Me-doped Ti-Me intermetallic thin films used for dry biopotential electrodes: a comparative case study. - In: Sensors, ISSN 1424-8220, Bd. 21 (2021), 23, 8143, S. 1-17
In a new era for digital health, dry electrodes for biopotential measurement enable the monitoring of essential vital functions outside of specialized healthcare centers. In this paper, a new type of nanostructured titanium-based thin film is proposed, revealing improved biopotential sensing performance and overcoming several of the limitations of conventional gel-based electrodes such as reusability, durability, biocompatibility, and comfort. The thin films were deposited on stainless steel (SS) discs and polyurethane (PU) substrates to be used as dry electrodes, for non-invasive monitoring of body surface biopotentials. Four different Ti-Me (Me = Al, Cu, Ag, or Au) metallic binary systems were prepared by magnetron sputtering. The morphology of the resulting Ti-Me systems was found to be dependent on the chemical composition of the films, specifically on the type and amount of Me. The existence of crystalline intermetallic phases or glassy amorphous structures also revealed a strong influence on the morphological features developed by the different systems. The electrodes were tested in an in-vivo study on 20 volunteers during sports activity, allowing study of the application-specific characteristics of the dry electrodes, based on Ti-Me intermetallic thin films, and evaluation of the impact of the electrode-skin impedance on biopotential sensing. The electrode-skin impedance results support the reusability and the high degree of reliability of the Ti-Me dry electrodes. The Ti-Al films revealed the least performance as biopotential electrodes, while the Ti-Au system provided excellent results very close to the Ag/AgCl reference electrodes.
https://doi.org/10.3390/s21238143
Carbon-free crystal-like Fe1-xS as an anode for potassium-ion batteries. - In: ACS applied materials & interfaces, ISSN 1944-8252, Bd. 13 (2021), 46, S. 55218-55226
Im Titel ist "1-x" tiefgestellt
Potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) as a new electrochemical energy storage system have been considered as a desirable candidate in the post-lithium-ion battery era. Nevertheless, the study on this realm is in its infancy; it is urgent to develop electrode materials with high electrochemical performance and low cost. Iron sulfides as anode materials have aroused wide attention by virtue of their merits of high theoretical capacities, environmental benignity, and cost competitiveness. Herein, we constructed carbon-free crystal-like Fe1-xS and demonstrated its feasibility as a PIB anode. The unique structural feature endows the prepared Fe1-xS with plentiful active sites for electrochemical reactions and short transmission pathways for ions/electrons. The Fe1-xS electrode retained capacities of 420.8 mAh g-1 after 100 cycles at 0.1 A g-1 and 212.9 mAh g-1 after 250 cycles at 1.0 A g-1. Even at a high rate of 5.0 A g-1, an average capacity of 167.6 mAh g-1 was achieved. In addition, a potassium-ion full cell is assembled by employing Fe1-xS as an anode and potassium Prussian blue as a cathode; it delivered a discharge capacity of 127.6 mAh g-1 at 100 mA g-1 after 50 cycles.
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.1c17799
Tailoring patterned visible-light scattering by silicon photonic crystals. - In: ACS applied materials & interfaces, ISSN 1944-8252, Bd. 13 (2021), 50, S. 60319-60326
Searching for the relationship between the nanostructure and optical properties has always been exciting the researchers in the field of optics (linear optics as well as non-linear optics), energy harvesting (anti-reflective Si solar cells, perovskite solar cells, ..., etc.), and industry (anti-reflection coating on car windows, sunglasses, etc.). In this work, we present an approach for nanostructuring the silicon substrate to silicon photonic crystals. By precisely controlling the etching time and etching path after using nanoimprint lithography, ordered arrays of inverted Si nanopyramids and Si nanopillars with good homogeneity, uniform surface roughness, high reproducibility of pattern transfer, and a controllable aspect ratio are prepared. Experimental investigation of the optical properties indicates that the reflections of these Si nanostructures are mainly determined by the aspect ratio as well as the period of nanostructures. Furthermore, we have experimentally observed visible-light scattering (V-LS) patterns on inverted Si nanopyramids and Si nanopillars, and their corresponding patterns can be precisely controlled by the patterned nanostructures. The V-LS pattern, background, and "ghost peaks" on the angle-resolved scattering results are caused by constructive interference, destructive interference, and the interference situation between both. This controllable nanopatterning on crystalline Si substrates with precisely tunable optical properties shows great potential for applications in many fields, for example, optics, electronics, and energy.
