Hierarchical remeshing strategies with mesh mapping for topology optimisation

This work investigates the use of hierarchical mesh decomposition strategies for topology optimisation using bi‐directional evolutionary structural optimisation algorithm. The proposed method uses a dual mesh system that decouples the design variables from the finite element analysis mesh. The investigation focuses on previously unexplored areas of these techniques to investigate the effect of five meshing parameters on the analysis solving time (i.e. computational effort) and the analysis quality (i.e. solution optimality). The foreground mesh parameters, including adjacency ratio and minimum and maximum element size, were varied independently across solid and void domain regions. Within the topology optimisation, strategies for controlling the mesh parameters were investigated. The differing effects of these parameters on the efficiency and efficacy of the analysis and optimisation stages are discussed, and recommendations are made for parameter combinations. Some of the key findings were that increasing the adjacency ratio increased the efficiency only modestly – the largest effect was for the minimum and maximum element size parameters – and that the most dramatic reduction in solve time can be achieved by not setting the minimum element size too low, assuming mapping onto a background mesh with a minimum element size of 1. © 2016 The Authors. International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

3D Heteroatom‐Doped Carbon Nanomaterials as Multifunctional Metal‐Free Catalysts for Integrated Energy Devices

Sustainable and cost‐effective energy generation has become crucial for fulfilling present energy requirements. For this purpose, the development of cheap, scalable, efficient, and reliable catalysts is essential. Carbon‐based heteroatom‐doped, 3D, and mesoporous electrodes are very promising as catalysts for electrochemical energy conversion and storage. Various carbon allotropes doped with a variety of heteroatoms can be utilized for cost‐effective mass production of electrode materials. 3D porous carbon electrodes provide multiple advantages, such as large surface area, maximized exposure to active sites, 3D conductive pathways for efficient electron transport, and porous channels to facilitate electrolyte diffusion. However, it is challenging to synthesize and functionalize isotropic 3D carbon structures. Here, various synthesis processes of 3D porous carbon materials are summarized to understand how their physical and chemical properties together with heteroatom doping dictate the electrochemical catalytic performance. Prospects of attractive 3D carbon structural materials for energy conversion and efficient integrated energy systems are also discussed.     

Mooring system design optimization using a surrogate assisted multi-objective genetic algorithm

This article presents a novel framework for the multi-objective optimization of offshore renewable energy mooring systems using a random forest based surrogate model coupled to a genetic algorithm. This framework is demonstrated for the optimization of the mooring system for a floating offshore wind turbine highlighting how this approach can aid in the strategic design decision making for real-world problems faced by the offshore renewable energy sector. This framework utilizes validated numerical models of the mooring system to train a surrogate model, which leads to a computationally efficient optimization routine, allowing the search space to be more thoroughly searched. Minimizing both the cost and cumulative fatigue damage of the mooring system, this framework presents a range of optimal solutions characterizing how design changes impact the trade-off between these two competing objectives.     

Direct Synthesis of a Self‐Assembled WSe2/MoS2 Heterostructure Array and its Optoelectrical Properties

Functional van der Waals heterojunctions of transition metal dichalcogenides are emerging as a potential candidate for the basis of next‐generation logic devices and optoelectronics. However, the complexity of synthesis processes so far has delayed the successful integration of the heterostructure device array within a large scale, which is necessary for practical applications. Here, a direct synthesis method is introduced to fabricate an array of self‐assembled WSe₂/MoS₂ heterostructures through facile solution‐based directional precipitation. By manipulating the internal convection flow (i.e., Marangoni flow) of the solution, the WSe₂ wires are selectively stacked over the MoS₂ wires at a specific angle, which enables the formation of parallel‐ and cross‐aligned heterostructures. The realized WSe₂/MoS₂‐based p–n heterojunction shows not only high rectification (ideality factor: 1.18) but also promising optoelectrical properties with a high responsivity of 5.39 A W^?1 and response speed of 16 µs. As a feasible application, a WSe₂/MoS₂‐based photodiode array (10 × 10) is demonstrated, which proves that the photosensing system can detect the position and intensity of an external light source. The solution‐based growth of hierarchical structures with various alignments could offer a method for the further development of large‐area electronic and optoelectronic applications.     

Aluminosilicate‐filled composites of PVA–PVP—An improved biodegradable polymeric material

Poly(viny alcohol)–poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) biodegradable polymer blend was modified with aluminosilicate. Sample films containing 5, 10, 15, and 20 wt % filler were prepared by conventional solvent casting technique using glass plates as casting surfaces. The newly developed biodegradable composites are bright red, with magnetic properties due to the presence of iron compounds. Physical, chemical, and biodegradable properties of the films were studied with the conclusion that the presence of aluminosilicate affects the properties of the matrix and enhances biodegradability of the polymer composites. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 4963–4970, 2006     

Discovery of Aporphine Analogues as Potential Antiplatelet and Antioxidant Agents: Design,Synthesis, Structure–Activity Relationships,Biological Evaluations,and in silico Molecular Docking Studies

