Coil‐Type Asymmetric Supercapacitor Electrical Cables

Cable‐shaped supercapacitors (SCs) have recently aroused significant attention due to their attractive properties such as small size, lightweight, and bendability. Current cable‐shaped SCs have symmetric device configuration. However, if an asymmetric design is used in cable‐shaped supercapacitors, they would become more attractive due to broader cell operation voltages, which results in higher energy densities. Here, a novel coil‐type asymmetric supercapacitor electrical cable (CASEC) is reported with enhanced cell operation voltage and extraordinary mechanical‐electrochemical stability. The CASECs show excellent charge–discharge profiles, extraordinary rate capability (95.4%), high energy density (0.85 mWh cm⁻³), remarkable flexibility and bendability, and superior bending cycle stability (≈93.0% after 4000 cycles at different bending states). In addition, the CASECs not only exhibit the capability to store energy but also to transmit electricity simultaneously and independently. The integrated electrical conduction and storage capability of CASECS offer many potential applications in solar energy storage and electronic gadgets.     

A distributed state estimation method for power systems incorporating linear and nonlinear models

High-voltage transmission networks are commonly equipped with phasor measurement units (PMU), and some of them are PMU observable. However, PMUs are seldom installed in distribution networks due to budget limitations. The state estimation equations of PMU observable areas are linear, while those of other areas remain nonlinear. This paper proposes a new distributed state estimation method for solving multi-area state estimation problems, in which linear models are used for high-voltage transmission network, while nonlinear models are adopted for other areas. In PMU observable area, we select coordinating variables as generalized cost functions which accurately represent the sensitivity between the linear SE objective function and boundary states. Consequently, SE results identical to a centralized estimator can be obtained without iterations at the coordination level. This paper presents the problem model and theoretical analysis of the proposed method, and shows its effectiveness by numerical tests.     

Nonlinear dynamic behaviors and control based on simulation of high-purity heat integrated air separation column

In this paper, the dynamic behaviors on the basis of simulation for high-purity heat integrated air separation column (HIASC) are studied. A nonlinear generic model control (GMC) scheme is proposed based on the nonlinear behavior analyses of a HIASC process, and an adaptive generic model control (AGMC) scheme is further presented to correct the model parameters online. Related internal model control (IMC) scheme and multi-loop PID (M-PID) scheme are also developed as the comparative base. The comparative researches are carried out among these linear and nonlinear control schemes in detail. The simulation research results show that the proposed AGMC schemes present advantages in both servo control and regulatory control for the high-purity HIASC.     

Photochemical Reactions in Supramolecular Assemblies of Gels: Dimerizations and Polymerizations via Pericyclic Reactions

Gel state reactions offer new direction for the reactivity of the organic molecules or metal‐organic materials upon photoirradiation with shorter reaction times and high yields compared to solid and solution states. The restricted molecular movement among the molecules in the soft solids control the stereoselectivity of the photoproducts in the gel state reactions. To date, most of the strategies based on self‐assembly have been demonstrated in the solid state, in particular for [2+2] reactions of olefins and polymerization reactions of diacetylenes via 1,4 addition. The soft materials are of emerging materials in recent days given their many applicative day‐to‐day aspects. This review gives a glimpse of recent reports on pericyclic reactions in the gel state that are designed based on the self‐assembly concept. Also it highlights how such reactions accompany the physical changes in the structure of the gels and stereo controlled products with high yields.     

Excited-state absorption of meso-tetrasulfonatophenyl porphyrin: Effects of pH and micelles

The influence of the environment on the excited state transitions of meso-tetrakis(p-sulfonatophenyl) porphyrin (TPPS) is reported. TPPS was investigated in protonated and non-protonated forms, and in the presence of the cationic cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) micelles. The singlet excited-state absorption spectra were measured by using the white-light continuum Z-scan technique and the triplet–triplet absorption spectra were acquired employing an association of laser flash photolysis and Z-scan techniques. Our results show that the perseveration of the molecular symmetry, upon excitation, depends on the state of multiplicity of the molecules, as well as on the environment and structural characteristics of the porphyrin. Additionally, it was observed that for excited molecules, the ring distortion caused by the protonation of porphyrin ring has great influence on the changes observed for the symmetry and vibronic structure. The results clearly show that the porphyrin investigated is a promising candidate for optical limiting applications for all investigated environments.     

