TiO2 nano-flakes with high activity obtained from phosphorus doped TiO2 nanoparticles by hydrothermal method

TiO₂ nano-wires (Ti-NWs) and nano-flakes (Ti-NFs) were obtained from phosphorus doped TiO₂ nanoparticles (Ti-P) by hydrothermal method and by subsequent heat treatment respectively. FE-SEM micrograph of the as prepared sample depicts well formed, entangled and randomly oriented nano-wires morphology, which changes to nano-flakes morphology after heat treatment. Structural characterization of the samples by X-ray diffraction shows anatase phase for both the samples. Absorption edge of the Ti-NWs sample shows blueshift where as the Ti-NFs sample exhibit redshift compared to precursor sample as evidenced by UV–Visible absorption spectra, which is due to change in morphology and crystallinity of the samples. XPS studies indicate the presence of titanium and oxygen species only. From the EPR measurements with in-situ visible light irradiation, the number of photogenerated charge carriers is found to be very high for nano-flakes sample. Methyleneblue degradation profiles depict very high activity of Ti-NFs sample compared to Ti-NWs and the precursor samples, which is due to the observed redshift in the absorption edge, change in morphology and high crystallinity of the sample which in turn increases the optical response and separation of photogenerated charge carriers as evidenced by the optical and EPR measurements respectively.     

GABA and glutamate levels in the substantia nigra reticulata following repetitive cerebral ischemia in gerbils

Repetitive cerebral ischemia produces more severe damage than a similar single duration insult. We have previously shown that, in gerbils, damage in the substantia nigra reticulata (SNr) is seen with repetitive insults rather than a single insult. We have also shown that there is a progressive decrease in the extracellular GABA in the striatum in the days preceding such damage, speculating that a loss of GABA may be in part responsible for this damage. This study evaluates the GABA levels in the SNr in animals exposed to repetitive ischemic insults. Each animal received a total of three ischemic insults of 3-min duration at hourly intervals. In vivo microdialysis was carried out to analyze the GABA and glutamate dialysate levels on Days 1, 3, 5, 7, and 14 following the ischemic insult. In the control and treated (ischemic) animals, there was a significant increase in the GABA levels with the introduction of nipecotic acid on Days 1, 3, 5, and 14. However, on Day 7 there was a significant attenuation in the GABA response to nipecotic acid in the treated animals in comparison to the controls. The glutamate levels in the treated animals were similar to the control animals on Days 1, 3, 5, and 7. However, on Day 14 the glutamate levels were significantly lower than on previous days. Our experiments for the first time measure extracellular glutamate and GABA responses in the SNr in animals exposed to repetitive ischemic insults. Our experiments show that there is a significant decrease in the GABA concentrations at a time when ischemic damage is developing in this region. This confirms our hypothesis that a decrease in GABA may be one factor contributing to neuronal damage during the period following repetitive ischemic insults. Further, the rebound increase in GABA levels on Day 14 with a concomitant fall in glutamate levels would indicate that reparative processes are still active in the 2 weeks following the insult.     

A game equilibrium model of a retail electricity market with high penetration of small and mid-size renewable suppliers

Game theory has provided a practical tool to model players' strategic behavior in electricity markets, particularly as the world moves towards a more competitive market. A game theoretic approach can be used to find the clearing electricity price in a retail electricity market with a high penetration of small and mid-size renewable suppliers.     

Data-driven next-generation smart grid towards sustainable energy evolution: techniques and technology review

Meteorological changes urge engineering communities to look for sustainable and clean energy technologies to keep the environment safe by reducing CO2 emissions. The structure of these technologies relies on the deep integration of advanced data-driven techniques which can ensure efcient energy generation, transmission, and distribution. After conducting thorough research for more than a decade, the concept of the smart grid (SG) has emerged, and its practice around the world paves the ways for efcient use of reliable energy technology. However, many developing features evoke keen interest and their improvements can be regarded as the next-generation smart grid (NGSG). Also, to deal with the non-linearity and uncertainty, the emergence of data-driven NGSG technology can become a great initiative to reduce the diverse impact of non-linearity. This paper exhibits the conceptual framework of NGSG by enabling some intelligent technical features to ensure its reliable operation, including intelligent control, agent-based energy conversion, edge computing for energy management, internet of things (IoT) enabled inverter, agent-oriented demand side management, etc. Also, a study on the development of data-driven NGSG is discussed to facilitate the use of emerging data-driven techniques (DDTs) for the sustainable operation of the SG. The prospects of DDTs in the NGSG and their adaptation challenges in real-time are also explored in this paper from various points of view including engineering, technology, et al. Finally, the trends of DDTs towards securing sustainable and clean energy evolution from the NGSG technology in order to keep the environment safe is also studied, while some major future issues are highlighted. This paper can ofer extended support for engineers and researchers in the context of data-driven technology and the SG.     

