Degradation Study of Organic Semiconductor Devices Under Electrical and Optical Stresses

Degradation due to electrical and optical stresses on organic semiconductor devices fabricated with imidazolin-5-one as an active layer is studied in this letter. It is found that while both electrical and optical stresses degrade device performance, the former leads to much faster degradation as compared with the latter. It is found that in electrical-stress degradation, the drop in current is a strong function of the charge flowing through the device during stress (charge fluence). For optical-stress degradation, it is strongly dependent on the duration of stress. It is also found that the input electrical and light energy during the stress may be annealing out some of the defects in the device and, hence, mitigating the degradation due to the applied stress.     

Eutectic Combinations as a Pathway to the Formation of Substrate‐Based Au‐Ge Heterodimers and Hollowed Au Nanocrescents with Tunable Optical Properties

Pairs of immiscible elements with deep eutectics are used to synthesize periodic arrays of heterodimers and hollowed metal nanocrescents. In the devised route, substrate‐immobilized Au or Ag nanostructures act as heterogeneous nucleation sites for Ge adatoms. At elevated temperatures the adatoms collect in sufficient quantities to transform each site into a AuGe liquid alloy which, upon cooling, phase separates into elemental components sharing a common interface. The so‐formed Au‐Ge and Ag‐Ge heterodimers exhibit a complex morphology characterized by a noble metal nanocrescent which partially encapsulates one end of the Ge domain. Through the use of a selective etch the Ge component is removed, leaving behind a periodic array of hollow noble metal nanocrescents on the surface of the substrate. Optical characterization of both the heterodimers and nanocrescents indicates that the presence of Ge gives rise to a relative blue‐shift in the localized surface plasmon peak, a result that is in stark contrast to the red‐shifts typically observed when plasmonic nanostructures are in contact with a dielectric medium. Simulations are used to both rationalize the observed shift and show the potential for deriving unexpected behaviors when semishell‐like noble metal structures are in contact with high permittivity dielectric mediums.     

Biosorptive removal of cationic dye from aqueous system: a response surface methodological approach

In this study, response surface methodology (RSM) was employed for the removal of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution using neem (Azadirachta indica) bark dust (NBD) as a bioadsorbent. The influence of various process parameters namely initial concentration (500–1,000 mg L^?1), bioadsorbent dose [0.20–1.50 g (100 mL)^?1], pH (5–12), and stirring rate (250–650 rpm) was taken as an input parameter. A total of 29 biosorption experimental runs were carried out employing the detailed conditions designed by RSM based on the Box–Behnken design (BBD). Response surface plots were studied to determine the interaction effects of main factors and optimum conditions of process. Regression analysis showed good fit of the experimental data to the second-order polynomial model with coefficient of determination (R ²) value of 0.9760 and model F value of 40.68. The predicted R ² value is 0.8979. In addition, results reported in this research demonstrated the feasibility of employing NBD as bioadsorbent for MB removal.     

Nanostructured positively charged bioactive TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> layer formed on Ti metal by NaOH,acid and heat treatments

Nanometer-scale roughness was generated on the surface of titanium (Ti) metal by NaOH treatment and remained after subsequent acid treatment with HCl, HNO₃ or H₂SO₄ solution, as long as the acid concentration was not high. It also remained after heat treatment. Sodium hydrogen titanate produced by NaOH treatment was transformed into hydrogen titanate after subsequent acid treatment as long as the acid concentration was not high. The hydrogen titanate was then transformed into titanium oxide (TiO₂) of anatase and rutile by heat treatment. Treated Ti metals exhibited high apatite-forming abilities in a simulated body fluid especially when the acid concentration was greater than 10 mM, irrespective of the type of acid solutions used. This high apatite-forming ability was maintained in humid environments for long periods. The high apatite-forming ability was attributed to the positive surface charge that formed on the TiO₂ layer and not to the surface roughness or a specific crystalline phase. This positively charged TiO₂ induced apatite formation by first selectively adsorbing negatively charged phosphate ions followed by positively charged calcium ions. Apatite formation is expected on the surfaces of such treated Ti metals after short periods, even in living systems. The bonding of metal to living bone is also expected to take place through this apatite layer.     

Analysis of flange joints with elastic bolt

The contact zone and pressure distribution between two elastic plates joined by an elastic bolt and nut are estimated using finite element analysis. Smooth interfacial conditions are assumed in all the regions of contact. Eight node axisymmetric ring elements are used to model the structure. The matrix solution is obtained through frontal technique and this solution technique is shown to be very efficient for the iterative scheme adopted to determine the extent of contact. A parametric study is conducted varying the elastic properties of bolt and plate materials, bolt head diameter and thickness of the plates. The method of approach presented in this paper provides a solution with a realistic idealization of tension flange joints.     

Fungal biotechnology in food and feed processing

Fungi are of excellent value nutritionally, and of great importance to vegetarians. Edible mushrooms are excellent sources of protein, have low-fat content and are free of cholesterol. They are easily cultivable and are consumed either in fresh or processed form. Yeasts and filamentous fungi secrete a plethora of important enzymes in the growth medium together with other secondary metabolites. Most of these are hydrolytic in nature being employed in different food processing industries as well as in refinement of fodder quality. Edible filamentous fungi producing these enzymes present an added advantage for their use in food and feed. In this article these aspects will be discussed along with the results from edible mushroom Termitomyces clypeatus, producing a wide variety of hydrolytic enzymes and products, from our laboratory. It is likely that the functional understanding of different enzyme classes will provide new applications within the food industry in the future.     

New source of α-eleostearic acid: Ricinocarpus bowmanii and Ricinocarpus tuberculatus seed oils

Seed oils of Ricinocarpus bowmanii F Muell and Ricinocarpus tuberculatus Muell Arg (Euphorbiaceae) were found to contain 60.9 and 46.8% of a-eleostearic acid (cis-9, trans-1 1, trans-13-octadecatrienoic acid). a-Eleostearic acid was identijied and estimated by using a combination of spectroscopic and chromatographic analyses.     

Characteristics and Composition of Six Newer Seeds and the Oils

The seeds of Jatropha pandureaefolia, Jatropha podagarica, Phyllanthus maderaspatensis, Croton sparciflorus (Euphorbiaceae), Heynea trijuga (Meliaceae) and Millingtonia hortensis (Bignoniaceae) respectively contained 33.2, 34.1, 16.3, 20.4, 34.7 and 39.5% oil, and 12.6, 15.0, 14.6, 14.9, 15.7 and 18.5% protein. The oils were examined for their physico-chemical characteristics and fatty acid compositions. The predominant fatty acid was linoleic in J. pandureaefolia (79.8%) J. podagarica (71.4%) and M. hortensis (72.7%), linolinic in P. maderaspatensis (64.4%) and C. sparciflorus (56.6%), and oliec in H. trijuga (81.8%) fatty acids.     

Corrosion and Grounding Systems

Corrosion that occurs in the presence of dissimilar metals in the same electrolyte, or same metal in different electrolytes, or in different concentrations of the same electrolyte, has caused numerous problems in operating electric systems. This corrosion is the result of a potential difference existing between two surfaces which forces an electric current to flow. This effect is often ignored or overlooked in electrical grounding design, with the premise that electrical system protection will be hampered by the incorporation of corrosion protection. By careful design, however, both sets of requirements can be met. Some of the principles that determine corrosion and how these conditions exist in underground systems of cement plants are reviewed. The principles of grounding design are analyzed and suggestions to improve the design to minimize corrosion are discussed.