Honeycomb structures, owing to their microstructural periodicity, exhibit unique and complex acoustic properties. Tuning their acoustic properties typically involves either changing their topology or porosity. The former route can lead to topologies that may not be readily amenable for large-scale production, while the latter could negatively affect the honeycombs’ weight. An ideal approach for tailoring the acoustic behavior of honeycombs should neither affect their porosity nor should they require customized and expensive fabrication methods. In this work, a novel honeycomb design that alters the microstructural topological features in a relatively simple way, while preserving the porosity of the honeycombs, to tune the acoustic properties of the honeycombs is proposed. The proposed honeycomb can be fabricated using the traditional approach employed to mass produce honeycomb structures; that is by bonding identical corrugated sheets with two periodic thicknesses. The acoustic behavior of the proposed honeycomb in terms of dispersion and phase velocities is analyzed using the finite element method. Simulation results demonstrate the potential of the designed honeycomb to exhibit tailored acoustic behavior at a constant porosity or mass. For example, it is demonstrated that the phase velocities of asymmetric and symmetric waves traversing the proposed honeycomb of aluminum with 90% porosity can be tuned by 30% and 17%, respectively.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) possess impressive properties along with low density. Integration of CNTs in the form of fabrics or other preformed assemblies simplifies their handling and allows for the higher CNT content needed to better leverage their properties in multifunctional structures. Here we describe production of non-woven CNT-polyurethane fabrics made from industrial-grade CNTs via a one-step filtration method. Individual sheets were scaled to 30 cm x 30 cm size and subsequently used to fabricate thicker composites, including via lamination with itself to produce simple panels and with other materials to further tailor the nanocomposite properties and address several example applications including electrical heating, fire resistance, electromagnetic shielding, and a skin for stretchable morphing structures.

Monoclinic VO2 is a known polymorph of vanadium dioxide that has received much attention due to its oxidative capabilities, geometric configuration, and promising applications in functional windows. VO2 can usually be obtained through a hydrothermal method under high pressure. In this work we report a synthesis of VO2 doped with Manganese using a rapid single-step hydrothermal process with V2O5, manganese (II) acetate and citric acid as precursors. Different syntheses were carried out in which the concentration of V2O5 and citric acid remained constant whereas the concentration of manganese (II) acetate was varied. The reactants underwent a stirring phase for 30 minutes before being loaded into a hydrothermal reactor for 2.5 hours at 200°C. The resultant was washed three times to remove the residual precursors. Imaging and spectroscopy characterizations such as TEM, SEM and UV-VIS-NIR have been performed on different doping concentration and the results display a dependence on doping concentrations.

Cuprous oxide (Cu2O) thin films have been grown on both soda lime glass (SLG) microscope slides and Fluorine-doped Tin Oxide (FTO) substrates by a modified SILAR technique. The pH level of the bath solution was systematically varied in the range of 4.50 – 7.95 to elucidate their effect on the physical properties of the deposited product. The prepared films showed compact surface morphology composed of spherical grains evident from their SEM images. The XRD measurement showed that the as-deposited films were single phase Cu2O with (111) preferred orientation and this texturing was found to be increasing with increasing pH and annealing temperature. The annealed Cu2O films were found to be stable up to 200 °C and completely converted to cupric oxide (CuO) phases when the temperature reached to 350 °C. The estimated optical bandgaps of the as-grown samples were found in the range of 2.28 – 2.48 eV using UV-Vis-NIR transmission data and showing a bandgap narrowing trend with the decreasing level of solution pH. The effect of post-annealing temperatures (75-350 0C) on the as-deposited films was also studied and found to be crucial to control the optical bandgap (1.44 – 2.13) eV and electrical properties of the films. The sheet resistance of the as-deposited samples was found to be decreasing from 4120 MΩ/square to 800 MΩ/square while grown with increasing acetic acid content in the precursor solutions and decreasing up to 2.66 MΩ/square while annealing up to 250 °C in the air.