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.1c16182
Influence of initial temperature and convective heat loss on the self-propagating reaction in Al/Ni multilayer foils. - In: Materials, ISSN 1996-1944, Bd. 14 (2021), 24, 7815, insges. 15 S.
A two-dimensional numerical model for self-propagating reactions in Al/Ni multilayer foils was developed. It was used to study thermal properties, convective heat loss, and the effect of initial temperature on the self-propagating reaction in Al/Ni multilayer foils. For model adjustments by experimental results, these Al/Ni multilayer foils were fabricated by the magnetron sputtering technique with a 1:1 atomic ratio. Heat of reaction of the fabricated foils was determined employing Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). Self-propagating reaction was initiated by an electrical spark on the surface of the foils. The movement of the reaction front was recorded with a high-speed camera. Activation energy is fitted with these velocity data from the high-speed camera to adjust the numerical model. Calculated reaction front temperature of the self-propagating reaction was compared with the temperature obtained by time-resolved pyrometer measurements. X-ray diffraction results confirmed that all reactants reacted and formed a B2 NiAl phase. Finally, it is predicted that (1) increasing thermal conductivity of the final product increases the reaction front velocity; (2) effect of heat convection losses on reaction characteristics is insignificant, e.g., the foils can maintain their characteristics in water; and (3) with increasing initial temperature of the foils, the reaction front velocity and the reaction temperature increased.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14247815
Local shielding gas supply in remote laser beam welding. - In: Journal of manufacturing and materials processing, ISSN 2504-4494, Bd. 5 (2021), 4, 139, insges. 19 S.
The use of shielding gases in laser beam welding is of particular interest for materials interacting with ambient oxygen, e.g., copper, titanium or high-alloy steels. These materials are often processed by remote laser beam welding where short welds (e.g., up to 40 mm seam length) are commonly used. Such setups prevent gas nozzles from being carried along on the optics due to the scanner application and a small area needs to be served locally with inert gas. The article provides systematic investigations into the interaction of laser beam processes and parameters of inert gas supply based on a modular flat jet nozzle. Based on the characterization of the developed nozzle by means of high-speed Schlieren imaging and constant temperature anemometry, investigations with heat conduction welding and deep penetration welding were performed. Bead-on-plate welds were carried out on stainless steel AISI 304 for this purpose using a disc laser and a remote welding system. Argon was used as shielding gas. The interaction between Reynolds number, geometrical parameters and welding/flow direction was considered. The findings were proved by transferring the results to a complex weld seam geometry (C-shape).
https://doi.org/10.3390/jmmp5040139
Detecting process anomalies in the GMAW process by acoustic sensing with a convolutional neural network (CNN) for classification. - In: Journal of manufacturing and materials processing, ISSN 2504-4494, Bd. 5 (2021), 4, 135, insges. 14 S.
Today, the quality of welded seams is often examined off-line with either destructive or non-destructive testing. These test procedures are time-consuming and therefore costly. This is especially true if the welds are not welded accurately due to process anomalies. In manual welding, experienced welders are able to detect process anomalies by listening to the sound of the welding process. In this paper, an approach to transfer the “hearing” of an experienced welder into an automated testing process is presented. An acoustic measuring device for recording audible sound is installed for this purpose on a fully automated welding fixture. The processing of the sound information by means of machine learning methods enables in-line process control. Existing research results until now show that the arc is the main sound source. However, both the outflow of the shielding gas and the wire feed emit sound information. Other investigations describe welding irregularities by evaluating and assessing existing sound recordings. Descriptive analysis was performed to find a connection between certain sound patterns and welding irregularities. Recent contributions have used machine learning to identify the degree of welding penetration. The basic assumption of the presented investigations is that process anomalies are the cause of welding irregularities. The focus was on detecting deviating shielding gas flow rates based on audio recordings, processed by a convolutional neural network (CNN). After adjusting the hyperparameters of the CNN it was capable of distinguishing between different flow rates of shielding gas.
https://doi.org/10.3390/jmmp5040135
Application of fibre optic sensing systems to measure rotor blade structural dynamics. - In: Mechanical systems and signal processing, ISSN 1096-1216, Bd. 158 (2021), 107758, insges. 17 S.
