Preparation and properties of heterocyclically conjugated poly(3‐hexylthiophene)–clay nanocomposite materials

A series of heterocyclically conjugated polymer–clay nanocomposite (PCN) materials that consisted of organic poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and inorganic montmorillonite (MMT) clay platelets were prepared by in situ oxidative polymerization with FeCl₃ as an oxidant. The as‐synthesized PCN materials were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, wide‐angle powder X‐ray diffraction (WAXRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effects of the material composition on the anticorrosion, gas barrier, thermal stability, flammability, mechanical strength, and electrical conductivity properties of the P3HT and PCN materials were studied by electrochemical corrosion measurements, gas‐permeability analysis (GPA), thermogrametric analysis (TGA), limiting oxygen index (LOI) measurements, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and a four‐point probe technique, respectively. The molecular weights of extracted and bulk P3HT were determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) with THF as an eluant. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 3438–3446, 2004     

Electrodeposition Behaviour of Cadmium Telluride from 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium Chloride Tetrafluoroborate Ionic Liquid

Voltammetry at a glassy carbon electrode was used to study the electrochemical deposition of Cd–Te from the Lewis basic 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride/tetrafluoroborate air-stable room temperature ionic liquid between 80 °C and 140 °C. Deposition of tellurium alone occurs through a four-electron reduction of Te(iv) to Te which could be further reduced to Te(-ii) at a more negative potential. The Cd–Te electrodeposits could be obtained by the underpotential deposition (UPD) of Cd on the deposited Te. The UPD of Cd on Te was, however, limited by a slow charge transfer rate. Samples of Cd–Te electrodeposits were prepared on tungsten and titanium substrates and characterized by energy dispersive spectroscope (EDS), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). The results showed that an excess amount of Cd(ii) was required in order to prepare CdTe codeposits with a Cd/Te atomic ratio approached 1/1. The deposit composition was independent of the deposition potential within the Cd UPD range. Raising the deposition temperature increased the UPD rate of Cd and promoted the formation polycrystalline CdTe.     

Hierarchical inversion‐based output tracking control for uncertain autonomous underwater vehicles using extended Kalman filter

In this study, a hierarchical inversion‐based output tracking controller (HIOTC) is developed for an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) subject to random uncertainties (e.g., current disturbances, unmodeled dynamics, and parameter variations) and noises (e.g., process and measurement noises). The proposed HIOTC respectively utilizes a combination of feedforward and feedback controls in a hierarchical structure based on the kinematic and dynamic models of the system. Moreover, to obtain uncontaminated or unavailable states for implementing the proposed control law, the extended Kalman filter (EKF) is employed to estimate the system states. Then, the position outputs, orientation, and velocity of the AUV are reached with guaranteed asymptotic stability. The robustness of the proposed HIOTC is verified through injection of random uncertainties into the system model. The closed‐loop stability of the proposed individual subsystems is respectively guaranteed to have uniformly ultimately bounded (UUB) performance based on the Lyapunov stability criteria. In addition, the asymptotic tracking of the overall system is demonstrated using Barbalat's lemma. Finally, the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed control scheme are evaluated through computer simulations and it is shown that the overall system achieves good asymptotic tracking performance.     

富CoCr含量CoCrNiAlTi中熵合金的高温强韧化行为及微观机制

本工作研究了富CoCr含量的CoCrNi基中熵合金的高温力学性能及其变形机制。研究发现,经过热锻以及时效热处理,成分为Co_33.3Cr_30.6Ni_26.1Al₅Ti₅ (at%)中熵合金在600～800℃的温度范围内具有优异的瞬时拉伸性能。特别是,在700℃条件下出现反常屈服,屈服强度高达为944 MPa,拉伸塑性为16%,优于大多数镍基以及钴基高温合金。通过X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电镜(SEM)、透射电镜(TEM)和三维原子探针(3D-APT)等手段,发现高体积分数的多主元γ′[(Ni,Co,Cr)₃(Al,Ti)]相的有序强化以及晶界处生成的多主元富(Co,Cr)面心立方相(fcc)结构相引起的晶界强化是该合金在高温条件下实现强韧化的主要因素。     

Assessment of Oligogalacturonide from Citrus Pectin as a Potential Antibacterial Agent against Foodborne Pathogens

Foodborne diseases are an important public health problem in the world. The bacterial resistance against presently used antibiotics is becoming a public health issue; hence, the discovery of new antimicrobial agents from natural sources attracts a lot of attention. Antibacterial activities of oligogalacturonide from commercial microbial pectic enzyme (CPE) treated citrus pectin, which exhibits antioxidant and antitumor activities, against 4 foodborne pathogens including Salmonella Typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was assessed. Pectin hydrolysates from CPE hydrolysis exhibited antibacterial activities. However, no antibacterial activity of pectin was observed. Citrus oligogalacturonide from 24‐h hydrolysis exhibited bactericidal effect against all selected foodborne pathogens and displayed minimal inhibitory concentration at 37.5 μg/mL for P. aeruginosa, L. monocytogenes, and S. Typhimurium, and at 150.0 μg/mL for S. aureus.     

Effect of length on the fundamental resonance frequency of arterial models having radial dilatation

The pressure wave moving along an elastic artery filled with blood was examined as a moving Windkessel having a natural oscillation angular frequency nu 0 and a damping coefficient b. The radial directional motion for an element of the wall segment and the adherent fluid was considered. This equation was solved with conditions at both ends of an artery of length L. An external impulse force was applied at one end and a static pressure Po at the other. Analytic solution allowed only certain oscillation modes of resonance frequencies fn, where fn2 = a + cnL-2 with [formula: see text] and V infinity is the high frequency phase velocity. The relationship between f0 and L was examined experimentally for tubes constructed of latex, rubber, or dissected aorta. The effect of raising the static pressure P0 or increasing the tension in the tube was consistent with the prediction. The hypertension that accompanies an augmentation in arterial wall and the association between the heart rate and the mean blood pressure were discussed.     

Ergonomics interventions for wafer‐handling task in semiconductor manufacturing industry

This article presents the ergonomic interventions in a semiconductor manufacturing company, with a focus on evaluating the effect of pod (wafer container) type and carrying distance on participants' maximal acceptable weight of lift (MAWL), heart rate (HR), wrist posture, and perceived exertion rating. Sixteen field operators participated in this study. The results indicate using the new pod with power grip handles produced greater MAWL than the old pod with pinch grip handles. On the other hand, the new pod also induced greater radial deviations than the old type. Recommendation for improving pod handle design is provided. Further, the increased carrying distance caused a decrease in MAWL and an increase in HR. Thus, using cart for intrabay pod transfer and minimizing manual carrying is also recommended. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.