Low‐Temperature Processable High‐Performance Electrochemically Deposited p‐Type Cuprous Oxides Achieved by Incorporating a Small Amount of Antimony

The development of an electrochemically robust method for the low‐temperature deposition of cuprous oxide (Cu₂O) thin films with reliable and conductive p‐type characteristics could yield breakthroughs in earth abundant and ecofriendly all oxide‐based photoelectronic devices. The incorporation of the group‐V element antimony (Sb) in the solution‐based electrodeposition process has been investigated. A small amount of Sb (1.2 at%) in the Cu₂O resulted in rapid nucleation and coalescence at the initial stage of electrochemical reaction, and finally made the surface morphology smooth in 2D. The growth behavior changed due to Sb addition and produced a strong diffraction intensity, single‐domain‐like diffraction patterns, and low angle tilt boundaries in the Cu₂O:Sb film, implying extremely improved crystallinity. As a result, these films exhibited extraordinary optical transmittance and band‐to‐band photoluminescence emission as well as higher electrical conductivity. The Cu/Cu₂O:Sb Schottky diode showed good rectifying characteristics and more sensible photoresponsibility.     

Direct Transfer Printing with Metal Oxide Layers for Fabricating Flexible Nanowire Devices

A direct printing method for fabricating devices by using metal oxide transfer layers instead of conventional transfer media such as polydimethylsiloxane is presented. Metal oxides are not damaged by organic solvents; therefore, electrodes with gaps less than 2 μm can be defined on a metal oxide transfer layer through photolithography. In order to determine a suitable metal oxide for use as transfer layer, the surface energies of various metal oxides are measured, and Au layers deposited on these oxides are transferred onto polyvinylphenol (PVP). To verify the feasibility of our approach, Au source–drain electrodes on transfer layers and Si nanowires (NWs) addressed by the dielectrophoretic (DEP) alignment process are transferred onto rigid and flexible PVP‐coated substrates. Based on transfer test and DEP process, Al₂O₃ is determined to be the best transfer layer. Finally, Si NWs field effect transistors (FETs) are fabricated on a rigid Si substrate and a flexible polyimide film. As the channel length decreases from 3.442 to 1.767 μm, the mobility of FET on the Si substrate increases from 127.61 ± 37.64 to 181.60 ± 23.73 cm² V^?1 s^?1. Furthermore, the flexible Si NWs FETs fabricated through this process show enhanced electrical properties with an increasing number of bending cycles.     

Hetero‐Nanonet Rechargeable Paper Batteries: Toward Ultrahigh Energy Density and Origami Foldability

Forthcoming smart energy era is in strong pursuit of full‐fledged rechargeable power sources with reliable electrochemical performances and shape versatility. Here, as a naturally abundant/environmentally friendly cellulose‐mediated cell architecture strategy to address this challenging issue, a new class of hetero‐nanonet (HN) paper batteries based on 1D building blocks of cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs)/multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) is demonstrated. The HN paper batteries consist of CNF/MWNT‐intermingled heteronets embracing electrode active powders (CM electrodes) and microporous CNF separator membranes. The CNF/MWNT heteronet‐mediated material/structural uniqueness enables the construction of 3D bicontinuous electron/ion transport pathways in the CM electrodes, thus facilitating electrochemical reaction kinetics. Furthermore, the metallic current collectors‐free, CNF/MWNT heteronet architecture allows multiple stacking of CM electrodes in series, eventually leading to user‐tailored, ultrathick (i.e., high‐mass loading) electrodes far beyond those accessible with conventional battery technologies. Notably, the HN battery (multistacked LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ (cathode)/multistacked graphite (anode)) provides exceptionally high‐energy density (=226 Wh kg^?1 per cell at 400 W kg^?1 per cell), which surpasses the target value (=200 Wh kg^?1 at 400 W kg^?1) of long‐range (=300 miles) electric vehicle batteries. In addition, the heteronet‐enabled mechanical compliance of CM electrodes, in combination with readily deformable CNF separators, allows the fabrication of paper crane batteries via origami folding technique.     