This paper compares two fibre optic sensing techniques for vibration characterisation: (a) optical fibre Bragg grating (FBG) strain gauges and (b) a novel direct fibre optic shape sensing (DFOSS) approach based on differential interferometric strain measurements between multiple fibres within the same fibre arrangement. Operational mode shapes and frequency measurements of an Airbus Helicopters H135 bearingless main rotor blade (5.1 m radius) were acquired during a series of ground vibration tests undertaken in a controlled laboratory environment. Data recorded by the fibre optic instrumentation systems were validated using commercially available accelerometers and compared against a baseline finite element model. Both fibre optic sensing systems proved capable of identifying the natural frequencies of the blade in the frequency range of interest (0-100 Hz). The data from the FBG sensors exhibited a dependency on their position relative to the neutral axes of the blade, which meant that full characterisation of the flapping and lagging modes required careful consideration of sensor location in the chordwise direction. The DFOSS system was able to identify all structural dynamics, despite being located on the neutral axis in the lagging direction, due to its sensitivity to angle changes, rather than strain, and its biaxial measurement capability. The DFOSS system also allowed the operational mode shapes of the blade to be determined directly, without the requirement for strain transfer from the blade to the sensor and without the requirement for a model of the underlying structure. The accuracy of obtained natural frequencies and operational mode shapes is assessed, demonstrating the potential of the use of both fibre optic sensing systems for determining blade structural dynamics.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymssp.2021.107758
Correction of periodic displacement non-linearities by two-wavelength interferometry. - In: Measurement science and technology, ISSN 1361-6501, Bd. 32 (2021), 12, 125202, S. 1-12
Non-linearities in interferometric displacement measurements commonly affect both homodyne and heterodyne optical interferometers. Unwanted back reflections (ghost reflections) or polarisation leakage introduce non-linearity terms at harmonics of the illuminating wavelength that cannot be fully corrected for with standard non-linearity correction techniques. A two-wavelength interferometric approach, operating at 632.8 and 785 nm, is presented here that is capable of correcting such non-linearities. Non-linearities are separated from the difference between two displacement measurements made at differing wavelengths with a Fourier approach. Compared to a standard Heydemann ellipse fitting correction, the proposed approach reduces estimated residual non-linearities from 84 to 11 pm in the case of a linear displacement profile. In particular this approach is applicable to the correction of higher order non-linearities that are caused by multiple reflections, and that are therefore very sensitive to alignment conditions.
https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6501/ac1dfa
Chemoheteroepitaxy of 3C-SiC(111) on Si(111): influence of predeposited Ge on structure and composition. - In: Physica status solidi, ISSN 1862-6319, Bd. 218 (2021), 24, 2100399, S. 1-10
Secondary ion mass spectroscopy, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, ellipsometry, reflection high energy diffraction and transmission electron microscopy are used to gain inside into the effect of Ge on the formation of ultrathin 3C-SiC layers on Si(111) substrates. Accompanying the experimental investigations with simulations it is found that the ultrathin single crystalline 3C-SiC layer is formed on top of a gradient Si1-x-yGexCy buffer layer due to a complex alloying and alloy decomposition processes promoted by carbon and germanium interdiffusion and SiC nucleation. This approach allows tuning residual stress at very early growth stages as well as the interface properties of the 3C-SiC/Si heterostructure. Useful yields of secondary ions of Ge in Si matrix and Si dimer are estimated.
https://doi.org/10.1002/pssa.202100399
Ultrasensitive strain sensors based on Cu-Al alloy films with voided cluster boundaries. - In: Advanced Materials Technologies, ISSN 2365-709X, Bd. 6 (2021), 12, 2100524, insges. 12 S.
https://doi.org/10.1002/admt.202100524