Dipole-moment-induced effect on contact electrification for triboelectric nanogenerators

Triboelectric nanogenerators （TENGs） have been demonstrated as an effective way to harvest mechanical energy to drive small electronics. The density of triboelectric charges generated on contact surfaces between two distinct materials is a critical factor for dictating the output power. We demonstrate an approach to effectively tune the triboelectric properties of materials by taking advantage of the dipole moment in polarized polyvinylidene fluoride （PVDF）, leading to substantial enhancement of the output power density of the TENG. The output voltage ranged from 72 V to 215 V under a constant contact force of 50 N. This work not only provides a new method of enhancing output power of TENGs, but also offers an insight into charge transfer in contact electrification by investigating dipole-moment-induced effects on the electrical output of TENGs.     

Role of contact electrification and electrostatic interactions in gecko adhesion

Geckos, which are capable of walking on walls and hanging from ceilings with the help of micro-/nano-scale hierarchical fibrils (setae) on their toe pads, have become the main prototype in the design and fabrication of fibrillar dry adhesives. As the unique fibrillar feature of the toe pads of geckos allows them to develop an intimate contact with the substrate the animal is walking on or clinging to, it is expected that the toe setae exchange significant numbers of electric charges with the contacted substrate via the contact electrification (CE) phenomenon. Even so, the possibility of the occurrence of CE and the contribution of the resulting electrostatic interactions to the dry adhesion of geckos have been overlooked for several decades. In this study, by measuring the magnitude of the electric charges, together with the adhesion forces, that gecko foot pads develop in contact with different materials, we have clarified for the first time that CE does contribute effectively to gecko adhesion. More importantly, we have demonstrated that it is the CE-driven electrostatic interactions which dictate the strength of gecko adhesion, and not the van der Waals or capillary forces which are conventionally considered as the main source of gecko adhesion.     

Charge source and the charging mechanism of the contact electrification of polymer powder

The charge sources, as well as the charging mechanism of the contact electrification (CE) of polymers, are still debatable. Since CE is accompanied by destruction, it is considered that “hard contacting” via ball milling can induce covalent bond scission and produce naked-activated-charge sources. Regarding “soft contacting” via nano-scale sliding, which does not induce covalent bond scission, a frontier-electron, “f-electron,” of the naked-activated-charge source is crucial to electron transfer among the naked-activated-charge sources. Here, we configure naked-activated-charge-source models, naked-activated-mechano-anion, and naked-activated-mechano-cation, which are produced by mechanical energy induced heterogeneous covalent bond scission, as well as naked-activated-mechano-radicals that are produced by homogeneous covalent bond scission. Regarding “soft contacting” among naked-activated-charge sources in a vacuum, f-electron can be transferred from a donor to an acceptor if the energy level of the donor is higher than that of the acceptor. The net amount of the normalized transferred-f-electrons is obtained by adopting settings in which the average energy level of the naked-activated-charge sources (as the donors) is higher than that of the sources employed as acceptors. Thus, the surfaces comprising the donors and acceptors will exhibit positive and negative net surface charges, respectively. We conclude that net surface charges depend on the average energy level of naked-activated-charge sources. Further, we observe that the alignment of polyethylene (PE)-polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) to the average energy level is identical to that of the triboelectric series.     

Numerical investigation of powder dispersion mechanisms in Turbuhaler and the contact electrification effect

Powder dispersion in dry powder inhalers (DPI) is affected by factors such as device design and flow rate, but also electrification due to particle–particle/device collisions. This work presented a CFD-DEM study of powder dispersion in Turbuhaler®, aiming to understand the effect of electrostatic charge on the dispersion mechanisms. The device geometry was reconstructed from CT-scan images of commercial Turbuhaler device. Different work functions were applied to the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) powder and the device wall. Electrostatic charges were accumulated on the API particles due to contact potential difference (CPD) between the particles and the device wall. Results showed that both the chamber and the spiral mouthpiece played an important role in de-agglomeration of powders caused by particle–wall impactions. With increasing flow rates, the performance of the device was improved with higher emitted dose (ED) and fine particle fractions (FPF). The electrostatic charging of the particles was enhanced with higher CPD and higher flow rates, but the electrostatic charging had a minimum effect on powder dispersion and deposition with slight reduction in ED and FPF. In conclusion, the van der Waals force is still the dominant adhesive inter-particle force, and the dispersion efficiency is affected by the flow rate rather than contact electrification of particles. Future work should focus on the effect of highly charged particles emitted from the inhaler on the deposition in the airway.     

