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High Performance (high + performance)
Terms modified by High Performance Selected AbstractsHigh Performance SiC Oxidation Protective Coating with ZrO2 Particle Dispersion for Carbon/Carbon Composites,ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 10 2008Y.-L. Zhang High performance SiC oxidation protective coating with ZrO2 particle dispersion for C/C composites was prepared by slurry and pack cementation. Isothermal oxidation tests at 1873,K in air showed that the as-prepared coating could effectively protect C/C composites from oxidation for 100,h. The excellent oxidation protective ability can be attributed to the introduction of ZrO2 particles in the SiC coating, which can baffle the enlargement of cracks and suppress the generation of the thermal stress. [source] Water-Soluble Polyfluorenes as an Interfacial Layer Leading to Cathode-Independent High Performance of Organic Solar CellsADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 12 2010Seung-Hwan Oh Abstract Novel poly[(9,9-bis((6,-(N,N,N -trimethylammonium)hexyl)-2,7-fluorene)- alt -(9,9-bis(2-(2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy)ethyl)-9-fluorene)) dibromide (WPF-6-oxy-F) and poly[(9,9-bis((6,-(N,N,N -trimethylammonium)hexyl)-2,7-fluorene)- alt -(9,9-bis(2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethyl)-fluorene)] dibromide (WPF-oxy-F) compounds are developed and the use of these water-soluble polymers as an interfacial layer for low-cost poly(3-hexylthiophene):phenyl-C61 butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PCBM) organic solar cells (OSCs) is investigated. When WPF-oxy-F or WPF-6-oxy-F is simply inserted between the active layer and the cathode as an interfacial dipole layer by spin-coating water-soluble polyfluorenes, the open-circuit voltage (Voc), fill factor (FF), and power-conversion efficiency (PCE) of photovoltaic cells with high work-function metal cathodes, such as Al, Ag, Au, and Cu, dramatically increases. For example, when WPF-6-oxy-F is used with Al, Ag, Au, or Cu, regardless of the work-function of the metal cathode, the Voc is 0.64, 0.64, 0.58, and 0.63,V, respectively, approaching the original value of the P3HT:PCBM system because of the formation of large interfacial dipoles through a reduction of the metal work-function. In particular, introducing WPF-6-oxy-F into a low-cost Cu cathode dramatically enhanced the device efficiency from 0.8% to 3.36%. [source] High Performance SiC Oxidation Protective Coating with ZrO2 Particle Dispersion for Carbon/Carbon Composites,ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 10 2008Y.-L. Zhang High performance SiC oxidation protective coating with ZrO2 particle dispersion for C/C composites was prepared by slurry and pack cementation. Isothermal oxidation tests at 1873,K in air showed that the as-prepared coating could effectively protect C/C composites from oxidation for 100,h. The excellent oxidation protective ability can be attributed to the introduction of ZrO2 particles in the SiC coating, which can baffle the enlargement of cracks and suppress the generation of the thermal stress. [source] High performance and high reliability AlGaN/GaN HEMTsPHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (A) APPLICATIONS AND MATERIALS SCIENCE, Issue 6 2009Toshihide Kikkawa Abstract In this paper, a current status and future technologies of high-power GaN HEMTs was described. First, commercialization roadmap was shown with output power and efficiency status. Power electronics benchmark was also introduced. Reliability improvement technologies were addressed with recent issues such as drift phenomena. Then, future requirements for expanding GaN electronics market were shown with some recent device developments. Novel E-mode recessed GaN-HEMT has been developed using the triple cap layer structure. High-k insulated gate HEMTs using Ta2O5 were also developed. Finally, we described the next generation GaN HEMTs for millimeter-wave applications. (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Learning-based 3D face detection using geometric contextCOMPUTER ANIMATION AND VIRTUAL WORLDS (PREV: JNL OF VISUALISATION & COMPUTER ANIMATION), Issue 4-5 2007Yanwen Guo Abstract In computer graphics community, face model is one of the most useful entities. The automatic detection of 3D face model has special significance to computer graphics, vision, and human-computer interaction. However, few methods have been dedicated to this task. This paper proposes a machine learning approach for fully automatic 3D face detection. To exploit the facial features, we introduce geometric context, a novel shape descriptor which can compactly encode the distribution of local geometry and can be evaluated efficiently by using a new volume encoding form, named integral volume. Geometric contexts over 3D face offer the rich and discriminative representation of facial shapes and hence are quite suitable to classification. We adopt an AdaBoost learning algorithm to select the most effective geometric context-based classifiers and to combine them into a strong classifier. Given an arbitrary 3D model, our method first identifies the symmetric parts as candidates with a new reflective symmetry detection algorithm. Then uses the learned classifier to judge whether the face part exists. Experiments are performed on a large set of 3D face and non-face models and the results demonstrate high performance of our method. