The electrostatic problem for the SAW interdigital transducers inan external electric field. II. Periodic structures

For pt.I see ibid., vol.43, no.6, pp.1150-9 (1996). An exact solution of the electrostatic problem for calculating the surface charge and electric field distributions in an arbitrary periodic interdigital transducer (IDT) is given using the results of our companion paper. An arbitrary external electric field may be specified along the electrode structure with the unit cell containing one electrode, or several electrodes, of different widths. The potentials of the electrodes that may be specified are also arbitrary. It is shown that in the case without an external field, the solution includes all the known results as special cases. The case of shorted electrodes in the external electric field is investigated in detail. The surface charge and electric field distributions are calculated for a spatially harmonic external field with an arbitrary wavenumber. The results of the calculations are represented graphically for various ratios between the period of the electrode structure and the wavelength of the external field for the case of a unit cell containing one or two electrodes of different widths     

Derivation of COM equations using the surface impedance method

The surface impedance method is used for the consistent derivation of coupling of modes equations which describe the interaction of SAW with a periodical system of electrodes of finite thickness. The exact analytic solution of the electrostatic problem in the presence of an arbitrary external electric field for a plane system of electrodes is applied to the calculation of the charge and electric field distributions. Mechanical perturbations are taken into account to first order of the thickness of the electrodes. As a result the scalar self-consistent equation for the electric potential of acoustic waves in the gratings is obtained. For the periodic structure this equation is reduced to the form of COM equations for slowly varying amplitudes. Analytical expressions for all coefficients of the COM equations connecting them with geometrical and material parameters are found. The NSPUDT effect can be considered. Dissipation and energy storage terms can be introduced empirically. The solution of the COM equations is represented in the form of a P matrix with elements written in a convenient form. A simple formula for calculating the location of maximum transducer frequency response is proposed, The balance of energy is considered. Some new relations among the elements of P matrix are found     

Anti‐plane mechanical and in‐plane electrical fields for a finite electrode/punch on a finite piezoelectric layer

The problems of a surface electrode and a rigid punch on a finite piezoelectric layer are considered in this paper. The resultant force and the accumulated electric charge on the electrode/punch are prescribed. Closed‐form solutions for the electromechanical fields at the electrode/punch tip are obtained and are expressed in terms of the applied strain and electric field intensity factors. For infinite layer thickness, the strain and electric field intensity factors are obtained in closed‐form. For finite layer thickness, the strain and electric field intensity factors are obtained numerically by the singular integral equation technique. The effect of layer thickness on the electrode/punch tip fields is discussed. It is found that the field intensities at the electrode/punch tip can be reduced considerably by decreasing layer thickness. In addition to the single electrode/punch problem, this paper also provides a solution technique for two collinear surface electrodes/punches on a finite piezoelectric layer. The effect of the relative distance between the two electrodes/punches on the electromechanical fields in the piezoelectric layer is also discussed.     

Space charge distributions of an electric double layer capacitor with carbon nanotubes electrode

Space charge distributions of an electric double layer capacitors (EDLCs) based on polarizable nanoporous electrodes, containing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as electrode material, were investigated by a pulsed electro acoustic (PEA) method. The EDLCs samples were prepared using CNTs and carbon black (i.e. acetylene and ketjen black) as electrode materials with different types pore structures. The charge distributions of positive/negative ions were spatially uneven and charge accumulation region concentrated on central part of electrode. The polarizable electrodes with ketjen black and CNTs-5 wt.% had higher space charge density. From the results of discharge characteristics, it is clear that EDLCs based on the ketjen black/CNTs-3 wt.% have better capacitive behavior. The specific capacitance of about 14 F/g of EDLCs using the polarizable electrodes with ketjen black and CNTs-3 wt.% were obtained. It can be found that CNTs plays an essential role in the improvement of the charge density and the electrostatic capacity in EDLCs. The use of PEA method allowed us to perform the direct observations of spatio-temporal charge distributions in EDLCs based on CNTs.     

