Energy harvesting towards self-powered iot devices

The internet of things (IoT) manages a large infrastructure of web-enabled smart devices, small devices that use embedded systems, such as processors, sensors, and communication hardware to collect, send, and elaborate on data acquired from their environment. Thus, from a practical point of view, such devices are composed of power-efficient storage, scalable, and lightweight nodes needing power and batteries to operate. From the above reason, it appears clear that energy harvesting plays an important role in increasing the efficiency and lifetime of IoT devices. Moreover, from acquiring energy by the surrounding operational environment, energy harvesting is important to make the IoT device network more sustainable from the environmental point of view. Different state-of-the-art energy harvesters based on mechanical, aeroelastic, wind, solar, radiofrequency, and pyroelectric mechanisms are discussed in this review article. To reduce the power consumption of the batteries, a vital role is played by power management integrated circuits (PMICs), which help to enhance the system's life span. Moreover, PMICs from different manufacturers that provide power management to IoT devices have been discussed in this paper. Furthermore, the energy harvesting networks can expose themselves to prominent security issues putting the secrecy of the system to risk. These possible attacks are also discussed in this review article

Adoption of vehicular ad hoc networking protocols by networked robots

This paper focuses on the utilization of wireless networking in the robotics domain. Many researchers have already equipped their robots with wireless communication capabilities, stimulated by the observation that multi-robot systems tend to have several advantages over their single-robot counterparts. Typically, this integration of wireless communication is tackled in a quite pragmatic manner, only a few authors presented novel Robotic Ad Hoc Network (RANET) protocols that were designed specifically with robotic use cases in mind. This is in sharp contrast with the domain of vehicular ad hoc networks (VANET). This observation is the starting point of this paper. If the results of previous efforts focusing on VANET protocols could be reused in the RANET domain, this could lead to rapid progress in the field of networked robots. To investigate this possibility, this paper provides a thorough overview of the related work in the domain of robotic and vehicular ad hoc networks. Based on this information, an exhaustive list of requirements is defined for both types. It is concluded that the most significant difference lies in the fact that VANET protocols are oriented towards low throughput messaging, while RANET protocols have to support high throughput media streaming as well. Although not always with equal importance, all other defined requirements are valid for both protocols. This leads to the conclusion that cross-fertilization between them is an appealing approach for future RANET research. To support such developments, this paper concludes with the definition of an appropriate working plan

Advanced materials for stable Li-S and Li-organic batteries

Lithium ion batteries (LIBs) are playing an increasingly important role in our everyday life. LIBs are powering consumer electronics (e.g., cameras, smartphones, laptops), electric vehicles and large-scale industrial facilities. Also, LIBs are important energy storage systems for renewable energies like solar and wind. With respect to conventional LIBs, typically, the cathode material is LiCoO2 and the anode material is graphite. However, the upper limit of the conventional LIBs cannot meet the long-term needs of the rapidly developing society, for instance, extended-range of electric vehicles. In this regard, next-generation battery types are highly needed to build up a more sustainable society. Li-S batteries, with high theoretical capacity of 1675 mA h g–1 and high theoretical energy density of 2600 W h kg–1, is a promising candidate for next-generation high-energy batteries. Also, the low cost and abundance of sulphur is an attracting advantage for Li-S batteries. In order to achieve the high capacity and high energy density of Li-S batteries, two severe problems should be overcome, that is, the poor electrical conductivity, as well as the dissolution and shuttling of the intermediate products of lithium polysulphides

Biomedical Sensing and Imaging

This book mainly deals with recent advances in biomedical sensing and imaging. More recently, wearable/smart biosensors and devices, which facilitate diagnostics in a non-clinical setting, have become a hot topic. Combined with machine learning and artificial intelligence, they could revolutionize the biomedical diagnostic field. The aim of this book is to provide a research forum in biomedical sensing and imaging and extend the scientific frontier of this very important and significant biomedical endeavor

Functional materials in desalination: A review

This paper reviews various functional materials used in desalination. Desalination of the abundant seawater resource has emerged as a promising technology to meet the current fresh water demands. For improved performance, often functional materials such as photocatalysts, electrocatalysts, photothermal materials, sorbents, antibacterial materials and magnetic materials are utilized in thermal, membrane-based and other desalination technologies. With an aim to provide an insight on the existing research on functional materials and the purpose behind using such in desalination, this review collates different research studies of various functional properties and the subsequent materials utilized for those properties. New generation materials such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene form a major part, where they exhibit multiple functionalities with improved water transport properties, and thus have been deemed as very attractive enhancers to the desalination technology. Nevertheless, most of the functional materials, such as nano-TiO2, nano-zeolites, graphene, CNTs and magnetic nanoparticles suffer from several limitations such as specialized synthesis techniques, agglomeration, leaching and environmental and health concerns. This review focuses on such challenges and suggests improvements for enhanced incorporation of these in the desalination technology. Lastly, emerging new technologies, advanced fabrication methods and novel functional hybrid materials are reviewed to equip the readers with the latest research trends. Thus, a comprehensive review is essential which will provide current and future researchers an insight on the importance and significance of utilizing functional materials in various desalination technologies

