Robust PEDOT:PSS Wet‐Spun Fibers for Thermoelectric Textiles

To realize thermoelectric textiles that can convert body heat to electricity, fibers with excellent mechanical and thermoelectric properties are needed. Although poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is among the most promising organic thermoelectric materials, reports that explore its use for thermoelectric fibers are all but absent. Herein, the mechanical and thermoelectric properties of wet‐spun PEDOT:PSS fibers are reported, and their use in energy‐harvesting textiles is discussed. Wet‐spinning into sulfuric acid results in water‐stable semicrystalline fibers with a Young\u27s modulus of up to 1.9 GPa, an electrical conductivity of 830 S cm−1, and a thermoelectric power factor of 30 μV m−1 K−2. Stretching beyond the yield point as well as repeated tensile deformation and bending leave the electrical properties of these fibers almost unaffected. The mechanical robustness/durability and excellent underwater stability of semicrystalline PEDOT:PSS fibers, combined with a promising thermoelectric performance, opens up their use in practical energy‐harvesting textiles, as illustrated by an embroidered thermoelectric fabric module

Large Eddy Simulation of Yawed Wind Turbine Wake Deformation

Wind turbine wake redirection drawn by a yaw control has been proposed as a strategy to improve the performance of wind farms. However, the characteristics and the development of the curled wake structure deformed by the yaw action of the rotor are not well understood. In the present study, the structure of the wake behind a wind turbine imparted with various yaw angles subjected to uniform inflow was investigated using large-eddy simulation. The NREL 5MW reference wind turbine was modeled with an actuator disk with rotation to study the deformation process of the curled wake. The source of the vertical asymmetry in the wake deformation was found to be based on the interaction of global wake rotation and a counter-rotating vortex pair induced by the yaw angle. The yaw angle had a profound influence on the distortion of the wake and its trajectory, whose effect was naturally mitigated with downstream distance

Alkyl chain length of quaternized SBA-15 and solution conditions determine hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions for carbamazepine adsorption

Abstract Santa Barbara Amorphous-15 (SBA) is a stable and mesoporous silica material. Quaternized SBA-15 with alkyl chains (QSBA) exhibits electrostatic attraction for anionic molecules via the N+ moiety of the ammonium group, whereas its alkyl chain length determines its hydrophobic interactions. In this study, QSBA with different alkyl chain lengths were synthesized using the trimethyl, dimethyloctyl, and dimethyoctadecyl groups (C1QSBA, C8QSBA, and C18QSBA, respectively). Carbamazepine (CBZ) is a widely prescribed pharmaceutical compound, but is difficult to remove using conventional water treatments. The CBZ adsorption characteristics of QSBA were examined to determine its adsorption mechanism by changing the alkyl chain length and solution conditions (pH and ionic strength). A longer alkyl chain resulted in slower adsorption (up to 120 min), while the amount of CBZ adsorbed was higher for longer alkyl chains per unit mass of QSBA at equilibrium. The maximum adsorption capacities of C1QSBA, C8QSBA, and C18QSBA, were 3.14, 6.56, and 24.5 mg/g, respectively, as obtained using the Langmuir model. For the tested initial CBZ concentrations (2–100 mg/L), the adsorption capacity increased with increasing alkyl chain length. Because CBZ does not dissociate readily (pKa = 13.9), stable hydrophobic adsorption was observed despite the changes in pH (0.41–0.92, 1.70–2.24, and 7.56–9.10 mg/g for C1QSBA, C8QSBA, and C18QSBA, respectively); the exception was pH 2. Increasing the ionic strength from 0.1 to 100 mM enhanced the adsorption capacity of C18QSBA from 9.27 ± 0.42 to 14.94 ± 0.17 mg/g because the hydrophobic interactions were increased while the electrostatic attraction of the N+ was reduced. Thus, the ionic strength was a stronger control factor determining hydrophobic adsorption of CBZ than the solution pH. Based on the changes in hydrophobicity, which depends on the alkyl chain length, it was possible to enhance CBZ adsorption and investigate the adsorption mechanism in detail. Thus, this study aids the development of adsorbents suitable for pharmaceuticals with controlling molecular structure of QSBA and solution conditions

Study on Optimal Damping Model of Very Large Offshore Semi-submersible Structure

In order to analyze the response of the offshore structure numerically, the linear potential theory is generally applied for simplicity, and only the radiation damping is considered among various damping forces. Therefore, the results of a numerical simulation can be different from the motion of the structure in a real environment. To reduce the differences between the simulation results and experimental results, the viscous damping, which affects the motion of the structure, is also taken into account. The appropriate damping model is essential for the numerical simulation in order to obtain precise responses of the offshore structure. In this study, various damping models such as linear or quadratic damping and the nonlinear drag force from numerous slender bodies were used to simulate the free decay motion of the platform, and its characteristics were confirmed. The optimized damping model was found by comparing the simulation results to the experimental results. The hydrodynamic forces and wave exciting forces of the structure were obtained using WAMIT, and the free decay test was simulated using OrcaFlex. A free decay test of the scale model was performed by KRISO

Numerical and Experimental Study on Linear Behavior of Salter's Duck Wave Energy Converter

Among the various wave power systems, Salter’s duck (rotor) is one of the most effective wave absorbers for extracting wave energy. The rotor shape is designed such that the front part faces the direction of the incident wave, which forces it to bob up and down due to wave-induced water particle motion, whereas the rear part, which is mostly circular in shape, reflects no waves. The asymmetric geometric shape of the duck makes it absorb energy efficiently. In the present study, the rotor was investigated using WAMIT (a program based on the linear potential flow theory in three-dimensional diffraction/radiation analyses) in the frequency domain and verified using OrcaFlex (design and analysis program of marine system) in the time domain. Then, an experimental investigation was conducted to assess the performance of the rotor motion based on the model scale in a two-dimensional (2D) wave tank. Initially, a free decay test (FDT) was carried out to obtain the viscous damping coefficient. The pitch response was extracted from the experimental time series in a periodic regular wave for two different wave heights (1 cm and 3 cm). In addition, the viscous damping coefficient was calculated from the FDT result and fluid forces, obtained from WAMIT, are incorporated into the final response of the rotor. Finally, a comparative study based on experimental and numerical results (WAMIT & OrcaFlex) was performed to confirm the performance reliability of the designed rotor