Nanoscale flexoelectric energy harvesting

One of the most tantalizing applications of piezoelectricity is to harvest energy from ambient mechanical vibrations for powering micro and nano devices. However, piezoelectricity is restricted only to certain materials and is severely compromised at high temperatures. In this article, we examine in detail, the possibility of using the phenomenon of flexoelectricity for energy harvesting. The flexoelectric effect is universally present in all dielectrics and exhibits a strong scaling with size. Using a simple beam-based paradigmatical design, we theoretically and computationally examine flexoelectric energy harvesting under harmonic mechanical excitation. We find that the output power density and conversion efficiency increase significantly when the beam thickness reduces from micro to nanoscale and flexoelectricity-based energy harvesting can be a viable alternative to piezoelectrics. Specifically, the conversion efficiency in flexoelectric transduction at sub-micron thickness levels is observed to increase by two orders of magnitude as the thickness is reduced by an order of magnitude. The flexoelectric energy harvester works even for a single layer beam with a symmetric cross section which is not possible in piezoelectric energy harvesting. Our results also pave the way for exploration of high temperature energy harvesting since unlike piezoelectricity, flexoelectricity persists well beyond the Curie temperatures of the high electromechanical coupling ferroelectrics that are often used.     

Synthesis and Antimicrobial Activity of New 1,2,3‐Triazolopyrimidine Derivatives and Their Glycoside and Acyclic Nucleoside Analogs

New [1,2,4‐oxadiazolyl]methyl‐3H‐[1,2,3]triazolo[4,5‐d]pyrimidin derivatives were synthesized starting from N′‐Hydroxy‐1‐naphthimidamide. The N‐substituted acyclic nucleoside analogs as well as the substituted glycosides were also prepared by reaction with the corresponding reagents. The antimicrobial results indicated that most of the tested compounds exhibited moderate to high antimicrobial activity whereas few compounds were found to exhibit little or no activity against the tested microorganisms.     

Sustainable potable water production from conventional solar still during the winter season at Algerian dry areas: energy and exergy analysis

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The Algeria Sahara suffers from the scarcity of drinking water. Solar distillation is one of the simplest and generally inexpensive techniques to solve...     

Design of a highly efficient catalyst for the oxaziridinium-mediated epoxidation of olefins by Oxone

2,3,3-Trimethyl-7-nitro-3,4-dihydroisoquinolinium tetrafluoroborate is a highly efficient catalyst for the oxaziridinium-mediated epoxidation of a variety of olefins, including monosubstituted ones.     

An efficient memetic algorithm for the graph partitioning problem

We consider the component testing problem of a device that is designed to perform a mission consisting of a random sequence of phases with random durations. Testing is done at the component level to attain desired levels of mission reliability at minimum cost. The components fail exponentially where the failure rate depends on the phase of the mission. The reliability structure of the device involves a series connection of nonidentical components with different failure characteristics. The optimal component testing problem is formulated as a semi-infinite linear program. We present an algorithmic procedure to compute optimal test times based on the column generation technique, and illustrate it with numerical examples.     

Selective modification of oleuropein,a multifunctional bioactive natural product

Oleuropein is the major phenolic compound extracted from olive leaves and it is also present in olive fruits and virgin olive oil. It has already demonstrated a wide range of pharmacological activities, but new derivatives have to be designed in order to obtain useful Structure–Activity Relationships for this family of products, as well as new analogs with improved and/or different biological properties. However, taking into account the multiple OH groups (catechol and sugar) present in oleuropein, the selective modification of this natural product is a challenging problem. In this paper, we present an efficient strategy allowing the selective modification at the primary alcohol position of this natural product. Using appropriate protection/deprotection sequences, we prepared by hemisynthesis several triazoles linked to the oleuropein core, as representative examples for the development of such an approach.     

Synthesis, Crystal Structure and Characterization of a New Dabcodiium Hexaaquacobalt(II) Bis(Selenate), (C6H14N2)[Co(H2O)6](SeO4)2

Abstract  

The new hybrid material, cobalt selenate templated by 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (abbreviated dabco), has been synthesised by the slow evaporation method at room temperature. Its crystal structure was investigated using single crystal X-ray diffraction data. It crystallises in the monoclinic system (space group P2₁/c) with the following unit-cell parameters: a = 12.9169(2) ?, b = 11.9101(2) ?, c = 12.4951(2) ?, β = 108.484(1)°, V = 1823.10(5) ?³ and Z = 4. The supramolecular structure of (C₆H₁₄N₂)[Co(H₂O)₆](SeO₄)₂ consists of isolated [Co(H₂O)]²⁺ and (C₆H₁₄N₂)²⁺ cations and (SeO₄)²⁻ anions linked together by three dimensional hydrogen-bond network. The infrared spectroscopy confirmed the presence of these different entities. The thermal behaviour of the precursor, studied by thermodiffractometry and thermogravimetric analyses, indicates that its decomposition proceeds through three stages giving rise to the cobalt oxide.