Properties of Nanogenerator Materials for Energy-Harvesting Application

Advancements in nanotechnology and materials science have led to the development of a variety of nanogenerator materials with improved properties, making energy harvesting technologies increasingly viable for various applications, such as powering wearable devices, remote sensors, and even small electronic gadgets in the future. The evolution of hybrid materials consisting of polymers and nanoparticles as efficient energy harvesters and energy storage devices is in high demand nowadays. Most investigations on organic ferroelectric P(VDF-TrFE) as a polymer host of polymer nanocomposite devices were primally focused on the β phase due to its excellent electrical properties for various application purposes. Nanofiller is also introduced into the polymer host to produce a polymer nanocomposite with enhanced properties. A brief description of various physical quantities related to ferroelectric, dielectric, pyroelectric effects and Thermally Stimulated Current (TSC) for energy harvesting applications in nanogenerator materials is presented. This article explores the different materials and uses of various nanogenerators. It explains the basics of the pyroelectric effect and the structure of pyroelectric nanogenerators (PNGs), as well as recent advancements in micro/nanoscale devices. Additionally, it discusses how the performance of ferroelectric, dielectric, pyroelectric, and TSC are impacted by the annealing treatment of P(VDF-TrFE) polymer

Analyzing windstorm pattern in Malaysia based on extracted Twitter data.

Wind-rain interactions often lead to severe windstorm events and consequently cause damages and fatal destructions. The increase in frequency of recent windstorm events overwhelmed the nation. Thus, efforts in obtaining and recording these events are intensified with the help of current technology. This study aims to analyze the pattern of recent windstorm events by utilizing big data and GIS. In this study, the reported windstorm events in Twitter application were extracted using R-programming. Prior to analyses, the extracted data were screened to remove any outliers found. The extracted data were selected based on the credibility of its sources to ensure the accuracy and quality. These selected data were extracted from trusted users such as Meteorological Department of Malaysia (MMD), Berita Harian, Bernama and others. This study has demonstrated the possibility of Twitter data as an alternative data source in windstorm studies based on its reasonable findings. It is exhibited that there is drastic increased of windstorm events frequency in years 2018-2020, especially in the northern and west-coast regions of Peninsular. The highest frequency was recorded in April (inter-monsoon season) while the lowest is in February and December (northeast monsoon). The increase of frequency in several locations in the Peninsular is very alarming especially in the Klang Valley since this region is highly populated and serves as Malaysia's important economic zones. Hence, risk control should be considered in this region to reduce the negative impacts as suggested in SDG11 and SDG13

A rare occurrence of suspected delayed malignant hyperthermia in a young patient undergoing an orthopaedic surgery

Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a rare but fatal anaesthetic emergency. It is an autosomal dominant (AD) inherited disorder which is characterized by a hypermetabolic response of an individual upon exposure to a certain type of anaesthesia. We report a rare case of desflurane-induced MH in a Malay descent immediately following an uneventful exposure to sevoflurane. The administration of dantrolene in the immediate management successfully treated the patient

Carbon Nanotubes-Based Sensor For Ammonia Gas Detection – An Overview.

A sensitive, selective and reliable sensing techniques for ammonia (NH3) gas detection have been highly demanded since NH3 is both a commonly utilized gas in various industrial sectors, and considered as a toxic and caustic agent that can threat human health and environment at a certain level of concentrations. In this article, a brief on the fundamental working principles of sensor specifications of the analytes detection techniques relying has been reviewed. Furthermore, the mechanism of NH3 detection and recent progress in the development of advanced carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-based NH3 gas sensors, and their performance towards the hybridization with the conductive polymers was comprehensively reviewed and summarized. Finally, the future outlook for the development of high performance NH3 sensors was presented in the conclusions part

Intelligent Image Capturing Alarm System Using Raspberry Pi

Home surveillance system assumes an essential part in this present day living style to help recognizing illegal activities. In this proposed paper, an intelligent image capturing alarm system to protect locker was developed. Raspberry Pi 2 is used as the main controller (server). At the point when any conceivable intrusion is identified, a webcam installed to Raspberry Pi 2 will capture the picture of the intruder. In the meantime, the spotlight or light of the house which represented by an LED will be turned "ON" alongside an alarm sound from a buzzer which is fixed as an output. Taking everything into account, this improvement offers reasonable and easy to use surveillance alarm system

A system of sustainable building construction materials incorporating the raised floor innovation – the Tasik Chini Research Centre experience

