Surface interaction and desorption of trimethyl phosphate from ozonized activated carbon fabric

Trimethyl phosphate (TMP) is a typical simulant of the CWA nerve agents and its adsorption on pristine and ozonized ACF has been studied by FT-IR and ESR spectroscopy. The FT-IR analysis is effective in putting in evidence the strong interaction of TMP with the ACF surfaces through the P = O stretching band shift toward lower frequencies after adsorption. Ozonized ACF ensures a stronger interaction with the adsorbate through the hydrogen bond formation between the adsorbed TMP and the oxygenated functional groups present on carbon surface. At room temperature the ozonized ACF is able to adsorb larger amounts of TMP than the pristine ACF and shows also a better retention of the adsorbate at room temperature. The TGA-FTIR analysis of TMP desorption from both ozonized and pristine ACF has shown that TMP undergoes a partial thermal decomposition into methanol and phosphoric acid above 175°C. The maximum methanol production rate was observed at 250°C in the TMP desorption process from ozonized ACF and at 280°C from TMP desorption from pristine ACF.     

Buckling optimization of composite laminated adaptive structures

This paper deals with the optimal design of laminated composite plates with integrated piezoelectric actuators. Refined finite element models based on equivalent single layer high-order shear deformation theories are used. These models are combined with simulated annealing, a stochastic global optimization technique, in order to find the optimal location of piezoelectric actuators and also to find the optimal fiber reinforcement angles in both cases having the objective of maximizing the buckling load of the composite adaptive plate structure. To show the performance of the proposed optimization models, two illustrative and simple examples are presented and discussed. In one of these examples a comparison between the simulated annealing technique and a gradient based optimization scheme, is carried out.     

Multimode interference tapered fiber refractive index sensors

Real-time monitoring of the fabrication process of tapering down a multimode-interference-based fiber structure is presented. The device is composed of a pure silica multimode fiber (MMF) with an initial 125?μm diameter spliced between two single-mode fibers. The process allows a thin MMF with adjustable parameters to obtain a high signal transmittance, arising from constructive interference among the guided modes at the output end of the MMF. Tapered structures with waist diameters as low as 55?μm were easily fabricated without the limitation of fragile splices or difficulty in controlling lateral fiber alignments. The sensing device is shown to be sensitive to the external environment, and a maximum sensitivity of 2946 nm/refractive index unit in the refractive index range of 1.42-1.43 was attained.     

Imaging gold nanoparticles for DNA sequence recognition in biomedical applications

The hybridization of single-stranded oligonucleotide-derivatized gold nanoparticles (Au nanoprobes) with double stranded complementary DNA was directly observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). This specific interaction is the basis for an Au nanoprobe-based homogeneous assay for specific DNA sequence detection, based on salt-induced particle aggregation that is prevented when a complementary target is present. For long DNA targets (linearized plasmid DNA) complicated hybridized target DNA-Au-nanoprobes structures were formed, that were interpreted as the basis for stability of the Au nanoprobes against salt-induced aggregation. For shorter DNA targets (PCR amplified fragments) hybridization with the Au nanoprobes occurred, in the majority of cases, in the expected location of the DNA target fragment containing the specific sequence. The formation of the observed DNA hybridized structures provides evidence at the molecular level for specific hybridization to the target sequence as the method of binding of the Au nanoprobes.     

AN FT-ICR STUDY ON LASER ABLATION OF GRAPHITE AND CARBON BLACK TARGETS: COSMOCHEMICAL IMPLICATIONS

Graphite and carbon black samples were laser ablated in an FT-ICR (Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance spectrometer) by Nd-YAG laser under high vacuum in conditions recalling those existing in the interstellar medium. It is shown that graphite gives a regular sequence of polyyne and cyclopolyyne chains from C₁₀ to C₂₇ and additionally produces 2% of C₆₀ fullerene. When carbon black is used in place of graphite under the same conditions, no C₆₀ fullerene was produced and also the sequence of polyyne species generated was very irregular. If really carbon black structure and elemental composition approaches more closely than pure graphite the structure of the carbon dust, we can predict that C₆₀ fullerene should not be produced from the thermal decomposition of this dust in high vacuum.     

An integrated CMOS telephone line adapter

A novel fully CMOS circuit for electronic telephone line adaption is described. In the on-hook state the circuit operates in micropower condition, dissipates only 5 A, and is capable of generating the supply voltage required for retention of data stored on external RAM. In the off-hook state the circuit is boosted into the normal operation mode and is able to drive external bipolar transistors to synthesize the line impedance. The dc and the ac line impedances are set with external components, thus permitting the fulfillment of different PTT specifications. The circuit also performs line signal extraction and transmission, both for voice and DTMF. The dc line voltage is monitored, and a supervision block generates a precise reset signal when the line voltage drops out. The circuit has been integrated in a CMOS P-well 3-m double-poly single-metal technology; the silicon area is 6 mm².     

Design of a CMOS opamp input stage immune to EMI

In this paper the behaviour of a complementary nMOS–pMOS differential pair in the presence of RF interference superimposed on the input terminals is analysed. An intrinsic nonlinearity cancellation mechanism in this structure is demonstrated, and proper design criteria are presented to exploit this mechanism in order to achieve a very high immunity to RF interference. A high-immunity complementary differential pair has been employed as an input stage of a folded cascode operational amplifier and its improved behaviour in the presence of RF interference has been verified by computer simulations.     

Ultimately Sensitive Organic Bioelectronic Transistor Sensors by Materials and Device Structure Design

Organic bioelectronic sensors are gaining momentum as they can combine high‐performance sensing level with flexible large‐area processable materials. This opens to potentially highly powerful sensing systems for point‐of‐care health monitoring and diagnostics at low cost. Prominent to detect biochemical recognition events, are electrolyte‐gated organic field‐effect transistors (EGOFETs) and organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) as they are easily fabricated and operated. EGOFETs are recently shown to be capable of label‐free single‐molecule detections, even in serum. This progress report aims to provide a critical perspective through a selected overview of the literature on both EGOFET and OECT biosensors. Attention is paid to correctly attribute them to the potentiometric and amperometric biosensor categories, which is important to set the right conditions for quantification purposes. Moreover, to deepen the understanding of the sensing mechanisms, with the support of unpublished data, focus is put on two among the most critical aspects, namely, the capacitance interplay and the role of Faradaic currents. The final aim is to provide a rationale of the functional mechanisms encompassing both EGOFET and OECT sensors, to improve materials and devices' designs taking advantage of the processes that enhance the sensing response enabling the extremely high‐performance level resulting in ultimate sensitivity, selectivity, and fast response.