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Dynamic Sampling and Rendering of Algebraic Point Set SurfacesCOMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM, Issue 2 2008Gaël Guennebaud Abstract Algebraic Point Set Surfaces (APSS) define a smooth surface from a set of points using local moving least-squares (MLS) fitting of algebraic spheres. In this paper we first revisit the spherical fitting problem and provide a new, more generic solution that includes intuitive parameters for curvature control of the fitted spheres. As a second contribution we present a novel real-time rendering system of such surfaces using a dynamic up-sampling strategy combined with a conventional splatting algorithm for high quality rendering. Our approach also includes a new view dependent geometric error tailored to efficient and adaptive up-sampling of the surface. One of the key features of our system is its high degree of flexibility that enables us to achieve high performance even for highly dynamic data or complex models by exploiting temporal coherence at the primitive level. We also address the issue of efficient spatial search data structures with respect to construction, access and GPU friendliness. Finally, we present an efficient parallel GPU implementation of the algorithms and search structures. [source] High-performance hybrid information service architectureCONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 15 2010Mehmet S. Aktas Abstract We introduce a distributed high-performance Information Service Architecture, which forms a metadata replica hosting system to manage both highly dynamic small-scale metadata and relatively large static metadata associated with Grid/Web Services. We present an empirical evaluation of the proposed architecture and investigate its practical usefulness. The results demonstrate that the proposed system achieves high performance and fault tolerance with negligible processing overheads. The results also indicate that efficient decentralized hybrid Information Service Architectures can be built by utilizing publish-subscribe-based messaging schemes. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Increasing data reuse of sparse algebra codes on simultaneous multithreading architecturesCONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 15 2009J. C. Pichel Abstract In this paper the problem of the locality of sparse algebra codes on simultaneous multithreading (SMT) architectures is studied. In these kind of architectures many hardware structures are dynamically shared among the running threads. This puts a lot of stress on the memory hierarchy, and a poor locality, both inter-thread and intra-thread, may become a major bottleneck in the performance of a code. This behavior is even more pronounced when the code is irregular, which is the case of sparse matrix ones. Therefore, techniques that increase the locality of irregular codes on SMT architectures are important to achieve high performance. This paper proposes a data reordering technique specially tuned for these kind of architectures and codes. It is based on a locality model developed by the authors in previous works. The technique has been tested, first, using a simulator of a SMT architecture, and subsequently, on a real architecture as Intel's Hyper-Threading. Important reductions in the number of cache misses have been achieved, even when the number of running threads grows. When applying the locality improvement technique, we also decrease the total execution time and improve the scalability of the code. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Concurrent workload mapping for multicore security systemsCONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 10 2009Benfano Soewito Abstract Multicore based network processors are promising components to build real-time and scalable security systems to protect the networks and systems. The parallel nature of the processing system makes it challenging for application developers to concurrently program security systems for high performance. In this paper we present an automatic programming methodology that considers application complexity, traffic variation, and attack signatures update. In particular, our mapping algorithm concurrently takes advantage of parallelism in the level of tasks, applications, and packets to achieve optimal performance. We present results that show the effectiveness of the analysis, mapping, and the performance of the model methodology. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Performance evaluation of the SX-6 vector architecture for scientific computationsCONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 1 2005Leonid Oliker Abstract The growing gap between sustained and peak performance for scientific applications is a well-known problem in high-performance computing. The recent development of parallel vector systems offers the potential to reduce this gap for many computational science codes and deliver a substantial increase in computing capabilities. This paper examines the intranode performance of the NEC SX-6 vector processor, and compares it against the cache-based IBM Power3 and Power4 superscalar architectures, across a number of key scientific computing areas. First, we present the performance of a microbenchmark suite that examines many low-level machine characteristics. Next, we study the behavior of the NAS Parallel Benchmarks. Finally, we evaluate the performance of several scientific computing codes. Overall results demonstrate that the SX-6 achieves high performance on a large fraction of our application suite and often significantly outperforms the cache-based architectures. However, certain classes of applications are not easily amenable to vectorization and would require extensive algorithm and implementation reengineering to utilize the SX-6 effectively. