Improvement of the guiding performances of near infrared organic/inorganic channel waveguides

New sol-gel derived organic/inorganic hybrid single mode waveguides devices have been developed for telecommunication applications in the two near infrared windows at 1310 and 1550 nm. The overall procedure of fabrication of these devices is described and the refractive indices of the guiding, the buffer and the protective layers are adjusted by a precise control of the materials' composition. Due to the improvement of the composition of the guiding layer, the attenuation losses are significantly decreased to 0.8 dB/cm and 2dB/cm at respectively 1310 and 1550 nm

Hybrid Solar Thermophotovoltaic-Biomass/Gas Power Generation System with a Spectrally Matched Emitter for Lower Operating Temperatures

Three conceptual designs have been developed for hybrid solar-biomass/gas thermophotovoltaic (TPV) system for a non-intermittent power generation which can operate at relatively low TPV operating temperatures. TPV cells with lower band gap has been chosen for this conceptual hybrid device. The low band TPV cell generates electricity at longer photonic wavelength which corresponds a lower operating temperature. The development methodology is presented for a spectrally matched emitter which emits maximum photonic energy in the 600°C -1000°C temperature range with correspondingly lower photonic energy emission in the 0°C -600°C range. This approach for spectral control in TPV systems requires fewer system components

Fabrication and Qualitative Analysis of an Optical Fibre Efpi-Based Temperature Sensor

The following presents a comparison of an extrinsic Fabry–Perot interferometer (EFPI)- based temperature sensor, constructed using a novel diaphragm manufacturing technique, with a reference all-glass EFPI temperature sensor. The novel diaphragm was manufactured using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The novel sensor fabrication involved fusing a single-mode fibre (SMF) to a length of fused quartz capillary, which has an inner diameter of 132 µm and a 220 µm outer diameter. The capillary was subsequently polished until the distal face of the capillary extended approximately 60 µm beyond that of the single mode fibre. Upon completion of polishing, the assembly is immersed in a solution of PVA. Controlled extraction resulted in creation of a thin diaphragm while simultaneously applying a protective coating to the fusion point of the SMF and capillary. The EFPI sensor is subsequently sealed in a second fluid-filled capillary, thereby creating a novel temperature sensor structure. Both temperature sensors were placed in a thermogravimetric analyser and heated from an indicated 30 °C to 100 °C to qualitatively compare sensitivities. Initial results indicated that the novel manufacturing technique both expedited production and produces a more sensitive sensor when compared to an all-glass construction

Boron nitride-doped polyphenylenic organogels

Herein, we describe the synthesis of the first boron nitride-doped polyphenylenic material obtained through a [4 + 2] cycloaddition reaction between a triethynyl borazine unit and a biscyclopentadienone derivative, which undergoes organogel formation in chlorinated solvents (the critical jellification concentration is 4% w/w in CHCl3). The polymer has been characterized extensively by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, solid-state 13C NMR, solid-state 11B NMR, and by comparison with the isolated monomeric unit. Furthermore, the polymer gels formed in chlorinated solvents have been thoroughly characterized and studied, showing rheological properties comparable to those of polyacrylamide gels with a low crosslinker percentage. Given the thermal and chemical stability, the material was studied as a potential support for solid-state electrolytes. showing properties comparable to those of polyethylene glycol-based electrolytes, thus presenting great potential for the application of this new class of material in lithium-ion batteries

Opposing Effects of the Angiopoietins on the Thrombin-Induced Permeability of Human Pulmonary Microvascular Endothelial Cells

BACKGROUND: Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) is associated with lung injury in ALI/ARDS. As endothelial activation by thrombin plays a role in the permeability of acute lung injury and Ang-2 may modulate the kinetics of thrombin-induced permeability by impairing the organization of vascular endothelial (VE-)cadherin, and affecting small Rho GTPases in human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (HPMVECs), we hypothesized that Ang-2 acts as a sensitizer of thrombin-induced hyperpermeability of HPMVECs, opposed by Ang-1. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Permeability was assessed by measuring macromolecule passage and transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER). Angiopoietins did not affect basal permeability. Nevertheless, they had opposing effects on the thrombin-induced permeability, in particular in the initial phase. Ang-2 enhanced the initial permeability increase (passage, P = 0.010; TEER, P = 0.021) in parallel with impairment of VE-cadherin organization without affecting VE-cadherin Tyr685 phosphorylation or increasing RhoA activity. Ang-2 also increased intercellular gap formation. Ang-1 preincubation increased Rac1 activity, enforced the VE-cadherin organization, reduced the initial thrombin-induced permeability (TEER, P = 0.027), while Rac1 activity simultaneously normalized, and reduced RhoA activity at 15 min thrombin exposure (P = 0.039), but not at earlier time points. The simultaneous presence of Ang-2 largely prevented the effect of Ang-1 on TEER and macromolecule passage. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Ang-1 attenuated thrombin-induced permeability, which involved initial Rac1 activation-enforced cell-cell junctions, and later RhoA inhibition. In addition to antagonizing Ang-1, Ang-2 had also a direct effect itself. Ang-2 sensitized the initial thrombin-induced permeability accompanied by destabilization of VE-cadherin junctions and increased gap formation, in the absence of increased RhoA activity

Development of cobalt ferrite powder preparation employing the sol-gel technique and its structural characterisation

This work focuses on the development of a method to make nano cobalt ferrite powder using a solgel process. A particular emphasis is devoted to the understanding of the role of the chemical parameters involved in the solgel technique, and of the heat treatment on the structures and morphologies of the materials obtained. Several samples of cobalt ferrite powder were obtained by varying the initial parameters of the process in addition to the heat treatment temperature. Xray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were used to identify the structure and morphology of samples demonstrating the influence of the initial parameters. DTA/TGA was carried out on one sample to identify important reaction temperatures during the heat treatment. The average particle size, as estimated for one sample by the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the strongest Xray diffraction (XRD) peak, was found to be about 45 nm. It has been found that the chelating agent and the crosslinker have a critical influence on the resultant structure, the particle size and the particle size distribution

Developments of Cobalt Ferrite Nanoparticles Prepared by The Sol–Gel Process

In the phase of the study reported, the sol–gel technique was followed in the preparation of cobalt ferrite amorphous powder following the same procedure which was selected as the best approach as described in a previous study. It was assumed that there must be a correlation between the heat treatment operational parameters and the structural properties of the material being synthesized. Similarly, it was understood that some heat treatment is necessary to completely decompose the organic and nitrate contents present in the amorphous powder. Having ensured that the heat treatment parameters could be changed without producing a material with poorer properties, it was then possible to produce batches of powders using milder conditions in the heat treatment operation. The particle size distributions of these new batches of nanoparticles were estimated to be in the range 7–28 nm and since the results showed promise, their magnetic properties were also determined