A tool for studying contact electrification in systems comprising metals and insulating polymers

We describe an analytical system for in situ measurement of the charge that develops by contact electrification when a ferromagnetic sphere rolls on the surface of a polymer. This system makes it possible to survey the ability of polymeric surfaces to charge by contact electrification. Because the measurement of charge using this tool does not require physical contact of the charged sphere with the measuring electrode, it also enables the kinetics of charging to be examined. The research has focused on the contact charging of spheres having a core-and-shell geometry (a common core of ferromagnetic steel, and a variable shell of thin films of metals, or metals with surface oxides) rolling on the surface of polymeric slabs; it has generated an internally consistent set of data that include the polarity and magnitude of charging for a homologous series of polymers that differ chemically in the pendant group on a polyethylene backbone.     

Electrostatic interaction-based self-assembly of paraffin@graphene microcapsules with remarkable thermal conductivity for thermal energy storage

Graphene encapsulating paraffin (paraffin@graphene) microcapsules were fabricated by electrostatic interaction-based self-assembly. An aqueous dispersion of graphene sheets charged with cation, were mixed with a water-based emulsion containning negatively charged paraffin droplet spheres to form self-assembled microcapsules. The morphology of the microcapsules was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Results show that the microcapsules with a well-defined spherical structure were prepared successfully. Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) results indicate that the phase change latent heat are all above 200?J g^?1. With a graphene mass fraction of 8?wt%, the thermal conductivity of the fabricated composites can reach 1.73?W m^?1 K^?1. Attributing to the interlocking of graphene with each other, the microcapsules enable lock the paraffin in the shell thus successfully avoiding its leakage during phase change process. The prepared phase change microcapsules are expected to apply in energy storage field.     

NaCl改性SiO_2微球的制备及其自组装光子晶体研究

为提高SiO2微球的表面电荷密度,通过改进Stober法,引入电解质NaCl合成SiO2微球,并采用垂直沉积法制备出光子晶体.通过Zeta电位粒度仪、带EDS能谱仪的场发射扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和紫外-可见-近红外光谱仪对其电学性能、显微形貌和光学性能进行测试分析.Zeta电位测试结果显示改性SiO2:微球的Zeta电位平均提高11.39mV;EDS能谱分析表明微球中含有钠元素;SEM照片表明样品平均粒径为334 nm,平均标准偏差小于5%,所得光子晶体为面心立方密排结构;吸收光谱表明在725nm处具有光子晶体带隙.     

Two-dimensional nanoparticle self-assembly using plasma-induced Ostwald ripening

In this work, a novel Ag nanoparticle self-assembly process based on plasma-induced two-dimensional Ostwald ripening is demonstrated. Ag nanoparticles are deposited on p-doped Si substrates using a DC magnetron sputtering process. With the assistance of O(2)/Ar plasma treatment, different sizes and patterns of Ag nanoparticles are formed, due to the Ostwald ripening. The evolution of plasma-induced nanoparticle ripening is studied and a clear increase in particle size and a decrease in particle density are observed with increasing plasma treatment. From the experiments, it is concluded that the initial nanoparticle density and the plasma gas mixture (Ar/O(2) ratio) are important factors that affect the ripening process. The proposed plasma-directed Ag nanoparticle self-assembly provides a rapid method of tailoring the nanoparticle distribution on substrates, with potential applications in the fields of solar cells, biosensors, and catalysis.     