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] User transparency: a fully sequential programming model for efficient data parallel image processingCONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 6 2004F. J. Seinstra Abstract Although many image processing applications are ideally suited for parallel implementation, most researchers in imaging do not benefit from high-performance computing on a daily basis. Essentially, this is due to the fact that no parallelization tools exist that truly match the image processing researcher's frame of reference. As it is unrealistic to expect imaging researchers to become experts in parallel computing, tools must be provided to allow them to develop high-performance applications in a highly familiar manner. In an attempt to provide such a tool, we have designed a software architecture that allows transparent (i.e. sequential) implementation of data parallel imaging applications for execution on homogeneous distributed memory MIMD-style multicomputers. This paper presents an extensive overview of the design rationale behind the software architecture, and gives an assessment of the architecture's effectiveness in providing significant performance gains. In particular, we describe the implementation and automatic parallelization of three well-known example applications that contain many fundamental imaging operations: (1) template matching; (2) multi-baseline stereo vision; and (3) line detection. Based on experimental results we conclude that our software architecture constitutes a powerful and user-friendly tool for obtaining high performance in many important image processing research areas. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Innovate or Die: Is that a Fact?CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2003Isaac Getz ,Innovate or die'. This mantra has been repeated so many times , by the media, governments, business leaders, business professors, consultants and management gurus , that people have come to assume it is actually true. This article explores why have business leaders been so prone to fall for such a naïve message, and shows how it has caused them to overlook the true sources of long-term high performance. [source] Morphological and physiological sexual selection targets in a territorial damselflyECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 6 2009INE SWILLEN Abstract. 1Several morphological and physiological traits may shape fitness through the same performance measure. In such cases, differentiating between a scenario of many-to-one mapping, where phenotypic traits independently shape fitness leading to functional redundancy, and a scenario where traits strongly covary among each other and fitness, is needed. 2A multivariate approach was used, including morphological and physiological traits related to flight ability, a crucial performance measure in flying insects, to identify independent correlates of short-term mating success (mated versus unmated males) in the territorial damselfly Lestes viridis. 3Males with higher flight muscle mass, higher relative thorax mass, and more symmetrical hindwings, all traits presumably linked to manoeuvrability, were more likely to be mated. Unexpectedly, although relative thorax mass is often used as a proxy for flight muscle mass, both traits were selected for independently. Mated males had a higher thorax fat content than unmated males, possibly because of enhanced flight endurance. 4The finding of several independent targets of sexual selection linked to flight ability is consistent with a scenario of many-to-one mapping between phenotype and performance. Identifying such a scenario is important, because it may clarify situations where animals may show suboptimal values for some phenotypic traits shaping a performance measure, while still having high performance and fitness. We argue in the discussion that the functional approach of sexual selection provides a potent tool for examining unresolved issues in both sexual selection theory, as well as life-history theory. [source] A Biomimetic Potentiometric Sensor Using Molecularly Imprinted Polymer for the Cetirizine Assay in Tablets and Biological FluidsELECTROANALYSIS, Issue 18 2008Mehran Javanbakht Abstract Despite the increasing number of applications of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) in analytical chemistry, the construction of a biomimetic potentiometric sensor remains still challenging. In this work, a biomimetic potentiometric sensor, based on a non-covalent imprinted polymer was fabricated for the recognition and determination of cetirizine. The MIP was synthesized by precipitation polymerization, using cetirizine dihydrochloride as a template molecule, methacrylic acid (MAA) as a functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as a cross linking agent. The sensor showed high selectivity and a sensitive response to the template in aqueous system. The