Thermally Controlled,Patterned Graphene Transfer Printing for Transparent and Wearable Electronic/Optoelectronic System

Graphene has been highlighted as a platform material in transparent electronics and optoelectronics, including flexible and stretchable ones, due to its unique properties such as optical transparency, mechanical softness, ultrathin thickness, and high carrier mobility. Despite huge research efforts for graphene‐based electronic/optoelectronic devices, there are remaining challenges in terms of their seamless integration, such as the high‐quality contact formation, precise alignment of micrometer‐scale patterns, and control of interfacial‐adhesion/local‐resistance. Here, a thermally controlled transfer printing technique that allows multiple patterned‐graphene transfers at desired locations is presented. Using the thermal‐expansion mismatch between the viscoelastic sacrificial layer and the elastic stamp, a “heating and cooling” process precisely positions patterned graphene layers on various substrates, including graphene prepatterns, hydrophilic surfaces, and superhydrophobic surfaces, with high transfer yields. A detailed theoretical analysis of underlying physics/mechanics of this approach is also described. The proposed transfer printing successfully integrates graphene‐based stretchable sensors, actuators, light‐emitting diodes, and other electronics in one platform, paving the way toward transparent and wearable multifunctional electronic systems.     

Microfluidic Design of Magnetoresponsive Photonic Microcylinders with Multicompartments

Colloidal photonic structures have been designed to have granular format to use them for paint pigments, encoded carriers, and display pixels. However, conventional approaches only provide spherical or discoid shapes, restricting their applications. Cylindrical granules with fan‐shaped compartments in the cross section are appealing for microcarriers with abundant optical codes and active display pigments for color switching. In this work, a stratified laminar flow of concentrated silica particles is employed, formed in a cylindrical microchannel, to produce cylindrical photonic microparticles with multiple compartments. To accomplish this, a microfluidic device is designed to have one cylindrical main channel connected with four branch channels. Four different photocurable suspensions are independently injected through the branches to form quarter‐cylindrically compartmentalized streams in the main channel. Local ultraviolet irradiation on the main channel polymerizes the suspension, thereby forming cylindrical microparticles with four compartments. In each compartment, silica particles form ordered array which develops particle size–dependent structural color. Therefore, different colors can be incorporated into single microcylinder by employing different sizes of silica particles. Moreover, one of the compartments can be rendered to be magnetoresponsive by embedding aligned magnetic particles, which enables the remote control of microcylinder orientation and therefore the switching of structural colors.     

Deformation characteristics at contact interface in ring compression

The main objective of this study is to provide the deformation characteristics in detail in ring compression, especially at the tool/workpiece interface. The surface flow patterns at the contact boundary are analyzed in terms of surface expansion, surface expansion velocity, pressure distributions exerted on the die surface, relative sliding velocity between die and workpiece, and the sliding distance along the die surface. Movement of neutral positions and folding phenomenon is also been investigated to see its effect on the flow pattern, that is geometrical change, which is important to measure the frictional condition at the interface using calibration curves.     

Infotainment and road safety service support in vehicular networking: From a communication perspective

Vehicular ad hoc networking is an emerging technology for future on-the-road communications. Due to the virtue of vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications, vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) are expected to enable a plethora of communication-based automotive applications including diverse in-vehicle infotainment applications and road safety services. Even though vehicles are organized mostly in an ad hoc manner in the network topology, directly applying the existing communication approaches designed for traditional mobile ad hoc networks to large-scale VANETs with fast-moving vehicles can be ineffective and inefficient. To achieve success in a vehicular environment, VANET-specific communication solutions are imperative. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive overview of various radio channel access protocols and resource management approaches, and discuss their suitability for infotainment and safety service support in VANETs. Further, we present recent research activities and related projects on vehicular communications. Potential challenges and open research issues are also discussed.     

Micro-patterning on non-planar surface using flexible microstencil

A method for fabrication of flexible stencil was studied. Flexibility of the stencil allows micropatterning on a curved surface by material deposition or material removal (etching) through patterned hole of the stencil. In this study, low mechanical stability of the thin stencil membrane was improved by bonding the membrane with rim supporter which is thick and strong enough for easy handling of the stencil. Both of the membrane and rim structure were made of elastomer, PDMS using molding process from SU-8 master mold. The application test of shadow deposition and etching on underlying nonplanar surface using the fabricated flexible stencil mask showed the feasibility of the suggested technique into micro- patterning on a curved surface.     

An analysis of static output feedback control for tendon driven master-slave manipulator — Simulation study

In this work, a bilateral control for a master-slave manipulator system which will be used for handling objects contaminated by radioactivity has been addressed. The links of manipulators are driven independently by individual motors installed on the base and the driving torque is transmitted through pre-tensioned tendons. The measurable variables are the positions and rates of master/slave motors. In the consideration of the flexibility of the power transmission tendon and available measurements for control, we proposed an optimal static output feedback control for possible bilateral control architecture. The system model is reduced to guarantee the controllability and observability which are necessity for the static output feedback control by using modal analysis. Based on the reduced model, the control gains are determined to attenuate vibration in the sense of optimality. The feasibility of the proposed control design was verified along with some simulation results.