Optimization of Wall Electrodes for Electro-Hydrodynamic Control of Natural Convection during Solidification

This article presents a numerical procedure to reduce and possibly control the natural convection effects in a cavity filled with a molten material by applying an external electric field whose intensity and spatial distributions are obtained by the use of a hybrid optimizer. This conceptually new approach to manufacturing could be used in creation of layered and functionally graded materials and objects. In the case of steady electro-hydrodynamics (EHD), the flow-field of electrically charged particles in a solidifying melt is influenced by an externally applied electric field while the existence of any magnetic field is neglected. Solidification front shape, distribution of the charged particles in the accrued solid, and the amount of accrued solid phase in such processes can be influenced by an appropriate distribution and orientation of the electric field. The intensities of the electrodes along the boundaries of the cavity were described using B-splines. The inverse problem was then formulated to find the electric boundary conditions (the coefficients of the B-splines) in such a way that the gradients of temperature along the horizontal direction are minimized. For this task we used a hybrid optimization algorithm that incorporates several of the most popular optimization modules; the Davidon-Fletcher-Powell (DFP) gradient method, a genetic algorithm (GA), the Nelder-Mead (NM) simplex method, the quasi-Newton algorithm of Pshenichny-Danilin (LM), differential evolution (DE), and sequential quadratic programming (SQP). The transient Navier-Stokes and Maxwell equations were discretized using the finite volume method in a generalized, curvilinear nonorthogonal coordinate system. For the phase change problems, we used the enthalpy method.     

Analytical electric field and sensitivity analysis for two microfluidic impedance cytometer designs

Microfabricated impedance cytometers have been developed to measure the electrical impedance of single biological particles at high speed. A general approach to analytically solve the electric field distributions for two different designs of cytometers: parallel facing electrodes and coplanar electrodes, using the Schwarz-Christoffel Mapping method is presented. Compared to previous analytical solutions, our derivations are more systematic and solutions are more straightforward. The solutions have been validated by comparison with numerical simulations performed using the finite element method. The influences on the electric field distribution due to the variations in the geometry of the devices have been discussed. A simple method is used to determine the impedance sensitivity of the system and to compare the two electrode designs. For identical geometrical parameters, we conclude that the parallel electrodes design is more sensitive than the coplanar electrodes.     

Capacitance-based defect detection and defect location determination for cement-based material

This paper provides the first report of capacitance-based nondestructive cement-based material defect detection. It is based on the use of the fringing electric field (2 kHz) of a capacitor that comprises the cement-based material (cement paste slab, 250 × 250 × 9.31 mm³) and two relatively small copper electrodes separated from the slab by an electrically insulating polymer film. Due to the fringing field through the slab, the apparent permittivity is high, thus enabling the measured capacitance to be sensitive to defects. The through-thickness capacitance, which relates to the apparent relative permittivity of the cement-based material, is measured using electrodes that sandwich the slab. The in-plane capacitance is measured using closely spaced parallel co-planar electrodes. A region (150 × 150 × 9.31 mm³) of the slab is rendered defective by containing gypsum pellets, the porosity of which causes the apparent relative permittivity of this region (142) to be lower than that of the adjacent perfect region (199). To determine the position of the boundary of the defective region, the capacitance is measured using a series of electrodes, with each electrode geometry consisting of N squares linearly aligned perpendicular to the boundary. The capacitance is measured in order of increasing N, which is sufficient for the electrode to cover regions on both sides of the boundary. The capacitance increases linearly with N in each region, with the slope being different for the two regions. The intersection of the extrapolated linear curves of the two regions gives the position of the boundary.     

