Effects of surface functional groups on film formation and tensile strength development in reactive latex systems

The effect of surface functional groups on chain interdiffusion at the interfacial zone of reactive latexes was investigated. A series of latexes with different surface functionalities was prepared by batch or shot-growth emulsion polymerizations. The particle surface properties were varied by changing the number density of functional groups. The rate of tensile strength development decreases with the increasing number density of surface functional groups, which indicated that inter-particle crosslinking restricted the interdiffusion of polymer chains during film formation and annealing. The average diffusion coefficient D of polymer chains across particle interfaces was obtained from dynamic mechanical analysis and compared well with the results from the rate of tensile strength development. The magnitude of D of the reactive latex film was lower than that of the homopolymer film. The lower chain mobility of reactive latexes prevented mechanical strength development.     

Differences in traffic violations and at-fault crashes between license suspension and revocation

Upon conviction for particular traffic offenses, drivers can have their licenses revoked. Drivers who receive license revocation have an opportunity to apply for a sentence reduction, and some of those who apply receive a reduced sanction — license suspension. There may be differences between drivers whose license was revoked as originally sentenced and drivers who received the reduced sanction of license suspension with regard to traffic violations and crashes after driving privileges are restored. This study verified the differences during the follow-up periods of 6, 12, and 18 months using analysis of covariance and the t-test with stratified samples based on the police profiles of approximately 154,000 drivers in South Korea. The study found that drivers in the group whose license had been suspended committed traffic violations and caused traffic crashes less often for all time periods than those whose license had been revoked. However, omitted factors such as the attitude of suspended drivers and exposure to traffic violations and crashes (e.g., driving frequency after license reinstatement), are likely to affect the findings; thus, caution should be exercised when the findings are referenced for policy implications.     

Validation of avenanthramide and other phenolic compounds in oats and sprouted oats and their antimicrobial properties against Escherichia coli O157:H7

Food Science and Biotechnology - Oat contains a variety of phenolic compounds, including avenanthramides, which are found only in oats. This study was conducted to establish the quantitative...     

Critical Factors to Understanding the Electrochemical Performance of All-Solid-State Batteries: Solid Interfaces and Non-Zero Lattice Strain

All-solid-state lithium batteries have been developed to secure safety by substituting a flammable liquid electrolyte with a non-flammable solid electrolyte. However, owing to the nature of solids, interfacial issues between cathode materials and solid electrolytes, including chemical incompatibility, electrochemo-mechanical behavior, and physical contact, pose significant challenges for commercialization. Herein, critical factors for understanding the performance of all-solid-state batteries in terms of solid interfaces and non-zero lattice strains are identified through a strategic approach. The initial battery capacity can be increased via surface coating and electrode-fabrication methods; however, the increased lattice strain causes significant stress to the solid interface, which degrades the battery cycle life. However, this seesaw effect can be alleviated using a more compacted electrode microstructure between the solid electrolyte and oxide cathode materials. The compact solid interfaces contribute to low charge-transfer resistance and a homogeneous reaction between particles, thereby leading to improved electrochemical performance. These findings demonstrate, for the first time, a correlation between the uniformity of the electrode microstructure and electrochemical performance through the investigation of the reaction homogeneity among particles. Additionally, this study furthers the understanding of the relationship between electrochemical performance, non-zero lattice strain, and solid interfaces.     

Mechanoreceptor-Inspired Dynamic Mechanical Stimuli Perception based on Switchable Ionic Polarization

Diverse touch experiences offer a path toward greater human–machine interaction, which is essential for the development of haptic technology. Recent advances in triboelectricity-based touch sensors provide great advantages in terms of cost, simplicity of design, and use of a broader range of materials. Since performance solely relies on the level of contact electrification between materials, triboelectricity-based touch sensors cannot effectively be used to measure the extent of deformation of materials under a given mechanical force. Here, an ion-doped gelatin hydrogel (IGH)-based touch sensor is reported to identify not only contact with an object but also deformation under a certain level of force. Switchable ionic polarization of the gelatin hydrogel is found to be instrumental in allowing for different sensing mechanisms when it is contacted and deformed. The results show that ionic polarization relies on conductivity of the hydrogels. Quantitative studies using voltage sweeps demonstrate that higher ion mobility and shorter Debye length serve to improve the performance of the mechanical stimuli-perceptible sensor. It is successfully demonstrated that this sensor offers dynamic deformation-responsive signals that can be used to control the motion of a miniature car. This study broadens the potential applications for ionic hydrogel-based sensors in a human–machine communication system.     