MIP-modified electrode exhibited Nernstian response (28.0±0.9 mV/decade) in a wide concentration range of 1.0×10,6 to 1.0×10,2 M with a lower detection limit of 7.0×10,7 M. The electrode has response time of ca. 20,s, high performance, high sensitivity, and good long term stability (more than 5,months). The method was satisfactory and used to the cetirizine assay in tablets and biological fluids. [source] Combined neural network model to compute wavelet coefficientsEXPERT SYSTEMS, Issue 3 2006nan Güler Abstract: In recent years a novel model based on artificial neural networks technology has been introduced in the signal processing community for modelling the signals under study. The wavelet coefficients characterize the behaviour of the signal and computation of the wavelet coefficients is particularly important for recognition and diagnostic purposes. Therefore, we dealt with wavelet decomposition of time-varying biomedical signals. In the present study, we propose a new approach that takes advantage of combined neural network (CNN) models to compute the wavelet coefficients. The computation was provided and expressed by applying the CNNs to ophthalmic arterial and internal carotid arterial Doppler signals. The results were consistent with theoretical analysis and showed good promise for discrete wavelet transform of the time-varying biomedical signals. Since the proposed CNNs have high performance and require no complicated mathematical functions of the discrete wavelet transform, they were found to be effective for the computation of wavelet coefficients. [source] High-Performance Air-Stable n-Type Organic Transistors Based on Core-Chlorinated Naphthalene Tetracarboxylic DiimidesADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 13 2010Joon Hak Oh Abstract Core-chlorinated naphthalene tetracarboxylic diimides (NDIs) with fluoroalkyl chains are synthesized and employed for n-channel organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs). Structural analyses of the single crystals and thin films are performed and their charge-transport behavior is investigated in terms of structure,property relationships. NDIs with two chlorine substituents are shown to exhibit a herringbone structure with a very close ,-plane distance (3.3,3.4,Å), a large ,-stack overlap (slipping angle ca. 62°), and high crystal densities (2.046,2.091,g,cm,3). These features result in excellent field-effect mobilities of up to 1.43,cm2,V,1,s,1 with minimal hysteresis and high on,off ratios (ca. 107) in air. This is similar to the highest n-channel mobilities in air reported so far. Despite the repulsive interactions of bulky Cl substituents, tetrachlorinated NDIs adopt a slip-stacked face-to-face packing with an interplanar distance of around 3.4,Å, resulting in a high mobility (up to 0.44,cm2,V,1,s,1). The air-stability of dichlorinated NDIs is superior to that of tetrachlorinated NDIs, despite of their higher LUMO levels. This is closely related to the denser packing of the fluorocarbon chains of dichlorinated NDIs, which serves as a kinetic barrier to the diffusion of ambient oxidants. Interestingly, these NDIs show an optimal performance either on bare SiO2 or on octadecyltrimethoxysilane (OTS)-treated SiO2, depending on the carbon number of the fluoroalkyl chains. Their synthetic simplicity and processing versatility combined with their high performance make these semiconductors highly promising for practical applications in flexible electronics. [source] An Efficient Way to Assemble ZnS Nanobelts as Ultraviolet-Light Sensors with Enhanced Photocurrent and StabilityADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 3 2010Xiaosheng Fang Abstract Although there has been significant progress in the fabrication and performance optimization of one-dimensional nanostructure-based photodetectors, it is still a challenge to develop an effective and low-cost device with high performance characteristics, such as a high photocurrent/dark-current ratio, photocurrent stability, and fast time response. Herein an efficient and low-cost method to achieve high-performance ,visible-blind' microscale ZnS nanobelt-based ultraviolet (UV)-light sensors without using a lithography technique, by increasing the nanobelt surface areas exposed to light, is reported. The devices exhibit about 750 times enhancement of a photocurrent compared with individual nanobelt-based sensors and an ultrafast time response. The photocurrent stability and time response to UV-light do not change significantly when a channel distance is altered from 2 to 100,µm or the sensor environment changes from air to vacuum and different measurement temperatures (60 and 150,°C). The photoelectrical behaviors can be recovered well after returning the measurement conditions to air and room temperature again. The low cost and high performance of the resultant ZnS nanobelt photodetectors guarantee their highest potential for visible-blind UV-light sensors working in the UV-A band. [source] High-Performance Organic Photovoltaic Devices Using a New Amorphous Molecular Material with High Hole Drift Mobility, Tris[4-(5-phenylthiophen-2-yl)phenyl]amineADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 24 2009Hiroshi Kageyama Abstract A new amorphous molecular material, tris[4-(5-phenylthiophen-2-yl)phenyl]amine (TPTPA), is synthesized and characterized. TPTPA forms a stable amorphous glass with a glass-transition temperature