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Articles 811 - 840 of 4868

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Core-Shell Co/Coo Integrated On 3d Nitrogen Doped Reduced Graphene Oxide Aerogel As An Enhanced Electrocatalyst For The Oxygen Reduction Reaction, Meng Wang, Yuyang Hou, Robert C.T. Slade, Jiazhao Wang, Dongqi Shi, David Wexler, Hua-Kun Liu, Jun Chen Jan 2016

Core-Shell Co/Coo Integrated On 3d Nitrogen Doped Reduced Graphene Oxide Aerogel As An Enhanced Electrocatalyst For The Oxygen Reduction Reaction, Meng Wang, Yuyang Hou, Robert C.T. Slade, Jiazhao Wang, Dongqi Shi, David Wexler, Hua-Kun Liu, Jun Chen

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Here, we demonstrate that Cobalt/cobalt oxide core-shell nanoparticles integrated on nitrogen-doped (N-doped) three-dimensional reduced graphene oxide aerogel-based architecture (Co/CoO-NGA) were synthesized through a facile hydrothermal method followed by annealing treatment. The unique endurable porous structure could provide sufficient mass transfer channels and ample active sites on Co/CoO-NGA to facilitate the catalytic reaction. The synthesized Co/CoO-NGA was explored as an electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction, showing comparable oxygen reduction performance with excellent methanol resistance and better durability compared with Pt/C.

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Critical Thickness Of Phenolic Resin-Based Carbon Interfacial Layer For Improving Long Cycling Stability Of Silicon Nanoparticle Anodes, Wei Luo, Yunxiao Wang, Shulei Chou, Yanfei Xu, Wei Li, Biao Kong, S X. Dou, Hua-Kun Liu, Jianping Yang Jan 2016

Critical Thickness Of Phenolic Resin-Based Carbon Interfacial Layer For Improving Long Cycling Stability Of Silicon Nanoparticle Anodes, Wei Luo, Yunxiao Wang, Shulei Chou, Yanfei Xu, Wei Li, Biao Kong, S X. Dou, Hua-Kun Liu, Jianping Yang

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Silicon has a high theoretical capacity, still limits its application on Si-based anodes due to the problems of low electric conductivity, large volume change, continuous formation of unstable solid electrolyte interphase layer, and easy fracture during lithiation and delithiation process. Despite various carbon coating approaches are developed to fabricate carbon coated silicon core-shell and yolk-shell nanocomposites with improved electrochemical performance, the challenges including poor long-term cyclability, low Si mass ratio, and scalability remains. To overcome these challenges, we design an interfacial microporous carbon coating strategy on silicon nanoparticles to form homogeneous coaxial core-shell nanostructures. This synthesis sol-gel approach is simple, …

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In-Plane Graphene/Boron-Nitride Heterostructures As An Efficient Metal-Free Electrocatalyst For The Oxygen Reduction Reaction, Qiao Sun, Caixia Sun, Aijun Du, S X. Dou, Zhen Li Jan 2016

In-Plane Graphene/Boron-Nitride Heterostructures As An Efficient Metal-Free Electrocatalyst For The Oxygen Reduction Reaction, Qiao Sun, Caixia Sun, Aijun Du, S X. Dou, Zhen Li

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Exploiting metal-free catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and understanding their catalytic mechanisms are vital for the development of fuel cells (FCs). Our study has demonstrated that in-plane heterostructures of graphene and boron nitride (G/BN) can serve as an efficient metal-free catalyst for the ORR, in which the C-N interfaces of G/BN heterostructures act as reactive sites. The formation of water at the heterointerface is both energetically and kinetically favorable via a four-electron pathway. Moreover, the water formed can be easily released from the heterointerface, and the catalytically active sites can be regenerated for the next cycle. Since G/BN …

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The Origin Of Capacity Fade In The Li2mno3·Limo2 (M = Li, Ni, Co, Mn) Microsphere Positive Electrode: An Operando Neutron Diffraction And Transmission X-Ray Microscopy Study, Chih Jung Chen, Wei Kong Pang, Tatsuhiro Mori, Vanessa K. Peterson, Neeraj Sharma, Po Han Lee, She-Huang Wu, Chun Chieh Wang, Yen Fang Song, Ru-Shi Liu Jan 2016

The Origin Of Capacity Fade In The Li2mno3·Limo2 (M = Li, Ni, Co, Mn) Microsphere Positive Electrode: An Operando Neutron Diffraction And Transmission X-Ray Microscopy Study, Chih Jung Chen, Wei Kong Pang, Tatsuhiro Mori, Vanessa K. Peterson, Neeraj Sharma, Po Han Lee, She-Huang Wu, Chun Chieh Wang, Yen Fang Song, Ru-Shi Liu

