The mechanism of burn-in loss in a high efficiency polymer solar cell

Degradation in a high efficiency polymer solar cell is caused by the formation of states in the bandgap. These states increase the energetic disorder in the system. The power conversion efficiency loss does not occur when current is run through the device in the dark but occurs when the active layer is photo-excited.     

Hydrogel‐MWCNT nanocomposites: Synthesis,characterization, and heating with radiofrequency fields

Hydrogel nanocomposites are attractive biomaterials for numerous applications including tissue engineering, drug delivery, cancer treatment, sensors, and actuators. Here we present a nanocomposite of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and temperature responsive N‐isopropylacrylamide hydrogels. The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the nanocomposites was tailored for physiological applications by the addition of varying amounts of acrylamide (AAm). The addition of nanotubes contributed to interesting properties, including tailorability of temperature responsive swelling and mechanical strength of the resultant nanocomposites. The mechanical properties of the nanocomposites were studied over a range of temperatures (25–55°C) to characterize the effect of nanotube addition. A radiofrequency (RF) field of 13.56 MHz was applied to the nanocomposite discs, and the resultant heating was characterized using infrared thermography. This is the first report on the use of RF to remotely heat MWCNT‐hydrogel nanocomposites. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Poly(n-isopropylacrylamide)-based hydrogel coatings on magnetite nanoparticles via atom transfer radical polymerization

Core magnetite (Fe(3)O(4)) nanoparticles have been functionalized with a model intelligent hydrogel system based on the temperature responsive polymer poly(n-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAAm) to obtain magnetically responsive core-shell nanocomposites. Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles were obtained from a one-pot co-precipitation method which provided either oleic acid (hydrophobic) or citric acid (hydrophilic) coated nanoparticles. Subsequent ligand exchange of these coatings with various bromine alkyl halides and a bromo silane provided initiating sites for functionalization with NIPAAm using atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The bromine alkyl halides that were used were 2-bromo-2-methyl propionic acid (BMPA) and 2-bromopropionyl bromide (BPB). The bromo silane that was used was 3-bromopropyl trimethoxysilane (BPTS). The intelligent polymeric shell consists of NIPAAm crosslinked with poly(ethylene glycol) 400 dimethacrylate (PEG400DMA). Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to confirm the presence of the polymeric shell. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) was used to characterize the nanocomposites for particle size changes with temperature. Their magnetic and temperature responsiveness show great promise for further biomedical applications. This platform for functionalizing magnetic nanoparticles with intelligent hydrogels promises to impact a wide range of medical and biological applications of magnetic nanoparticles.     

A novel three-phase utility interface minimizing line currentharmonics of high-power telecommunications rectifier modules

Based on the combination of a three-phase diode bridge and a DC/DC boost converter, a new three-phase three-switch three-level pulsewidth modulated (PWM) rectifier system is developed. It can be characterized by sinusoidal mains current consumption, controlled output voltage, and low-blocking voltage stress on the power transistors. The application could be, e.g., for feeding the DC link of a telecommunications power supply module. The stationary operational behavior, the control of the mains currents, and the control of the output voltage are analyzed. Finally, the stresses on the system components are determined by digital simulation and compared to the stresses in a conventional six-switch two-level PWM rectifier system     

Efficient Detection of Secondary Electrons in Low-Voltage Scanning Electron Microscopy

A new detection method is proposed allowing an efficient extraction of the secondary electrons without affecting the scanning spot of the primary beam. The suggested detector arrangements can be regarded as generalized Wien filters whose electric and magnetic fields do not affect the primary electrons with average beam energy, yet strongly influence the paths of the secondary electrons. The new detectors are especially useful in low-voltage scanning electron microscopy.     

VIENNA rectifier II-a novel single-stage high-frequency isolatedthree-phase PWM rectifier system

Based on an analysis of basic realization possibilities, the structure of the power circuit of a new single-stage three-phase boost-type pulsewidth modulated (PWM) rectifier system (VIENNA Rectifier II) is developed. This system has continuous sinusoidal time behavior of the input currents and high-frequency isolation of the output voltage, which is controlled in a highly dynamic manner. As compared to a conventional two-stage realization, this system has substantially lower complexity and allows the realization of several isolated output circuits with minimum effort. The basic function of the new PWM rectifier system is described based on the conduction states occurring within a pulse period. Furthermore, a straightforward space- vector-oriented method for the system control is proposed which guarantees a symmetric magnetization of the transformer. Also, it makes possible a sinusoidal control of the mains phase currents in phase with the associated phase voltages. By digital simulation, the theoretical considerations are verified and the stresses on the power semiconductors of the new converter system are determined. Finally, results of an experimental analysis of a 2.5-kW laboratory prototype of the system are given, and the direct startup and the short-circuit protection of the converter are discussed. Also, the advantages and disadvantages of the new converter system are compiled in the form of an overview     

Large-scale,dense city reconstruction from user-contributed photos

The goal of our work is to incrementally reconstruct terrestrial city models from standard digital camera images contributed by multiple users. Hence, the Wiki principle well known from textual knowledge databases is transferred to 3D computer vision. Many state-of-the-art computer vision methods must be applied and modified according to the changing requirements. We describe the utilized 3D vision methods in detail and show results obtained from the current image databases Vienna and Graz acquired by in-house participants. The reconstructions are all maintained in a global database and comprise thousands of photographs.     

Synthesis and characterization of PEG-iron oxide core-shell composite nanoparticles for thermal therapy

In this study, core-shell nanoparticles were developed to achieve thermal therapy that can ablate cancer cells in a remotely controlled manner. The core-shell nanoparticles were prepared using atomic transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) to coat iron oxide (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles with a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) based polymer shell. The iron oxide core allows for the remote heating of the particles in an alternating magnetic field (AMF). The coating of iron oxide with PEG was verified through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermal gravimetric analysis. A thermoablation (55 °C) study was performed on A549 lung carcinoma cells exposed to nanoparticles and over a 10 min AMF exposure. The successful thermoablation of A549 demonstrates the potential use of polymer coated particles for thermal therapy.     

Optical synthetic aperture radar

A method is proposed for increasing the resolution of an object and overcoming the diffraction limit of an optical system installed on top of a moving imaging system, such as an airborne platform or satellite. The resolution improvement is obtained via a two-step process. First, three low resolution differently defocused images are captured and the optical phase is retrieved using an improved iterative Gershberg–Saxton based algorithm. The phase retrieval allows numerical back propagation of the field to the aperture plane. Second, the imaging system is shifted and the first step is repeated. The obtained optical fields at the aperture plane are combined and a synthetically increased lens aperture is generated along the direction of movement, yielding higher imaging resolution. The method resembles a well-known approach from the microwave regime called the synthetic aperture radar in which the antenna size is synthetically increased along the platform propagation direction. The proposed method is demonstrated via Matlab simulation as well as through laboratory experiment.