Search results for "ELECTRICITY"
showing 10 items of 1225 documents
A Microstructural Model for Micro-Cracking in Piezoceramics
2018
Piezoelectric ceramics are employed in several applications for their capability to couple mechanical and electrical fields, which can be advantageously exploited for the implementation of smart functionalities. The electromechanical coupling, which can be employed for fast accurate micro-positioning devices, makes such materials suitable for application in micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). However, due to their brittleness, piezoceramics can develop damage leading to initiation of micro-cracks, affecting the performance of the material in general and the micro-devices in particular. For such reasons, the development of accurate and robust numerical tools is an important asset for th…
A Magnetostrictive Electric Power Generator for energy harvesting from traffic: Design and experimental verification
2015
In the last decades, the growth in energy demand, the decrease of fossil fuels available in the market and the impact of anthropogenic factors on climate change has given new impulse to research on renewable energy systems, particularly those known as energy harvesting devices (EHDs) [1]. A large number of EHDs have been proposed, using different operating principle [1-4]. Among them, piezoelectric and magnetostrictive seem to be particularly suitable for the application in EHD. In these materials the application of external mechanical stress induces a change in the level of magnetization and therefore an electromotive force (emf) can be generated and collected in order to produce electrica…
New prototypes for the isolation of the anodic chambers in microbial fuel cells
2016
This work has been focused on the assessment of new prototypes of MFC in which a more strict separation of the anode and cathode compartments is looked for, in order to attain strict anaerobic conditions in the anode chamber and hence, avoid lack of efficiency due to the prevalence of non-electrogenic competing microorganisms and to optimize composition of the anolyte and catholyte. A cylinder reactor with an inner chamber with graphite bars acting as anodes and the outer one with a stainless steel tube acting as cathode was used in three different configurations and results obtained during lifetests are compared in terms of electricity production, cathode oxygen consumption and anode COD d…
Precursor-based synthetic pathways to nanometer NdNiO3−x particles
1993
Abstract The oxygen deficient neodymium nickel perovskite, NdNiO3−x, has been obtained by different low temperature-low oxygen pressure synthetic procedures. Besides a solid-matrix based route, both ordered and disordered chemical-precursors have been used as starting products. X-ray powder diffraction shows that the structure of this defective perovskite is orthorhombic. The study of the grain morphology of the products as resulting from the different synthetic procedures indicates that the main parameter determining the average particle size, which is in the nanometer range, is the maximum temperature achieved in the synthesis. Resistivity and DSC measurements show the existence of a meta…
La 1−xCaxMnO3 semiconducting nanostructures: morphology and thermoelectric properties
2014
Semiconducting metallic oxides, especially perosvkite materials, are great candidates for thermoelectric applications due to several advantages over traditionally metallic alloys such as low production costs and high chemical stability at high temperatures. Nanostructuration can be the key to develop highly efficient thermoelectric materials. In this work, La 1−xCa x MnO3 perosvkite nanostructures with Ca as a dopant have been synthesized by the hydrothermal method to be used in thermoelectric applications at room temperature. Several heat treatments have been made in all samples, leading to a change in their morphology and thermoelectric properties. The best thermoelectric efficiency has b…
ELECTRICAL-FIELD CONTROL OF MAGNETISM MEDIATED BY STRAIN IN Ni NANOSTRUCTURES FABRICATED ON PRE-POLED PMN–PT (011)
2013
We investigate the effects of piezoelectric-generated strain on the magnetization configuration of Ni nanostructures fabricated on pre-poled piezoelectric (011) [ Pb ( Mg 0.33 Nb 0.66) O 3]0.68–[ PbTiO 3]0.32 (PMN–PT) by high resolution X-ray microscopy. We observe a strong uniaxial anisotropy in the Ni nanostructures, due to the relaxation of the substrate following the deposition of the Ni . The anisotropy can be modified by the application of an electric field to the piezoelectric substrate (thus generating a piezoelectric strain in the system) through the magneto-elastic effect. By applying an electric field to the PMN–PT, the magnetization configuration in nanostructured Ni squares an…
Ultralow-intensity near-infrared light induces drug delivery by upconverting nanoparticles
2014
Mesoporous silica coated upconverting nanoparticles are loaded with the anticancer drug doxorubicin and grafted with ruthenium complexes as photoactive molecular valves. Drug release was triggered by 974 nm light with 0.35 W cm(-2). Such low light intensity minimized overheating problems and prevented photodamage to biological samples.
FERROELECTRIC LIQUID CRYSTAL GLASSES FOR AMBLYOPIA RESEARCH
2008
ABSTRACT Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal (FLC) filters offer the speed of electronic light shutters and the vibration free operation. These characteristics make them ideal for applications requiring short exposure times and minimal blur, offering switching times of 0.0002 of a second. FLC filters can be used as the optical shutters for machine vision purposes, also in vision research. On the basis of FLC filters we have developed ferroelectric glasses, allowing temporal separation of optical information for both eyes. In the case of amblyopia (“lazy eye”) the only way to oblige the “lazy” eye to work is to close the other better-seeing eye. We advice an appliance for dynamic visual system trai…
Spectral and kinetic characteristics of pyroelectric luminescence in LiGaO2
2019
Abstract Pyroelectric luminescence was observed in noncentrosymmetrical crystal LiGaO2 with the direct band gap around 6 eV. For the first time spectral and kinetic characteristics of pyroelectric luminescence were obtained. The temporal structure of the PEL signal was determined as a sequence of pulses with duration not longer than several nanoseconds. This allowed proposing of the luminescence mechanism: in vacuum conditions in LiGaO2 crystal pyroelectric luminescence occurs inside the sample due to radiative recombination of electrons with the positively charged intrinsic luminescence centres.
Ionic Space-Charge Effects in Solid State Organic Photovoltaics
2010
The effect of mobile ions on the operation of donor-acceptor bilayer solar cells is studied. We demonstrate the large effect ions can have on the energetics of the solar cells, illustrated by (for instance) changing the output voltage of a cell in situ from 0.35 to 0.74 V. More importantly, it is shown ionic species do not obstruct the charge generating properties of the photovoltaic devices and ionic space charge can be used in situ to improve their efficiencies. The results obtained are explained by taking into account energetic changes at the donor-acceptor interface as well as built-in potentials, giving clear guidelines on how ionic species can offer many new and exciting functionaliti…