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

The mechanism of capacity fade of the Li2MnO3·LiMO2 (M = Li, Ni, Co, Mn) composite positive electrode within a full cell was investigated using a combination of operando neutron powder diffraction and transmission X-ray microscopy methods, enabling the phase, crystallographic, and morphological evolution of the material during electrochemical cycling to be understood. The electrode was shown to initially consist of 73(1) wt % R3m LiMO2 with the remaining 27(1) wt % C2/m Li2MnO3 likely existing as an intergrowth. Cracking in the Li2MnO3·LiMO2 electrode particle under operando microscopy observation was revealed to be initiated by the solid-solution reaction of the LiMO2 …

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Self-Monitoring And Self-Correcting Polymer Fibers Coated With Carbon Nanotubes, Zhixin Tai, Yajie Liu, Hua-Kun Liu, S X. Dou Jan 2016

Self-Monitoring And Self-Correcting Polymer Fibers Coated With Carbon Nanotubes, Zhixin Tai, Yajie Liu, Hua-Kun Liu, S X. Dou

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Bandaging, which has been used either to support a medical device such as a dressing or splint, or on its own to provide support to the body or restrict the motion of a part of the body, is further studied in our work in the form of multifunctional materials for self-monitoring and self-correcting by integration with carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Here, modified polymer fibers for bandages can be fabricated from fibers of commercially available bandages with carbon nanotubes uniformly adhering to the fibers, via a simple solution process to produce tough, flexible, and electrically conducting fibers. The conductivity of the coated …

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Effects Of Carbon Content On The Electrochemical Performances Of Mos2-C Nanocomposites For Li-Ion Batteries, Weiyi Sun, Zhe Hu, Caiyun Wang, Zhanliang Tao, Shulei Chou, Yong-Mook Kang, Hua-Kun Liu Jan 2016

Effects Of Carbon Content On The Electrochemical Performances Of Mos2-C Nanocomposites For Li-Ion Batteries, Weiyi Sun, Zhe Hu, Caiyun Wang, Zhanliang Tao, Shulei Chou, Yong-Mook Kang, Hua-Kun Liu

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Molybdenum disulfide is popular for rechargeable batteries, especially in Li-ion batteries, because of its layered structure and relatively high specific capacity. In this paper, we report MoS2-C nanocomposites that are synthesized by a hydrothermal process, and their use as anode material for Li-ion batteries. Ascorbic acid is used as the carbon source, and the carbon contents can be tuned from 2.5 wt % to 16.2 wt %. With increasing of carbon content, the morphology of MoS2-C nanocomposites changes from nanoflowers to nanospheres, and the particle size is decreased from 200 to 60 nm. This change is caused by the chemical …

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Thermoelectric Enhancement Of Different Kinds Of Metal Chalcogenides, Chao Han, Qiao Sun, Zhen Li, S X. Dou Jan 2016

Thermoelectric Enhancement Of Different Kinds Of Metal Chalcogenides, Chao Han, Qiao Sun, Zhen Li, S X. Dou

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Due to the urgency of our energy and environmental issues, a variety of cost-effective and pollution-free technologies have attracted considerable attention, among which thermoelectric technology has made enormous progress. Substantial numbers of new thermoelectric materials are created with high figure of merit (ZT) by using advanced nanoscience and nanotechnology. This is especially true in the case of metal-chalcogenide-based materials, which possess both relatively high ZT and low cost among all the different kinds of thermoelectric materials. Here, comprehensive coverage of recent advances in metal chalcogenides and their correlated thermoelectric enhancement mechanisms are provided. Several new strategies are summarized with the …

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Stability Of Chemically Passivated Silicon Electrodes In Aqueous Solutions: Interplay Between Bias Voltage And Hydration Of The Electrolyte, Vinicius R. Goncales, Yanfang Wu, Bakul Gupta, Stephen G. Parker, Ying Yang, Simone Ciampi, Richard D. Tilley, J Justin Gooding Jan 2016

Stability Of Chemically Passivated Silicon Electrodes In Aqueous Solutions: Interplay Between Bias Voltage And Hydration Of The Electrolyte, Vinicius R. Goncales, Yanfang Wu, Bakul Gupta, Stephen G. Parker, Ying Yang, Simone Ciampi, Richard D. Tilley, J Justin Gooding