CMOS digitally programmable quadrature oscillators

CMOS digitally programmable quadrature oscillators based on digitally controlled current followers and voltage followers are proposed. The proposed designs provide the advantage of programmability similar to the operational transconductance amplifier‐based oscillators while offering improved linearity. In mixed analog/digital systems, the digital tuning feature allows direct interfacing with the digital signal processing part. Novel realizations that provide both voltage‐mode and current‐mode quadrature sinusoidal signals are presented. Employing only grounded capacitors the designs achieve independent control of the frequency and condition of oscillation that can be tuned digitally. Experimental results obtained from a 0.35 µm CMOS chip fabricated using standard CMOS process are given. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Electromechanical properties of ternary BiFeO<Subscript>3</Subscript>−0.35BaTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript>–BiGaO<Subscript>3</Subscript> piezoelectric ceramics

In the present work, composition dependent crystal structure, ferroelectric, piezoelectric, and temperature dependent dielectric properties of the BiGaO₃-modified (1–x)(0.65Bi_1.05FeO₃–0.35BaTiO₃) (BFBT35–xBG, where x?=?0.00–0.03) lead-free ceramics were systematically investigated by solid-state reaction method, followed by water quenching process. The substitution of BG successfully diffuses into the lattice of the BFBT ceramics, without changing the pseudo-cubic structure of the samples. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results revealed that the average grain size was increased with BG-content in BFBT system. The BFBT–xBG ceramics showed a maximum in permittivity (?_max) at temperatures (T_max) above 500 °C in the compositional range of 0.00?≤?x?≤?0.03. The electro-strain is measured to be 0.125% (d^*₃₃ ~ 250 pm/V) under unipolar fields (5 kV/mm) for BFBT–0.01BG ceramics. The same composition (x?=?0.01), large static piezoelectric constant (d₃₃ ~ 165 pC/N) and electromechanical coupling factor (k_p ~ 25%) were obtained. The above investigated characterizations suggests that BFBT–BG material is favorable for piezoelectric and high temperature applications.     

Evolution of ferroelectric and piezoelectric response by heat treatment in pseudocubic BiFeO<Subscript>3</Subscript>–BaTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> ceramics

Heat treatment of ceramics is an important process to tailor the fine electromechanical properties. To explore the criteria for optimized heat treatment in a perovskite structure of (1–x)Bi_1.05FeO₃–xBaTiO₃ (BF–BT100x) system, the structural phase relation, ferroelectric and piezoelectric response of BF–BT36 and BF–BT40 ceramics prepared by furnace cooling (FC) and quenching process were investigated. The X-ray diffraction examination showed single pseudocubic perovskite structure for all the ceramics. The homogenous microstructure was obtained for all ceramics with relatively large grain size in the furnace cooled samples. Well saturated ferroelectric hysteresis loops and enhanced piezoelectric constant (d₃₃?=?97 pC/N) were achieved by quenching process. Dielectric curve of BF–BT36 showed large dielectric constant at its Curie temperature, however, BF–BT40 showed diffused relaxor-like dielectric anomalies. Quenched BF–BT36 samples showed typical butterfly like field induced strain curves, however negative strain decreased in BF–BT40 ceramics. From these investigated study, it is observed that BF–BT ceramics are very sensitive to the heat treatment process (furnace cooling and quenching) on the dielectric, electromechanical properties.     

Analysis of personal computer ride through capability during voltage sags

Voltage sags have emerged as one of the most serious power quality problems, particularly for sensitive equipments such as personal computers (PCs). It is a complex electronic computing device designed to be powered by a switch mode power supply (SMPS). This paper presents an investigation of vulnerability of PCs to voltage sags and development of methods to enhance the voltage sag ride through capability of PCs. Based on recent testing standards, extensive tests were conducted for a wide range of PCs. For standard reboot/restart malfunction criterion, sag depth and duration were varied to construct individual voltage immunity curves for PCs. Based on the analysis, two methods were implemented to improve the voltage sag ride through capability of the PCs. These methods include the use of additional dc capacitors and alteration of the under voltage detection (UVD) signal in the housekeeping block of the SMPS. The experimental results on different PCs show that installation of additional capacitors can only expand PCs’ immunity duration to voltage sag while shift in the UVD signal helps to enhance the tolerance level in terms of sag magnitude. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages involved in the implemented methods to enhance voltage tolerance level of PCs are highlighted.     

Dielectric and electrical studies on iron oxide (α-Fe2O3) nanoparticles synthesized by modified solution combustion reaction for microwave applications

Journal of Electroceramics - Hematite (α-Fe2O3) nanoparticles were synthesized by modified solution combustion method using a mixture of hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) and glycine fuels at fuel...     

PROCESS CONTROL PERSPECTIVE FOR PROCESS ANALYTICAL TECHNOLOGY: INTEGRATION OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING PRACTICE INTO SEMICONDUCTOR AND PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES

FDA's Process Analytical Technology (PAT) initiative provides an unprecedented opportunity for chemical engineers to play significant roles in the pharmaceutical industry. In this article, the authors provide their perspectives on (1) the need for chemical engineering principles in pharmaceutical development for a thorough process understanding; (2) applications of chemical engineering principles to meet the challenges from the semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries; and (3) the integration of chemical engineering practice into the semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries to achieve process understanding and the desired state of quality-by-design. A real-world case study from the semiconductor industry is presented to demonstrate how a classic chemical engineering concept, mixing homogeneity, can be implemented by inducing forced flow to ensure an excellent copper electrochemical plating process performance and to improve product quality substantially. Further, a case study of brake system design is discussed with the concept of Dr. Taguchi's robust engineering design to illustrate how quality-by-design can be achieved through appropriate experimental design, in conjunction with the discussion on the concept of quality-by-design in pharmaceuticals. Third, a case study of freeze-dried sodium ethacrynate is presented to demonstrate the vital importance of controlling the processing factors to achieve the desired product stability. Finally, the problems of the current pharmaceutical manufacturing mode, the opportunities and engineering challenges during implementation of PAT in the pharmaceutical industry, and the role of chemical engineering in implementation of PAT is discussed in detail.