Enhanced output voltage of nano energy harvester with diverse textiles

Abstract

We demonstrate the electrical properties of nano energy harvesters (NEHs) with various textiles for smart textiles that can be applied to the next generation wearable electronics. Output voltages and currents of NEHs with various fabrics, such as a cotton, rayon and wool that have different triboelectricity were measured. Cotton, rayon and wool shows the maximum output voltages of 1.250, 3.313 and 4.063 V, respectively. In addition, output currents of those textiles were 0.75, 4.4, 1.063 μA, respectively. Wool, in particular, which has the highest triboelectricity of 350 V exhibits the highest output voltage.     

Strategic engineering of alkyl spacer length for a pH-tolerant lysosome marker and dual organelle localization

Long-term visualization of lysosomal properties is extremely crucial to evaluate diseases related to their dysfunction. However, many of the reported lysotrackers are less conducive to imaging lysosomes precisely because they suffer from fluorescence quenching and other inherent drawbacks such as pH-sensitivity, polarity insensitivity, water insolubility, slow diffusibility, and poor photostability. To overcome these limitations, we have utilized an alkyl chain length engineering strategy and synthesized a series of lysosome targeting fluorescent derivatives namely NIMCs by attaching a morpholine moiety at the peri position of the 1,8-naphthalimide (NI) ring through varying alkyl spacers between morpholine and 1,8-naphthalimide. The structural and optical properties of the synthesized NIMCs were explored by ¹H-NMR, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, UV-Vis, and fluorescence spectroscopy. Afterward, optical spectroscopic measurements were carefully performed to identify a pH-tolerant, polarity sensitive, and highly photostable fluoroprobes for further live-cell imaging applications. NIMC6 displayed excellent pH-tolerant and polarity-sensitive properties. Consequently, all NIMCs were employed in kidney fibroblast cells (BHK-21) to investigate their applicability for lysosome targeting and probing lysosomal micropolarity. Interestingly, a switching of localization from lysosomes to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) was also achieved by controlling the linker length and this phenomenon was subsequently applied in determining ER micropolarity. Additionally, the selected probe NIMC6 was also employed in BHK-21 cells for 3-D spheroid imaging and in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) for in vivo imaging, to evaluate its efficacy for imaging animal models.

A series naphthalimide-based fluorophores were designed by alkyl spacer length engineering to discover a pH-tolerant lysosomal marker. This approach also allows to probe lysosome-related organelles in C. elegans and communication between organelles.     

Effects of chain length and heat treatment on the nanotribology of alkylsilane monolayers self-assembled on a rough aluminum surface

The conformational order of alkylsilane monolayers self-assembled on a rough aluminum surface is affected by the molecular chain length and the thermal history of the sample. These monolayers have been characterized by grazing angle FTIR spectroscopy. Tribological mechanisms were explored using initial molecular conformation order, sliding distance, normal load, and substrate compliance as experimental variables. Results indicate that the initial conformational disorder of the molecules determines the level of friction at the commencement of sliding. Adverse changes in dynamic friction and monolayer life during sliding are not thermally induced but are related to substrate roughness and local plasticity. Plastic deformation reduces the spatial density of the alkylsilane monolayer and is accentuated by an increase in the normal load.     

Langmuir-Blodgett films of 9-phenyl anthracene molecules incorporated into different matrices

This communication reports the surface pressure (pi) versus area per molecule (A) isotherm characteristics of the mixed films of 9-phenyl anthracene (PA) in stearic acid (SA) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) matrices, at the air-water interface. The mixed Langmuir films at the air-water interface have been observed to be easily transferred onto solid substrates to form uniform Langmuir-Blodgett films. By changing various parameters, namely molefraction, surface pressure of lifting and number of layers, the mixed Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of various types have been fabricated successfully and their spectroscopic characteristics have been reported. From the isotherm characteristics and the area per molecule versus molefraction plot, it is evident that the PA molecules are successfully incorporated into mixed Langmuir-Blodgett films. UV-vis absorption spectroscopic study of the mixed LB films at various molefractions of PA in two different matrices reveal that formation of I-type aggregate in PMMA matrix whereas both I- and H-type aggregates are playing their dominant role in SA matrix. Moreover, fluorescence spectroscopic study reveals reabsorption effect. Molecular movement persists in the freshly prepared LB films, as is evident from the time dependent changes in both UV-vis absorption and fluorescence spectra of the mixed LB films in both matrices. From our observation it is evident that about 200 h is required to get the LB films in a stable condition. Dimers and higher order n-mers are formed at a higher surface pressure of 30 mNm(-1).     

