Printed silver nanowire antennas with low signal loss at high-frequency radio

Silver nanowires are printable and conductive, and are believed to be promising materials in the field of printed electronics. However, the resistivity of silver nanowire printed lines is higher than that of metallic particles or flakes even when sintered at high temperatures of 100-400 °C. Therefore, their applications have been limited to the replacement of transparent electrodes made from high-resistivity materials, such as doped metallic oxides, conductive polymers, carbon nanotubes, or graphenes. Here we report that using printed silver nanowire lines, signal losses obtained in the high-frequency radio were lower than those obtained using etched copper foil antennas, because their surfaces were much smoother than those of etched copper foil antennas. This was the case even though the resistivity of silver nanowire lines was 43-71 μΩ cm, which is much higher than that of etched copper foil (2 μΩ cm). When printed silver nanowire antennas were heated at 100 °C, they achieved signal losses that were much lower than those of silver paste antennas comprising microparticles, nanoparticles, and flakes. Furthermore, using a low temperature process, we succeeded in remotely controlling a commercialized radio-controlled car by transmitting a 2.45 GHz signal via a silver nanowire antenna printed on a polyethylene terephthalate film.     

Probabilistic Stress-Life (P-S-N) Study on Bearing Steel Using Alternating Torsion Life Test

Probabilistic stress-life (P-S-N) studies using alternating torsion life test were conducted with the bearing steel JIS SUJ2/AISI 52100 having a hardness range of Rockwell C scale of 58-62 HRC to determine the existence of a fatigue limit for this through-hardened steel. One hundred and fifty (150) alternating torsion tests were performed at six torsion maximum shear stress amplitudes of 0.5, 0.63, 0.76, 0.80, 0.95, and 1.0 GPa. The number of specimens that were run at each stress amplitude varied from 19 to 33. There is no observable fatigue limit for JIS SUJ2/AISI 52100 bearing steel. On log-log plotted data, life is linear and is inversely proportional to shearing stress to a 10.34 exponent. The failure mode of the experiment is due to the conjugate tensile and compressive alternating stresses in accordance with alternating shearing stresses. The three-parameter Weibull life distribution function with a constant value of the Weibull slope m = 3/2 was found to have the best conformity followed by the log-normal distribution and the two-parameter Weibull distribution function. The shear stress-life exponent (A = 10.34) for JIS SUJ2/AISI 52100 bearing steel was independent of the Weibull slope.     

A Burning Rate Equation as a Function of Pressure and Temperature for a BTA · NH3/PSAN Mixture

The burning rate of propellants is affected by pressure and temperature. The relation between the burning rate and pressure has been well studied. However, the effect of the initial temperature on the burning rate has not been investigated quantitatively. In this study, the burning rate of bis (1H-tetrazolyl) amine ammonium salt and potassium nitrate phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate mixtures was examined and an equation for the burning rate as a function of pressure and temperature was obtained. In general, the burning rates predicted by the regression equations were in good agreement with the observed values. The temperature sensitivities were also predicted using the regression equation and compared with the observed values and good agreement was found between the predicted and observed values.     

Carbon nanocomposites synthesized by high-energy mechanical milling of graphite and magnesium for hydrogen storage

Nanocomposites obtained by mechanical milling of graphite and magnesium with organic additives (benzene, cyclohexene or cyclohexane) have been studied with the aim of preparing novel hydrogen storage materials. The organic additives were very important in the milling processes to determine the characteristics of the resulting carbon nanocomposites. The mechanical milling with high energy resulted in the generation of large amounts of dangling carbon bonds in graphite with simultaneous decomposition of graphite structure. Such dangling bonds of carbon acted as sites to take up hydrogen. It has been proved by temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and neutron diffraction measurements that the hydrogen taken up in the nanocomposites exists in at least two states; in the form of C–H bond formation in the graphite component and in the form of hydride in the magnesium component. The relative amounts of two types of hydrogen strongly depended upon differences in additives used (benzene, cyclohexene or cyclohexane). When C₆D₆ besides C₆H₆ was used as additive, the hydrogen taken up was discussed from the standpoint of isotope effects. Upon addition of titanium tetraisopropoxide, the features of hydrogen uptake by the nanocomposites changed completely.     

