Electrochromic Windows(ECWs) have the potential to save energy through dynamic control of light and solar energy entering a room (via solar heat gain coefficient control). ECWs have been developed as an optical shutter in airplane, building and automobile applications. An ECW is composed of three components, a working electrode based on electrochromic materials, a counter electrode based on ion storage materials and the electrolyte as an ionic conducting layer. Organic ECWs have been gaining popularity due to easy and cost effective manufacturing, availability of wide range of colors, high optical contrast and flexibility in design. However there are challenges in commercialization and application of organic ECWs. The application of ECWs as a sunroof in automobiles demands operation in harsh environment conditions like elevated temperature. Consequently the University of Washington, Center for Intelligent Materials and Systems has been developing a heat resistant organic ECW that can be operated at elevated temperatures maintaining high optical contrast, fast switching speed, optical color memory and electrochemical stability. The proposed design is an ECW based on poly (3,3-dimethyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-thieno[3,4-b][1,4]dioxepine),PPRODOT-Me2 as a working electrode, V2O5-TiO2 composite materials as a counter electrode and poly(ethylene imine) based electrolyte. The ionic conductivity of the electrolyte was calculated through complex impedance method and temperature dependence of the electrolyte was determined using environment test chamber to control a temperature range of 15 to 80o Celsius for 100 hours. A 76 × 76 mm2 ECW was developed and the optical transmittance change was observed by Chronoamperomerty and Time course measurement. The electrochemical stability of the window was monitored using cyclic voltammetry. The developed electrochromic window showed good optical contrast, electrochemical stability and fast response time after testing at elevated temperatures for 100 hours.

Cs-137 was accidentally spilled in an industrial waste repository located in a salt marsh in southern Spain, and a permeable reactive barrier was proposed to retain it. Cs adsorption properties of different natural clayey materials were analyzed. The salt marsh waters show high salinity and high chemical variability, therefore Cs adsorption was also analyzed in the presence of competitive ions, especially K+ and NH4 +.

Cs adsorption was non-linear in all the analyzed materials, indicating more than one adsorption sites with different selectivity. It was shown that in mixed clay systems with illite, montmorillonite and kaolinite, the presence of illite favors Cs retention at low and medium Cs loadings and montmorillonite at high Cs loadings. In the presence of illite and montmorillonite, kaolinite plays almost no role in Cs retention. The presence of K+ and NH4 + significantly hinders cesium adsorption.

The very synthesis of functional microparticles is generally deemed the most necessary, but obviously not the only step in successful product development. The behavior of obtained microparticles has to be tested in environments resembling the end use conditions to ensure the desired functionality. During the testing, various problems concerning particles behavior can arise, e.g. unwanted adhesion (before the successful delivering of particles to the region of interest, they will adhere somewhere else, thus hindering the delivery of transported substance), insufficient adhesion (in cases, when the particle adhesion is desired, e.g. specific adhesion for targeted delivery, the end amount of adhered particles might not be sufficient for reaching the expected concentration of released substance, meaning adhesion is not strong enough under given conditions) or particle breakage (some particles are of more fragile structure, which can result in condition limitations, in which they can exist without damage). Furthermore, regarding specific adhesion, the demonstration of such particle functionality should also be performed before testing on living organisms, preferably in conditions resembling the end use.

The self-organization of functional proteins directly onto solid materials is attractive to a wide range of biomaterials and systems that need to accommodate a biological recognition element. In such systems, inorganic binding peptides may be an essential component due to their high affinity and selective binding features onto different types of solid surfaces. This study demonstrates a peptide-enabled self-assembly technique for designing well-defined protein arrays over a metal surface. To illustrate this concept, we designed a fusion protein that simultaneously displays a red fluorescence protein (DsRed-monomer), which is highly selective for copper ions, and a gold binding peptide AuBP. The peptide tag, AuBP, self-directs the organization of DsRed-monomer protein onto a gold surface and forms arrays built upon an efficient control of the organic/inorganic interface at the molecular level. The peptide-assisted design offers a modular approach for fabrication of fluorescent-based protein arrays with copper ion sensing ability.

