Conductivity

The aim of this work was to investigate the compatibility of fuel delivery materials with palm biodiesel fuel under novel immersion method which simulated diesel engine operation. For this, a two-stage investigation was conducted. In the first stage, the effects of biodiesel dissolved oxygen concentration and conductivity value on fuel delivery materials degradation under standard immersion were determined as a baseline study. In the second stage, modified immersion investigations which simulated the deterioration of biodiesel under common rail diesel engine operation (CRDE) were carried out to ascertain the compatibility present between fuel delivery materials and palm biodiesel. Palm biodiesel dissolved oxygen and conductivity were found to adversely affect both copper corrosion and nitrile rubber (NBR) degradation. The copper corrosion rate and NBR volume change increased by 9% and 13%, respectively due to 22.5% increase in the conductivity. In contrast, the copper corrosion rate and NBR volume swelling reduced by 91% and 27%, respectively due to 96% reduction in the dissolved oxygen concentration. Copper corrosion and NBR degradation were found to be lowered by up to 93% and 85%, respectively under modified immersion as compared to standard immersion. This study has inferred that good compatibility is present between fuel delivery materials and biodiesel under CRDE operation.

The development of new Anisotropic Conductive Film for high density Flip-Chip Interconnection has met with growing interest over the last few years. ACF provides promising solutions for bumpless chip connection to high density printed circuit board. ...

Our effort towards the attainment of high performance devices has yielded several devices with total-area conversion efficiencies above 16%, the highest measuring 16.8% under standard reporting conditions (ASTM E892-87, Global 1000 W/m2). The first attempts to translate this development to larger areas resulted in an efficiency of 12.5% for a 16.8-cm2 monolithically interconnected submodule test structure, and 15.3% for a 4.85-cm2 single cell. Achievement of a 17.2% device efficiency fabricated for operation under concentration (22-sun) is also reported. All high efficiency devices reported here are made from graded bandgap absorbers. Bandgap grading is achieved by compositional Ga/(In+Ga) profiling as a function of depth. The fabrication schemes to achieve the graded absorbers, the window materials and contacting are described

An easy synthesis route for cuprous oxide (Cu2O) anoparticles is reported via thermal annealing improved and controlled by in-situ conductivity measurements. The crystalline structure, phase transition, surface morphology and particle size/shape, were investigated through X-ray diffraction, a conductivity setup and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that initial metallic Cu nanoparticles were transformed to Cu2O nanoparticles with high purity, under specific conditions critically dependent on the temperature and annealing duration. This transformation was also dependent on the film thickness and atmospheric composition in the test chamber during the annealing process.

The photolithography process is one of the most complex operations in semiconductor production. Exposure energy definition is particularly critical because it strongly affects the operation results. Very complex links exist between exposure energy, pattern critical dimensions, photo resist thickness, and resistivity. At present, the wafer test experimental procedure is used in order to define suitable exposure energy. With the aim of finding a less expensive control criterion of exposure operation in the photolithography process, a neural network has been developed that is able to model the relation between exposure energy and pattern dimensions measured in different positions on the wafer. As a result, the neural network model developed has been found to perform as well as the very expensive test wafer procedure and constitutes a good alternative to this one, allowing for a remarkable cost reduction

Ana Silvaa,b, Laura Quintanaa, Matıas Galeanoa & Pablo Errandoneaa aDepartamento de Neurofisiologıa, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable; Unidad Asociada de Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Avda. Italia 3318, 11600 ...

Based on permittivity changes, a new method to measure hematocrit (HCT) in extracorporeal blood systems is presented. Human blood samples were tested at different HCT levels pairing the values of permittivity change, obtained by means of a commercial impedance analyzer, with traditional centrifugation measurements. Data were correlated using both linear and nonlinear regression. When using the lineal model, the comparison

The detection of buried land mines in soil is a well-studied problem; many existing technologies are designed and optimized for performance in different soil types. Research on mine detection in shallow water environments such as beaches, however, is much less developed. Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) shows promise for this application. EIT uses current-stimulating and voltage-recording electrode pairs to measure trans-impedances in the volume directly beneath the electrode array, which sits flat over the ground surface. The trans-impedances are used to construct a conductivity profile of the volume. Non-metallic and metallic explosives appear as perturbations in the conductivity profile, and their location and size can be estimated. Lab testing has yielded promising results using a submerged array positioned over a sand bed. The instrument has also successfully detected surrogate mines in a traditional soil environment during field trials. Resolution of the detector is roughly half the pitch of electrodes in the array. In underwater lab testing, non-conducting targets buried in the sand are detected at a depth of 1.5 times the electrode pitch with the array positioned up to one electrode pitch above the sand bed. Results will be presented for metallic and non-metallic targets of various shapes and sizes.

The science and engineering of biomaterials have improved the human life expectancy. Tissue engineering is one of the nascent strategies with an aim to fulfill this target. Tissue engineering scaffolds are one of the most significant aspects of the recent tissue repair strategies; hence, it is imperative to design biomimetic substrates with suitable features. Conductive substrates can ameliorate the cellular activity through enhancement of cellular signaling. Biocompatible polymers with conductivity can mimic the cells' niche in an appropriate manner. Bioconductive polymers based on aniline oligomers can potentially actualize this purpose because of their unique and tailoring properties. The aniline oligomers can be positioned within the molecular structure of other polymers, thus painter acting with the side groups of the main polymer or acting as a comonomer in their backbone. The conductivity of oligoaniline-based conductive biomaterials can be tailored to mimic the electrical and mechanical properties of targeted tissues/organs. These bioconductive substrates can be designed with high mechanical strength for hard tissues such as the bone and with high elasticity to be used for the cardiac tissue or can be synthesized in the form of inject-able hydrogels, particles, and nanofibers for noninvasive implantation; these structures can be used for applications such as drug/gene delivery and extracellular biomimetic structures. It is expected that with progress in the fields of biomaterials and tissue engineering, more innovative constructs will be proposed in the near future. This review discusses the recent advancements in the use of oligoaniline-based conductive biomaterials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. Statement of Significance The tissue engineering applications of aniline oligomers and their derivatives have recently attracted an increasing interest due to their electroactive and biodegradable properties. However, no reports have systematically reviewed the critical role of oligoaniline-based conductive biomaterials in tissue engineering. Research on aniline oligomers is growing today opening new scenarios that expand the potential of these biomaterials from ''traditional " treatments to a new era of tissue engineering. The conductivity of this class of biomaterials can be tailored similar to that of tissues/organs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review article in which such issue is systematically reviewed and critically discussed in the light of the existing literature. Undoubtedly, investigations on the use of oligoaniline-based conductive biomaterials in tissue engineering need further advancement and a lot of critical questions are yet to be answered. In this review, we introduce the salient features, the hurdles that must be overcome, the hopes, and practical constraints for further development.