The forward rate of dissolution of the International Simple Glass (ISG) was determined under alkaline conditions at 40 °C using the Single Pass Flow Through (SPFT) method. Forward rates were consistent with those obtained in the literature for this glass composition. The formation of altered gel layers and surface pits was observed on the surface of glass particles, especially at the very highest pH values, despite the application of high flow rates to prevent the build-up of solubility limiting phases. These features could be attributed to preferential localized dissolution at sites with a higher alkali concentration or from a separate, less durable, vitreous phase. These results may indicate that surface pit and altered gel formation occurs under the forward rate of dissolution as imposed by the SPFT method, particularly for simplified borosilicate glass materials.

In situ, real-time monitoring of a dehydration of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) film is researched. The technique based on the incorporation plasmonic nanocages (NCs) between the two identical layers of PVA, (PVA)/NCs/(PVA) film, and its sensitivity to the variation of the refractive index of the surrounding PVA film via desorption water. The dehydration time increases from 180 (s) to 1800 (s) as the content of the PVA in the films increases twice, from (PVA)/NCs/(PVA) to (PVA)2/NCs/(PVA)2. Such effect could be explained by different rate of the molecules desorption from the PVA based films. Specifically, the dehydration rate is of 0.22 (vol% per s) and 0.026 (vol% per s) for (PVA)/NCs/(PVA) and (PVA)2/NCs/(PVA)2 films, respectively. The dehydration rate constant reduces from -50×10-4 (s-1) to -4.3 ×10-4 (s-1) as the content of PVA increases from (PVA)/NCs/(PVA) to (PVA)2/NCs/(PVA)2 films, respectively.

We propose a method for precision control of the temporal pulse shape in 808 nm emission from Er-doped fluoroindate glasses. Previously, authors have reported the model based controller design, in which the controller varies and controls the pump rate in real time through the pump power. In model-based design, the performance of the resultant controller depends on the accuracy of the mathematical model used to represent the device in the design process. In this paper a more robust control scheme using model-free approach is presented. Specifically, the controller design is independent of the mathematical model and hence any modeling error has no effect on the device performance. This robustness against modeling error is critical for control purposes in optical materials where various up-conversion parameters are unknown or hard to determine with certainty.

Graphene oxide (GO)/MnO2 nanocomposites were synthesized by adding KMnO4 in a solution of water and ethanol (3:1), containing 10 mg of GO. Brown precipitates were obtained after a continuous stirring for 1 hr. The precipitates were then washed with deionized water (DI) water and dried to obtain the MnO2-GO nanocomposites. Pure MnO2 was also synthesized using the same method without GO for the comparison. X-ray diffraction pattern confirm δ-MnO2 type of MnO2 with birnessite type MnO2 structure. The TEM images show the average diameter of MnO2 nanorods as 15 nm. Electrochemical characterizations were carried out in an aqueous solution of 3M KOH. Charge-discharge studies were carried out between 1A/g to 20 A/g current range. The MnO2-GO nanocomposites showed improved electrochemical performances. The capacitance of MnO2 and MnO2-GO electrodes was found to be as 300 F/g, and 350 F/g, respectively at a current of 0.5 A/g.

Aerogels are light-weight porous materials that can tolerate the processing steps required for designing and creating an electric circuit such that the aerogel can be utilized as a substrate for device fabrication. Previous studies have shown the biostability and biocompatibility of polyurea crosslinked silica aerogels both in vivo and in vitro and have demonstrated the potential use of aerogels in biomedical applications. In vitro studies have shown that in the presence of an applied electric field neurites regeneration rate was greater on crosslinked silica aerogels than on tissue culture petridish used as a positive control. Currently, epineural suturing and nerve grafting are the gold standards for surgical reconstruction of injured nerves. However, because they rely on passive mechanisms for reapproximating the distal and proximal terminals they often lead to partial or no recovery leaving room for improvement. The present study investigates the feasibility of a wireless aerogel–based electrically-stimulating implant intended for nerve repair applications. Here the authors report on RF coupling between a secondary coil and a primary coil to wirelessly energize an interdigitated electrode array consisting of eleven interlocking fingers, created on a silica aerogel substrate. The coupling strength was tested both in air and in an animal model, as a function of distance and will be reported. This study focuses on in vivo evaluation and feasibility assessment of a novel active 3-D aerogel-based peripheral nerve repair device. The device utilizes induced EMF to establish a current (hence electrical stimulation) in predetermined pathways where nerve stumps will be confined to. Fundamental differences between in vitro and in vivo models necessitate the in vivo approach. The novel inductively-powered electrical stimulation aerogel-based device utilizes previously established 3-D confinement method for immobilization of nerve stumps, taking advantage of the mesoscopic surface roughness, unique to aerogels. The technique is tested on a mechanically strong, lightweight, porous, and biostable aerogel. Lithographic techniques, gold (Au) thin film metallization, and Faraday induction is used for circuit design, development, and activation.