Normal point force and point electric charge in a piezoelectric transversely isotropic functionally graded half-space

Normal point force and point electric charge acting on surface of a transversely isotropic piezoelectric half-space with a functionally graded transversely isotropic piezoelectric coating are considered. Elastic moduli, piezoelectric constants and dielectric permeabilities of the coating vary with depth according to arbitrary functions. Analytical expressions for the elastic displacements and potential of the electrostatic field are derived for a fixed value of the depth coordinate. Asymptotical analysis of these formulas is derived for small and big values of a radial coordinate. An equilibrium of the half-space under the action of axisymmetric mechanical (normal and tangential) and electric loading is studied and a scheme of reducing the solutions of mixed boundary value problems to integral equations is obtained. As an illustration of the obtained solution, the PZT-5H piezoceramics with typical examples of functionally graded and homogeneous coatings are considered. The results include computations of the profiles of displacements and electric potential for different types of variation of electro-elastic properties in the coating.     

Microwave heating in multiphase systems: evaluation of series solutions

The 1D electric field and heat-conduction equations are solved for a slab where the dielectric properties vary spatially in the sample. Series solutions to the electric field are obtained for systems where the spatial variation in the dielectric properties can be expressed as polynomials. The series solution is used to obtain electric-field distributions for a binary oil-water system where the dielectric properties are assumed to vary linearly within the sample. Using the finite-element method temperature distributions are computed in a three-phase oil, water and rock system where the dielectric properties vary due to the changing oil saturation in the rock. Temperature distributions predicted using a linear variation in the dielectric properties are compared with those obtained using the exact nonlinear variation.     

On-chip electric field driven electrochemical detection using a poly(dimethylsiloxane) microchannel with gold microband electrodes

An external electric field driven in-channel detection technique for on-chip electrochemical detection in micro fabricated devices is described based on a microfluidic system containing an array of 20 microband electrodes. It is shown that an external electric field induces a potential difference between two gold microband electrodes in a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microchannel, and that this enables the electrochemical detection of electroactive species such as ascorbic acid and Fe(CN) 6 (4-). The results, which are supported by simulations of the behavior of the microband electrodes in the microfluidic system, show that the induced potential difference between the electrodes can be controlled by altering the external electric field or by using different microbands in the microband array. As the obtained currents depend on the concentrations of electroactive species in the flowing solution and the detection can be carried out anywhere within the channel without interference of the external electric field, the present approach significantly facilitates electrochemical detection in capillary electrophoresis. This approach consequently holds great promise for application in inexpensive portable chip-based capillary electrophoresis (CE) devices.     

Interface Engineering V2O5 Nanofibers for High‐Energy and Durable Supercapacitors

A local electric field is induced to engineer the interface of vanadium pentoxide nanofibers (V₂O₅‐NF) to manipulate the charge transport behavior and obtain high‐energy and durable supercapacitors. The interface of V₂O₅‐NF is modified with oxygen vacancies (Vö) in a one‐step polymerization process of polyaniline (PANI). In the charge storage process, the local electric field deriving from the lopsided charge distribution around Vö will provide Coulombic forces to promote the charge transport in the resultant Vö‐V₂O₅/PANI nanocable electrode. Furthermore, an ≈7 nm porous PANI coating serves as the external percolated charge transport pathway. As the charge transfer kinetics are synergistically enhanced by the dual modifications, Vö‐V₂O₅/PANI‐based supercapacitors exhibit an excellent specific capacitance (523 F g^?1) as well as a long cycling lifespan (110% of capacitance remained after 20 000 cycles). This work paves an effective way to promote the charge transfer kinetics of electrode materials for next‐generation energy storage systems.     

Simulation of the effects of space charge and Schottky barriers on ferroelectric thin film capacitor using Landau Khalatnikov theory

The role of space charge induced in a ferroelectric thin film and the presence of Schottky barriers at the two electrode/film interfaces are studied by numerical simulation using Landau-Khalatnikov theory. In this work, the whole film is considered as the stacking of dipolar layers, each of which contains multilayers of perovskite cells. In the presence of a local electric field, the double-well thermodynamic potential of each layer is modified in an asymmetric manner. The local electric field distribution is determined both by the space charge and the boundary conditions imposed by the Schottky barrier heights. Asymmetric and skewed hysteresis loops are generated     

A numerical algorithm for simulation of the electric corona discharge in the triode system

