Carbon nanotubes-polyethylene oxide composite electrolyte for solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells

Novel carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-polyethylene oxide (PEO) composite electrolyte for dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) was prepared and characterized for the first time. The strong bonding and interaction between CNTs and PEO in CNTs-PEO composites was observed by the characterization of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Raman spectra. The introduction of CNTs into PEO matrix significantly improved the electrolyte properties of DSSC such as roughness, amorphicity and ionic conductivity. The solid-state DSSC fabricated with the optimum composite electrolyte (added 1% CNTs in PEO matrix, 1%CNT-PEO) achieved maximum conversion efficiency of 3.5%, an open circuit voltage (V_OC) of 0.589 V, short circuit current density (J_SC) of 10.64 mA/cm² and fill factor (FF) of 56%. The highest IPCE in the DSSC fabricated with 1%CNT-PEO electrolyte is ascribed to the improved ionic conductivity of composite electrolytes and enhanced interfacial contact between electrode and electrolyte.     

Matching the nano- to the meso-scale: Measuring deposit–surface interactions with atomic force microscopy and micromanipulation

Many researchers have studied the effects of changing the surface on fouling and cleaning. In biofouling the ‘Baier curve’ is a well-known result which relates adhesion to surface energy, and papers on the effect of changing surface energy to food fouling can be found more than 40 years ago. Recently the use of modified surfaces, at least at a research level, has been widespread. Here two different ways of studying surface–deposit interactions have been compared. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a method for probing interactions at a molecular level, and can measure (for example) the interaction between substrate and surfaces at a nm-scale. At a μm–mm level, we have developed a micromanipulation tool that can measure the force required to remove the deposit; the measure incorporates both surface and bulk deformation effects. The two methods have been compared by studying a range of model soils: toothpaste, as an example of a soil that can be removed by fluid flow alone, and confectionery soils. Removal has been studied from glass, stainless steel and fluorinated surfaces as examples of the sort of surfaces that can be found in practice. AFM measurements were made by using functionalized tips in force mode. The two types of probe give similar results, although the rheology of the soil affects the measurement from the micromanipulation probe under some circumstances. The data suggests that either method could be used to test candidate surfaces.     

Scanning electron microscopy studies on tensile failure of polyethylene-filled natural rubber vulcanizates

The tensile properties of high-density polyethylene (HDPE)-filled natural rubber (NR) vulcanizates have been studied. It was found that HDPE was incompatible with NR and lower loadings of HDPE had no influence on the tensile strength of the vulcanizate. At higher loadings of HDPE, the size and shape of HDPE domains in the vulcanizate changed and the tensile strength of the vulcanizate decreased. Fracture surface studies using scanning electron microscope were carried out to correlate the test results with tensile properties.     

Prismatic slip in zirconium single crystals at elevated temperatures

Single crystals of Zr oriented favorably for prismatic slip have been deformed in tension over a range of strain rates at temperatures between 473 and 1113 K. A temperature independent plateau is observed between 600 and 800 K and dynamic strain aging occurs in the vicinity of 723 K. The flow stress is temperature dependent both above and below this temperature interval. Plastic flow above 850°K is represented by an equation of the form: {ie1217-05} where {ie1217-06} is the shear strain rate,A is a constant whose value is 680 ± 20 (MN/m²)^−4.3. The stress exponentn = 4.3 ± 0.3 and the activation energyQ = 2.05 ± 0.15 eV. It is proposed that the high temperature prismatic slip in Zr is controlled by a glide-climb process where the rate of plastic flow is determined by the rate of climb of dislocations.     

Detection of architectural distortion from the ridges in a digitized mammogram

Architectural distortion (AD) has been described as a focal retraction of the breast tissue. Blood vessels, milk ducts and spicules in the breast tissue appear as ridges in the mammogram. We hypothesize that radiating ridges are an indicator of an AD site. Using a window-based approach, features derived from the ridges have been utilized in a radial basis function support vector machine to classify regions as containing or not containing AD. The classification is performed on the Mammographic Image Analysis Society (MIAS) database and on the Digital Database For Screening Mammography (DDSM). The proposed approach reports peak performance of a sensitivity of 90% (93%) at 26 (17) false positives per mammogram in the MIAS (DDSM) database.     

Laser Cutting of Triangular Geometry into Alumina Tiles: Morphological Changes and Thermal Stress Analysis

Laser cutting of triangular geometry into 5-mm-thick alumina tile is carried out. Temperature and stress fields are predicted by using ABAQUS finite element code in line with the experimental conditions. Experiments are carried out to validate the predictions of temperature and the residual stress in the cutting section. Thermocouples are incorporated in temperature measurements while X-ray diffraction technique is accommodated to obtain the residual stress at the kerf surface. The morphological changes in the cutting section are examined by using optical and scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. It is found that temperature and residual stress predictions agree well with their counterparts obtained from the experiments. The optical and SEM micrographs reveal that the cut sections are free from large size defects such as large-scale cracks and sideways burnings. The maximum value of von Mises stress occurs at the mid-thickness of the workpiece due to the formation of high magnitude of thermally induced strain in this region.     