Anaerobic treatment of municipal wastewater at ambient temperature: Analysis of archaeal community structure and recovery of dissolved methane

Anaerobic treatment is an attractive option for the biological treatment of municipal wastewater. In this study, municipal wastewater was anaerobically treated with a bench-scale upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor at temperatures from 6 to 31 °C for 18 months to investigate total chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency, archaeal community structure, and dissolved methane (D-CH₄) recovery efficiency. The COD removal efficiency was more than 50% in summer and below 40% in winter with no evolution of biogas. Analysis of the archaeal community structures of the granular sludge from the UASB using 16S rRNA gene-cloning indicated that after microorganisms had adapted to low temperatures, the archaeal community had a lower diversity and the relative abundance of acetoclastic methanogens decreased together with an increase in hydrogenotrophic methanogens. D-CH₄, which was detected in the UASB effluent throughout the operation, could be collected with a degassing membrane. The ratio of the collection to recovery rates was 60% in summer and 100% in winter. For anaerobic treatment of municipal wastewater at lower temperatures, hydrogenotrophic methanogens play an important role in COD removal and D-CH₄ can be collected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and avoid wastage of energy resources.     

Kinetic Study of Sasa veitchii Extract as a Radical Scavenger and an Antioxidant

Abstract: We examined the free radical scavenging activity of Sasa veitchii extract (Hoshi's Striped Bamboo Extract^®, HSBE), well known in folk medicine as an efficient drug and antioxidant in detail. To evaluate the free radical scavenging activity of HSBE, its reactivity as hydrogen atom donor toward the 1, 1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl has been measured using stopped‐flow spectrophotometry. It was found that the second‐order rate constant, k₂, obtained at 25 °C was 1.4 (g/L)^?1s^?1 for HSBE. To compare different chain‐breaking antioxidants quantitatively, we obtained the second‐order rate constant, k₂′, on the molar basis of active hydroxyl groups in the tested substances. As a result, the k₂′ values for HSBE, 6‐hydroxy‐2, 5, 7, 8‐tetramethylchroman‐2‐carboxylic acid (Trolox), caffeic acid, and (+)‐catechin were 2.6 × 10³, 2.0 × 10³, 2.3 × 10², and 6.0 × 10² M^?1s^?1, respectively. These results show that HSBE and Trolox exerted the same free radical scavenging activity under these conditions. In addition, HSBE significantly inhibited the oxidation of methyl linoleate micelles in aqueous dispersions at 30 °C and its antioxidant activity (k_inh) was more effective than those of caffeic acid and (+)‐catechin. This is the first study on bamboo extracts in the context of radical scavenging activity that reports kinetic results. Practical Application: We determined the stoichiometric number and the rate constants of bamboo extracts using the method that was devised in determining the antioxidant activity of mixtures. This is the first study of bamboo extracts as an antioxidant that reports the stoichiometric and kinetic results.     

Synthesis of 1,4‐Diarylbuta‐1,3‐dienes through Palladium‐ Catalyzed Decarboxylative Coupling of Unsaturated Carboxylic Acids

It has been found that readily available hydroxylated cinnamic acids such as ferulic acid undergo palladium‐catalyzed decarboxylative coupling with aryl iodides and internal alkynes in a 1:1:1 manner to produce 1,4‐diarylbuta‐1,3‐dienes. The butadiene synthesis has also been achieved through the coupling of aryl halides with dienoic acids. Some of the products exhibit solid‐state fluorescence.     