of 83,°C when the melt sample is cooled. It also forms amorphous thin films by a thermal deposition technique. TPTPA exhibits a hole drift mobility of 1.0,×,10,2,cm2 V,1 s,1 at an electric field of 1.0,×,105,V cm,1 and at 293,K, as determined by the time-of-flight method, which is of the highest level among those of amorphous molecular materials. pn-Heterojunction organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs) using TPTPA as an electron donor and C60 or C70 as an electron acceptor exhibit high performance with fill factors of 0.66,0.71 and power conversion efficiencies of 1.7,2.2% under air-mass (AM) 1.5G illumination at an intensity of 100,mW cm,2, which are of the highest level ever reported for OPVs using amorphous molecular materials. [source] Investigation of a Novel Catalyst Coated Membrane Method to Prepare Low-Platinum-Loading Membrane Electrode Assemblies for PEMFCsFUEL CELLS, Issue 2 2009X. Leimin Abstract In this work, a novel catalyst coated membrane (CCM) approach,a catalyst-sprayed membrane under irradiation (CSMUI),was developed to prepare MEAs for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) application. Catalyst ink was sprayed directly onto the membrane and an infrared light was used simultaneously to evaporate the solvents. The resultant MEAs prepared by this method yielded very high performance. Based on this approach, the preparation of low-platinum-content MEAs was investigated. It was found that for the anode, even if the platinum loading was decreased from 0.2 to 0.03,mg,cm,2, only a very small performance decrease was observed; for the cathode, when the platinum loading was decreased from 0.3 to 0.15,mg,cm,2, just a 5% decrease was detected at 0.7,V, but a 35% decrease was observed when the loading was decreased from 0.15 to 0.06,mg,cm,2. These results indicate that this approach is much better than the catalyst coated gas diffusion layer (GDL) method, especially for the preparation of low-platinum-content MEAs. SEM and EIS measurements indicated ample interfacial contact between the catalyst layer and the membrane. [source] Portable Size DMFC-StackFUEL CELLS, Issue 3 2004A. Oedegaard Abstract A small, low temperature, direct methanol fuel cell stack for portable applications has been developed. Several flow field designs were investigated with respect to stable operation and high performance. Due to carbon dioxide and water production on the anode and cathode, respectively, methanol and oxygen access to the electrodes is hindered. During single cell operation the effect of both carbon dioxide evolution and water production on the current output was observed. The difference between parallel and serial feeding of both fuel and oxidant to the DMFC stack was also investigated. It was found that it is very important to remove reaction products from the active cell surface in order to ensure stable stack operation at low temperatures. The maximal power realised with the 12-cell direct methanol fuel cell stack was 30 W. [source] Functional trait variation and sampling strategies in species-rich plant communitiesFUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2010Christopher Baraloto Summary 1. ,Despite considerable interest in the application of plant functional traits to questions of community assembly and ecosystem structure and function, there is no consensus on the appropriateness of sampling designs to obtain plot-level estimates in diverse plant communities. 2. ,We measured 10 plant functional traits describing leaf and stem morphology and ecophysiology for all trees in nine 1-ha plots in terra firme lowland tropical rain forests of French Guiana (N = 4709). 3. ,We calculated, by simulation, the mean and variance in trait values for each plot and each trait expected under seven sampling methods and a range of sampling intensities. Simulated sampling methods included a variety of spatial designs, as well as the application of existing data base values to all individuals of a given species. 4. ,For each trait in each plot, we defined a performance index for each sampling design as the proportion of resampling events that resulted in observed means within 5% of the true plot mean, and observed variance within 20% of the true plot variance. 5. ,The relative performance of sampling designs was consistent for estimations of means and variances. Data base use had consistently poor performance for most traits across all plots, whereas sampling one individual per species per plot resulted in relatively high performance. We found few differences among different spatial sampling strategies; however, for a given strategy, increased intensity of sampling resulted in markedly improved accuracy in estimates of trait mean and variance. 6. ,We also calculated the financial cost of each sampling design based on data from our ,every individual per plot' strategy and estimated the sampling and botanical effort required. The relative performance of designs was strongly positively correlated with relative financial cost, suggesting that sampling investment returns are relatively constant. 