An ambipolar neutral state green polymeric electrochromic

The synthesis and properties of highly stable neutral state green polymeric electrochromic, P1, which is based on 5,8-bis(2,3-dihydrothieno[3,4-b][1,4]dioxin-5-yl)-2,3-di(1H-pyrrol-2-yl)quinoxaline were highlighted. P1 exhibits three well-defined absorption bands with a narrow band gap (1.17 eV). The n- and p-doping (ambipolar) processes suggest that P1 is one of the most promising neutral state green polymers and it can be used in supercapacitors as either cathode or anode electrode material. Apart from the stability and the robustness of the polymer film, P1 shows multi-electrochromic behavior; gray-purple in the reduced form and highly transmissive blue color in the oxidized state.     

A new conducting polymer bearing 4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (BODIPY) subunit: Synthesis and characterization

A new monomer system based on thiophene, pyrrole and 4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene dye (SNS-BODIPY) was synthesized and its corresponding polymer (PSNS-BODIPY) was obtained via repetitive cycling or constant potential electrolysis in 0.1 M tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate dissolved in dichloromethane. The PSNS-BODIPY film has very stable and well-defined reversible redox couples during p-doping process. Multi-electrochromic polymer film has a band gap of 2.9 eV with two absorption bands in its neutral state at 351 and 525 nm, attributed to the polymer backbone and BODIPY subunits, respectively. The percentage transmittance changes between both states (neutral and oxidized) were found as 12.1% for 351 nm and 17.7% for 525 nm in the visible region as well as 46.2% for 1050 nm in the near-infrared region. Beyond the robustness, the PSNS-BODIPY film has high redox stability (retaining 53.3% of its electroactivity at 351 nm after 2000 switching) with a low response time of 1.0 s.     

Synthesis,characterization, mesomorphic and electrical properties of tetrakis(alkylthio)-substituted lutetium(III) bisphthalocyanines

The synthesis of new lutetium(III) bisphthalocyanines substituted with alkylthio groups (1–5) is described. These compounds (Pc₂Lu) are soluble in most common organic solvents and have been fully characterized (elemental analysis, FT-IR, UV–Vis spectroscopy, mass spectrometry). The thermal stabilities of the Pc compounds were determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The mesogenic properties of these new materials forming columnar-hexagonal (Col_h) mesophases were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The compounds 2–5 exhibit a double clearing point. DC electrical properties of these compounds in different phases were determined by measuring I–V characteristics and dark current of their thin films on interdigital electrodes. The measurements were carried out in ambient air, in vacuum and in high purity nitrogen (N₂) flow in the temperature range between 300 and 420 K. Dark current measurements obtained in the crystal, liquid crystal (LC) and isotropic liquid phases were in agreement with the phase transitions of these compounds obtained by DSC and optical microscopy results. The relation between the phase transition and conductivity of the Pc₂Lu derivatives were investigated. Also, the influence of the nature of the substituted group (alkylthia and alkoxy) upon the DC electrical properties of the Pc₂Lu derivatives was investigated. The DC conductivities and the thermal activation energies depending on alkyl chain lengths of these compounds were found to be in the range of 10^?8 to 10^?5 S/cm and 0.12–0.38 eV in solid phase.     

Influence of hydroxypropyl beta-cyclodextrin on the corneal permeation of pilocarpine

The influence of hydroxypropyl β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) on the corneal permeation of pilocarpine nitrate was investigated by an in vitro permeability study using isolated rabbit cornea. Pupillary-response pattern to pilocarpine nitrate with and without HPβCD was examined in rabbit eye. Corneal permeation of pilocarpine nitrate was found to be four times higher after adding HPβCD into the formulation. The reduction of pupil diameter (miosis) by pilocarpine nitrate was significantly increased as a result of HPβCD addition into the simple aqueous solution of the active substance. The highest miotic response was obtained with the formulation prepared in a vehicle of Carbopol® 940. It is suggested that ocular bioavailability of pilocarpine nitrate could be improved by the addition of HPβCD.     

Kinetics of the F,F2/Gd(s,v) reactions

The reaction of gadolinium with fluorine was studied in a low pressure, transonic flow reactor. Atomic fluorine reactant was generated by microwave discharge dissociation of F₂ in argon. Kinetic measurements included the rate of change of the electrical resistance of isothermal gadolinium filaments due to reaction with atomic and molecular fluorine and the intensity of chemiluminescence from the vapor phase Gd/F₂ reactionvs time, temperature, and F₂ partial pressure. The surfaces of reacted Gd specimens were examined by scanning electron microscopy, polished specimen cross sections were viewed under the optical microscope, and the Gd/F₂ chemiluminescent emission spectrum was obtained. A nonpassivating, metal rich, high melting and involatile fluoride, GdF_x, forms on the metal at temperatures above 1180 K. An orthorhombic, passivating GdF₃ forms at lower temperatures. The surface Gd activity remains high at the GdF_x/fluorine interface, and F-atom reaction is first order with a reaction probability approximately 0.28. Rapid reaction atT < 1180 K is followed by an abrupt transition to passivated behavior. This change in reactivity is attributed to a phase transition from GdF_x to orthorhombic GdF₃ that occurs as the oxygen impurity concentration of the reacting metal decreases from its value near the original specimen surface to that of the bulk material.     

Cooperative target pursuit by multiple UAVs in an adversarial environment

This paper presents the development of a cooperation strategy for multiple UAVs to pursue a target moving in an adversarial environment where threat exposure should be minimized, and obstacles and restricted areas should be avoided. A probabilistic approach is used to model the adversarial environment. A cost function is defined to quantify placement of UAVs around the target in formation in terms of threat exposure level and distance to the target. The cost function is used to develop a cooperation strategy for a team of UAVs to follow the target such that the total threat exposure of the team and the average distance to the target throughout the pursuit are minimized according to the weighting coefficients specified. The cooperation strategy has the feature of collision avoidance as well as data-fusion-based estimation of the target trajectory based on noisy measurements. Simulation results have demonstrated that the cooperation reduces the risk of losing the target during the pursuit while avoiding obstacles and restricted areas. Further, the UAVs guided by the cooperation strategy can follow the target closer without increasing the total threat exposure level as compared to cases where the UAVs pursue the target without cooperation.     

Development of a one-dimensional and semi-empirical model for a high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell

High temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (HT-PEMFC), which operate between 160 °C and 200 °C, can be generally used in portable and stationary power generation applications. In this study, a one-dimensional, semi-empirical, and steady-state model of a HT-PEMFC fed with a gas mixture consisting of hydrogen and carbon monoxide is developed. Some modeling parameters are adjusted using empirical data, which are obtained conducting experiments on a HT-PEMFC for different values of Pt loading and cell temperature. For adjusting these parameters, the total summation of the square of the difference between the cell voltages found using the experimental and theoretical methods is minimized using genetic algorithm. After finding the values of the adjusted parameters, the effects of different cell temperature, Pt loading, phosphoric acid (PA) percentage, and different binders (PBI and PVDF) on the performance of the fuel cell are examined. It was found that, the performance of the fuel cell using PVDF binder exhibited better performance as compared to that using PBI binder.