Nanoengineering a single-molecule mechanical switch using DNA self-assembly

The ability to manipulate and observe single biological molecules has led to both fundamental scientific discoveries and new methods in nanoscale engineering. A common challenge in many single-molecule experiments is reliably linking molecules to surfaces, and identifying their interactions. We have met this challenge by nanoengineering a novel DNA-based linker that behaves as a force-activated switch, providing a molecular signature that can eliminate errant data arising from non-specific and multiple interactions. By integrating a receptor and ligand into a single piece of DNA using DNA self-assembly, a single tether can be positively identified by force-extension behavior, and receptor-ligand unbinding easily identified by a sudden increase in tether length. Additionally, under proper conditions the exact same pair of molecules can be repeatedly bound and unbound. Our approach is simple, versatile and modular, and can be easily implemented using standard commercial reagents and laboratory equipment. In addition to improving the reliability and accuracy of force measurements, this single-molecule mechanical switch paves the way for high-throughput serial measurements, single-molecule on-rate studies, and investigations of population heterogeneity.     

Observations of contact damage in MgO and LiF crystals by cathodoluminescence

Cathodoluminescence (CL) studies in a scanning electron microscope of the static and dynamic contact damage in MgO and LiF crystals are described. The main luminescence for both MgO and LiF was found to be associated with the plastically deformed zone at and around the contact site, although there were differences of details in the CL behaviour of the two materials. It was also found that in MgO the intensity of luminescence from screw dislocations was markedly higher than that from the edge dislocations for all possible orientations of the specimen. It is proposed that this simple and rapid technique can be used for assessing the mechanical state of a surface.     

Electrostatic nanolithography in polymers using atomic force microscopy

The past decade has witnessed an explosion of techniques used to pattern polymers on the nano (1-100 nm) and submicrometre (100-1,000 nm) scale, driven by the extensive versatility of polymers for diverse applications, such as molecular electronics, data storage, optoelectronics, displays, sacrificial templates and all forms of sensors. Conceptually, most of the patterning techniques, including microcontact printing (soft lithography), photolithography, electron-beam lithography, block-copolymer templating and dip-pen lithography, are based on the spatially selective removal or formation/deposition of polymer. Here, we demonstrate an alternative and novel lithography technique--electrostatic nanolithography using atomic force microscopy--that generates features by mass transport of polymer within an initially uniform, planar film without chemical crosslinking, substantial polymer degradation or ablation. The combination of localized softening of attolitres (10(2)-10(5) nm3) of polymer by Joule heating, extremely non-uniform electric field gradients to polarize and manipulate the soften polymer, and single-step process methodology using conventional atomic force microscopy (AFM) equipment, establishes a new paradigm for polymer nanolithography, allowing rapid (of the order of milliseconds) creation of raised (or depressed) features without external heating of a polymer film or AFM tip-film contact.     

Effect of electrolytes on brittle failure of single crystals under contact effects

Translated from Fiziko-Khimicheskaya Mekhanika Materialov, Vol. 26, No. 1, pp. 70–75, January–February, 1990.     

First study of macroscopic neutron dark field imaging using scattering grids

Instead of using the phase grating concept for dark field imaging, macroscopic scattering grids were employed at the ANTARES neutron imaging facility. Two Cadmium grids with a 1 mm gap and 1.2 mm bar were adjusted in a distance of only a few cm in order to block the direct beam. Thus, by placing the samples between these two grids only neutrons that were scattered at the samples were transmitted. A linear motion of the coupled grids allowed scanning across the samples and obtaining complete scattering projections, which delivered surprisingly sharp images. The geometric relation between grids permits determination of the transmitted scattering angles.     

Guided and fluidic self-assembly of microstructures using railed microfluidic channels

Fluidic self-assembly is a promising pathway for parallel fabrication of devices made up of many small components. Here, we introduce 'railed microfluidics' as an agile method to guide and assemble microstructures inside fluidic channels. The guided movement of microstructures in microfluidic channels was achieved by fabricating grooves ('rails') on the top surface of the channels and also creating complementary polymeric microstructures that fit with the grooves. Using the rails as a guiding mechanism, we built complex one- and two-dimensional microsystems in which all the microstructures initially involved in the fabrication method were incorporated as components in the final product. Complex structures composed of more than 50 microstructures (each sized smaller than 50 microm) were fluidically self-assembled with zero error. Furthermore, we were able to use the rails to guide microstructures through different fluid solutions, successfully overcoming strong interfacial tension between solutions. On the basis of rail-guided self-assembly and cross-solution movement, we demonstrated heterogeneous fluidic self-assembly of polymeric microstructures and living cells. In addition to such assembly of in situ polymerized structures, we also guided and assembled externally fabricated silicon chips-demonstrating the feasible application of railed microfluidics to other materials systems.     