The electrochemical effects of embedding Cu nanoparticles in carbonized wood supercapacitor electrodes have been investigated. The nanoparticles were embedded using a solution method. Subsequent X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed that the Cu nanoparticles were anchored uniformly on the surface and deep within the pores of the electrode. Cyclic voltammetry measurements showed that the electrode has typical pseudocapacitive behavior, with two pairs of redox reaction peaks. The charge-discharge cycling also indicated that the redox charge transformation was a reversible process. An ultra-high specific capacitance of 888 F/g and an energy density of 123 Wh/kg were observed for the Cu loaded electrodes, as compared to the pure carbonized wood electrodes, which had a specific capacitance of 282 F/g and an energy density of 39 Wh/kg. Furthermore, both the carbonized wood and Cu loaded electrodes exhibited excellent long cycle abilities with at least 95% of the specific capacitance retained after 2000 cycles. These remarkable results demonstrate the potential for using Cu nanoparticle loaded carbonized wood as a high performance and environmentally friendly supercapacitor electrode material.

A study of the fluid flow in a mixing device proposed to dissolve alloying elements in iron baths is performed through a mathematical model in order to predict the best operating conditions for a proper melting/dissolution of solid alloying particles. The mathematical model consists in the mass and momentum conservation equations (continuity and Turbulent Navier-Stokes equations), and the standard two k-epsilon turbulence model. The model is numerically solved in transient regime with the Volume of Fluid algorithm (VOF) to calculate the vortex shape. VOF is built-in the CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) software ANSYS FLUENT 14. A flow of metal enters tangentially in the mixing chamber of the proposed mixing device (taken from an open patent) to generate a vortex. The shape and height of the vortex reached in this chamber depends on several design variables, but in this work only the presence or absence of a barrier in the device is analyzed. Results are obtained on the vortex sizes and shapes, liquid flow patterns, turbulent structure, residence times of the particles of alloying elements added to the melt and mixing times (Residence time distribution curves) of two devices: one with a barrier and the other without this barrier. It is found that the presence of the barrier in the device increases turbulence, destroys the vortex, decreases the residence time of the particles, and decreases the volume of fluid in the device. Most of the features of the barrier are detrimental for mixing and inhibits melting/dissolution of the alloying elements. Then, it is suggested a device without the presence of barrier for better performance.

We report the first successful application of corona charging noncontact C-V and I-V metrology to interface and dielectric characterization of high-k/III-V structures. The metrology, which has been commonly used in Si IC manufacturing, uses incremental corona charge dosing, ΔQC, on the dielectric surface, and the measurement of surface voltage response, ΔVS, using a Kelvin-probe. Its application to In0.53Ga0.47As with a high-k stack required modifications related to the effects of dielectric trap induced voltage transients. The developed Corona Charge-Kelvin Probe Metrology adopted strictly differential measurements using ΔQC and ΔV, and corresponding differential capacitance rather than measurements based on total global charge, Q, and voltage, V, values.

Electrical characterization data including interface trap density, electrical oxide thickness, and dielectric leakage are presented for a sample containing an In0.53 Ga0.47 As channel overlaid with a bilayer (2nm Al2O3/5nm HfO2) dielectric stack that is considered to be very promising for application in performance NFETs with high-mobility channels.

A solid-state nanopore was integrated into an optofluidic sensor chip, liquid-core anti-resonant reflecting optical waveguide (ARROW). The solid-state nanopore worked as a smart gate, which simultaneously provided characteristic electrical signals and controlled the entry of single nanoparticles into the liquid-core channel. The subsequent fluorescence detection further identified the nanoparticles by providing optical signals within a specific wavelength range. In this work, correlated electrical and optical detection of single nanoparticles, H1N1 viruses, and λ-DNA molecules was demonstrated. Different types of particles in a mixture were successfully discriminated. Moreover, the flow velocity in the liquid-core channel was extracted with the help of combined analysis of electrical and optical signals. Enhanced electrical sensitivity using a solid-state nanopore with a thin limiting aperture sculpted by SiO2 deposition was also shown.

Quantum dots (QDs) and nanoparticles (NPs) with tunable optoelectronic properties are actively researched for photovoltaic (PV) fabrication and will enter mainstream manufacturing in the future. The toxicology, health and safety of these new materials are not fully explored yet. In this work, the toxicological potencies of nanomaterials in PV fabrication, study needs, and metrology requirements are presented. Practical processes involving QDs and NPs developed for PV fabrication are presented. Experimental evidence on the presence of airborne nanomaterials in the condensates collected from process environment underlines the need for in-depth toxicity studies before these technologies scale up to the PV manufacturing stage. Required technical capabilities for the metrology tools to accurately detect, identify, and quantify QDs and NPs in PV manufacturing requirements are also presented based on the potential range of nanomaterials to be used in PV technology. These studies are key to develop safe techniques and processing environments, and to establish safety guidelines for PV fabrication with nanomaterials.