To explore the potential of aporphine alkaloids, a novel series of functionalized aporphine analogues with alkoxy (OCH₃, OC₂H₅, OC₃H₇) functional groups at C1/C2 of ring A and an acyl (COCH₃ and COPh) or phenylsulfonyl (SO₂Ph and SO₂C₆H₄‐3‐CH₃) functionality at the N6 position of ring B of the aporphine scaffold were synthesized and evaluated for their arachidonic acid (AA)‐induced antiplatelet aggregation inhibitory activity and 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free‐radical‐scavenging antioxidant activity, with acetylsalicylic acid and ascorbic acid as standard references, respectively. The preliminary structure–activity relationship related to AA‐induced platelet aggregation inhibitory activity results showed that the aporphine analogues 1‐[1,2,9,10‐tetramethoxy‐6a,7‐dihydro‐4H‐dibenzo[de,g]quinolin‐6(5H)‐yl]ethanone and 1‐[2‐(benzyloxy)‐1,9,10‐trimethoxy‐6a,7‐dihydro‐4H‐dibenzo[de,g]quinolin‐6(5H)‐yl]ethanone to be the best compounds of the series. Moreover, the DPPH free‐radical‐scavenging antioxidant activity results demonstrated that the aporphine analogues 1,2,9,10‐tetramethoxy‐6‐(methylsulfonyl)‐5,6,6a,7‐tetrahydro‐4H‐dibenzo[de,g]quinoline, 2‐ethoxy‐1,9,10‐trimethoxy‐6‐(methylsulfonyl)‐5,6,6a,7‐tetrahydro‐4H‐dibenzo[de,g]quinoline, 1‐ethoxy‐2,9,10‐trimethoxy‐6‐(methylsulfonyl)‐5,6,6a,7‐tetrahydro‐4H‐dibenzo[de,g]quinoline, 2,9,10‐trimethoxy‐6‐(methylsulfonyl)‐1‐propoxy‐5,6,6a,7‐tetrahydro‐4H‐dibenzo[de,g]quinoline, and 1‐(benzyloxy)‐2,9,10‐trimethoxy‐6‐(methylsulfonyl)‐5,6,6a,7‐tetrahydro‐4H‐dibenzo[de,g]quinoline were the best compounds of the series. Moreover, in silico molecular docking simulation studies of the active analogues were also performed.     

Electronic transport through ruthenium-based redox-active molecules in metal-molecule-metal nanogap junctions

Electronic transport through ruthenium-based redox-active organometallic molecules is measured by self-assembling diruthenium(III) tetra(2-anilinopyridinate)-di(4-thiolphenylethynyl) (trans-Ru2(ap)4(C'CC6H4S-)2 (A) and trans- Ru2(ap)4((C'CC6H4)2S-)2 (B) molecules in nanogap molecular junctions. Voltage sweeps at a high scan rate show low bias current peaks (at +/-0.35 +/- 0.05 V for A and +/-0.27 +/- 0.05 V for B), which change to plateaus in slow bias scans and a second conductance peak at approximately +/-1.05 +/- 0.15 V. The peaks/plateaus are not observed in the return bias sweeps, possibly due to charge storage in the molecules. The energy states for the molecular orbitals of these molecules as estimated from the conductance peaks are in close agreement with the respective energy values from voltammetric measurements in solution.     

An automated damage identification technique based on vibration and wave propagation data

This paper is concerned with the detection and characterization of hidden defects in advanced structures before they grow to a critical size. A novel method is developed using a combination of vibration and wave propagation data to determine the location and degree of damage in structural components requiring minimal operator intervention. The structural component is to be instrumented with an array of actuators and sensors to excite and record its dynamic response. A damage index, calculated from the measured dynamic response of the structure in a reference state (baseline) and the current state, is introduced as a determinant of structural damage. The index is a relative measure comparing the two states of the structure under the same ambient conditions. The indices are used to identify damages in the forms of delaminations and holes in composite plates for different arrangements of the source and the receivers. The potential applications of the approach in developing health monitoring systems in defects-critical structures are discussed.     

Improvement in Strength and Ductility of Asymmetric-Cryorolled Copper Sheets Under Low-Temperature Annealing

Ultrafine-grained copper sheets have potential micro-electro-mechanical applications. Copper sheets were fabricated using asymmetric rolling and asymmetric cryorolling, respectively, and they were annealed at 373 K for 1 hour. The asymmetric-cryorolled sheet has higher strength compared to the asymmetric-rolled sheet. Low-temperature annealing results in improved strength and ductility for the asymmetric-cryorolled sheet, while the strength was reduced for the asymmetric-rolled sheet. The asymmetric-cryorolled sheets have better thermal stability compared to asymmetric-rolled sheets due to their laminate structure.     

Assessment of an active-cooling micro-channel heat sink device,using electro-osmotic flow

Non-uniform heat flux generated by microchips causes “hot spots” in very small areas on the microchip surface. These hot spots are generated by the logic blocks in the microchip bay; however, memory blocks generate lower heat flux on contrast. The goal of this research is to design, fabricate, and test an active cooling micro-channel heat sink device that can operate under atmospheric pressure while achieving high-heat dissipation rate with a reduced chip-backside volume, particularly for spot cooling applications. An experimental setup was assembled and electro-osmotic flow (EOF) was used thus eliminating high pressure pumping system. A flow rate of 82 μL/min was achieved at 400 V of applied EOF voltage. An increase in the cooling fluid (buffer) temperature of 9.6 °C, 29.9 °C, 54.3 °C, and 80.1 °C was achieved for 0.4 W, 1.2 W, 2.1 W, and 4 W of heating powers, respectively. The substrate temperature at the middle of the microchannel was below 80.5 °C for all input power values. The maximum increase in the cooling fluid temperature due to the joule heating was 4.5 °C for 400 V of applied EOF voltage. Numerical calculations of temperatures and flow were conducted and the results were compared to experimental data. Nusselt number (Nu) for the 4 W case reached a maximum of 5.48 at the channel entrance and decreased to reach 4.56 for the rest of the channel. Nu number for EOF was about 10% higher when compared to the pressure driven flow. It was found that using a shorter channel length and an EOF voltage in the range of 400–600 V allows application of a heat flux in the order of 10⁴ W/m², applicable to spot cooling. For elevated voltages, the velocity due to EOF increased, leading to an increase in total heat transfer for a fixed duration of time; however, the joule heating also got elevated with increase in voltage.