7. ,Our results suggest that trait sampling for many objectives in species-rich plant communities may require the considerable effort of sampling at least one individual of each species in each plot, and that investment in complete sampling, though great, may be worthwhile for at least some traits. [source] Battery Drivable Organic Single-Crystalline Transistors Based on Surface Grafting Ultrathin Polymer DielectricADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 18 2009Liqiang Li Abstract High-performance and battery drivable organic single-crystalline transistors with operational voltages,,,2.0,V are demonstrated using high-quality copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) single-crystalline nanoribbons and ultrathin polymer nanodielectrics. The ultrathin polymer nanodielectric is synthesized by grafting a ca. 10,nm poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) brush on a silicon surface via surface-initiated atom-transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). This surface-grafted nanodielectric exhibits a large capacitance, excellent insulating property, and good compatibility with organic semiconductors. The realization of a low operational voltage for battery driving at high performance, together with the merits of surface grafting of a nanodielectric, as well as the mechanical flexibility of the organic nanoribbon, suggests a bright future for use of these transistors in low-cost and flexible circuits. [source] Synthesis of Nanohole-Structured Single-Crystalline Platinum Nanosheets Using Surfactant-Liquid-Crystals and their Electrochemical CharacterizationADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 4 2009Tsuyoshi Kijima Abstract Nanohole-structured single-crystalline Pt nanosheets have been synthesized by the borohydride reduction of Na2PtCl6 confined to the lyotropic liquid crystals (LLCs) of polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monooleate (Tween 80) with or without nonaethylene-glycol (C12EO9). The Pt nanosheets of around 4,10,nm in central thickness and up to 500,nm or above in diameter have a number of hexagonal-shaped nanoholes ,1.8,nm wide. High-resolution electron microscope images of the nanosheets showed atomic fringes with a spacing of 0.22,nm indicating that the nanosheets are crystallographically continuous through the nanoholed and non-holed areas. The inner-angle distributions for the hexagonal nanoholes indicate that the six sides of the nanoholes are walled with each two Pt (111), Pt (11) and Pt (010) planes. The formation mechanism of nanoholed Pt nanosheets is discussed on the basis of structural and compositional data for the resulting solids and their precursory LLCs, with the aid of similar nanohole growth observed for a Tween 80 free but oleic acid-incorporated system. It is also demonstrated that the nanoholed Pt nanostructures loaded on carbon exhibit fairly high electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction and a high performance as a cathode material for polymer-electrolyte fuel cells, along with their extremely high thermostability revealed through the effect of electron-irradiation. [source] Development and Testing of Energetic Materials: The Concept of High Densities Based on the Trinitroethyl FunctionalityADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 3 2009Michael Göbel Abstract The development of new energetic materials is an emerging area of materials chemistry facilitated by a worldwide need to replace materials used at present, due to environmental considerations and safety requirements, while at the same time securing high performance. The development of such materials is complex, owing to the fact that several different and apparently mutually exclusive material properties have to be met in order for a new material to become widely accepted. In turn, understanding the basic principles of structure property relationships is highly desirable, as such an understanding would allow for a more rational design process to yield the desired properties. This article covers the trinitroethyl functionality and its potential for the design of next generation energetic materials, and describes relevant aspects of energetic materials chemistry including theoretical calculations capable of reliably predicting material properties. The synthesis, characterization, energetic properties, and structure property relationships of several new promising compounds displaying excellent material properties are reported with respect to different kinds of applications and compared to standard explosives currently used. Based on a review of trinitroethyl-containing compounds available in the literature, as well as this new contribution, it is observed that high density can generally be obtained in a more targeted manner in energetic materials taking advantage of noncovalent bonding interactions, a prerequisite for the design of next generation energetic materials. [source] A Thermoresponsive Membrane for Chiral Resolution,ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 4 2008Mei Yang Abstract A novel thermoresponsive membrane for chiral resolution with high performance has been developed. The membrane exhibits chiral selectivity based on molecular recognition of beta-cyclodextrin (, -CD) and thermosensitivity based on the phase transition of poly(N -isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM). Linear PNIPAM chains were grafted onto porous nylon-6 membrane substrates by using a plasma-graft pore-filling polymerization method; the chains thus acted as microenvironmental adjustors for , -CD molecules. , -CD moieties were introduced into the linear PNIPAM chains by a chemical grafting polymerization method and acted as chiral selectors. The phase transition