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Chemical passivation of nonoxide semiconductors is a key prerequisite for electrochemical devices that operate in water-based electrolytes. Silicon remains the technologically most important material and organic monolayers based on the hydrosilylation of 1-alkynes have been shown to be a very effective approach to limit the thermodynamically favorable oxidation of the electrode, while still retaining efficient electron transfer across the solid/liquid interface. A large excess of a supporting electrolyte is always added to the solution in order to confine the applied potential gradient to the region close to the surface of the electrode. However, little is known about how the degree …

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[111]-Oriented Pin-Pmn-Pt Crystals With Ultrahigh Dielectric Permittivity And High Frequency Constant For High-Frequency Transducer Applications, Fei Li, Shujun Zhang, Jun Luo, Xuecang Geng, Zhuo Xu, Thomas R. Shrout Jan 2016

[111]-Oriented Pin-Pmn-Pt Crystals With Ultrahigh Dielectric Permittivity And High Frequency Constant For High-Frequency Transducer Applications, Fei Li, Shujun Zhang, Jun Luo, Xuecang Geng, Zhuo Xu, Thomas R. Shrout

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

The electromechanical properties of [111]-oriented tetragonal Pb(In1/2Nb1/2O3)-Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3O3)-PbTiO3 (PIN-PMN-PT) crystals were investigated for potential high frequency ultrasonic transducers. The domain-engineered tetragonal crystals exhibit an ultrahigh free dielectric permittivity ε33 T > 10 000 with a moderate electromechanical coupling factor k33 ∼ 0.79, leading to a high clamped dielectric permittivity ε33 S of 2800, significantly higher than those of the rhombohedral relaxor-PT crystals and high-K (dielectric permittivity) piezoelectric ceramics. Of particular significance is that the [111]-oriented tetragonal crystals were found to possess high elastic stiffness, with frequency constant N33 of ∼2400 Hz m, allowing relatively easy fabrication of high-frequency transducers. In addition, no …

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Kinematic Molecular Manufacturing Machines, Danijel Boskovic, Sivakumar Balakrishnan, Shaoming Huang, Gerhard F. Swiegers Jan 2016

Kinematic Molecular Manufacturing Machines, Danijel Boskovic, Sivakumar Balakrishnan, Shaoming Huang, Gerhard F. Swiegers

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

The principles of kinematic manufacturing machines of the type widely used since the industrial revolution are reviewed. Consideration is then given to how the principles of kinematics ('the geometry of motion') may manifest in molecular catalysts. Actions of this type involve synchronized, regular, repeated and rapid conformational flexing along geometrically optimum pathways that define a single degree of freedom. The proposition that many of the catalysts of biology, enzymes, may generally exploit a kinematic action is discussed. Thereafter, in the major portion of this work, representative abiological molecular catalysts whose actions display the characteristic features of kinematic manufacturing processes, are …

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Processable 2d Materials Beyond Graphene: Mos2 Liquid Crystals And Fibres, Rouhollah Jalili, Sima Aminorroaya-Yamini, Tania Benedetti Goncales, Seyed Hamed Aboutalebi, Yunfeng Chao, Gordon G. Wallace, David L. Officer Jan 2016

Processable 2d Materials Beyond Graphene: Mos2 Liquid Crystals And Fibres, Rouhollah Jalili, Sima Aminorroaya-Yamini, Tania Benedetti Goncales, Seyed Hamed Aboutalebi, Yunfeng Chao, Gordon G. Wallace, David L. Officer

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Herein, we show properly engineered MoS2 crystals can readily form liquid crystalline dispersions in water making them ideal candidates for large-scale manufacturing processes. The guideline provided here can serve as the basis to develop practical protocols to address the long-standing goal of large-scale manufacturing of 2D materials.

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Knitted Carbon-Nanotube-Sheath/Spandex-Core Elastomeric Yarns For Artificial Muscles And Strain Sensing, Javad Foroughi, Geoffrey M. Spinks, Shazed Aziz, Azadehsadat Mirabedini, Mohammadali Jeiranikhameneh, Gordon G. Wallace, Mikhail E. Kozlov, Ray H. Baughman Jan 2016

Knitted Carbon-Nanotube-Sheath/Spandex-Core Elastomeric Yarns For Artificial Muscles And Strain Sensing, Javad Foroughi, Geoffrey M. Spinks, Shazed Aziz, Azadehsadat Mirabedini, Mohammadali Jeiranikhameneh, Gordon G. Wallace, Mikhail E. Kozlov, Ray H. Baughman