An efficient dual‐band rectenna using symmetrical rectifying circuit and slotted monopole antenna array

In this article, an efficient dual‐band rectenna making use of the newly proposed symmetrical rectifying circuit working at the frequency of 1.8 and 2.45 GHz, is proposed. The proposed dual‐band rectifying circuit is combined with an array of compact wideband planar monopole modified circular slot antenna in order to facilitate the efficient rectenna design. The rectifying circuit employs symmetrical matching network in addition to the symmetrical rectifier thereby facilitating the suppression of the odd order harmonics. This eventually results into the higher output voltage as compared to the conventional rectifier circuits. Moreover, the dual‐band topology of the proposed rectenna increases the overall voltage by harvesting energy from two independent RF sources. The measured results of the fabricated structure show that the maximum RF to dc conversion efficiency of the proposed rectifier circuit reaches up to 70% at 9 dBm input RF power. From application point of view, the proposed rectenna circuit is tested to extract the RF energy from 1.8 GHz cellular and 2.45 GHz Wi‐Fi bands to energize a low‐power LED. The overall rectenna structure is reasonably compact providing good performance, which can potentially be employed for efficient wireless power transmission system.     

Mechanistic studies on aromatase and related C-C bond cleaving P-450 enzymes

Some P-450 systems, notably aromatase and 14 alpha-demethylase catalyse not only the hydroxylate reaction but also the oxidation of an alcohol into a carbonyl compound as well as a C-C bond cleavage process. All these reactions occur at the same active site. A somewhat analogous situation is noted with 17 alpha-hydroxylase-17,20-lyase that participates in hydroxylation as well as C-C bond cleavage process. The C-C bond cleavage reactions catalysed by the above enzymes conform to the general equation: [formula: see text] It is argued that all three types of reaction catalyzed by these enzymes may be viewed as variations on a common theme. In P-450 dependent hydroxylation the initially formed FeIII-O-O. species is converted into FeIII-O-OH and the heterolysis of the oxygen-oxygen bond of the latter then gives the oxo-derivative for which a number of canonical structures are possible; for example FeV = O<==>(+.)FeIV = O<==>FeIV-O.. One of these, FeIV-O. behaves like an alkoxyl radical and participates in hydrogen abstraction from C-H bond to produce FeIV-OH and carbon radical. The latter is then quenched by the delivery of hydroxyl radical from FeIV-OH. The latter species may thus be regarded as a carrier of hydroxyl radical. We have proposed that the C-C bond cleavage reaction occurs through the participation of the FeIII-O-OH species that is trapped by the electrophilic property of the carbonyl compound giving a peroxide adduct that fragments to produce an acyl-carbon cleavage. Scientific developments leading up to this conclusion are considered. In the first author's views, "The study of mechanisms is not a scientific but a cultural activity. Mechanisms do not aim at an absolute truth but are intended to be a "running" commentary on the status of knowledge in a field. As the structural knowledge in a field advances Mechanisms evolve to take note of the new findings. Just as a constructive "running" commentary provides the stimulus for higher standards of performance, so Mechanisms call for better and firmer structural information from their practitioners".     

Effect of processing methods for transmission electron microscopy on corneal collagen fibrils diameter and spacing

Introduction: The corneal tissue was processed in fixatives and embedded in resin for transmission electron microscopy to observe the ultrastructure of the collagen fibrils (CFs). The effect of these processing methods on the CF diameter and the interfibrillar spacing was studied. Methods: Four normal human corneal buttons were used for this study. A part of each cornea was fixed in 2.5% glutaraldehyde containing cuprolinic blue in sodium acetate buffer and embedded in spurr's resin (SpurrCB). A second part of each cornea was fixed in 2.5% glutaraldehyde + osmium tetroxide and embedded spurr's resin (SpurrOsm). The third part of each cornea was fixed in paraformaldehyde (4%) and embedded in LR White at 4°C (LRWhite). Ultrathin sections were stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate. Results: In the tissue, fixed in SpurrCB, the diameter was 38.4 ± 5.9 nm and spacing between CF was 52.5 ± 5.3 nm. In the tissue fixed in SpurrOsm, the diameter was 28.37 ± 5.84 nm and spacing between CF was 45 ± 4.57 nm. In the tissue fixed in LR White, the CF diameter was 24 ± 2.3 nm and spacing between CF was 39.0 ± 4.2 nm. The diameters and interfibrillar spacing of the tissue processed by SpurrCB, SpurrOsm, and LRWhite were significantly different (P < 0.001) from one another. Conclusion: Our study shows that there is a variation in the CF diameter and spacing depending on the method of fixation and embedding resins used. This needs to be considered when comparative studies using different methods are done. Microsc. Res. Tech. 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.