[en] Tensile properties and fracture toughness of monolithic aluminum (Al), glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRPs) and glass fiber/aluminum hybrid laminates (GFMLs) were examined in relation to the fracture processes of plain coupon and single-edge-notched specimens. Elastic modulus and ultimate tensile strength of GFMLs showed characteristic dependences on the kind of Al, fiber orientation and the Al/fiber layer composition ratio. Fracture toughnesses KC and GC of A-GFML-UD were comparable to those of GFRP-UD and were much superior to monolithic Al. However, GFML with a transverse crack parallel to the fiber layer deteriorated largely in toughness. Microscopic observation of the fracture zone in the vicinity of the crack tip revealed various modes of micro-cracks in the respective layers as well as fiber fractures and delamination between fiber/Al layers. Such damage advances in GFMLs dependent on the orientation of the fiber layer and the Al/fiber composition ratio strongly influenced the strength and toughness of GFMLs

[en] A new energetic thermoplastic elastomer based on the azidated polybutadiene(Az-PBD)/ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) blends was prepared, and structure and properties of the blends were investigated by SEM, DSC, DMA, tensile testing and combustion test. The Az-PBD was synthesized via a two-step process involving the addition reaction of commercially available 1,2-PBD with Br₂ and subsequent nucleophilic substitution reaction of the brominated PBD with NaN₃. EVA/Az-PBD with 90/10, 80/20, 70/30 (wt/wt) was prepared by a solution blending. SEM, DSC, and DMA results revealed that the blends are partially compatible and Az-PBD is dispersed in continuous EVA matrix. Tensile test showed that modulus and tension set increased while elongation-at-break of the blends decreased with increasing Az-PBD content in the blends, but all the blends showed a elongation at break as high as 700% and a tension set of less than 5%, indicating that the blends are typically elastomeric. Combustion test showed that, with increasing Az-PBD content in the blend, higher energy can be released

[en] We report electrically refreshable carbon-nanotube (CNT)-based gas sensors with a field effect transistor (FET) structure. The sensors can be refreshed by applying a negative gate voltage pulse in NO₂ and a positive gate voltage pulse in NH₃. Furthermore, the temporal response of the conductance to the gate voltage pulse is observed to be dependent on the gas species, but independent of gas concentration. These results show the possibility of distinguishing gas species using CNT-FET sensors

[en] We report a simple and scalable method for the separation of semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) from metallic SWNTs using magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) functionalized with polycationic tri-aminated polysorbate 80 (TP80). MNPs-TP80 are selectively adsorbed on acid-treated semiconducting SWNTs, which makes the semiconducting SWNTs be highly concentrated to over 95% under a magnetic field. Almost all the field effect transistor network devices, which were fabricated using separated semiconducting SWNTs, exhibited a p-type semiconducting behavior with an on/off ratio of higher than 10⁴.

[en] A band-type microelectrode was made using a parylene-N film as a passivation layer. A circular-type, mm-scale electrode with the same diameter as the band-type microelectrode was also made with an electrode area that was 5000 times larger than the band-type microelectrode. By comparing the amperometric signals of 3,5,3′,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) samples at different optical density (OD) values, the band-type microelectrode was determined to be 9 times more sensitive than the circular-type electrode. The properties of the circular-type and the band-type electrodes (e.g., the shape of their cyclic voltammograms, the type of diffusion layer used, and the diffusion layer thickness per unit electrode area) were characterized according to their electrode area using the COMSOL Multiphysics software. From these simulations, the band-type electrode was estimated to have the conventional microelectrode properties, even when the electrode area was 100 times larger than a conventional circular-type electrode. These results show that both the geometry and the area of an electrode can influence the properties of the electrode. Finally, amperometric analysis based on a band-type electrode was applied to commercial ELISA kits to analyze human hepatitis B surface antigen (hHBsAg) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibodies. - Highlights: • A band-type microelectrode was made using a parylene-N film as a passivation layer. • The band-type microelectrode was 14-times more sensitive than circular-type electrode. • The influence of geometry on microelectrode properties was simulated using COMSOL. • The band-type electrode was applied to ELISA kits for hHBsAg and hHIV-antibodies.

[en] The mechanical properties and heat shrinkability of electron beam crosslinked polyethylene-octene copolymer were studied. It was found that gel content increases with increased radiation dose. The analysis of results by the Charlesby-Pinner equation revealed that crosslinking was dominant over chain scission upon irradiation. Formation of a crosslinked structure in the electron beam irradiated sample was confirmed by the presence of a plateau of dynamic storage modulus above the melting point of the polymer. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction revealed that there was little change in crystallinity for the irradiated samples, indicating that radiation crosslinking occurs in the amorphous region of the polymer. The tensile modulus increases, whereas the elongation at break decreases with increased radiation dose. The heat shrinkability of the material increased with an increased radiation dose because the radiation-induced crosslinks serve as memory points during the shrinking process

[en] To enhance the photoelectric conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), micron-size nanochannel TiO₂ particles were prepared by spray pyrolysis employing a triblock copolymer as a pore former. The as-prepared nanochannel TiO₂ was used to fabricate DSSC photoelectrodes, increasing the active area of TiO₂/dye/electrolyte for improving charge transfer. Field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analyses were performed to determine the morphologies and characteristic properties (e.g., porosity) of TiO₂ particles with nanochannels obtained for various copolymer amounts. The synthesized TiO₂ was made into a paste and applied to DSSC photoelectrodes, resulting in a substantially increased photoconversion efficiency (7.76%) compared to that of a copolymer-free TiO₂-based DSSC (3.55%). The amounts of impregnated dye in TiO₂-based photoelectrode films prepared using various copolymer amounts were compared using UV–vis absorbance analysis, being substantially increased by triblock copolymer addition.