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Highly stretchable, actuatable, electrically conductive knitted textiles based on Spandex (SPX)/CNT (carbon nanotube) composite yarns were prepared by an integrated knitting procedure. SPX filaments were continuously wrapped with CNT aerogel sheets and supplied directly to an interlocking circular knitting machine to form three-dimensional electrically conductive and stretchable textiles. By adjusting the SPX/CNT feed ratio, the fabric electrical conductivities could be tailored in the range of 870 to 7092 S/m. The electrical conductivity depended on tensile strain, with a linear and largely hysteresis-free resistance change occurring on loading and unloading between 0% and 80% strain. Electrothermal heating of the stretched fabric …

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Ruthenium Nanocrystal Decorated Vertical Graphene Nanosheets@Ni Foam As Highly Efficient Cathode Catalysts For Lithium-Oxygen Batteries, Dawei Su, Donghan Seo, Yuhang Ju, Zhao Jun Han, Kostya Ostrikov, S X. Dou, Hyojun Ahn, Zhangquan Peng, Guoxiu Wang Jan 2016

Ruthenium Nanocrystal Decorated Vertical Graphene Nanosheets@Ni Foam As Highly Efficient Cathode Catalysts For Lithium-Oxygen Batteries, Dawei Su, Donghan Seo, Yuhang Ju, Zhao Jun Han, Kostya Ostrikov, S X. Dou, Hyojun Ahn, Zhangquan Peng, Guoxiu Wang

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

The electrochemical performance of lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) batteries can be markedly improved through designing the architecture of cathode electrodes with sufficient spaces to facilitate the diffusion of oxygen and accommodate the discharge products, and optimizing the cathode catalyst to promote the oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, we report the synthesis of ruthenium (Ru) nanocrystal-decorated vertically aligned graphene nanosheets (VGNS) grown on nickel (Ni) foam. As an effective binder-free cathode catalyst for Li-O2 batteries, the Ru-decorated VGNS@Ni foam can significantly reduce the charge overpotential via the effects on the OER and achieve high specific capacity, leading to an …

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Improvement In The Transport Critical Current Density And Microstructure Of Isotopic Mg11B2 Monofilament Wires By Optimizing The Sintering Temperature, Wenbin Qiu, Hyunseock Jie, Dipakkumar Patel, Yao Lu, Vladimir Luzin, Arnaud Devred, Mehmet Somer, Mohammed Shahabuddin, Jung Ho Kim, Zongqing Ma, S X. Dou, Md Shahriar Hossain Jan 2016

Improvement In The Transport Critical Current Density And Microstructure Of Isotopic Mg11B2 Monofilament Wires By Optimizing The Sintering Temperature, Wenbin Qiu, Hyunseock Jie, Dipakkumar Patel, Yao Lu, Vladimir Luzin, Arnaud Devred, Mehmet Somer, Mohammed Shahabuddin, Jung Ho Kim, Zongqing Ma, S X. Dou, Md Shahriar Hossain

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Superconducting wires are widely used in fabricating magnetic coils in fusion reactors. In consideration of the stability of 11B against neutron irradiation and lower induced radio-activation properties, MgB2 superconductor with 11B serving as boron source is an alternative candidate to be used in fusion reactor with severe irradiation environment. In present work, a batch of monofilament isotopic Mg11B2 wires with amorphous 11B powder as precursor were fabricated using powder-in-tube (PIT) process at different sintering temperature, and the evolution of their microstructure and corresponding superconducting properties was systemically investigated. Accordingly, the best transport critical current density (Jc) = 2 x 104 …

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Nanodroplets For Stretchable Superconducting Circuits, Long Ren, Jincheng Zhuang, Gilberto Casillas, Haifeng Feng, Yuqing Liu, Xun Xu, Yundan Liu, Jun Chen, Yi Du, Lei Jiang, Shi Xue Dou Jan 2016

Nanodroplets For Stretchable Superconducting Circuits, Long Ren, Jincheng Zhuang, Gilberto Casillas, Haifeng Feng, Yuqing Liu, Xun Xu, Yundan Liu, Jun Chen, Yi Du, Lei Jiang, Shi Xue Dou

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

The prospective utilization of nanoscale superconductors as micro/nanocoils or circuits with superior current density and no electrical resistance loss in next-generation electronics or electromagnetic equipment represents a fascinating opportunity for new microsystem technologies. Here, a family of superconducting liquid metals (Ga-In-Sn alloys) and their nanodroplets toward printable and stretchable superconducting micro/nanoelectronics is developed. By tuning the composition of liquid metals the highest superconducting critical temperature (Tc) in this family can be modulated and achieved as high as 6.6 K. The liquid metal nanodroplets retain their bulk superconducting properties and can be easily dispersed in different solvents as inks. The printable …

