Ionic Polymer Metal Composite Flapping Actuator Mimicking Dragonflies

In this study, variational principle is used for dynamic modeling of an Ionic Polymer Metal Composite (IPMC) flapping wing. The IPMC is an Electro-active Polymer (EAP) which is emerging as a useful smart material for `artificial muscle' applications. Dynamic characteristics of IPMC flapping wings having the same size as the actual wings of three different dragonfly species Aeshna Multicolor, Anax Parthenope Julius and Sympetrum Frequens are analyzed using numerical simulations. An unsteady aerodynamic model is used to obtain the aerodynamic forces. A comparative study of the performances of three IPMC flapping wings is conducted. Among the three species, it is found that thrust force produced by the IPMC flapping wing of the same size as Anax Parthenope Julius wing is maximum. Lift force produced by the IPMC wing of the same size as Sympetrum Frequens wing is maximum and the wing is suitable for low speed flight. The numerical results in this paper show that dragonfly inspired IPMC flapping wings are a viable contender for insect scale flapping wing micro air vehicles.

Ionic conductivity, mechanical strength and Li-ion battery performance of mono-functional and bi-functional (''Janus'') ``soggy sand'' electrolytes

Influence of dispersion of uniformly sized mono-functional and bi-functional (''Janus'') particles on ionic conductivity of novel ``soggy sand'' electrolytes and its implications on mechanical strength and lithium-ion battery performance are discussed here.

Kinetics and mechanism for dye degradation with ionic Pd-substituted ceria

The degradation of the dye, Orange G, was carried out in the presence of H2O2 and Pd-substituted/impregnated CeO2. The effects of pH, initial dye concentration, initial H2O2 concentration, temperature, catalyst loading, and Pd content in the catalyst on the degradation of the dye were investigated. Eight to twelve percent degradation of the dye was obtained in 1 h when the reaction was carried out in the presence of CeO2 or H2O2 or Pd-substituted/impregnated CeO2 while 17% and 97% degradation was obtained when H2O2 was used with Pd-impregnated CeO2 and Pd-substituted CeO2, respectively. This difference clearly indicated that the ionic substitution of Pd played a key role in the degradation of the dye. A mechanism for the reaction was proposed based upon the catalyst structure and the electron transfer processes that take place in the metal ion substituted system in a reducible oxide. The reaction was found to follow first order kinetics and the influence of all the parameters on the degradation kinetics was compared using the rate constants. (c) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Self-consistent microscopic treatment of the effects of self-motion of the probe on ionic and dipolar solvation dynamics

A simple but self-consistent microscopic theory for the time dependent solvation energy of both ions and dipoles is presented which includes, for the first time, the details of the self-motion of the probe on its own solvation dynamics. The theory leads to several interesting predictions. The most important of them is that, for dipolar solvation, both the rotational and the translational motions of the dipolar solute probe can significantly accelerate the rate of solvation. In addition, the rotational self-motion of the solute can also give rise to an additional mechanism of nonexponentiality in solvation time correlation functions in otherwise slow liquids. A comparison between the present theoretical predictions and the recent experimental studies of Maroncelli et al. on solvation dynamics of aniline in l-propanol seems to indicate that the said experiments have missed the initial solvent response up to about 45 ps. After mapping the experimental results on the redefined time scale, the theoretical results can explain the experimental results for solvation of aniline in 1-propanol very well. For ionic solvation, the translational motion is significant for light solutes only. For example, for Li+ in water, translational motion speeds up the solvation by about 20%. The present theory demonstrates that in dipolar solvation the partial quenching of the self-motion due to the presence of specific solute-solvent interactions (such as H-bonding) may lead to a much slower solvation than that when the self-motion is present. This point has been discussed. In addition, we present the theoretical results for solvation of aniline in propylene carbonate, Here, the solvation is predicted to be complete within 15-20 ps.

Surface resistance and residual losses of Ag?doped YBa2Cu3O7?? thin films on sapphire

High?quality Ag?doped YBa2Cu3O7?? thin films have been grown by laser ablation on R?plane ?1102? sapphire without any buffer layer. Thin films have been found to be highly c?axis oriented with Tc=90 K, transition width ?T?1 K, and transport Jc=1.2×106 A?cm?2 at 77 K in self?field conditions. The microwave surface resistance of these films measured on patterned microstrip resonators has been found to be 530 ?? at 10 GHz at 77 K which is the lowest reported on unbuffered sapphire. Improved in?plane epitaxy and reduced reaction rate between the substrate and the film caused due to Ag in the film are believed to be responsible for this greatly improved microwave surface resistance. © 1995 American Institute of Physics.

