Improved direct inverse tracking control of a piezoelectric tube scanner for high-speed AFM imaging

For a piezoelectric tube scanner (PTS), this paper proposes an improved direct inverse tracking control algorithm and apply it to an atomic force microscope (AFM) to accomplish high-speed scanning tasks. That is, to enhance the high-speed tracking control performance of a PTS, an improved direct inverse rate-dependent Prandtl–Ishlinskii (P–I) model is firstly constructed, which includes a polynomial module to eliminate the structure nonlinearity. Based on the model, a practical feedforward control law is then designed to implement high-speed tracking control for a high-frequency trajectory with strong robustness, which presents the advantages of high-speed response, simple structure and convenient implementation. Subsequently, the designed feedforward law is combined with a feedback component, and the combined control strategy is employed in an AFM to accomplish fast imaging tasks. Numerous experimental results are then collected, which convincingly demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed practical model/control scheme.     

Long-range Coulomb interaction effects on polarons in conjugated polymers

Combining the Su–Schrieffer–Heeger and Pariser–Parr–Pople model (SSH+PPP), we have studied the influence of electron–electron interactions on the motion and dissociation of a polaron in the presence of an electric field, with emphasis on the long-range Coulomb interactions. The multiconfigurational time-dependent Hartree–Fock (MCTDHF) formalism was used to compute the electron–electron interactions. How the saturated velocity and the critical dissociation electric field of the polaron are related to the on-site Coulomb repulsion and long-range Coulomb interactions has been investigated. It was found that the on-site Coulomb interaction does not favor the motion of a polaron. There is a critical strength of the long-range Coulomb interaction for which the polaron takes on the most localized configuration. Comparing with the results obtained using the extended Hubbard model, we found that competition between the long-range Coulomb interactions and the on-site Coulomb interaction leads to a non-monotonic dependence of both the saturated velocity and the critical dissociation electric field on the long-range Coulomb interactions.     

Frequency response data-based peak filter design applied to MIMO large-scale high-precision scan stage

A large-scale high-precision scan stage is important equipment in the industrial productions of micro-fabrication such as flat panel display (FPD) lithography systems. Designing controllers for multi-input multi-output (MIMO) systems is time-consuming and needs experience because of the interaction between each axis and many controller tuning parameters. The aim of this study is to develop a peak filter design method based on frequency response data to reduce repetitive disturbance. This data-based approach does not use the model and only uses the frequency response data of the controlled system and the disturbance spectrum calculated from the scanning error data (Contribution 1). The peak filter is designed by convex optimization and satisfies robust stability conditions for six-degree-of-freedom systems (Contribution 2). The control performance of the designed peak filter is experimentally demonstrated with an industrial MIMO large-scale high-precision scan stage in reducing the scanning error of the main stroke of the translation along the $x$-axis (Contribution 3).     

A critical analysis of Z-source converters considering the effects of internal resistances

Nowadays Z-source networks are the most promising power converter networks that cover almost all electric power conversion (dc–dc, dc–ac, ac–dc and ac–ac) applications. However, the controller design is critical for Z-source converter (ZSC) due to the presence right-half-plane zero (RHPZ) in the control-to-capacitor-voltage transfer function. This RHPZ exhibits non-minimum phase undershoot in the capacitor voltage and also in the dc-link voltage waveforms. A perfect small-signal model is required to predict locations of the RHP zero and its dynamics. This paper contributes towards the small-signal analysis of ZSC under continuous conduction mode considering the parasitic resistance of the inductor, equivalent series resistance of the capacitor, internal resistances of active switch and forward voltage drop of the diode. The maximum allowable value of shoot-through duty ratio (STDR) and voltage gain for different values of the internal resistance and load resistance are discussed in this paper. The accuracy of the developed small-signal average model is compared with detailed circuit model in MATLAB/SIMULINK. Finally, the steady-state simulation results of ZSC are validated with hardware results.     

Output feedback and dynamical sliding-mode control of power converters

Using the underlying idea of the most widely accepted controller for power converters, the current-mode control, a new dynamical and sliding-mode control for dc–dc power converters, is proposed. The controller requires only voltage measurements; is easy to design; is robust under load and input voltage variations, exhibits fast response and does not depend on the load (although a knowledge of the load range is necessary to tune the controller). In spite of these features, it can be easily implemented using standard electronics components. The stability analysis is carried out using the discontinuous (large signal) nonlinear model. This analysis provides a set of controller admissible parameters to keep closed-loop system stability.     