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Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Ribbon Assembled Core-Sheath Mno@Graphene Scrolls As Hierarchically Ordered 3d Porous Electrodes For Fast And Durable Lithium Storage, Yun Zhang, Penghui Chen, Xu Gao, Bo Wang, Heng Liu, Haobin Wu, Hua-Kun Liu, Shi Xue Dou Jan 2016

Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Ribbon Assembled Core-Sheath Mno@Graphene Scrolls As Hierarchically Ordered 3d Porous Electrodes For Fast And Durable Lithium Storage, Yun Zhang, Penghui Chen, Xu Gao, Bo Wang, Heng Liu, Haobin Wu, Hua-Kun Liu, Shi Xue Dou

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Graphene scroll is an emerging 1D tubular form of graphitic carbon that has potential applications in electrochemical energy storage. However, it still remains a challenge to composite graphene scrolls with other nanomaterials for building advanced electrode configuration with fast and durable lithium storage properties. Here, a transition-metal-oxide-based hierarchically ordered 3D porous electrode is designed based on assembling 1D core-sheath MnO@N-doped graphene scrolls with 2D N-doped graphene ribbons. In the resulting architecture, porous MnO nanowires confined in tubular graphene scrolls are mechanically isolated but electronically wellconnected, while the interwoven graphene ribbons offer continuous conductive paths for electron transfer in all directions. …

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Improvement Of System Capacitance Via Weavable Superelastic Biscrolled Yarn Supercapacitors, Changsoon Choi, Kang Min Kim, Keon Kim, Xavier Lepró, Geoffrey M. Spinks, Ray H. Baughman, Seon Jeong Kim Jan 2016

Improvement Of System Capacitance Via Weavable Superelastic Biscrolled Yarn Supercapacitors, Changsoon Choi, Kang Min Kim, Keon Kim, Xavier Lepró, Geoffrey M. Spinks, Ray H. Baughman, Seon Jeong Kim

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Yarn-based supercapacitors having improved performance are needed for existing and emerging wearable applications. Here, we report weavable carbon nanotube yarn supercapacitors having high performance because of high loadings of rapidly accessible charge storage particles (above 90 wt% MnO2). The yarn electrodes are made by a biscrolling process that traps host MnO2 nanoparticles within the galleries of helically scrolled carbon nanotube sheets, which provide strength and electrical conductivity. Despite the high loading of brittle metal oxide particles, the biscrolled solid-state yarn supercapacitors are flexible and can be made elastically stretchable (up to 30% strain) by over-twisting to produce yarn coiling. The …

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Ambient Aqueous Growth Of Cu2te Nanostructures With Excellent Electrocatalytic Activity Toward Sulfide Redox Shuttles, Chao Han, Yang Bai, Qiao Sun, Shaohua Zhang, Zhen Li, Lianzhou Wang, Shi Xue Dou Jan 2016

Ambient Aqueous Growth Of Cu2te Nanostructures With Excellent Electrocatalytic Activity Toward Sulfide Redox Shuttles, Chao Han, Yang Bai, Qiao Sun, Shaohua Zhang, Zhen Li, Lianzhou Wang, Shi Xue Dou

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

A new aqueous and scalable strategy to synthesize surfactant-free Cu2Te nanotubes and nanosheets at room temperature has been developed. In aqueous solution, Cu2E (E = O, S, Se) nanoparticles can be easily transformed into Cu2Te nanosheets and nanotubes via a simple anion exchange reaction under ambient conditions. The formation of Cu2Te nanosheets is ascribed to a novel exchange-peeling growth mechanism instead of simple Kirkendall effect; and the resultant nanosheets can be further rolled into nanotubes with assistance of stirring. The morphologies of Cu2Te nanosheets and nanotubes can be easily controlled by changing the synthesis parameters, such as the concentration of …

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Uv Cross-Linkable Graphene/Poly(Trimethylene Carbonate) Composites For 3d Printing Of Electrically Conductive Scaffolds, Sepidar Sayyar, Miina M. Bjorninen, Suvi P. Haimi, Susanna S. Miettinen, Kerry J. Gilmore, Dirk Grijpma, Gordon G. Wallace Jan 2016