Multifunctional cryogenic sensors from n-BaTiO3 ceramics having strong negative temperature coefficient of resistance

Donor-doped n-BaTiO3 polycrystalline ceramics show a strong negative temperature coefficient of resistivity below the orthorhombic-rhombohedral phase transition point, from 10(2-3) Omega cm af 190 K to 10(10-13) Omega cm at less than or similar to 50 K, with thermal coefficient of resistance alpha = 20-23% K-1. Stable thermal sensors for low-temperature applications are realized therefrom. The negative temperature coefficient of resistivity region can be modified by substituting isovalent ions in the lattice. Highly nonlinear current-voltage (I-V) curves are observed at low temperatures, with a voltage maximum followed by the negative differential resistance. The I-V curves are sensitive to dissipation so that cryogenic sensors can be fabricated for liquid level control, flow rate monitoring, radiation detection or in-rush voltage limitation.

Limiting ionic conductance of symmetrical, rigid ions in aqueous solutions: Temperature dependence and solvent isotope effects

Limiting ionic conductance (Lambda(0)) of rigid symmetrical unipositive ions in aqueous solution shows a strong temperature dependence. For example, Lambda(0) more than doubles when the temperature is increased from 283 to 318 K. A marked variation also occurs when the solvent is changed from ordinary water (H2O) to heavy water (D2O). In addition, Lambda(0) shows a nonmonotonic size dependence with a skewed maximum near Cs+. Although these important results have been known for a long time, no satisfactory theoretical explanation exists for these results. In this article we present a simple molecular theory which provides a nearly quantitative explanation in terms of microscopic structure and dynamics of the solvent. A notable feature of this theory is that it does not invoke any nonquantifiable models involving solvent-berg or clatherates. We find the strong temperature dependence of Lambda(0) to arise from a rather large number of microscopic factors, each providing a small but nontrivial contribution, but all acting surprisingly in the same direction. This work, we believe, provides, for the first time, a satisfactory explanation of both the anomalous size and temperature dependencies of Lambda(0) of unipositive ions in molecular terms. The marked change in Lambda(0) as the solvent is changed from H2O to D2O is found to arise partly from a change in the dielectric relaxation and partly from a change in the effective interaction of the ion with the solvent.

A molecular dynamics study and molecular level explanation of pressure dependence of ionic conductivity of potassium chloride in water

Experimental ionic conductivity of different alkali ions in water shows markedly different dependences on pressure. Existing theories such as that of Hubbard-Onsager are unable to explain these dependences on pressure of the ionic conductivity for all ions. We report molecular dynamics investigation of potassium chloride solution at low dilution in water at several pressures between 1 bar and 2 kbar. Two different potential models have been employed. One of the models successfully reproduces the experimentally observed trend in ionic conductivity of K+ ions in water over the 0.001-2 kbar range. We also propose a theoretical explanation, albeit at a qualitative level, to account for the dependence of ionic conductivity on pressure in terms of the previously studied Levitation Effect. It also provides a microscopic picture in terms of the pore network in liquid water.

TolA mediates the differential detergent resistance pattern between the Salmonella enterica subsp enterica serovars Typhi and Typhimurium

The tol-pal genes are essential for maintaining the outer membrane integrity and detergent resistance in various Gram-negative bacteria, including Salmonella. The role of TolA has been well established for the bile resistance of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium. We compared the bile resistance pattern between the S. enterica serovars Typhi and Typhimurium and observed that Typhi is more resistant to bile-mediated damage. A closer look revealed a significant difference in the TolA sequence between the two serovars which contributes to the differential detergent resistance. The tolA knockout of both the serovars behaves completely differently in terms of membrane organization and morphology. The role of the Pal proteins and difference in LPS organization between the two serovars were verified and were found to have no direct connection with the altered bile resistance. In normal Luria broth (LB), S. Typhi Delta tolA is filamentous while S. Typhimurium Delta tolA grows as single cells, similar to the wildtype. In low osmolarity LB, however, S. Typhimurium Delta tolA started chaining and S. Typhi Delta tolA showed no growth. Further investigation revealed that the chaining phenomenon observed was the result of failure of the outer membrane to separate in the dividing cells. Taken together, the results substantiate the evolution of a shorter TolA in S. Typhi to counteract high bile concentrations, at the cost of lower osmotic tolerance.

