Supercritical fluid‐assisted electroless metal plating onto aramid films: The influence of thermal treatment

Although the production of electro‐conductive aramid fibers is efficient, the method needs to be modified before it can be applied to aramid films. Whereas impregnation of an aramid film with a metal complex using supercritical CO₂ is achievable, the relatively low adhesion strength of the metal layer applied using electroless copper plating is problematic. To solve this problem, thermal treatment was conducted before, after, or both before and after electroless plating. The rationale for using thermal treatment to improve the adhesiveness of the plated layer was based on the findings that (1) an aramid film contains a significant amount of water (about 3.5 % w.o.f.), which might have a negative impact on adhesion; and (2) because an impregnated metal complex liberates metal catalyst by thermal decomposition during impregnation, a supplementary thermal action might liberate more catalyst and thereby improve adhesion. We found that thermal treatment improved adhesion of the metal layer to the aramid film. Moreover, we discovered that with respect to electroless copper plating, a short time‐lag was crucial to obtaining a thin and homogeneous metal layer with strong adhesion. In addition, we demonstrate the affinity of an aramid film for Pd(acac)₂. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Design and development of highly efficient transducer for ultrasonic wireless power transmission system

In this paper, a transducer that is suitable for the ultrasonic wireless power transmission system is discussed. The transducer is designed based on Mason's equivalent circuit theory, basically. The transducer was developed using design parameters optimized by multiphysics analysis. As a result, it is con?rmed that the transmission e?ciency is drastically improved to more than 50%. This result suggests that wireless power transmission by acoustic wave is feasible. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 184(3): 27–35, 2013; Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.22406     

Gaseous diffusion coefficients of methyl bromide and methyl iodide into air,nitrogen, and oxygen

The gaseous diffusion coefficients of methyl bromide (CH₃Br) and methyl iodide (CH₃I) into dry air, nitrogen, and oxygen have been measured in the temperature range 303–453 K and at atmospheric pressure via the Taylor dispersion method. Both for methyl bromide and methyl iodide, the diffusion coefficients do not vary in practice on substituting pure nitrogen or oxygen for dry air. The diffusion coefficients for methyl iodide are systematically smaller than those for methyl bromide by about 11%. For the methyl iodide‐oxygen system, the effect of the thermal decomposition of methyl iodide has been observed at 453 K. The present results can be reproduced well by the functional form D = AT^B, where D (cm²s^?1) is the diffusion coefficient at 101 325 Pa (1 atm) and T (K) is the absolute temperature. The constants A and B are as follows: methyl bromide‐(air, nitrogen, oxygen), A = 5.57 × 10^?6, B = 1.76; methyl iodide‐(air, nitrogen, oxygen), A = 5.26 × 10^?6, B = 1.75. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20255     

X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of plasma-polymer interactions for development of low-damage plasma processing of soft materials

Plasma-polymer interactions have been investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) films, which have been exposed to argon plasmas driven by low-inductance antenna modules as a parameter of ion energy. The AFM images indicated that the argon plasma exposure exhibited a significant change in surface roughness. The XPS analyses suggested that the degradation of chemical bonding structure and/or bond scission of PET could be effectively suppressed in the plasma exposures with ion energies below 6 eV. However, significant degradations of O = C-O bond, C-O bond and phenyl group were observed with increasing ion energy above 6 eV.     

Electronically controlled high-speed wavelength-tunable femtosecondsoliton pulse generation using acoustooptic modulator

The compact system of electronically controlled high-speed wavelength-tunable femtosecond (fs) soliton pulse generation is realized for the first time using a passively mode-locked fs fiber laser, a polarization maintaining optical fiber, and an acoustooptic (A-O) modulator. The wavelength of the output pulses can be continuously tuned simply by controlling the input voltage into the A-O modulator. The wavelength of the soliton pulses can be changed at 2.5-μs intervals. Wavelength stabilization, time division wavelength multiplexed soliton pulse generation, and a wavelength scanner have been demonstrated     