The vast majority of power generation in the United States today is produced through the same processes as it was in the late-1800s: heat is applied to water to generate steam, which turns a turbine, which turns a generator, generating electrical power. Researchers today are developing solid-state power generation processes that are more befitting the 21st-century. Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cells directly convert radiated thermal energy into electrical power, through a process similar to how traditional photovoltaics work. These TPV generators, however, include additional system components that solar cells do not incorporate. These components, selective-emitters and filters, shape the way the radiated heat is transferred into the TPV cell for conversion and are critical for its efficiency. Here, we present a review of work performed to improve the components in these systems. These improvements will help enable TPV generators to be used with nearly any thermal source for both primary power generation and waste heat harvesting.

An emerging family of materials—metal halide perovskites (MHPs)—have made incredible achievements in optoelectronics in the past decade. Owing to its potential role in optoelectronic properties, the ferroic state of MHPs has been investigated by lots of researchers. Here, we review the literature regarding investigations into possible ferroic behaviors in MHPs. We summarize the recent discoveries of ferroic twin domains in MHPs. We examine the ferroelasticity and the ferroelectricity of these twin domains. Several properties relevant to the twin domains are critically analyzed, including crystallographic structure, mechanical variation, chemical variation, etc. Finally, we discussed the effects of these domains on materials’ optoelectronic properties and their potential roles in photovoltaic action.

Dynamic fracture of a two-dimensional MoWSe2 membrane is studied with molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The system consists of a random distribution of WSe2 patches in a pre-cracked matrix of MoSe2. Under strain, the system shows toughening due to crack branching, crack closure and strain-induced structural phase transformation from 2H to 1T crystal structures. Different structures generated during MD simulation are analyzed using a three-layer, feed-forward neural network (NN) model. A training data set of 36,000 atoms is created where each atom is represented by a 50-dimension feature vector consisting of radial and angular symmetry functions. Hyper parameters of the symmetry functions and network architecture are tuned to minimize model complexity with high predictive power using feature learning, which shows an increase in model accuracy from 67% to 95%. The NN model classifies each atom in one of the six phases which are either as transition metal or chalcogen atoms in 2H phase, 1T phase and defects. Further t-SNE analyses of learned representation of these phases in the hidden layers of the NN model show that separation of all phases become clearer in the third layer than in layers 1 and 2.

The current work focuses on optimizing aptamer scaffolds that are tailored to allow for the formation of binding pockets for both a redox active signaling molecule and the target miR-92a. These newly designed allosteric nucleic acid systems are studied for efficacy to undergo a target based conformational switch. Two hairpin scaffolds were designed with differing stem stabilities and were explored using fluorescence quenching measurements. The dose dependent data for the detection of miR-92a shows the importance of scaffold design where the stability of the intra-molecular hairpin structure has to be optimized for target binding. Additional experiments explored the selectivity of the aptamer scaffolds in the presence of competing miR’s and mismatched sequences. These results provide an important precursor to constructing nucleic acid scaffolds for the detection of miR’s using label-free redox signaling.

We have shown that molecular imprinting (MI) technology can be used to produce sensitive, robust, cost-effective biosensing systems with a real-time electrochemical readout that can be utilized for point of care diagnostics. Real time detection of biomarkers is essential when rapid, critical decisions need to be made, such as in situations where public health is threatened. Our biosensor has high sensitivity compared to standard methods like ELISA, and results are obtained within minutes, using inexpensive, accessible potentiometric readout technology. These biosensors utilize surface molecular imprinting of a self-assembling monolayer of hydroxy-terminated alkanethiol chains which form a crystalline ‘lock-and-key’ structure around a target analyte, allowing the sensors to detect and differentiate between bio-macromolecules of similar size and shape with high selectivity and sensitivity. The sensors are extremely versatile and able to detect a diverse range of molecules of varied chemical composition and structure. To fully exploit the sensors’ advantages, especially in remote, economically disadvantaged areas, it is important to quantify their durability and reusability. Biosensor chips were created to test the viability of hemoglobin detection and to evaluate the potential for sensor reusability when washed after detection testing. The successful readsorption of hemoglobin even after washing, accompanied by cyclic voltammetry data indicating the preservation of the SAM, indicate that these biosensors are reusable, significantly augmenting the device’s value. Potential applications include the analysis of complex chemical and biological processes such as stem cell differentiation and on-the-spot detection of diseases such as Zika.