Uv Cross-Linkable Graphene/Poly(Trimethylene Carbonate) Composites For 3d Printing Of Electrically Conductive Scaffolds, Sepidar Sayyar, Miina M. Bjorninen, Suvi P. Haimi, Susanna S. Miettinen, Kerry J. Gilmore, Dirk Grijpma, Gordon G. Wallace

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Conductive, flexible graphene/poly(trimethylene carbonate) (PTMC) composites were prepared. Addition of just 3 wt % graphene to PTMC oligomers functionalized with methacrylate end-groups followed by UV cross-linking resulted in more than 100% improvement in tensile strength and enhanced electrical conductivity by orders of magnitude without altering the processability of the host material. The addition of graphene also enhanced mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) attachment and proliferation. When electrical stimulation via the composite material was applied, MSC viability was not compromised, and osteogenic markers were upregulated. Using additive fabrication techniques, the material was processed into multilayer 3D scaffolds which supported MSC attachment. These …

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Electrical Stimulation Enhances The Acetylcholine Receptors Available For Neuromuscular Junction Formation, Rodrigo Lozano, Kerry J. Gilmore, Brianna C. Thompson, Elise M. Stewart, Aaron Waters, Mario I. Romero-Ortega, Gordon G. Wallace Jan 2016

Electrical Stimulation Enhances The Acetylcholine Receptors Available For Neuromuscular Junction Formation, Rodrigo Lozano, Kerry J. Gilmore, Brianna C. Thompson, Elise M. Stewart, Aaron Waters, Mario I. Romero-Ortega, Gordon G. Wallace

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Neuromuscular junctions (NMJ) are specialized synapses that link motor neurons with muscle fibers. These sites are fundamental to human muscle activity, controlling swallowing and breathing amongst many other vital functions. Study of this synapse formation is an essential area in neuroscience; the understanding of how neurons interact and control their targets during development and regeneration are fundamental questions. Existing data reveals that during initial stages of development neurons target and form synapses driven by biophysical and biochemical cues, and during later stages they require electrical activity to develop their functional interactions. The aim of this study was to investigate the …

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3d Printed Flexure Hinges For Soft Monolithic Prosthetic Fingers, Rahim Mutlu, Gursel Alici, Marc In Het Panhuis, Geoffrey M. Spinks Jan 2016

3d Printed Flexure Hinges For Soft Monolithic Prosthetic Fingers, Rahim Mutlu, Gursel Alici, Marc In Het Panhuis, Geoffrey M. Spinks

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Mechanical compliance is one of the primary properties of structures in nature playing a key role in their efficiency. This study investigates a number of commonly used flexure hinges to determine a flexure hinge morphology, which generates large displacements under a lowest possible force input. The aim of this is to design a soft and monolithic robotic finger. Fused deposition modeling, a low-cost 3D printing technique, was used to fabricate the flexure hinges and the soft monolithic robotic fingers. Experimental and finite element analyses suggest that a nonsymmetric elliptical flexure hinge is the most suitable type for use in the …

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Collapse And Reappearance Of Magnetic Orderings In Spin Frustrated Tbmno3 Induced By Fe Substitution, Fang Hong, Binbin Yue, Jian Li Wang, Andrew J. Studer, Chunsheng Fang, Xiaolin Wang, Shi Xue Dou, Zhenxiang Cheng Jan 2016

Collapse And Reappearance Of Magnetic Orderings In Spin Frustrated Tbmno3 Induced By Fe Substitution, Fang Hong, Binbin Yue, Jian Li Wang, Andrew J. Studer, Chunsheng Fang, Xiaolin Wang, Shi Xue Dou, Zhenxiang Cheng

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

We studied the temperature dependent magnetic phase evolution in spin frustrated TbMnO3 affected by Fe doping via powder neutron diffraction. With the introduction of Fe (10% and 20%), the long range incommensurate magnetic orderings collapse. When the Fe content is increased to 30%, a long-range antiferromagnetic ordering develops, while a spin reorientation transition is found near 35 K from a canted G-type antiferromagnetic ordering to a collinear G-type antiferromagnetic ordering. This work demonstrates the complex magnetic interactions existing in transition metal oxides, which helps to understand the frustrated spin states in other similar systems and design magnetic materials as well.

