Study of electrospun polyacrylonitrile fibers with porous and ultrafine nanofibril structures: Effect of stabilization treatment on the resulting carbonized structure

Electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based carbon nanofibers (CNFs) with high surface area have been of promising interest because of their potential for applications in various fields, especially energy devices. In this study, PAN nanofibers with porous and ultrafine nanofiber structures were prepared by electrospinning PAN/poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) immiscible solutions and then selectively removing the PVP component from the electrospun PAN/PVP bicomponent nanofibers. The chemical reaction and microstructure of the PAN fibers with porous and ultrafine nanofibril structures in the stabilization process were investigated. The results revealed the effects of PAN fibers with porous and ultrafine nanofibril structures on the crosslinking reaction, microstructure, and morphology during the stabilization process. According to the in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results, the intermolecular and intramolecular reactions of the nitrile group for the PAN fibers with ultrafine nanofibril structures exhibited slower reaction rates than those for the neat PAN fibers during stepwise and isothermal heating. Selecting a good stabilization temperature for ultrafine PAN-crosslinked nanofibrils can enhance the surface area and carbonized structure of CNFs. The possible applications of CNFs with porous and ultrafine nanofibril structures in supercapacitors were also evaluated. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 48218.     

Plasma density measurement using a frequency sweeping short antenna

A new scheme has been developed to measure the plasma density directly with the use of a short antenna driven by a sweeping frequency RF source and biased by a variable negative dc voltage.     

Radar target discrimination using the extinction-pulse technique

An aspect independent radar target discrimination scheme based on the natural frequencies of the target is considered. An extinction-pulse waveform upon excitation of a particular conducting target results in the elimination of specified natural modal content of the scattered field. Excitation of a dissimilar target produces a noticeably different late-time response. Construction of appropriate extinction-pulse waveforms is discussed, as well as the effects of random noise on their application to thin cylinder targets. Also presented is experimental verification of this discrimination concept using simplified aircraft models.     

Frequency domain E-pulse synthesis and target discrimination

A frequency domain approach to theE-pulse radar target discrimination scheme is introduced. This approach is shown to allow easier interpretation ofE-pulse convolutions via theE-pulse spectrum, and leads to a simplified calculation of pulse basis function amplitudes in theE-pulse expansion. Experimental evidence obtained using aircraft models verifies the single-mode discrimination scheme, as well as the aspect-independent nature of theE-pulse technique. This leads to an integrated technique for target discrimination combining theE-pulse with single mode extraction waveforms.     

The influence of surface morphology of TiO2 coating on the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells

The optimization of solar energy conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) was investigated by the tuning of TiO₂ photoelectrode's surface morphology. Double-layered TiO₂ photoelectrodes with four different structures were designed by the coating of TiO₂ suspension, incorporated with low and high molecular weight poly(ethylene glycol) as a binder. Among these four systems, P2P1, where P1 and P2 correspond to the molecular weight of 20,000 and 200,000, respectively, showed the highest efficiency under the conditions of identical film thickness and constant irradiation. This can be explained by the larger pore size and higher surface area of P2P1 TiO₂ electrode than the other materials as revealed by scanning electron microscopic (SEM) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analyses. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) analysis shows that P2P1 formulation displayed a smaller resistance than the others at the TiO₂/electrolyte interface. The best efficiency (η) of 9.04% with the short-circuit photocurrent density (J_sc) and open-circuit voltage (V_oc) of 18.9 mA/cm² and 0.74 V, respectively, was obtained for a solar cell by introducing the light-scattering particles to the TiO₂ nanoparticles matrix coated on FTO electrode having the sheet resistivity of 8 Ω/sq.     

Hyperthermia by Local EM Heating and Local Conductivity Change

A study is made on the scheme of heating a local region of a biological body by utilizing an EM field and increasing the conductivity of the local region. It was found that when the frequency of the EM field is in the range of 1 to 100 MHz, the increase of the conductivity of the local region usually causes a decrease, instead of an increase, of the absorbed power in that local region. For a microwave EM field, there may exist an optimum conductivity for the local region to gain the most effective EM heating.     

Minimization of end-fire radar echo of a long thin body by impedance loading

A theory on the minimization of the end-fire radar echo of a long, thin body by an impedance loading technique is presented. When a long, thin body is illuminated by a plane wave in the region of longitudinal incidence, a large backscatter is observed. This backscatter is due to the induced traveling wave which is reflected from the rear end of the body. By an appropriate impedance loading, this backscatter can be minimized. In this paper, the induced current on a long, thin and loaded cylinder is studied. The optimum impedance loading which minimizes the end-fire radar echo is explicitly obtained. Theoretical results are compared with the experimental data and an excellent agreement is obtained.     

A dye-sensitized photo-supercapacitor based on PProDOT-Et2 thick films

A photo-rechargeable supercapacitor (photo-supercapacitor, or PSC) is studied using a N3-dye adsorbed TiO₂ photoelectrode and PProDOT-Et₂ poly(3,3-diethyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-thieno-[3,4-b][1,4]dioxepine) polymer films as supercapacitor materials for electron storage. The PSC device, comprising a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) and a supercapacitor (SC), can store the photo-to-electric energy. The PProDOT-Et₂ films are potentiostatically electropolymerized to form thick films (ca. 0.5 mm) with a specific capacitance of ca. 6.5 F cm⁻². A symmetrical (p/p) supercapacitor, with PProDOT-Et₂ coated on both electrodes, is also characterized before fabricating the three-electrode PSC. The PSC is tested under light illumination of 100 mW cm⁻², and attaining a photocharged voltage of 0.75 V and a discharged energy density of 21.3 μWh cm⁻².     

Influences of different TiO2 morphologies and solvents on the photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cells

The effects of TiO₂ photoelectrode's surface morphology and different solvents on the photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were studied. By successive coating of TiO₂ suspension, composed of low and high molecular weight poly(ethylene)glycol (PEG) as a binder, double layered TiO₂ photoelectrodes with four different structures were obtained. Among the DSSCs with different TiO₂ electrodes, DSSC with P2P1 electrode (P2 and P1 correspond to PEG molecular weights of 20,000 and 200,000, respectively) showed higher performance under identical film thickness at a constant irradiation of 100 mW cm⁻², which may be correlated with large pore size and high surface area of the corresponding TiO₂ electrode. This was confirmed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analysis of the DSSC and the transient photovoltage measurement of electrons in the TiO₂ electrode. Among the different solvents investigated here, the DSSC containing acetonitrile showed high conversion efficiency and the order of performance of the DSSCs with different solvents were AN > MPN > PC > GBL > DMA > DMF > DMSO. Better correlation was observed between the donor number of solvents and photoelectrochemical parameters of the DSSCs containing different solvents rather than the measured viscosity and dielectric constant of solvents. The reasons for the low performance of the DSSCs containing DMA, DMSO and DMF, respectively, were due to the negative shift of TiO₂ conduction band and the desorption of dye molecules from the TiO₂ photoelectrode by those solvents.     

Enhanced detection of a target in a sea clutter environment using astepped, ultra-wideband signal and E-pulse cancellation

A new ultra-wideband technique to detect a sea-skimming missile in a sea-surface clutter background is presented. This technique, based on the E-pulse concept, is shown to be effective in maximizing the target to clutter ratio. Results using both measured and theoretical data from simulated sea surfaces demonstrate the usefulness of this method