Directed self-assembly of nanogold using a chemically modified nanopatterned surface

Electron-beam lithography (EBL) was used to define an aminosilane nanopatterned surface in order to electrostatically self-assemble gold nanoparticles (Au NPs). The chemically modified nanopatterned surfaces were immersed into a Au NP solution to allow the Au NPs to self-assemble. Equilibrium self-assembly was achieved in only 20 min. The number of Au NPs that self-assembled on an aminosilane dot was controlled by manipulating the diameters of both the Au NPs and the dots. Adding salt to the Au NP solution enabled the Au NPs to self-assemble in greater numbers on the same sized dot. However, the preparation of the Au NP solution containing salt was sensitive to spikes in the salt concentration. These spikes led to aggregation of the Au NPs and non-specific deposition of Au NPs on the substrate. The Au NP patterned surfaces were immersed in a sodium hydroxide solution in order to lift-off the patterned Au NPs, but no lift-off was observed without adequate physical agitation. The van der Waals forces are too strong to allow for lift-off despite the absence of electrostatic forces.     

Influence of growth parameters on the fabrication of high-quality colloidal crystals via a controlled evaporation self-assembly method

A controlled evaporation self-assembly method with multiple controllable parameters was used to synthesize high-quality colloidal crystals. The environmental parameters, such as the relative humidity, evaporation temperature and pressure, were studied for the quality controls of colloidal crystals during the formation. In the experimental results, we show how these parameters influence the quality of colloidal crystals significantly. Moreover, it is found that, under the case of the relative humidity of 70%, evaporation temperature of 35 °C and pressure of 6.0 kPa, the fabricating high-quality colloidal crystals is optimal from aqueous solution of monodisperse polystyrene spheres with a diameter of 260 nm in a short time (less than 10 h). Highest possible crystal quality may be obtained after the natural drying in the vacuum chamber.     

Electrostatic simulation using XFEM for conductor and dielectric interfaces

Many Micro‐Electro‐Mechanical Systems (e.g. RF‐switches, micro‐resonators and micro‐rotors) involve mechanical structures moving in an electrostatic field. For this type of problems, it is required to evaluate accurately the electrostatic forces acting on the devices. Extended Finite Element (X‐FEM) approaches can easily handle moving boundaries and interfaces in the electrostatic domain and seem therefore very suitable to model Micro‐Electro‐Mechanical Systems. In this study we investigate different X‐FEM techniques to solve the electrostatic problem when the electrostatic domain is bounded by a conducting material. Preliminary studies in one‐dimension have shown that one can obtain good results in the computation of electrostatic potential using X‐FEM. In this paper the extension of these preliminary studies to 2D problem is presented. In particular, a new type of enrichment functions is proposed in order to treat accurately Dirichlet boundary conditions on the interface. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Electrostatic trapping of double-stranded DNA by using cadmium hydroxide nanostrands

Cadmium ions (Cd(2+)) spontaneously grew into cadmium hydroxide nanostrands at the proper pH range in water, and the nanostrands efficiently captured negatively charged DNA. The DNA chain adsorbed parallel to the nanostrand due to the numerous positive charges on the extremely long and thin structure of 1.9 nm, giving weakly gelled white precipitates. By the filtration, more than 95% of DNA was separated from the dilute solution with a concentration less than 40 ng/mL. The nanostrands quickly disappeared after adding aqueous EDTA, and DNA was released quantitatively. These characteristics gave a novel separation technique for short DNA fragments without the use of organic solvents.