High-mobility organic thin-film transistors based on a small-molecule semiconductor deposited in vacuum and by solution shearing

The small-molecule organic semiconductor 2,9-di-decyl-dinaphtho-[2,3-b:2′,3′-f]-thieno-[3,2-b]-thiophene (C₁₀-DNTT) was used to fabricate bottom-gate, top-contact thin-film transistors (TFTs) in which the semiconductor layer was prepared either by vacuum deposition or by solution shearing. The maximum effective charge-carrier mobility of TFTs with vacuum-deposited C₁₀-DNTT is 8.5 cm²/V s for a nominal semiconductor thickness of 10 nm and a substrate temperature during the semiconductor deposition of 80 °C. Scanning electron microscopy analysis reveals the growth of small, isolated islands that begin to coalesce into a flat conducting layer when the nominal thickness exceeds 4 nm. The morphology of the vacuum-deposited semiconductor layers is dominated by tall lamellae that are formed during the deposition, except at very high substrate temperatures. Atomic force microscopy and X-ray diffraction measurements indicate that the C₁₀-DNTT molecules stand approximately upright with respect to the substrate surface, both in the flat conducting layer near the surface and within the lamellae. Using the transmission line method on TFTs with channel lengths ranging from 10 to 100 μm, a relatively small contact resistance of 0.33 kΩ cm was determined. TFTs with the C₁₀-DNTT layer prepared by solution shearing exhibit a pronounced anisotropy of the electrical performance: TFTs with the channel oriented parallel to the shearing direction have an average carrier mobility of (2.8 ± 0.3) cm²/V s, while TFTs with the channel oriented perpendicular to the shearing direction have a somewhat smaller average mobility of (1.3 ± 0.1) cm²/V s.     

Liftoff heights of turbulent non-premixed flames in co-flows diluted by CO2/N2

The objective of this study was to propose a new model for the prediction of the liftoff heights of turbulent flames diluted by the entrainment of burned gases. In combustion furnaces with the internal recirculation of burned gases, mixtures of fuel and oxidizer are diluted with recirculated burned gases through entrainment into the gas jets. We focused on the effects which dilution resulting from entrainment has on the stabilization mechanism of lifted flames. In order to investigate the effects of dilution on liftoff height, we employed a concentric burner incorporating fuel, oxidizer and co-flow gas nozzles. The recirculated burned gas was simulated by co-flow air diluted with either N₂ or CO₂ gas. Liftoff heights were observed to increase with decreasing O₂ concentrations in the co-flow gas when maintaining a constant O₂ concentration in the oxidizer, due to dilution resulting from entrainment of the diluted co-flow gas. The liftoff heights obtained with co-flow gases diluted by CO₂ were greater than those obtained when diluting with N₂ due to both thermal and chemical dilution effects. The conventional premixed model was not able to predict the liftoff trends observed in this study and we therefore propose a modified premixed model which takes into account the dilution effect resulting from entrainment. In this model, the amount of entrained co-flow gas is evaluated according to the self-similarity law of a round jet. Non-dimensional liftoff heights based on this modified model exhibit excellent linear correlation with non-dimensional fuel gas velocities, even when various co-flow gases are used for dilution. The conventional large eddy model was also modified in the same manner and the results obtained from the modified model exhibit satisfactory correlation.     

Molecular Species of Phospholipids with Very Long Chain Fatty Acids in Skin Fibroblasts of Zellweger Syndrome

The ratio of C_26:0/C_22:0 fatty acids in patient lipids is widely accepted as a critical clinical criterion of peroxisomal diseases, such as Zellweger syndrome and X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD). However, phospholipid molecular species with very long chain fatty acids (VLCFA) have not been precisely characterized. In the present study, the structures of such molecules in fibroblasts of Zellweger syndrome and X-ALD were examined using LC–ESI–MS/MS analysis. In fibroblasts from Zellweger patients, a large number of VLCFA-containing molecular species were detected in several phospholipid classes as well as neutral lipids, including triacylglycerol and cholesteryl esters. Among these lipids, phosphatidylcholine showed the most diversity in the structures of VLCFA-containing molecular species. Some VLCFA possessed longer carbon chains and/or larger number of double bonds than C_26:0-fatty acid (FA). Similar VLCFA were also found in other phospholipid classes, such as phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylserine. In addition, VLCFA-containing phospholipid species showed some differences among fibroblasts from Zellweger patients. It appears that phospholipids with VLCFA, with or without double bonds, as well as C_26:0-FA might affect cellular functions, thus leading to the pathogenesis of peroxisomal diseases, such as Zellweger syndrome and X-ALD.