The two-step positive temperature coefficient in resistance characteristics of n-(Ba,Pb)TiO3 ceramics created through inclusion of grain boundary modifier additives

Donor-doped n-(Ba,Pb)TiO3 polycrystalline ceramics exhibit distinctly two-step positive temperature coefficient of resistance (PTCR) characteristics when formulated with suitable combinations of B2O3 and Al2O3 as grain boundary modifiers by heterogeneous addition. B2O3 or Al2O3 when added singularly resulted in either steep or broad PTCR jumps respectively across the phase transition. The two-step PTCR is attributed to the activation of the acceptor states, created through B2O3 and Al2O3, for various temperature regimes above the Curie point (T-c). The changing pattern of trap states is evident from the presence of Ti4+-O--Al3+ type hole centres in the grain boundary layer regions, identified in the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra. That charge redistribution occurs among the inter-band gap defect states on crossing the Curie temperature is substantiated by the temperature coefficient in the EPR results. Capacitance-voltage results clearly show that there is an increase in the density of trap states with the addition of B2O3 and Al2O3. The spread in energy values of these trap states is evident from the large change in barrier height (phi similar or equal to 0.25-0.6 eV) between 500 and 650 K.

Water-mediated ionic interactions in protein structures

It is well known that water molecules play an indispensable role in the structure and function of biological macromolecules. The water-mediated ionic interactions between the charged residues provide stability and plasticity and in turn address the function of the protein structures. Thus, this study specifically addresses the number of possible water-mediated ionic interactions, their occurrence, distribution and nature found in 90% non-redundant protein chains. Further, it provides a statistical report of different charged residue pairs that are mediated by surface or buried water molecules to form the interactions. Also, it discusses its contributions in stabilizing various secondary structural elements of the protein. Thus, the present study shows the ubiquitous nature of the interactions that imparts plasticity and flexibility to a protein molecule.

Solubilization of n-alkane solubilizates - Part II: Solubilization in ionic surfactants

n the present study we have investigated the solubilization phenomena of n-alkane solubilizates into the micellar core of ionic surfactants. The particular system chosen is sodium dodecyl sulphate and-the solubilizates are n-alkanes. The present study incorporates the cavity forming free energies of the monomer into water and in the micellar core as a major driving force. This model generalizes our previous theory for nonionic solubilization [Indian J Chem, 35 A (1996) 625]. The merit of the model is that the extent of solubilization, i.e. the mole fraction of the solubilizate within the core can be calculated without using any adjustable parameter. The free energies of transfer of some n-alkane solubilizates (octane to dodecane) from water to the micellar core of the corresponding n-alkyl sulphates (octyl to dodecyl) have also been calculated from the present theory. The results are in good agreement with the experimental data.

Tracking and erosion resistance of silicone rubber nanocomposites under positive and negative dc voltages

ASTM D2303 standard provides a method for evaluating the tracking and erosion resistance of polymeric insulators under ac voltages. In this paper, the above method has been extended for evaluating the performance of the insulators under dc stresses. Tests were conducted on polymeric silicone rubber (SR) insulators under positive and negative dc stresses. Micron sized Alumina trihydrate (uATH) and nano sized Alumina (nALU) were used as fillers in SR matrix to improve the resistance to tracking and erosion. Results suggest that SR composites perform better under negative dc than under positive dc voltages. Eroded mass and leakage current data support the above result. Samples with low concentration of nano alumina fillers performed on par with the samples with large loadings of uATH.

Seismic passive resistance in soils for negative wall friction

: In the presence of pseudo-static seismic forces, passive earth pressure coefficients behind retaining walls were generated using the limit equilibrium method of analysis for the negative wall friction angle case (i.e., the wall moves upwards relative to the backfill) with logarithmic spirals as rupture surfaces. Individual density, surcharge, and cohesion components were computed to obtain the total minimum seismic passive resistance in soils by adding together the individual minimum components. The effect of variation in wall batter angle, ground slope, wall friction angle, soil friction angle, and horizontal and vertical seismic accelerations on seismic passive earth pressures are considered in the analysis. The seismic passive earth pressure coefficients are found to be highly sensitive to the seismic acceleration coefficients both in the horizontal and the vertical directions. The results are presented in graphical and tabular formats.