Together, the peptide‐programmed hydrogels enable fundamental rules for the engineering of advanced treatment strategies with wide reaching implications for tissue repair and biofabrication.     

Should medium-sized contractors still implement home-made information technologies on construction sites?

Despite the increasing dissemination of the Building Information Modeling (BIM) approach, many firms are still far from BIM and are only starting to adopt information technologies. We conducted an ethnographic action research with an industrial partner that implements information technologies on its construction sites, with a strong preference for home-made applications. Results show that the development of such applications faces difficulties and that multiple iterations and versions are necessary before achieving the expected goals because the required competencies are lacking among internal development teams. Moreover, initial needs evolve considerably throughout the application’s development and evaluation process. However, notwithstanding the difficulties encountered during the different application development phases, the industrial partner believes the decision to be worthwhile because of the desire to have internal control over the project data and the need to consider certain specificities related to business processes.