Bending impact on the performance of a flexible Li4Ti5O12-based all-solid-state thin-film battery

The growing demand of flexible electronic devices is increasing the requirements of their power sources. The effect of bending in thin-film batteries is still not well understood. Here, we successfully developed a high active area flexible all-solid-state battery as a model system that consists of thin-film layers of Li₄Ti₅O₁₂, LiPON, and Lithium deposited on a novel flexible ceramic substrate. A systematic study on the bending state and performance of the battery is presented. The battery withstands bending radii of at least 14 mm achieving 70% of the theoretical capacity. Here, we reveal that convex bending has a positive effect on battery capacity showing an average increase of 5.5%, whereas concave bending decreases the capacity by 4% in contrast with recent studies. We show that the change in capacity upon bending may well be associated to the Li-ion diffusion kinetic change through the electrode when different external forces are applied. Finally, an encapsulation scheme is presented allowing sufficient bending of the device and operation for at least 500 cycles in air. The results are meant to improve the understanding of the phenomena present in thin-film batteries while undergoing bending rather than showing improvements in battery performance and lifetime.     

Modification of Iron with Degradable Silver Phases Processed via Laser Beam Melting for Implants with Adapted Degradation Rate

In medical technology, implants are used to improve the quality of patients’ lives. The development of materials with adapted properties can further increase the benefit of implants. If implants are only needed temporarily, biodegradable materials are beneficial. In this context, iron-based materials are promising due to their biocompatibility and mechanical properties, but the degradation rate needs to be accelerated. Apart from alloying, the creation of noble phases to cause anodic dissolution of the iron-based matrix is promising. Due to its high electrochemical potential, immiscibility with iron, biocompatibility, and antibacterial properties, silver is suited for the creation of such phases. A suitable technology for processing immiscible material combinations is powder-bed-based procedure like laser beam melting. This procedure offers short exposure times to high temperatures and therefore a limited time for diffusion of alloying elements. As the silver phases remain after the dissolution of the iron matrix, a modification is needed to ensure their degradability. Following this strategy, pure iron with 5 wt% of a degradable silver–calcium–lanthanum alloy is processed via laser beam melting. Investigation of the microstructure yields achievement of the intended microstructure and long-term degradation tests indicates an impact on the degradation, but no increased degradation rate.     

Using Selective Electron Beam Melting to Enhance the High-Temperature Strength and Creep Resistance of NiAl–28Cr–6Mo In Situ Composites

By increasing the density of interfaces in NiAl–CrMo in situ composites, the mechanical properties can be significantly improved compared to conventionally cast material. The refined microstructure is achieved by manufacturing through electron beam powder bed fusion (PBF-EB). By varying the process parameters, an equiaxed or columnar cell morphology can be obtained, exhibiting a plate-like or an interconnected network of the (Cr,Mo) reinforcement phase which is embedded in a NiAl matrix. The microstructure of the different cell morphologies is investigated in detail using scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscopy, and atom probe tomography. For both morphologies, the mechanical properties at elevated temperatures are analyzed by compression and creep experiments parallel and perpendicular to the building direction. In comparison to cast NiAl and NiAl–(Cr, Mo), the yield strength of the PBF-EB fabricated specimens is significantly improved at temperatures up to 1,027 °C. While the columnar morphology exhibits the best improved mechanical properties at high temperatures, the equiaxial morphology shows nearly ideal isotropic mechanical behavior, which is a substantial advantage over directionally solidified material.     

Observation of Anomalously Low Momentum Transfer in the Low Energy Scattering of Large 4He Droplets From 4He and 3He Atoms

The momentum transferred to large superfluid ⁴ He droplets in low energy ( 4–10 K) scattering from ⁴ He and ³ He atoms was determined from time of flight measurements after the droplets have passed through a low temperature (T = 1.7–4.2 K) scattering box filled with the gas of either He isotope. The results are compared with ³ He droplets scattered from either ⁴ He or ³ He gas for which all of the incident momentum is transferred, as expected for classical capture of the scattering gas atoms. In the case of the ⁴ He droplets a smaller momentum transfer is found amounting to 65% for ⁴ He atoms and 45% for ³ He atoms but only at the lowest collision energies. These results are consistent with transmission of some of the atoms through the droplets.     