活性炭及工艺参数对所制固体活性炭性能的影响

以煤焦油基活性炭(TAC)和椰子壳活性炭(CAC)为原料,以聚乙烯醇缩丁醛(PVB)为粘接剂,以邻苯二甲酸二丁酯(DBP)为增塑剂,通过混合、成型、硬化及炭化处理,最终制得固体活性炭。详细地考查了工艺条件(如强度、收率、收缩率、比表面积等)的影响。研究结果表明对于椰子壳活性炭来说,制备高强度(>5000kPa)的固体活性炭是困难的,其主要原因在于椰子壳活性炭比煤焦油基活性炭含有更少的表面官能团(-COOH,-OH等),而这些官能团可能增强PVB在活性炭表面的粘接,并且参与粘接剂的氧化硬化,硬化的粘接剂在炭化过程中在活性炭颗粒间形成炭桥或者枝状结构而粘接这些颗粒。因此,为了制备高强度的固体活性炭,椰子壳活性炭的表面改性是必要的。     

Decoupling torque control system for automotive engine tester

This paper presents a novel decoupling control method for the engine torque control of an automobile engine tester. The engine tester is mainly composed of a dynamometer control system and an engine control system. The conventional engine tester has the problem that the performance of the engine torque control system is deteriorated by the influences of the interference between the dynamometer speed control system and the engine torque control system. The authors proposed the practical engine torque control system based on an observer and an identification system to eliminate the interference of the dynamometer speed control system. The effect of observer's parameter error on the engine torque estimation response was analyzed. According to the result of this analysis, a practical method is proposed to identify the engine inertia moment and the shaft spring coefficient that are parameters of the observer. The authors confirmed through simulation and experiments that the proposed decoupling engine torque control system realizes a robust control system from the interference with the dynamometer speed control system     

Pinning of the Fermi Level in CuFeO2 by Polaron Formation Limiting the Photovoltage for Photochemical Water Splitting

CuFeO₂ is recognized as a potential photocathode for photo(electro)chemical water splitting. However, photocurrents with CuFeO₂‐based systems are rather low so far. In order to optimize charge carrier separation and water reduction kinetics, defined CuFeO₂/Pt, CuFeO₂/Ag, and CuFeO₂/NiO_x(OH)_y heterostructures are made in this work through a photodeposition procedure based on a 2H CuFeO₂ hexagonal nanoplatelet shaped powder. However, water splitting performance tests in a closed batch photoreactor show that these heterostructured powders exhibit limited water reduction efficiencies. To test whether Fermi level pinning intrinsically limits the water reduction capacity of CuFeO₂, the Fermi level tunability in CuFeO₂ is evaluated by creating CuFeO₂/ITO and CuFeO₂/H₂O interfaces and analyzing the electronic and chemical properties of the interfaces through photoelectron spectroscopy. The results indicate that Fermi level pinning at the Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ electron polaron formation level may intrinsically prohibit CuFeO₂ from acquiring enough photovoltage to reach the water reduction potential. This result is complemented with density functional theory calculations as well.     

Seasonal development of Leptotrombidium akamushi (Acari: Trombiculidae) under field temperatures

Engorged larvae of Leptotrombidium akamushi (Brumpt), a vector of scrub typhus, were reared in small plastic containers placed on the ground and fed fresh eggs of the collembolan Sinella curviseta Brook. Engorged larvae obtained in October developed into deutonymphs through protonymphs approximately 1 mo before winter and became dormant in the cold winter season (approximately 3 mo). Most deutonymphs developed into tritonymphs in April and adults in May. Females began laying eggs in mid-June and the numbers of unfed larvae showed a peak in August. The mites reared from July rapidly developed into adults by August, and laid eggs in September. Larvae were most abundant in October, and adults became dormant in the winter. The same adults laid eggs from early May to late June and, upon hatching, the larval population peaked in early July of the 2nd summer. Most larvae died before the 2nd winter. Eggs hatched approximately 3 wk after oviposition and longevity of unfed larvae was 2 mo. Because of this very short incubation period, L. akamushi larvae occur in the summer, whereas L. pallidum Nagayo, Miyagawa, Mitamura & Tamiya, and L. scutellare Nagayo, Miyagawa, Mitamura, Tamiya & Tenjin occur in the autumn, although 3 species lay eggs from May to August.