A unified critical state model for geomaterials with an application to tunnelling

This paper is prepared in honour of Professor E.T. Brown for his outstanding contributions to rock mechanics and geotechnical engineering and also for his personal influence on the first author's research career in geomechanics and geotechnical engineering. As a result, we have picked a topic that reflects two key research areas in which Professor E.T. Brown has made seminal contributions over a long and distinguished career. These two areas are concerned with the application of the critical state concept to modelling geomaterials and the analysis of underground excavation or tunnelling in geomaterials.Partially due to Professor Brown's influence, the first author has also been conducting research in these two areas over many years. In particular, this paper aims to describe briefly the development of a unified critical state model for geomaterials together with an application to cavity contraction problems and tunnelling in soils.     

Anti‐Sway Crane Control Considering Wind Disturbance and Container Mass

A method for estimating the sway angle using an observer has already been proposed. The state observer estimates the sway angle accurately and must use the detected sway angle value. However, the estimated sway angle has an error owing to rope length error, friction force, and wind. Moreover, the container mass cannot be determined, and therefore the observer parameter is not suitable. We already proposed robust antisway control for overcoming rope length error without adding a new sensor. Further, we designed a friction disturbance observer to cancel out the influence of the friction force. In this paper, we first propose a container mass estimation method when a crane system performs rolling up control. The observer parameter can be selected using the estimated mass value. Second, in crane parallel shift control, we propose a robust antisway control even when there is a wind disturbance. We design a wind disturbance observer and propose a wind disturbance estimator to separate the friction observer output from the wind disturbance observer output. We confirm through experiments that the proposed method can reduce vibration.     

Computational studies on the radiative and nonradiative processes of luminescent N-heteroleptic platinum(II) complexes

Three N-heteroleptic Pt(II) complexes, [Pt(C^C)(O^O)] [O^O = acetylacetonate, C^C = 1-phenyl-1,2,4-triazol-5-ylidene (1), C^C = 4-phenyl-1,2,4-triazol-5-ylidene (2), C^C = 2-phenylpyrazine (3)] have been investigated with density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). The radiative decay rate constants of complexes 1–3 have been discussed with the oscillator strength (f_n), the strength of spin–orbit coupling (SOC) interaction between the lowest energy triplet excited state (T₁) and singlet excited states (S_n), and the energy gaps between E(T₁) and E(S_n). To illustrate the nonradiative decay processes, the transition states between triplet metal-centered (³MC) and T₁ states have been optimized and were verified with the calculations of vibrational frequencies and intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC). In addition, the minimum energy crossing points (MECPs) between ³MC and ground states (S₀) were optimized. At last, the potential energy curves relevant to the nonradiative decay pathways are simulated. The results show that complex 3 has the biggest photoluminescence quantum yield because the complex 3 has the biggest radiative decay rate constant and the smallest nonradiative decay rate constant in complexes 1–3.     

A lightweight autonomous MAV for indoor search and rescue

Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) have great potentials to be applied for indoor search and rescue missions. In this paper, we propose a modular lightweight design of an autonomous MAV with integrated hardware and software. The MAV is equipped with the 2D laser scanner, camera, mission computer and flight controller, running all the computation onboard in real time. The onboard perception system includes a laser‐based SLAM module and a custom‐designed visual detection module. A dual Kalman filter design provides robust state estimation by multiple sensor fusion. Specifically, the fusion module provides robust altitude measurement in the circumstance of surface changing. In addition, indoor‐outdoor transition is explicitly handled by the fusion module. In order to efficiently navigate through obstacles and adapt to multiple tasks, a task tree‐based mission planning method is seamlessly integrated with path planning and control modules. The MAV is capable of searching and rescuing victims from unknown indoor environments effectively. It was validated by our award‐winning performance at the 2017 International Micro Air Vehicle Competition (IMAV 2017), held in Toulouse, France. The performance video is available on https://youtu.be/8H19ppS_VXM .     

Revisiting the Parallel Strategy for DOACROSS Loops

Journal of Computer Science and Technology - DOACROSS loops are significant parts in many important scientific and engineering applications, which are generally exploited pipeline/wave-front...