A numerical algorithm is described to calculate the charge density, electric field and corona current distribution in the corona triode. The algorithm employs a hybrid technique based on the Boundary and Finite Element Methods (FEM). FEM is used to determine the electric field because of free space charge produced by the corona discharge. The Boundary Element Method (BEM) is applied for calculating the other component of electric filed as a result of the voltage applied to the electrodes. The Method of Characteristics (MOC) is used to update the space charge density distribution. The characteristic lines are traced backwards from points of the analysed domain to the corona wire. The current density, electric field and space charge density distributions can be controlled by changing the configuration of the system. Results of calculations in a few different cases show the influence of different parameters on the work of the corona triode.     

Investigation of co-doped Chlorella vulgaris as a supercapacitor electrode for energy storage

Supercapacitors are becoming more popular in the field of energy storage day by day. Thanks to their superior features such as fast charge–discharge, high capacities, and stable structures. Especially, supercapacitors designed using biomass as the electrode material are more preferred in this field because they are cheap, abundant, environmentally friendly, high capacity, and have a long cycle life. In this study, two supercapacitor cells were developed using freshwater algae biomass. In the first stage, supercapacitor electrodes were prepared by Co-doped Chlorella vulgaris (Chl-Co), and in the second stage, electrodes were prepared by Co-doped to H₃PO₄-washed Chlorella vulgaris (Chl-Co-H₃PO₄). 6 M KOH solution was used as the electrolyte. Electrochemical characterization results of the electrodes were obtained very close to the ideal supercapacitor characteristic. The capacitance values of the Chl-Co electrode were measured as 80 F/g for 1 A/g, but after the activation by H₃PO₄, the capacitance rose to 169.7 F/g for 1 A/g. The produced electrodes are promising for energy storage in terms of environmental pollution, cost, stability, and capacity.

     

Time and frequency domain analysis of piezoelectric energy harvesters by monolithic finite element modeling

The successful design of piezoelectric energy harvesting devices relies upon the identification of optimal geometrical and material configurations to maximize the power output for a specific band of excitation frequencies. Extendable predictive models and associated approximate solution methods are essential for analysis of a wide variety of future advanced energy harvesting devices involving more complex geometries and material distributions. Based on a holistic continuum mechanics modeling approach to the multi‐physics energy harvesting problem, this article proposes a monolithic numerical solution scheme using a mixed‐hybrid 3‐dimensional finite element formulation of the coupled governing equations for analysis in time and frequency domain. The weak form of the electromechanical/circuit system uses velocities and potential rate within the piezoelectric structure, free boundary charge on the electrodes, and potential at the level of the generic electric circuit as global degrees of freedom. The approximation of stress and dielectric displacement follows the work by Pian, Sze, and Pan. Results obtained with the proposed model are compared with analytical results for the reduced‐order model of a cantilevered bimorph harvester with tip mass reported in the literature. The flexibility of the method is demonstrated by studying the influence of partial electrode coverage on the generated power output.     

Transport model of controlled molecular rectifier showing unusual negative differential resistance effect

We investigate theoretically the charge accumulated Q in a three-terminal molecular device in the presence of an external electric field. Our approach is based on ab initio Hartree-Fock and density functional theory methodology contained in Gaussian package. Our main finding is a negative differential resistance (NDR) in the charge Q as a function of an external electric field. To explain this NDR effect we apply a phenomenological capacitive model based on a quite general system composed of many localized levels (that can be LUMOs of a molecule) coupled to source and drain. The capacitance accounts for charging effects that can result in Coulomb blockade (CB) in the transport. We show that this CB effect gives rise to a NDR for a suitable set of phenomenological parameters, like tunneling rates and charging energies. The NDR profile obtained in both ab initio and phenomenological methodologies are in close agreement.     