Thermal study of accumulation of conformational disorders in the self-assembled monolayers of C8 and C18 alkanethiols on the Au111 surface

The thermal stability of short alkanethiol CH(3)(CH(2))(7)SH (C(8)) and long C(18) self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) is investigated using grazing angle reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and molecular dynamics simulation. We track the disordering of SAM by untilting and gauche defect accumulation with increasing temperature in the 300-440 K range, a range of interest to tribology. Molecular dynamics simulation with both fully covered and partially covered C(6), C(8), and C(18) monolayers brings out the morphological changes in the SAM, which may be associated with the observed thermal stability characteristics. The molecular dynamics simulations reveal that short-chain C(6) and C(8) alkanethiols are more defective at lower temperature than the long-chain C(18) alkanethiol. With increasing temperature disorder in the SAM, as reflected in both untilting and gauche defect accumulation, tends to saturate at temperatures below 360 K for short-chain SAMs such that any further increase in temperature, until desorption, does not lead to any significant change in conformational order. In contrast the disorder in the long-chain C(18) SAM increases monotonically with temperature beyond 360 K. Thus, in a practical range of temperature, the ability of a SAM to retain order with increasing thermal perturbations is governed by the state of disorder prior to heat treatment. This deduction derived from molecular dynamics simulation helps to rationalize the significant difference we have observed experimentally between the thermal response of short- and long-chain thiol molecules.     

Soft Phonon Modes Leading to Ultralow Thermal Conductivity and High Thermoelectric Performance in AgCuTe

Crystalline solids with intrinsically low lattice thermal conductivity (κ_L) are crucial to realizing high‐performance thermoelectric (TE) materials. Herein, we show an ultralow κ_L of 0.35 Wm^?1 K^?1 in AgCuTe, which has a remarkable TE figure‐of‐merit, zT of 1.6 at 670 K when alloyed with 10 mol % Se. First‐principles DFT calculation reveals several soft phonon modes in its room‐temperature hexagonal phase, which are also evident from low‐temperature heat‐capacity measurement. These phonon modes, dominated by Ag vibrations, soften further with temperature giving a dynamic cation disorder and driving the superionic transition. Intrinsic factors cause an ultralow κ_L in the room‐temperature hexagonal phase, while the dynamic disorder of Ag/Cu cations leads to reduced phonon frequencies and mean free paths in the high‐temperature rocksalt phase. Despite the cation disorder at elevated temperatures, the crystalline conduits of the rigid anion sublattice give a high power factor.     

Effect of N-doping on hard carbon nano-balls as anode for Li-ion battery: improved hydrothermal synthesis and volume expansion study

Using an improved single-step hydrothermal method, mesoporous hard carbon nano-balls, with nitrogen doping, have been successfully synthesized. These materials exhibit good reversible charge capacity during half-cell tests. Gravimetric capacity for undoped nano-sized and micron-sized mesoporous hard carbon balls is 506 and 475 mAh g^?1, respectively. After nitrogen doping, the specific gravimetric capacities of both nano- and micron-sized carbon balls increase by 6.9 and 8%, respectively. Nitrogen doping enhances retention in specific capacity of both anode materials, particularly in nano-sized carbon balls with capacity retention of 83.9% after 100 cycles. The enhancement is attributed to a significant decrease in volume expansion due to the nitrogen doping. Density functional theory-based computation confirms the reduction of volume expansion by 60%. Improved electrochemical performance of nitrogen-doped hard carbon is due to the drop in volume expansion rate during lithiation along with increased porosity and electronic conductivity. Furthermore, this one-step synthesis can be extended to other carbon sources to get nitrogen-doped hard carbon with sizes varying from micro to nano.     

Synthesis of 3‐aminomethylidenechroman‐2‐carboxamides by a Sequential One‐pot Three Component Reaction and by Post‐Passerini Condensation Modification

3‐Arylaminomethylidenechroman‐2‐carboxamide has been synthesized by a one‐pot three component reaction among 3‐formylchromone, aromatic amine, and cyclohexyl isocyanide. 3‐(N‐alkylsubstitued/unsubstituted)aminomethylidenechroman‐2‐carboxamides were synthesized by heating Passerini products derived from chromone‐3‐carbaldehyde with different aliphatic primary amines. The products obtained from the reactions of aliphatic primary amines readily form chromeno[2,3‐c]pyrrole when heated in acetic acid. Bischromanones have also been synthesized using this methodology.