Phase-synchroniser based on gm-C all-pass filter chain with sliding mode control

Phase-synchronisers have many applications in VLSI circuit designs. They are used in CMOS RF circuits including phase (de)modulators, phase recovery circuits, multiphase synthesis, etc. In this article, a phase-synchroniser based on g_m-C all-pass filter chain with sliding mode control is presented. The filter chain provides good controllable delay characteristics over the full range of phase and frequency regulation, without deterioration of input signal amplitude and waveform, while the sliding mode control enables us to achieve fast and predetermined finite locking time. IHP 0.25 µm SiGe BiCMOS technology has been used in design and verification processes. The circuit operates in the frequency range from 33 MHz up to 150 MHz. Simulation results indicate that it is possible to achieve very fast synchronisation time period, which is approximately four time intervals of the input signal during normal operation, and 20 time intervals during power-on.     

Synthesis and characterization of ceria quantum dots using effective surfactants

The stable and crystalline phase of different surfactants (CTAB, PEG and SDS) capped CeO₂ nanoparticles were directly synthesized by chemical precipitation method at room temperature. The effects of surfactants on the structural and optical properties of nanoparticles are characterized. The optical properties of the nanoparticles were investigated by UV–visible and PL spectroscopy. The effects of surfactants with observed band shifts are due to quantum confinement effect. The optical band gap values are determined by simple energy wave equation and Tauc plot method. The observed particle sizes are very closer to the Bohr exitonic radius. The emission bands such as violet, blue, green and orange are observed in PL spectra. The PL integrated intensity ratio of the UV emission to the deep-level green emission (I_UV/I_DLE) for CTAB, PEG and SDS capped CeO₂ nanoparticles are observed. The XRD measurement shows that CeO₂ has cubic fluorite structure having the particle size 6–10 nm. The lattice strains were detected by Williamson–Hall plot method. The surface morphology of the nanoparticles is studied by SEM and FESEM analysis. TEM images show that the particles are nearly spherical in shape with diameter of 5–10 nm. Using FTIR spectra, the functional groups of the ceria are identified.     

2,2-Dicyanovinyl-end-capped oligothiophenes as electron acceptor in solution processed bulk-heterojunction organic solar cells

Three 2,2-dicyanovinyl (DCV) end-capped A-π-D-π-A type oligothiophenes (DCV-OTs) containing dithieno[3,2-b:2′,3′-d]silole (DTSi), cyclopenta[1,2-b:3,4-b′]dithiophene (DTCP) or dithieno[3,2-b:2′,3′-d]pyrrole (DTPy) unit as the central donor part, mono-thiophene as the π-conjugation bridge were synthesized. The absorption spectroscopies, cyclic voltammetry of these compounds were characterized. Results showed that all these compounds have intensive absorption band over 500–680 nm with a LUMO energy level around −3.80 eV, which is slightly higher than that of [6,6]phenyl-C₆₁-butyric acid methyl ester (PC₆₁BM, E_LUMO = −4.01 eV), but lower than that of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT, E_LUMO = −2.91 eV). Solution processed bulk heterojunction “all-thiophene” solar cells using P3HT as electron donor and the above mentioned oligothiophenes as electron acceptor were fabricated and tested. The highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 1.31% was achieved for DTSi-cored compound DTSi(THDCV)₂, whereas PTB7:DTSi(THDCV)₂ based device showed slightly higher PCE of 1.56%. Electron mobilities of these three compounds were measured to be around 10⁻⁵ cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ by space charge limited current method, which is much lower than that of PC₆₁BM, and was considered as one of the reason for the low photovoltaic performance.     

Ultrathin Conductive Interlayer with High-Density Antisite Defects for Advanced Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries are promising next-generation rechargeable batteries due to thier high energy density, low cost, and environmental friendliness. However, the extremely low electrical conductivity of sulfur and the dissolution of polysulfides limit their actual electrochemical performances, especially in the case of high sulfur mass loading. Here, a new strategy based on intrinsic point defects of materials is proposed to simultaneously enhance the electrical conductivity of active material and regulate the migration of polysulfides. Taking advantage of ultrathin and lightweight Bi₂Te_2.7Se_0.3 (BTS) interlayers with high-density antisite defects on the separator surface, the Li–S battery with BTS interlayer shows a capacity of 756 mAh g⁻¹ at 2C and a low capacity decay rate of 0.1% over 300 cycles. The BTS interlayer can not only enhance the active material utilization but also improve capacity retention. The defect engineering strategy accompanied with facile method is promising for the development of advanced Li–S batteries for practical application.     

MyWelder: A collaborative system for intuitive robot-assisted welding

Welding is an industrial application where automation is always increasing. The reasons behind this are twofold: on one hand the shortage of experienced welding professionals, on the other hand the gain in process quality and productivity. However, fully automated solutions, like the use of industrial robots dedicated to welding, are difficult to be exploited, especially in small and medium-sized enterprises, due to the complexity of robot programming. In this paper, we propose MyWelder, a robot-assisted welding solution for automated MIG/MAG welding. The system is intuitive and easily programmable and ensures high productivity even with small production batches. An extended experimental validation with professional welders has been carried out to evaluate the performance of the system and its usability.