High Areal Capacity Li‐Ion Storage of Binder‐Free Metal Vanadate/Carbon Hybrid Anode by Ion‐Exchange Reaction

Storing more energy in a limited device area is very challenging but crucial for the applications of flexible and wearable electronics. Metal vanadates have been regarded as a fascinating group of materials in many areas, especially in lithium‐ion storage. However, there has not been a versatile strategy to synthesize flexible metal vanadate hybrid nanostructures as binder‐free anodes for Li‐ion batteries so far. A convenient and versatile synthesis of M_xV_yO_x+2.5y@carbon cloth (M = Mn, Co, Ni, Cu) composites is proposed here based on a two‐step hydrothermal route. As‐synthesized products demonstrate hierarchical proliferous structure, ranging from nanoparticles (0D), and nanobelts (1D) to a 3D interconnected network. The metal vanadate/carbon hybrid nanostructures exhibit excellent lithium storage capability, with a high areal specific capacity up to 5.9 mAh cm^?2 (which equals to 1676.8 mAh g^?1) at a current density of 200 mA g^?1. Moreover, the nature of good flexibility, mixed valence states, and ultrahigh mass loading density (over 3.5 mg cm^?2) all guarantee their great potential in compact energy storage for future wearable devices and other related applications.     

AC powder electroluminescent displays

Abstract— The current status of AC powder electroluminescent (ACPEL) displays is reviewed with particular emphasis given to color and lifetime. The printing of the displays in forward and reverse architectures is also discussed, in addition to the fabrication of ACPEL displays with interdigitated electrodes, and different types of ACPEL phosphors and materials for back electrodes, transparent conducting electrodes, binders, and dielectrics are considered. Furthermore, shape conformable and highly flexible ACPEL displays are surveyed.     

Extension to the analytical model of the interdigital electrodes capacitance for a multi-layered structure

Interdigital electrodes (IE) are one of the most used transducers in different technical and analytical applications with the particular importance in the field of chemical and biological sensors. With the recent demand for lab-on-a-chip devices and the need for sensors miniaturization it becomes common the use of such transducers in structures with several dielectric layers (either substrates or superstrates). In a previous a work we proposed a model for the computation of the capacitance of these multi-layered structures using the techniques of conformal mapping and partial capacitance. Until now, that model has been used in applications where the permittivity of consecutive layers monotonically decreases from layer to layer (as we move away from the electrodes plane) giving excellent results. New applications, such as the use of Si/SiO₂ substrates (to promote very smooth surfaces for electrodes deposition) or the use of passivation layers for the protection of electrodes (e.g. from liquids), among others, represent a new challenge for the computation of the overall capacitance since in these devices the permittivity can decrease from layer to layer. Under these conditions the original partial capacitance technique needs to be modified to include these new configurations. In this work we will discuss a new approach, splitting the concept of partial capacitance in parallel partial capacitance and serial partial capacitance where new conformal mapping transformations are proposed for the latter case. Hence this novel approach will extend our previous analytical model in order to account for the cases where there is a decrease in the permittivity from layer to layer. The results are compared with finite element simulation and experimental results.     

中国微米纳米-碳纳米管可控介电泳参数模拟研究

碳纳米管的结构以及微电极的物性参数是微纳器件制备过程中影响介电泳效率与精度的重要因素.微电极形状和电极间距与碳纳米管长度之比(λ)是两个与器件制造成本紧密相关的可控介电泳参数.本文根据有限元方法,研究了这两个参数对于介电泳力的影响规律.通过对3种电极下的碳纳米管介电泳速度进行归一化处理,结果表明碳纳米管在分散液中的介电泳速度受电极形状影响较小.而相比于电极形状,λ对介电泳力的影响更加显著.虽然电极间距越小越有利于碳纳米管的组装,但是考虑微电极加工难度与成本,认为λ在0.5~1.0为碳纳米管组装的优化区间.根据介电泳组装实验需要,给出了溶液阈值浓度修正表达式.本研究对于提高介电泳组装效率和实验精度具有一定的理论指导意义.     

The electrooxidation of sulfur-containing compounds at boron-doped diamond electrode

The electrooxidation of homocysteine, glutathione (GSH), 2-mercapto ethanesulfonic acid and cephalexin at boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes and glassy carbon (GC) electrodes was investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The oxidation of these sulfur-containing compounds exhibited well-defined irreversible responses. This preliminary study has shown that BDD has better sensitivity than GC. Concentration dependence has been studied and indicated the promise of using BDD electrodes for quantitative determination. All of the compounds displayed recognizable oxidation peaks at BDD electrodes at millimolar concentration levels. Scan rate dependence of GSH has been examined. It was shown that there was no adsorption on the surface of the BDD electrode for the low concentration.     

基于织物电极的心电监测系统

为解决传统动态心电监测存在的一些问题,例如粘性心电电极刺激皮肤、信噪比随使用时间延长而下降、动态心电图仪缺乏实时分析能力等,研制了一种可穿戴心电异常检测系统。制作了有导电织物材料心电电极的穿戴衣,设计了心电信号采集装置,提出了基于分析R-R间期和QRS波群波形的异常心电波形检测算法,在PDA（Personal Digital Assistant）平台上实现了基于该算法的异常心电信号识别软件。通过实际测试,验证了本系统的有效性和可靠性。     

Effect of electrochemical oxidation on carbon nanotube electrodes of electric double layer capacitors

Electrochemical oxidation of the carbon nanotube (CNT) polarizable electrodes of electric double layer capacitors (EDLCs) was studied. It indicated that electrochemical oxidation elevated the available surface area of the electrodes and introduced some kinds of functional group on the CNT surfaces. The specific capacitances of the polarizable electrodes with organic electrolyte could be enhanced from 22.4 F g-1 to 78.2 F g-1 after electrolysis oxidization. The enhancement of the specific capacitance depends on the extent of electrochemical oxidation. Using acidic electrolyte for electrochemical oxidation has different effects on modifying the performances of the CNT polarizable electrodes compared to using basic electrolyte.     

Enhancing displacement of lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) thin-film membrane microactuators via a dual electrode design

A common design of piezoelectric microactuators adopts a membrane structure that consists of a base silicon diaphragm, a layer of bottom electrode, a layer of piezoelectric thin film, and a layer of top electrode. In particular, the piezoelectric thin film is often made of lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) for its high piezoelectric constants. When driven electrically, the PZT thin film extends or contracts flexing the membrane and generating an out-of-plane displacement. Many manufacturing defects, however, could significantly reduce the designed actuator displacement. Examples include residual stresses, warping, non-uniform etching of the silicon diaphragm, and misalignment between the top electrode and the silicon diaphragm. The purpose of this paper is to develop a dual top-electrode design to enhance the actuator displacement. In this design, the top electrode consists of two disconnected (thus independent) electrode areas, while a continuous bottom electrode serves as the ground. The two top electrodes are located in two regions with opposite curvature when the diaphragm deflects. When the two top electrodes are driven in an out-of-phase manner, the actuator displacement is enhanced. Finite element analyses and experimental measurements both confirm the feasibility of this design. When manufacturing defects are present, experimental results indicate that the actuator displacement can be optimized by adjusting the phase difference between the dual top electrodes.