Hybrid film of chemically modified graphene and vapor-phase-polymerized PEDOT for electronic nose applications

A hybrid of graphene and conducting polymer holds great potential as the active materials for high performance chemical sensor application. In this work, a thin hybrid film of reduced graphene oxide (RG-O) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) was fabricated by means of vapor phase polymerization and explored as active material for chemical sensors. The chemical sensors based on hybrid film of RG-O and PEDOT are capable of detecting electrical signals caused by the absorption of trace levels of different analyte vapors with high sensitivity, selectivity and fast response.     

Robust low bit‐rate transmission using multiple‐PBDBS (MPBDBS) approach

Abstract

Recently, Gao and Tu presented an efficient algorithm for robust low bit‐rate video transmission by using a partial backward decodable bit stream (PBDBS) approach. In this paper, we first present a multiple‐PBDBS (MPBDBS) approach to improve on the previous PBDBS approach. Next a mathematical theory is provided to minimize the error propagation length in each group of blocks (GOB). Further, a novel MPBDBS‐based algorithm is presented for robust video transmission. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed MPBDBS‐based algorithm has better image quality when compared to the previous PBDBS‐based algorithm, but has some bit‐rate and execution‐time degradation. In our experiments, both single and two‐bit error models are investigated.     

Lithium-Ion Desolvation Induced by Nitrate Additives Reveals New Insights into High Performance Lithium Batteries

Electrolyte additives have been widely used to address critical issues in current metal (ion) battery technologies. While their functions as solid electrolyte interface forming agents are reasonably well-understood, their interactions in the liquid electrolyte environment remain rather elusive. This lack of knowledge represents a significant bottleneck that hinders the development of improved electrolyte systems. Here, the key role of additives in promoting cation (e.g., Li⁺) desolvation is unraveled. In particular, nitrate anions (NO₃⁻) are found to incorporate into the solvation shells, change the local environment of cations (e.g., Li⁺) as well as their coordination in the electrolytes. The combination of these effects leads to effective Li⁺ desolvation and enhanced battery performance. Remarkably, the inexpensive NaNO₃ can successfully substitute the widely used LiNO₃ offering superior long-term stability of Li⁺ (de-)intercalation at the graphite anode and suppressed polysulfide shuttle effect at the sulfur cathode, while enhancing the performance of lithium–sulfur full batteries (initial capacity of 1153 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.25C) with Coulombic efficiency of ≈100% over 300 cycles. This work provides important new insights into the unexplored effects of additives and paves the way to developing improved electrolytes for electrochemical energy storage applications.     

Synthesis and characterization of the carbon nanotube-based composite materials with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)

We report a procedure to prepare a conducting nano-composites composed of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and PEDOT by using a poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSSNa) as a inter-linking molecule between MWNT and PEDOT. When PSSNa chains are introduced on the MWNTs via physicochemical interaction, the surface of MWNT becomes negatively charged, and PSS-modified MWNTs promote the effective association of the positively charged PEDOT chains. The resulting MWNT-PSS/PEDOT composites are characterized by a better interconnection between MWNT and PEDOT components.     

A simple control scheme for a single stage flyback LED driver

This study proposes a simple control scheme for using single‐stage flyback (SSF) converters in lighting source applications for LEDs. Among the advantages of the average current mode is an I/O current ripple that is only one‐half of the critical conduction mode (CRM). This condition helps extend the output capacitor lifetime while lowering the input EMI capacitance input EMI capacitance. The SSF converter proposed in this study operates in continuous conduction mode (CCM). In addition, two sample‐and‐hold (S/H) circuits are placed at the output voltage loop and feed‐forward path, respectively. Since these S/H circuits access the average output current and average feed‐forward voltage, the LED driver is unaffected by the 120‐Hz ripple noise, the total harmonic distortion (THD) is reduced, and the transient response of the output current is improved. Finally, the operation principles and design considerations of the studied LED driver are analyzed and discussed. A laboratory prototype is also designed and tested to verify the feasibility. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Filler Wetting in Miscible ESBR/SSBR Blends and Its Effect on Mechanical Properties

The selective wetting behavior of silica in emulsion styrene butadiene rubber (ESBR)/solution styrene butadiene rubber (SSBR) blends is characterized by the wetting concept, which is further developed for filled blends based on miscible rubbers. It is found that not only the chemical rubber–filler affinity but also the topology of the filler surface significantly influences the selective filler wetting in rubber blends. The nanopore structure of the silica surface has been recognized as the main reason for the difference in the wetting behavior of the branched ESBR molecules and linear SSBR molecules. However, the effect of nanopore structure becomes more significant in the presence of silane. It is discussed that the adsorption of silane on silica surface constricts the nanopore to some extent that hinders effectively the space filling of the nanopores by the branched ESBR molecules but not by the linear SSBR molecules. As a result, in silanized ESBR/SSBR blends the dominant wetting of silica surface by the tightly bonded layer of SSBR molecules causes a low‐energy dissipation in the rubber–filler interphase. That imparts the low rolling resistance to the blends similar to that of a silica‐filled SSBR compound, while the ESBR‐rich matrix warrants the good tensile behavior, i.e., good abrasion and wear resistance of the blends.

     

Direct Reprogramming and Induction of Human Dermal Fibroblasts to Differentiate into iPS-Derived Nucleus Pulposus-like Cells in 3D Culture

Intervertebral disc (IVD) diseases are common spinal disorders that cause neck or back pain in the presence or absence of an underlying neurological disorder. IVD diseases develop on the basis of degeneration, and there are no established treatments for degeneration. IVD diseases may therefore represent a candidate for the application of regenerative medicine, potentially employing normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs) induced to differentiate into nucleus pulposus (NP) cells. Here, we used a three-dimensional culture system to demonstrate that ectopic expression of MYC, KLF4, NOTO, SOX5, SOX6, and SOX9 in NHDFs generated NP-like cells, detected using Safranin-O staining. Quantitative PCR, microarray analysis, and fluorescence-activated cell sorting revealed that the induced NP cells exhibited a fully differentiated phenotype. These findings may significantly contribute to the development of effective strategies for treating IVD diseases.     

GaN HEMT器件封装技术研究进展

GaN高电子迁移率晶体管(HEMT)器件由于其宽禁带材料的独特性能,相比硅功率器件具有击穿场强高、导通电阻低、转换速度快等优势,在智能家电、交直流转换器、光伏逆变器以及电动汽车等领域有着广泛的应用前景.但GaN HEMT器件的高功率密度和高频工作特性,给器件封装带来了极大挑战,要使其出色性能得以充分发挥,其封装结构、材...