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Engineering Hierarchical Hollow Nickel Sulfide Spheres For High-Performance Sodium Storage, Dan Zhang, Wenping Sun, Yu Zhang, Yuhai Dou, Yinzhu Jiang, Shi Xue Dou Jan 2016

Engineering Hierarchical Hollow Nickel Sulfide Spheres For High-Performance Sodium Storage, Dan Zhang, Wenping Sun, Yu Zhang, Yuhai Dou, Yinzhu Jiang, Shi Xue Dou

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are considered as promising alternatives to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) for energy storage due to the abundance of sodium, especially for grid distribution systems. The practical implementation of SIBs, however, is severely hindered by their low energy density and poor cycling stability due to the poor electrochemical performance of the existing electrodes. Here, to achieve high-capacity and durable sodium storage with good rate capability, hierarchical hollow NiS spheres with porous shells composed of nanoparticles are designed and synthesized by tuning the reaction parameters. The formation mechanism of this unique structure is systematically investigated, which is clearly revealed to …

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Achieving High-Performance Room-Temperature Sodium−Sulfur Batteries With S@Interconnected Mesoporous Carbon Hollow Nanospheres, Yunxiao Wang, Jianping Yang, Weihong Lai, Shulei Chou, Qinfen Gu, Hua-Kun Liu, Dongyuan Zhao, Shi Xue Dou Jan 2016

Achieving High-Performance Room-Temperature Sodium−Sulfur Batteries With S@Interconnected Mesoporous Carbon Hollow Nanospheres, Yunxiao Wang, Jianping Yang, Weihong Lai, Shulei Chou, Qinfen Gu, Hua-Kun Liu, Dongyuan Zhao, Shi Xue Dou

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Despite the high theoretical capacity of the sodium-sulfur battery, its application is seriously restrained by the challenges due to its low sulfur electroactivity and accelerated shuttle effect, which lead to low accessible capacity and fast decay. Herein, an elaborate carbon framework, interconnected mesoporous hollow carbon nanospheres, is reported as an effective sulfur host to achieve excellent electrochemical performance. Based on in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction, the mechanism of the room temperature Na/S battery is proposed to be reversible reactions between S8 and Na2S4, corresponding to a theoretical capacity of 418 mAh g-1. The cell is capable of achieving high capacity retention …

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Communication: Chemisorption Of Muonium On Gold Nanoparticles: A Sensitive New Probe Of Surface Magnetism And Reactivity, M H. Dehn, D J. Arseneau, P Boni, M D. Bridges, T Buck, David L. Cortie, D G. Fleming, J A. Kelly, W A. Macfarlane, M J. Maclachlan, R M. L Mcfadden, G D. Morris, P-X Wang, J Xiao, V M. Zamarion, R F. Kiefl Jan 2016

Communication: Chemisorption Of Muonium On Gold Nanoparticles: A Sensitive New Probe Of Surface Magnetism And Reactivity, M H. Dehn, D J. Arseneau, P Boni, M D. Bridges, T Buck, David L. Cortie, D G. Fleming, J A. Kelly, W A. Macfarlane, M J. Maclachlan, R M. L Mcfadden, G D. Morris, P-X Wang, J Xiao, V M. Zamarion, R F. Kiefl

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Chemisorption of muonium onto the surface of gold nanoparticles has been observed. Muonium (u+e-), a light hydrogen-like atom, reacts chemically with uncapped 7 nm gold nanoparticles embedded in mesoporous silica (SBA-15) with a strong temperature-dependent rate. The addition rate is fast enough to allow coherent spin transfer into a diamagnetic muon state on the nanoparticle surface. The muon is well established as a sensitive probe of static or slowly fluctuating magnetic fields in bulk matter. These results represent the first muon spin rotation signal on a nanoparticle surface or any metallic surface. Only weak magnetic effects are seen on the …

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Photocatalytic Oxidation Of Methane Over Silver Decorated Zinc Oxide Nanocatalysts, Xuxing Chen, Yunpeng Li, Xiaoyang Pan, David L. Cortie, Xintang Huang, Zhiguo Yi Jan 2016

Photocatalytic Oxidation Of Methane Over Silver Decorated Zinc Oxide Nanocatalysts, Xuxing Chen, Yunpeng Li, Xiaoyang Pan, David L. Cortie, Xintang Huang, Zhiguo Yi

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

The search for active catalysts that efficiently oxidize methane under ambient conditions remains a challenging task for both C1 utilization and atmospheric cleansing. Here, we show that when the particle size of zinc oxide is reduced down to the nanoscale, it exhibits high activity for methane oxidation under simulated sunlight illumination, and nano silver decoration further enhances the photo-activity via the surface plasmon resonance. The high quantum yield of 8% at wavelengths < 400 nm and over 0.1% at wavelengths ¿ 470 nm achieved on the silver decorated zinc oxide nanostructures shows great promise for atmospheric methane oxidation. Moreover, the nano-particulate composites can efficiently photo-oxidize other small molecular hydrocarbons such as ethane, propane and ethylene, and in particular, can dehydrogenize methane to generate ethane, ethylene and so on. On the basis of the experimental results, a two-step photocatalytic reaction process is suggested to account for the methane photo-oxidation.

