Ester-functionalized poly(3-alkylthiophene) copolymers: Synthesis,physicochemical characterization and performance in bulk heterojunction organic solar cells

The introduction of functional moieties in the donor polymer (side chains) offers a potential pathway toward selective modification of the nanomorphology of conjugated polymer:fullerene active layer blends applied in bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaics, pursuing morphology control and solar cell stability. For this purpose, two types of poly(3-alkylthiophene) random copolymers, incorporating different amounts (10/30/50%) of ester-functionalized side chains, were efficiently synthesized using the Rieke method. The solar cell performance of the functionalized copolymers was evaluated and compared to the pristine P3HT:PCBM system. It was observed that the physicochemical and opto-electronic characteristics of the polythiophene donor material can be modified to a certain extent via copolymerization without (too much) jeopardizing the OPV efficiency, as far as the functionalized side chains are introduced in a moderate ratio (<30%) and that preference is given to side chains with a small molar volume. A range of complementary techniques – UV–Vis spectroscopy, (modulated temperature) differential scanning calorimetry, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis – indicated that variations in polymer crystallinity, while maintaining a high level of regioregularity, are probably the main factor responsible for the observed differences.     

Characteristics and Modification of Non-metallic Inclusions in Titanium-Stabilized AISI 409 Ferritic Stainless Steel

This study describes an investigation into the improvement of castability, final surface quality and formability of titanium-stabilized AISI 409 ferritic stainless steel on an industrial scale. Non-metallic inclusions found in this industrially produced stainless steel were first characterized using SEM-EDS analyses through the INCA-Steel software platform. Inclusions were found to consist of a MgO·Al₂O₃ spinel core, which acted as heterogeneous nucleation site for titanium solubility products. Plant-scale experiments were conducted to either prevent the formation of spinel, or to modify it by calcium treatment. Modification to spherical dual-phase spinel-liquid matrix inclusions was achieved with calcium addition, which eliminated submerged entry nozzle clogging for this grade. Complete modification to homogeneous liquid calcium aluminates was achieved at high levels of dissolved aluminum. A mechanism was suggested to explain the extent of modification achieved.     

Fabrication of dense Ce0.9Mg0.1P2O7-PmOn composites by microwave heating for application as electrolyte in intermediate-temperature fuel cells

In the present work, we report a method of fabrication of dense 10 mol% Mg²⁺-doped cerium pyrophosphate-phosphate (Ce_0.9Mg_0.1P₂O₇-P_mO_n; CMP-P) composites by microwave heat-treatment of the preformed Ce_0.9Mg_0.1P₂O₇ substrates in the presence of phosphoric acid. The composite was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The microwave heating at 375 °C for 5 min resulted in the formation of dense CMP-P composites which retained most of the pyrophosphate phase. The electrical conductivity was extracted from the EIS data and for the CMP-P composite prepared by H₃PO₄ loading for 10 h and microwave heat-treatment for 5 min it was found to be >10^?2 S m^?1 in 100–250 °C range with a maximum of 0.062 S cm^?1 at 190 °C, which was significant for its application as electrolyte in intermediate temperature fuel cells.     

Correction to: Reliable benchmarking: requirements and solutions

International Journal on Software Tools for Technology Transfer - The article Reliable benchmarking: requirements and solutions.     

穿越黑色时空的光影世界——间离剧

正一家在上海创办的建筑与室内设计事务所,致力于根据客户的需求制定美观新颖的空间解决方案。我们对概念的艺术性和施工的工艺同样重视。每个项目都根据其环境和条件量身定做,并在有限的造价和时间里做出最好的效果。来到这个剧院的观众,都是自己这出戏的演员和导演。间离剧以独特的形态,为观众提供了别具一格     

[2.2]Paracyclophane-Based TCN-201 Analogs as GluN2A-Selective NMDA Receptor Antagonists

Recent studies have shown the involvement of GluN2A subunit-containing NMDA receptors in various neurological and pathological disorders. In the X-ray crystal structure, TCN-201 ( 1 ) and analogous pyrazine derivatives 2 and 3 adopt a U-shape (hairpin) conformation within the binding site formed by the ligand binding domains of the GluN1 and GluN2A subunits. In order to mimic the resulting π/π-interactions of two aromatic rings in the binding site, a [2.2]paracyclophane system was designed to lock these aromatic rings in a parallel orientation. Acylation of [2.2]paracyclophane ( 5 ) with oxalyl chloride and chloroacetyl chloride and subsequent transformations led to the oxalamide 7 , triazole 10 and benzamides 12 . The GluN2A inhibitory activities of the paracyclophane derivatives were tested with two-electrode voltage clamp electrophysiology using Xenopus laevis oocytes expressing selectively functional NMDA receptors with GluN2A subunit. The o-iodobenzamide 12 b with the highest similarity to TCN-201 showed the highest GuN2A inhibitory activity of this series of compounds. At a concentration of 10 μM, 12 b reached 36 % of the inhibitory activity of TCN-201 ( 1 ). This result indicates that the [2.2]paracyclophane system is well accepted by the TCN-201 binding site.     

Application of energy efficient soft-decision error control in wireless sensor networks

Energy efficient reliable communication over an unpredictable wireless medium is a major challenge for resource constrained wireless sensor nodes in process/environment control application. In this paper, we propose a Soft Decision Decoding (SDD) based advanced Forward Error Correction (FEC) scheme for low power distributed sensor nodes. The proposed BCH (Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem) based adaptive Chase-2 decoding scheme offers attractive energy benefits as compared to Hard Decision Decoding (HDD). The reduced decoding complexity is obtained by limiting the codeword search space and fewer algebraic operations compared to standard Chase-2. A realistic environmental scenario incorporating path loss, Rayleigh fading and Additive White Gaussian Noise has been considered to investigate the performance of the proposed scheme. A detailed comparison is carried out with HDD of BCH codes using the widely known Crossbow MicaZ node parameters. The simulation results indicate that for low power WSN, the proposed SDD based adaptive scheme offers better tradeoff between energy and reliability than HDD schemes.     

Innovation Subsidies: Does the Funding Source Matter for Innovation Intensity and Performance? Empirical Evidence from Germany

In this paper we analyze the effect of European and national funding on innovation input and output at the firm level. In terms of innovation input, we do not find evidence that one policy crowds out the effect of the other. Instead, the policies are complements. In terms of output, we find that subsidy recipients are more active with respect to patenting. A citation analysis of patents reveals that the subsidy recipients file patents that are more valuable (in terms of forward citations) than those filed in the counterfactual situation of receiving no public support. These results suggest that public funding triggers socially beneficial research projects and that the co-existence of national and European policies does not lead to crowding-out effects when compared to a hypothetical world of a closed economy with no supplemental European policies.