Electrokinetic based micro- and nanofluidic technologies provide revolutionary opportunities to separate, identify and analyze biomolecular species. Key to fully harnessing the power of such systems is the development of a robust method for integrated electrodes as well as a thorough understanding of the influence of the electrokinetic surface properties with and without different surface modifications. In this work, we demonstrate a surface micromachined fabrication approach for integrated addressable metal electrodes within centimeter-long nanofluidic channels using a low-temperature, xenon diflouride dry-release method for novel biosensing applications, as well as recent results from a joint theoretical and experimental study of electrokinetic surface properties in nano- and microfluidic channels fabricated with fused silica. The main contribution of this fabrication process involves the addition of addressable electrodes to a novel dry-release channel fabrication method, produced at <300°C, to be used in nanofluidic electronic sensing of biomolecules. Finally, we also show a novel method with which to coat our channels with silane based chemistries. Certain modifications are observed to show improved resistance to non-specific adhesion of both small molecules and proteins, indicating their further use as compatible surfaces in micro- and nanofluidic applications.

We report on a new class of materials for laser printer toner applications. These materials were prepared from methacrysilane-in-water emulsions stabilized with colloidal silica particles. In this elegant system, the colloidal silica particles reside at the water/oil interface helping to emulsify the oil droplet, self-organizing into a raspberry-like morphology. The emulsion formation is followed by free-radical polymerization, hydrophobic treatment, and drying steps. This one pot synthesis in water affords a hydrophobic material with a particle size in the range of 80 to 300 nm. The particle size could be fine-tuned by changing the oil-to-silica mass ratio or by using colloidal silica particles of different sizes. Results of material characterization by solid-state NMR, electron microscopy, and particle size measurements methods will be presented. Examples of possible extensions of the synthesis towards materials with methacrylsilane partially substituted with other methacrylates will be provided. Application of the new material in toners will be described as will the comparison of its performance with the incumbent material - hydrophobic colloidal silica.

Asphalt concrete is the most common material for highway and motorway construction. The quality of asphalt is determined, to a large extent, by properties of asphalt binder. Fillers, which are mineral powders from carbonate rocks and aggregates fines, such as limestone and dolomite, are often used in the composition of bitumen mastics affecting the performance of asphalt.

This article explores the feasibility of using the fines of aluminosilicate sedimentary rocks as fillers. These materials are composed of clay minerals, which change their properties upon the contact with water. Normally, the use of such fillers is restricted because of poor water resistance and swelling of asphalt concrete. In order to improve the performance of these fillers, the thermal modification at moderate temperatures of 500–600 °C has been proposed. Such treatment provides sufficient structural stability of obtained materials and results in the reduction of water absorption of asphalt, improved water resistance (up to 2.5 times) and also, in reduced swelling (up to 9 times).

It has been demonstrated that improvement in the filler performance can be achieved by a heat treatment. Such treatment induces changes in the mineral composition and converts the structure of clay minerals into the frame structure of zeolite, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy. Due to thermal treatment, there is a change in the acid-base properties of the surface of the filler, which is reflected in the profiles of the main adsorption centers. As a result, due to chemisorption, the modified aluminosilicate fillers are able to interact with bitumen. The application of new filler materials in asphalt concrete enables to enhance the performance.

In this paper, the effect of shock compression on the synthesis of a Bi-based oxide superconductor was investigated. Bi1.85-Pb0.35-Sr1.90-Ca2.05-Cu3.05-Ox calcined powder was shock-compacted around 20 GPa and 30 GPa, and divided specimens were annealed at 845 °C for 1, 6 and 48 hours. The specimens were evaluated by x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope.