Tunable electro-optic Microlens array. II. Cylindrical geometry

Although the concept of an artificial compound eye has been discussed in the literature, its optical arrangement has never been widely adopted for optical design. A design is presented for a tunable gradient-index microlens array, believed to be new, induced electro-optically inside a cylindrical shell. The transparent electrodes on the both sides of the shell are positioned such that the electrodes on the opposite side compensate the phase delay from the electrodes on the front side for a normally incident plane wave, thus suppressing the intrinsic electrode diffraction for the device without applied voltage. The original technique of the electric field calculation was developed to analyze the induced refractive index inside the shell for two types of electro-optic (EO) ceramics: with linear and with quadratic EO effects. For the linear effect it was shown that for given EO coefficients, electric field strength and intrinsic refractive index, the electrode number should exceed a certain amount to make the focal distance less than the cylinder radius. The quadratic effect provides higher sensitivity to the type of the diffracted wave polarization. It was shown how the quadratic coefficient ratio R(12)/R(11) affects the focal-length difference between TE and TM light polarization.     

New BNL 3D-Trench electrode Si detectors for radiation hard detectors for sLHC and for X-ray applications

A new international-patent-pending (PCT/US2010/52887) detector type, named here as 3D-Trench electrode Si detectors, is proposed in this work. In this new 3D electrode configuration, one or both types of electrodes are etched as trenches deep into the Si (fully penetrating with SOI or supporting wafer, or non-fully penetrating into 50-90% of the thickness), instead of columns as in the conventional (“standard”) 3D electrode Si detectors. With trench etched electrodes, the electric field in the new 3D electrode detectors are well defined without low or zero field regions. Except near both surfaces of the detector, the electric field in the concentric type 3D-Trench electrode Si detectors is nearly radial with little or no angular dependence in the circular and hexangular (concentric-type) pixel cell geometries. In the case of parallel plate 3D trench pixels, the field is nearly linear (like the planar 2D electrode detectors), with simple and well-defined boundary conditions. Since each pixel cell in a 3D-Trench electrode detector is isolated from others by highly doped trenches, it is an electrically independent cell. Therefore, an alternative name “Independent Coaxial Detector Array”, or ICDA, is assigned to an array of 3D-Trench electrode detectors. The electric field in the detector can be reduced by a factor of nearly 10 with an optimal 3D-Trench configuration where the junction is on the surrounding trench side. The full depletion voltage in this optimal configuration can be up to 7 times less than that of a conventional 3D detector, and even a factor of two less than that of a 2D planar detector with a thickness the same as the electrode spacing in the 3D-Trench electrode detector. In the case of non-fully penetrating trench electrodes, the processing is true one-sided with backside being unprocessed. The charge loss due to the dead space associated with the trenches is insignificant as compared to that due to radiation-induced trapping in sLHC environment. Since the large electrode spacing (up to 500 μm) can be realized in the 3D-Trench electrode detector due to their advantage of greatly reduced full depletion voltage, detectors with large pixel cells (therefore small dead volume) can be made for applications in photon science (e.g. X-ray).     

Effects of crosslinking ratio,model drugs,and electric field strength on electrically controlled release for alginate-based hydrogel

The drug release characteristics of calcium alginate hydrogels, (Ca-Alg), under an electric field assisted transdermal drug delivery system were systematically investigated. The Ca-Alg hydrogels were prepared by the solution-casting using CaCl₂ as a crosslinking agent. The diffusion coefficients and the release mechanism of the anionic model drugs, benzoic acid and tannic acid, and a cationic model drug, folic acid on the Ca-Alg hydrogels were determined and investigated using a modified Franz-Diffusion cell in an MES buffer solution of pH 5.5, at a temperature of 37°C, for 48 h. The influences of the crosslinking ratio, —the mole of the crosslinking agent to the mole of the alginate monomer—mesh size, model drug size, drug charge, electric field strength, and electrode polarity were systematically studied. The drug diffusion coefficient decreased with an increasing crosslinking ratio and drug size for all of the model drugs. The drug diffusion coefficient is precisely controlled by an applied electric field and the electrode polarity depending on the drug charge, suitable for a tailor-made transdermal drug delivery system.