Accelerated Characterization of Polymer Properties

This report describes the efforts to develop a suite of microanalysis techniques that can rapidly measure a variety of polymer properties of industrial importance, including thermal, photo-oxidative, and color stability; as well as ductility, viscosity, and mechanical and antistatic properties. Additional goals of the project were to direct the development of these techniques toward simultaneous measurements of multiple polymer samples of small size in real time using non-destructive and/or parallel or rapid sequential measurements, to develop microcompounding techniques for preparing polymers with additives, and to demonstrate that samples prepared in the microcompounder could be analyzed directly or used in rapid off-line measurements. These enabling technologies are the crucial precursors to the development of high-throughput screening (HTS) methodologies for the polymer additives industry whereby the rate of development of new additives and polymer formulations can be greatly accelerated

Workshop on "Robotic assembly of 3D MEMS".

Proceedings of a workshop proposed in IEEE IROS'2007.The increase of MEMS' functionalities often requires the integration of various technologies used for mechanical, optical and electronic subsystems in order to achieve a unique system. These different technologies have usually process incompatibilities and the whole microsystem can not be obtained monolithically and then requires microassembly steps. Microassembly of MEMS based on micrometric components is one of the most promising approaches to achieve high-performance MEMS. Moreover, microassembly also permits to develop suitable MEMS packaging as well as 3D components although microfabrication technologies are usually able to create 2D and "2.5D" components. The study of microassembly methods is consequently a high stake for MEMS technologies growth. Two approaches are currently developped for microassembly: self-assembly and robotic microassembly. In the first one, the assembly is highly parallel but the efficiency and the flexibility still stay low. The robotic approach has the potential to reach precise and reliable assembly with high flexibility. The proposed workshop focuses on this second approach and will take a bearing of the corresponding microrobotic issues. Beyond the microfabrication technologies, performing MEMS microassembly requires, micromanipulation strategies, microworld dynamics and attachment technologies. The design and the fabrication of the microrobot end-effectors as well as the assembled micro-parts require the use of microfabrication technologies. Moreover new micromanipulation strategies are necessary to handle and position micro-parts with sufficiently high accuracy during assembly. The dynamic behaviour of micrometric objects has also to be studied and controlled. Finally, after positioning the micro-part, attachment technologies are necessary

Adhesion and leveling improvement of siloxane polymer coatings on polyimide and poly(methyl methacrylate)

Abstract. Massive amounts of plastics are used every year, and to decrease their negative environmental impact the aim is to prolong their service life by using protecting coatings. Siloxane polymer coatings show hard abrasion resistance in protecting for example polyimide and polymethyl methacrylate surfaces. For good coating performance the two coating properties need to be working properly, the leveling of coating material to the substrate and the adhesion of the cured coating to the substrate material. This Master thesis collects results from different scientific sources, examples, and procedures how to improve adhesion and leveling on polyimide and polymethyl methacrylate. This thesis considers the different effects on adhesion and leveling for example due to the substrate structure, pre-treatment and priming methods, and coating material composition with different polymers and additives. At the end, also the effect of coating method to leveling is considered.Tiivistelmä. Valtava määrä muoveja käytetään joka vuosi, joten huonon ympäristövaikutuksen vähentämiseksi muovien käyttöikää pyritään pidentämään suojaavilla pinnoitteilla. Siloksaanipolymeeripinnoitteet ovat osoittaneet kovaa abraasiokestävyyttä suojaamalla esimerkiksi polyimidi- ja polymetyylimetakrylaattipintoja. Hyvän pinnoitteen saavuttamiseksi kahden pinnoitemateriaalin ominaisuuden, pinnoitemateriaalin tasoittumisen pinnoitettavalle alustalle sekä adheesion eli pinnoitemateriaalin tarttumisen pinnoitettavaan alustaan, tulee toimia kunnolla. Tähän pro gradu tutkielmaan on kerätty tuloksia eri tieteellisistä lähteistä, esimerkkejä ja menetelmiä, joiden avulla voidaan parantaa pinnoitteen adheesiota ja tasoittumista polyimidille ja polymetyylimetakrylaatille. Tässä työssä tarkastellaan, mitä vaikutuksia adheesioon ja tasoittumiseen on esimerkiksi substraatin rakenteella, esikäsittely- ja pohjakäsittely menetelmillä sekä pinnoitemateriaalin koostumuksella, esimerkiksi eri polymeereillä ja lisäaineilla. Lopuksi työssä tarkastellaan myös erilaisten pinnoitusmenetelmien vaikutusta tasoittumiseen