of grafted PNIPAM chains affects the microenvironment of , -CD molecules and, thus, the association between , -CD and guest molecules. The chiral selectivity of the prepared thermoresponsive membranes in chiral resolution operated at temperature below the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of PNIPAM is higher than that of membranes with no thermosensitivity. Furthermore, the decomplexation ratio of enantiomer-loaded thermoresponsive membranes in decomplexation at temperatures above the LCST is much higher than that of membranes with no thermosensitivity. Thus, by simply changing the operation temperature, high, selective chiral resolution and efficient membrane regeneration are achieved. The proposed membrane provides a new and efficient way to solve the difficult decomplexation problem of chiral solid membranes, which is highly attractive for chiral resolution. [source] High-Performance Single Crystal Organic Field-Effect Transistors Based on Two Dithiophene-Tetrathiafulvalene (DT-TTF) PolymorphsADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 37 2010Raphael Pfattner Solution prepared single crystal organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) combine low-cost with high performance due to structural ordering of molecules. However, in organic crystals polymorphism is a known phenomenon, which can have a crucial influence on charge transport. Here, the performance of solution-prepared single crystal OFETs based on two different polymorphs of dithiophene-tetrathiafulvalene, which were investigated by confocal Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, are reported. OFET devices prepared using different configurations show that both polymorphs exhibited excellent device performance, although the ,-phase revealed charge carrier mobility between two and ten times higher in accordance to the closer stacking of the molecules. [source] Controlled Growth of High-Quality ZnO-Based Films and Fabrication of Visible-Blind and Solar-Blind Ultra-Violet DetectorsADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 45 2009Xiaolong Du Abstract ZnO is a wide-bandgap (3.37,eV at room temperature) oxide semiconductor that is attractive for its great potential in short-wavelength optoelectronic devices, in which high quality films and heterostructures are essential for high performance. In this study, controlled growth of ZnO-based thin films and heterostructures by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) is demonstrated on different substrates with emphasis on interface engineering. It is revealed that ultrathin AlN or MgO interfacial layers play a key role in establishing structural and chemical compatibility between ZnO and substrates. Furthermore, a quasi-homo buffer is introduced prior to growth of a wurtzite MgZnO epilayer to suppress the phase segregation of rock-salt MgO, achieving wide-range bandgap tuning from 3.3 to 4.55,eV. Finally, a visible-blind UV detector exploiting a double heterojunction of n-ZnO/insulator-MgO/p-Si and a solar-blind UV detector using MgZnO as an active layer are fabricated by using the growth techniques discussed here. [source] A New Light-Path Setup Scheme for Dynamic Traffic in Ring-based Optical NetworksIEEJ TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING, Issue 5 2009Yusuke Sato Non-Member Abstract A simple and fast ring management token (RMT) wavelength reservation method for dynamic traffic in multi-ring wavelength-routed networks is proposed. The RMT is an agent that can control and manage the used wavelength in the network efficiently. We show that the proposed scheme achieves a high performance in terms of setup delay and loss probability. Copyright © 2009 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source] Organic Photovoltaics Using Tetraphenylbenzoporphyrin Complexes as Donor LayersADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 14-15 2009M. Dolores Perez Small-molecule solar cells are demonstrated using Pt and Pd tetraphenylbenzoporphyrin as donor materials. High efficiencies are achieved, and the effects of triplet excited state diffusion are studied. The solubility of these molecules allows for the fabrication of solution processed solar cells with relatively high performance. [source] Rational Functionalization of Carbon Nanotubes Leading to Electrochemical Devices with Striking Applications,ADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 15 2008Jie Yan Abstract As one-dimensional carbon nanostructures, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are a member of the carbon family but they possess very different structural and electronic properties from other kinds of carbon materials frequently used in electrochemistry, such as glassy carbon, graphite, and diamond. Although the past decade has witnessed rapid and substantial progress in both the fundamental understanding of CNT-oriented electrochemistry and the development of various kinds of electrochemical devices with carbon nanotubes, the increasing demand from both academia and industry requires CNT-based electrochemical devices with vastly improved properties, such as good reliability and durability, and high performance. As we outline here, the smart functionalization of CNTs and effective methods for the preparation of devices would pave the way to CNT-based electronic devices with striking applications. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||