PEMFC modeling based on characterization of effective diffusivity in simulated cathode catalyst layer

Oxygen diffusion in the cathode catalyst layer (CCL) is crucial to the high performance of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), especially in high current density or concentration loss regions. Recently, PEMFC performance has been reported to be enhanced by increasing CCL pore size and pore volume due to the reduction of diffusion resistance by capillary water equilibrium [Yim et al., Electrochimica Acta 56 (2011) 9064–9073]. Herein, we simulate these experimental results utilizing a new one-dimensional PEMFC model considering the effects of accumulated water film in CCL on oxygen diffusion. Two CCL microstructures were numerically generated based on agglomerate models to examine the experimental results obtained for two membrane electrode assembly (MEA) samples with different CCL porosity. The effective diffusivity of oxygen in the CCL was estimated by performing auxiliary simulations of oxygen concentration in CCL microstructures covered by a film of liquid water, with exponential correlation obtained between effective diffusivity and the thickness of the above film. Polarization curves predicted by the present model were in good agreement with experimental results. In agreement with the results of Yim et al., the present model predicts that the MEA featuring a CCL with smaller pores (which are more easily filled by liquid water) should exhibit a larger concentration loss at high current densities.     

Effect of interfacial chain structure on toughening behaviour in rubber modified poly(methyl methacrylate)

Core-shell composite particles were prepared by a heterocoagulation and annealing process, in which control of the number of chemical linkages in the interfacial zone without changing other properties was possible using five kinds of small size shell particles (SP) with different carboxyl charge density and one large size core particle (LP) with an epoxy functional group. These functional groups were capable of associating with one another through chemical reaction by thermal treatment. With increase of surface functionality of SP, the toughness was found to be higher. This indicated that a higher number of interfacial linkages between core and shell materials resulted in an increase in the critical stress intensity factor K_Ic of the modified poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) composite. The interfacial properties between core and shell phase therefore play an important role in the impact behaviour of composite materials. ©1997 SCI     

Water-gated charge doping of graphene induced by mica substrates

We report on the existence of water-gated charge doping of graphene deposited on atomically flat mica substrates. Molecular films of water in units of ~0.4 nm thick bilayers were found to be present in regions of the interface of graphene/mica heterostacks prepared by micromechanical exfoliation of kish graphite. The spectral variation of the G and 2D bands, as visualized by Raman mapping, shows that mica substrates induce strong p-type doping in graphene with hole densities of (9 ± 2) × 10(12) cm(-2). The ultrathin water films, however, effectively block interfacial charge transfer, rendering graphene significantly less hole-doped. Scanning Kelvin probe microscopy independently confirmed a water-gated modulation of the Fermi level by 0.35 eV, which is in agreement with the optically determined hole density. The manipulation of the electronic properties of graphene demonstrated in this study should serve as a useful tool in realizing future graphene applications.     

Effects of fabrication process on microstructure and texture of Inconel 690 tubes for steam generator

The main goal of this research was to investigate the relationship between the grain boundary misorientation and the precipitation of intergranular M₂₃C₆ carbides during the pilgering process and the heat treatment of Inconel 690 tubes for steam generators. The M₂₃C₆ carbides behavior is obviously influenced by the grain boundary character and interfacial energy. The grain boundary misorientation of the Inconel 690 tubes was investigated by electron backscattered diffraction of carbide precipitates at these grain boundaries. Numerous M₂₃C₆ carbide precipitate at the large angle grain boundaries with high interfacial energy.