Combining make to order and make to stock

In inventory control and production planning one is tempted to use one of two strategies: produce all demand to stock or produce all demand to order. The disadvantages are well-known. In the make everything to order case (MTO) the response times may become quite long if the load is high, in the make everything to stock case (MTS) one gets an enormous inventory if the number of different products is large.In this paper we study two simple models which combine MTO and MTS, and investigate the effect of combining MTO and MTS on the production lead times.     

Design rules for an integratable low-power amplifier/filter combination

In this paper design rules for a circuit topology in which there is an inseparable combination of an amplifier and a filter characteristic, are presented. By intentionally using the capacitance of an already present input sensor for the filtering, the total required integrated capacitance is much less than that in circuits, which have a separately designed amplifier and filter function. Consequently, it is possible to have the advantage of a better integratability. Moreover, less complexity in the design is achieved. The presented circuit shows a current-to-voltage conversion and an inherently controllable second-order low-pass filter characteristic. A discrete realization has been designed to test the circuit. This circuit operates down to a 1 V supply voltage and the transfer shows a 1.8 M currentto-voltage conversion with a bandwidth of 6 kHz. Measurement results of this circuit show that a 63 dB dynamic range can be achieved with a total required integrated capacitance of only 31 pF.     

The Gaussian scale-space paradigm and the multiscale local jet

A representation of local image structure is proposed which takes into account both the image's spatial structure at a given location, as well as its deep structure, that is, its local behaviour as a function of scale or resolution (scale-space). This is of interest for several low-level image tasks. The proposed basis of scale-space, for example, enables a precise local study of interactions of neighbouring image intensities in the course of the blurring process. It also provides an extrapolation scheme for local image data, obtained at a given spatial location and resolution, to a finite scale-space neighbourhood. This is especially useful for the determination of sampling rates and for interpolation algorithms in a multilocal context. Another, particularly straightforward application is image enhancement or deblurring, which is an instance of data extrapolation in the high-resolution direction.A potentially interesting feature of the proposed local image parametrisation is that it captures a trade-off between spatial and scale extrapolations from a given interior point that do not exceed a given tolerance. This (rade-off suggests the possibility of a fairly coarse scale sampling at the expense of a dense spatial sampling large relative spatial overlap of scale-space kernels).The central concept developed in this paper is an equivalence class called the multiscale local jet, which is a hierarchical, local characterisation of the image in a full scale-space neighbourhood. For this local jet, a basis of fundamental polynomials is constructed that captures the scale-space paradigm at the local level up to any given order.     

Modelling and solving grid resource allocation problem with network resources for workflow applications

A problem of allocating resources of a grid to workflow applications is considered. The problem consists, generally, in allocating distributed grid resources to tasks of a workflow in such a way that the resource demands of each task are satisfied. Grid resources are divided into computational resources and network resources. Computational tasks and transmission tasks of a workflow are distinguished. We present a model of the problem, and an algorithm for finding feasible resource allocations. A numerical example is included, showing the importance of the resource allocation phase on a grid. Some conclusions and directions for future research are given.     

The motivation of information technology consultants: The struggle with social dimensions and identity

Increasingly, customer companies hire external information technology (IT) consultants, often on a special project basis. These consultants are employees of professional service firms, although they receive their assignments from the hiring companies, report to them, and are supervised by them. Using semistructured interviews with 12 IT consultants in Sweden, we examine the factors that influence their work motivation, including the effect of this dual allegiance—to the service firm and to the customer company. The data indicate that the primary motivators are the variety in tasks and the opportunity to influence and/or manage an entire project. Neither monetary incentives nor the consultancy firm norms are strong motivators. A factor that affects work behavior and motivation is the subordinate identity that IT consultants must assume with their powerful clients. The article concludes with practical suggestions for managers who seek to understand what motivates employees who work at a distance, under external control. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.