Thermal diffusivity of nanocarbon composites

This study was performed to measure the thermal diffusivity of different types of nanocarbon composites. Thermoexfoliated graphite (TEG), ultrasonically dispersed TEG, and multiwalled carbon nanotubes were used as fillers in epoxy polymer matrixes. The nanocarbon filler content was 1–10 wt%. The temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity and the heat capacity were extensively characterized in the temperature range between 150 and 425 K. For this purpose, the thermal diffusivity of the composites was investigated by two experimental methods: dynamic λ‐calorimeter and photoacoustic. The comparative analysis of thermal diffusivity of compacted TEG samples with different densities and of nanocarbon‐epoxy with different filler content was carried out. It was found that for the composites with a low distribution of the nanocarbon filler, the thermal diffusivity increases and that the value is determined by the structural and morphological properties of the filler. The orientation function for the TEG‐epoxy composites and the compact TEG samples differs due to the epoxy matrix that reduced anisotropy of the composite. POLYM. COMPOS., 2011. © 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers     

New approach for swinging up the Furuta pendulum: Theory and experiments

The problem of swinging up inverted pendulums has often been solved by stabilizing a particular class of homoclinic structures present in the dynamics of a physical pendulum. Here, new arguments are suggested to show how other homoclinic curves can be preplanned for dynamics of the passive-link of the robot. This is done by reparameterizing the motions according to geometrical relations among the generalized coordinates, which are known as virtual holonomic constraints. After that, conditions that guarantee the existence of periodic solutions surrounding the planned homoclinic orbits are derived. The corresponding trajectories, in contrast to homoclinic curves, admit efficient design of feedback control laws ensuring exponential orbital stabilization. The method is illustrated by simulations and supported by experimental studies on the Furuta pendulum. The implementation issues are discussed in detail.     

Influence of Irradiation Temperature on Grafting of Styrene into Poly(tetrafluoroethylene‐co‐hexafluoropropylene) Films

This study concerns with the investigation of the effect of irradiation conditions on grafting of styrene into FEP films by the pre‐irradiation method. EPR spectroscopy was used to characterize the base polymer material regarding the trapped radical species and their concentration. Radiation‐induced changes in the chemical structure were studied by IR spectroscopy. Tensile strength and elongation at break as well as yield of grafting were found to be strongly influenced by irradiation temperature. Main‐chain scissions were identified to be the reason for the deterioration of the mechanical properties after radiation treatment at temperatures below glass transition temperature.

     

Chemically and enzymatically catalyzed synthesis of C6–C10 alkyl benzoates

The esterification of benzoic acid with n‐hexanol, n‐octanol, 2‐ethyl hexanol and n‐decanol was investigated in detail. An analysis of the reaction kinetics of esterification in the presence of different commercially available chemical catalysts was carried out. The effects of catalyst type and loading on the reaction rate were studied. Although the considered reaction is bimolecular, it showed a first‐order behavior, and a linear dependence with respect to the catalyst concentration was observed. Hence, a new approach is presented to describe the reaction kinetics accurately over a wide range. The application of biotechnological synthesis applying different enzymes as catalysts offers an interesting alternative besides chemical synthesis. Especially an esterase from Bacillus subtilis immobilized on Sepabeads EC‐EP showed high stability and was applied for 2 days in the synthesis of hexyl benzoate. Nevertheless, the chemical reaction route remains superior with respect to the catalyst activities under the applied conditions, which were 25 kU/g for the chemical reaction and 0.7 kU/g for the best enzymatic conversion.     

Analytical investigation of the composition of plasma-induced functional groups on carbon nanotube sheets

To increase the applicability of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) oxygen-containing functional groups were generated on their widely inert surface by using glow-discharge plasmas. CNT-sheets (bucky papers) produced from the powder-like raw material were used as substrates allowing for a more defined characterization of one and the same surface by different analytical techniques. The plasma composition was analyzed by optical emission spectroscopy. Since the actual composition of the plasma-induced functional groups has still not been completely resolved, we performed an in-depth characterization of the treated samples by X-ray photoelectron (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy as well as electron spin resonance measurements. To overcome limitations of the XPS-analysis in distinguishing between groups featuring nearby binding energies, alcohol-, keto-/aldehyde-, and carboxyl-groups were tagged by derivatization techniques using fluorine-containing reagents (trifluoroaceticanhydride, trifluoromethylphenylhydrazine, and trifluoroethanol). Differential spectra were calculated to enhance the accuracy of the deconvolution of the XPS-spectra. This enabled us to determine dependencies of the plasma parameters, i.e. treatment time, process pressure, and gas composition (mixtures of Ar, O₂, H₂O, and H₂), on the composition of the generated functional groups as well as an up to 6-fold enhancement in derivatizable groups for switching process gas from Ar/O₂ to Ar/H₂O.     

Querschnittsberechnung von Stahlbetonstäben – Stand der Forschung

Cross‐Sectional Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Beams – State of the Art Many common structures consist of one‐dimensional members. For such structures beam theory is applicable. Within beam theory, the material behaviour can be captured on cross‐sectional level. Regarding reinforced‐concrete structures, material nonlinearity has generally to be considered. The present article provides an overview of the state of the art in cross‐sectional analysis of one‐dimensional reinforced‐concrete elements. A crosssectional analysis describes the relationship between the internal forces and the generalized strains. There is a large number of different models, for which a classification is suggested here. Existing models can be classified into resultant models, truss models, uniaxial models, wall models, and finite element models. For each class, the characteristics are outlined and the most important models are presented.     

Pharmacological Promiscuity: Dependence on Compound Properties and Target Specificity in a Set of Recent Roche Compounds

What parameters determine promiscuity? A compound's potential for promiscuity (pharmacological activity at multiple targets) may be influenced by molecular parameters such as ionization state, lipophilicity, and molecular weight. In an analysis of recent Roche compounds we found that a positive charge is an important determinant for potential promiscuity; aminergic activity was found to be the main reason for overt promiscuity.

     

温度传感器芯片为系统提供可靠的保护

系统设计工程师开发电子产品时不得不审慎考虑系统的散热问题,但来自印刷电路板及机盒大小及成本的限制和芯片性能不断提高两方面的影响,电子产品在工作时容易积聚大量热能,令温度不断攀升,以致影响系统的可靠性,温度传感器芯片可发挥关键性的保护作用。