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based on the conventional III-V compound semiconductors are known to exhibit internal quantum efficiencies (IQE) that are very close to unity. Ideally, the high IQE is expected to enable electroluminescent cooling with a cooling capacity of several Watts per cm2 of emitter area. One key requirement in enabling such cooling is the ability to fabricate high quality large area LEDs. However, detailed information on the performance of relevant large area devices and their yield is extremely scarce. In this report we present data on the yield and related large area scaling of InP/InGaAs LEDs by using current-voltage measurements performed on LED wafers fabricated at five different facilities. The samples were processed to contain square shaped mesas of sizes 0.25 mm2 and 16 mm2 operating as LEDs. While most of the smaller mesas showed relatively good electrical characteristics and low leakage current densities, some of them also exhibited very large leakage currents. In addition, in some cases the large area devices exhibited large, and even almost linearly behaving leakage currents. Such information on the scaling and unidealities of diodes fabricated using established fabrication technologies is crucial for the development of the optical cooling technologies relying on large area devices.

Contemporary methods for dispersion of carbon nanotubes in water and non-aqueous media are discussed. Main attention is paid to ultrasonic, plasma techniques and other physical techniques, as well as to the use of surfactants, functionalizing and debundling agents of distinct nature (elemental substances, metal and organic salts, mineral and organic acids, oxides, inorganic and organic peroxides, organic sulfonates, polymers, dyes, natural products, biomolecules, and coordination compounds).

As a part of the IMI-NFG’s series of low-cost experiments in glass science [1,2] we have developed a simple home-built apparatus for measuring the thermal conductivity of glassy materials, from polymers to oxide glasses, in the range of 0.1 to 1.5 W/ °C. Our apparatus is inexpensive, relatively easy to construct and accurate enough for students to use for quantitative measurements of their own glass or polymer samples. Standard materials are used to demonstrate good correlation with literature values. We also measured the thermal conductivity of a silica filled epoxy and showed a linear increase with fill fraction to 20%. This simple, low-cost method can provide students and researchers with a much broader access to this important property.

In this article, we report the synthesis of unique mesoporous Au-loaded Fe2O3nanoparticle assemblies (Au/Fe2O3-NPAs) through a surfactant-assisted aggregating assembly method. The resulting network structure, which composed of small Au nanocrystals (ca. 5 nm) finely dispersed on surface of Fe2O3 NPs (ca. 6–7 nm), possesses a 3D open-pore structure with a BET surface area of 123 m2g-1 and uniform mesopores (∼4.5 nm). Au/Fe2O3-NPAs showed high catalytic activity and chemical stability for the selective transformation of nitroaromatic compounds into the corresponding amines, using 1,1,3,3-tetramethyl disiloxane as reducing agent at ambient conditions.

With the rise of ageing population, the need to restore the function of degenerative bone greatly drives the market for bone grafts. Hydroxyapatite (HA) is chemically similar to natural bone mineral and has been widely used in bone graft applications. However, its slow osseointegration process and lack of antibacterial property could lead to implant-related infection, resulting in implant failure. Studies on ionic substitution of apatite have gained attention in recent years with greater understanding of the composition of bone mineral being a multi-substituted apatite. An integrated approach is proposed by co-substituting silver (Ag) and silicon (Si) into HA (Ag,Si-HA) to modify its surface for bi-functional properties. Incorporation of Si can enhance the biomineralization of HA and introduction of Ag can create antibacterial property. Ag,Si-HA containing 0.5 wt.% of Ag and 0.8 wt.% of Si was prepared by a wet precipitation method. A phase-pure apatite with a nanorod morphology of dimensions 60 nm in length and 10 nm in width was synthesized. Surface Ag+ ions of Ag,Si-HA were demonstrated to prevent the replication of adherent Staphylococcus aureus bacteria for up to 120 h. Biocompatibility tests revealed that human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) proliferated well on Ag,Si-HA with culturing time. Enhanced cell attachment in turn permitted greater bone differentiation as evidenced in the increase of collagen type I and osteocalcin expressions of hMSCs cultured on Ag,Si-HA as compared to HA from day 14 onwards. Overall, co-substitution of Ag and Si could complement the benefits of each substituent by endowing HA with antibacterial property, and concurrently promoting its biological performance. Their synergistic effects can serve unmet medical needs and solve the problem of implant-related infection. This work also enhances the understanding of substituted apatite with multiple ions for bi-functional properties.

We investigate the built-in voltage in organic bulk heterojunction solar cells using electroabsorption spectroscopy based on the Stark effect, i.e. the variation of the absorption energies of a material caused by an electric field. Due to spectral contributions of permanent dipoles, a novel approach for evaluating the EA spectra is required. We use a fitting routine analyzing a broad spectral range instead of using only a single wavelength. A reliable quantitative determination of the built-in voltage is achieved.