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Manipulation Of Nanoscale Domain Switching Using An Electron Beam With Omnidirectional Electric Field Distribution, Zi-Bin Chen, Xiaolin Wang, Simon Peter Ringer, Xiaozhou Liao Jan 2016

Manipulation Of Nanoscale Domain Switching Using An Electron Beam With Omnidirectional Electric Field Distribution, Zi-Bin Chen, Xiaolin Wang, Simon Peter Ringer, Xiaozhou Liao

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Reversible ferroelectric domain (FD) manipulation with a high spatial resolution is critical for memory storage devices based on thin film ferroelectric materials. FD can be manipulated using techniques that apply heat, mechanical stress, or electric bias. However, these techniques have some drawbacks. Here we propose to use an electron beam with an omnidirectional electric field as a tool for erasable stable ferroelectric nanodomain manipulation. Our results suggest that local accumulation of charges contributes to the local electric field that determines domain configurations.

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Mechanical Stiffness Augmentation Of A 3d Printed Soft Prosthetic Finger, Rahim Mutlu, Solen Kumbay-Yildiz, Gursel Alici, Marc In Het Panhuis, Geoffrey M. Spinks Jan 2016

Mechanical Stiffness Augmentation Of A 3d Printed Soft Prosthetic Finger, Rahim Mutlu, Solen Kumbay-Yildiz, Gursel Alici, Marc In Het Panhuis, Geoffrey M. Spinks

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Soft robotics, as a multi-disciplinary research area, has recently gained a significant momentum due to offering unconventional characteristics relative to rigid robots such as a resilient, highly dexterous, compliant and safer interaction with humans and their physical environments. However, soft robots suffer from not being able to carry their own weight which mainly depends on the modulus of elasticity of the material used to fabricate them. In this paper, we report on a practical and easy-to-implement stiffness augmentation method to enhance stiffness of soft robotic components. We fabricated a soft robotic finger which is fully compliant with flexure hinges using …

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Rectification Magnetoresistance Device: Experimental Realization And Theoretical Simulation, Kun Zhang, Qikun Huang, Yi Yan, Xiaolin Wang, Jing Wang, Shi-Shou Kang, Yu-Feng Tian Jan 2016

Rectification Magnetoresistance Device: Experimental Realization And Theoretical Simulation, Kun Zhang, Qikun Huang, Yi Yan, Xiaolin Wang, Jing Wang, Shi-Shou Kang, Yu-Feng Tian

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

A unique technique has been proposed to realize rectification magnetoresistance (RMR) by combining a commercial diode and a magnetoresistance component in parallel. The observed RMR could be greatly tuned in a wide range by applying direct current and alternating current simultaneously to the device. Moreover, a quantitative theoretical model has been established, which well explained both the observed RMR and the electrical manipulation behavior. The highly tunable RMR and the correlated magnetoelectric functionalities provide an alternative route for developing multi-functional spintronics devices.

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Ferroelectric Characterization Of La∶Bifeo3/Bi0.5(Na0.85k0.15)0.5tio3 Nano-Composite Films, Kang Cai, Hongyang Zhao, Zhibin Ma, Hideo Kimura, Tingting Jia, Zhenxiang Cheng Jan 2016

Ferroelectric Characterization Of La∶Bifeo3/Bi0.5(Na0.85k0.15)0.5tio3 Nano-Composite Films, Kang Cai, Hongyang Zhao, Zhibin Ma, Hideo Kimura, Tingting Jia, Zhenxiang Cheng

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

La0.1Bi0.9FeO3 (BFO), Bi0.5(Na0.85K0.15)0.5TiO3(BNKT) and BFO/BNKT nano-composite films were fabricated by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrate. The ferroelectric properties were enhanced in BFO/BNKT compared to single layer film of BFO and BNKT. The ferroelectric domain structures were observed using piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM). The polarization reversal was time-dependent because the inhomogeneous domains with different coercivity. Evidence can also be seen in the fatigue results which showed unusual profile. The polarization increased as the increase of switching cycles because some of domains are difficult to switch using the applied field. Nano-scale piezoresponse hysteresis loops measured by PFM also revealed …

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