Sustainable Transportation Infrastructures in Iowa—Goals and Practices

The need to incorporate sustainability principles and practices is increasing for environmental and economic reasons. It is imperative to identify and operationalize sustainability strategies into core administrative, planning, design, construction, operational, and maintenance activities for the transportation infrastructure systems by integrating sustainability into decision-making processes. The primary goal of this study is to develop an implementation plan for achieving more sustainable transportation infrastructure systems in Iowa. This research aims to guide the adoption of sustainable strategies, balancing cost, performance, and environmental impact in transportation infrastructure development. This paper presents efforts to develop a methodology for identifying the best sustainable practices for implementation in transportation infrastructure practices in Iowa by surveying state DOTs to learn about their sustainability goals and practices, identifying existing sustainability attributes and sustainable practices, and developing a GIS database where construction, materials and performance data of sustainable practices can be stored and analyzed

Focused Patterning of Electrospun Nanofibers Using a Dielectric Guide Structure

The patterning of electrospun fibers is a key technology applicable to various fields. This study reports a novel focused patterning method for electrospun nanofibers that uses a cylindrical dielectric guide. The finite elements method (FEM) was used to analyze the electric field focusing phenomenon and ground its explanation in established theory. The horizontal and vertical electric field strengths in the simulation are shown to be key factors in determining the spatial distribution of nanofibers. The experimental results demonstrate a relationship between the size of the cylindrical dielectric guide and that of the electrospun area accumulated in the collector. By concentrating the electric field, we were able to fabricate a pattern of less than 6 mm. The demonstration of continuous line and square patterning shows that the electrospun area can be well controlled. This novel patterning method can be used in a variety of applications, such as sensors, biomedical devices, batteries, and composites

Flexible Sensory Systems: Structural Approaches

Biology is characterized by smooth, elastic, and nonplanar surfaces; as a consequence, soft electronics that enable interfacing with nonplanar surfaces allow applications that could not be achieved with the rigid and integrated circuits that exist today. Here, we review the latest examples of technologies and methods that can replace elasticity through a structural approach; these approaches can modify mechanical properties, thereby improving performance, while maintaining the existing material integrity. Furthermore, an overview of the recent progress in wave/wrinkle, stretchable interconnect, origami/kirigami, crack, nano/micro, and textile structures is provided. Finally, potential applications and expected developments in soft electronics are discussed