Photochromic (PC) ZnO nanoparticles are synthesized for the first time by using a VHF plasma enhanced CVD apparatus. The prepared ZnO film changes from transparent to PC state under UV irradiation; on being subjected to heat treatment, it changes back to transparent state. There is a threshold temperature for attaining the PC phase. The Debye-Waller factor of Zn atoms is specifically large for the PC ZnO. The ZnO nanoparticles contain carbon as impurity. The effects of C-O bonds on the ZnO crystal structure and density of states (DOS) are simulated based on density-functional theory. The results reveal that the crystal structure is slightly distorted and a sufficient DOS for PC light absorption is formed in the band gap.

Nowadays the different industries is searching continuous improvements in the welding processes of the components of its products, in order to avoid the disadvantages obtained in the past by joining their parts through conventional fusion welding processes, affecting their microstructural development and consequently decreasing the principal mechanical properties. The friction-stir welding process is a solid state technique which does not reach the melting point of the material, promoting the plasticization of the metal by controlling its microstructure and mechanical behavior. However, the after mentioned advantages are the result of an adequate control of the process parameters, so that the aim of the present investigation is to study the microstructural and mechanical development of 5052-H32 butt joints welded by FSW process using a high wear resistance tool (PCBN tool) as well as the mechanical behavior suffered.

We have demonstrated the high yield (∼900 μm) and highly single-wall selective (>95%) growth of carbon nanotube (CNT) forest using aluminium nitride (AlN) as a catalyst underlayer. Such high efficiency and single-wall selectivity have not been previously reported using this underlayer system. Evaluation with transmission electron microscopy showed that the average diameter of the grown carbon nanotubes was ∼3.0 nm, which is similar to those grown on alumina underlayers. In addition, characterization of the catalyst/underlayer system using atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy suggests that neither Ostwald ripening along the surface nor catalyst subsurface diffusion into the AlN underlayer are severely occurring at the growth temperature, leading to the creation of the stable and dense small nanoparticle array to achieve an efficient growth of single-wall CNTs.

The actual incorporation of dopant species into the ZnS Quantum Dots (QDs) host lattice will induce structural defects evidenced by a red shift in the corresponding exciton. The doping should create new intermediate energetic levels between the valence and conduction bands of the ZnS and affect the electron-hole recombination. These trap states would favour the energy transfer processes involved with the generation of cytotoxic radicals, so-called Reactive Oxygen Species, opening the possibility to apply these nanomaterials in cancer research. Any synthesis approach should consider the direct formation of the QDs in biocompatible medium. Accordingly, the present work addresses the microwave-assisted aqueous synthesis of pure and doped ZnS QDs. As-synthesized quantum dots were fully characterized on a structural, morphological and optical viewpoint. UV-Vis analyzes evidenced the excitonic peaks at approximately 310 nm, 314 nm and 315 nm for ZnS, Cu-ZnS and Mn-ZnS, respectively, Cu/Zn and Mn/Zn molar ratio was 0.05%. This indicates the actual incorporation of the dopant species into the host lattice. In addition, the Photoluminescence spectrum of non-doped ZnS nanoparticles showed a high emission peak that was red shifted when Mn2+ or Cu2+ were added during the synthesis process. The main emission peak of non-doped ZnS, Cu-doped ZnS and Mn-doped ZnS were observed at 438 nm, 487 nm and 521 nm, respectively. Forthcoming work will address the capacity of pure and Cu-, Mn-ZnS quantum dots to generate cytotoxic Reactive Oxygen Species for cancer treatment applications.