The Malaysian construction industry sector covers the aspects of the planning, design, conservation, demolition and repairing of various types of buildings and all types of mechanical and civil engineering works as well as other field work involved. It has attracted many researchers and most studies that have been done on the construction industry revolved around the study of technology as a design analysis. However, in reality it is still largely dependant on a conventional system established decades ago. This paper intends to propose a system of sustainable construction materials by redefining the traditional Malay architecture element of the raised floor and its innovation with the Industrialised Building System (IBS). The paper will present experience from Tasik Chini Research Centre of UKM as an alternative solution in providing a more significant and comprehensive construction process, offering fast and efficient system using components or materials that are sustainable. The development in itself incorporated the philosophy of or treading the earth gently, a development aimed at reducing the impact on the environment by lifting buildings from the ground. It complied with UNESCO development guidelines and the Strategic Implementation Action Plan for Tasik Chini's Biosphere Reserves. The development used traditional architectural principles as references and applied the many significant constructs and variables that may influence development in a tropical setting. A raised floor architectural concept was integrated with a structural system, thus providing a diverse range of functions. An IBS systems was implemented with the use of structures, floor panels and modular walls using low thermal mass (low thermal mass) materials, as well as green roofs with green concrete use to prevent heat from sunlight. It proposes a new paradigm in architecture that includes sustainability concern, technological simplicity as well as social aspiration and architectural identity. The system is designed to incorporate many passive design principles and climatic controls that combine with the use of IBS thus making it an efficient and easy-to-install system

Effect of Substrate Orientation on the Growth of Germanium Oxide in Dry Oxygen Ambience

The present investigation deals with the effect of substrate orientation effect on the growth of thermally oxidized Ge. The thermal oxidation was performed at temperature between 375 and 550°C in dry oxygen ambient under atmospheric pressure. The thickness of thermally oxidized Ge films was measured by spectroscopic ellipsometry and the chemical bonding structures were characterized by using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). No orientation dependence was observed for the oxidation at temperature of 375°C while for oxidation at 490 and 550°C, Ge oxidation and GeO desorption rate of (100) orientation yield higher rate than (111). The larger atomic space of (100) orientation explains the higher oxidation and desorption rate at Ge surface

Development of porous PCL-based microcarrier

Polycaprolactone (PCL) has been used for cell cultivation due to its biocompatibility. However, fabrication of porous PCL microcarrier was an obstacle and study of its biodegradability is also limited. In the present study, PCL-based porous microcarrier was fabricated with different parameters by using emulsion evaporation method. From the study, at 20% camphene concentration, optimum pore size was generated which was at 11.738 μm. During the fabrication of the microcarrier, most of the parameters showed effect on the size of the microcarrier. Under the biodegradability test, it showed that the porous structure of the microcarrier enhance the degradation rate of the microcarrier. Throughout the study, all the parameters tested for the fabrication of microcarrier showed effect on it and the porous structure improve the degradation rate of PCL microcarrier

Surface Analysis of Thermally Growth Ge Oxide on Ge(100)

The understanding of Ge oxidation is utmost importance in order to form the good quality dielectric/Ge interface in fabricating Ge Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFETs). In addition, the mechanism of Ge oxidation is still under intensive studies. For Silicon oxidation, Deal and Grove Model have been accepted to explain the Si Oxidation mechanism. The purpose of this paper is to report the mechanism of Ge oxidation at two different temperatures, 375 and 490°C and the detail of Ge oxide composition at Ge oxide/Ge interface. After wet chemical cleaning with HCl, the thermal oxidation was performed at temperature 375 and 490°C at atmospheric pressure. The thickness and composition of Ge oxide were measured with spectroscopic ellipsometry and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. It was observed that the n value extracted from a log-log plot of oxidation time versus oxide thickness was dependent on the oxidation temperature. The oxygen-deficient region was formed during thermal oxidation of Ge and the electronic states of suboxide component were observed in the region within 2.3eV above the top valence band. The novelty of this work is to investigate the kinetics oxidation of Ge and evaluate the composition of oxide layer after thermal oxidation that becomes useful information for the development of Ge MOSFETs

Multi-Criteria Architecture Style Selection for Precision Farming Software Product Lines Using Fuzzy AHP

Precision Farming (PF) system is an alternative and innovative approach to improve the quality and production of crop yields. However, due to heterogeneity and user demands, PF system complexity has become higher. As such, software complexity has always been an issue in software development, especially for larger systems with innovative functionalities. One solution by which to reduce the problem of software complexity is by incorporating software reuse. Software Product Line (SPL) is a strategic reuse approach, which targets common artefacts for its product line while having a variability management mechanism to cater for variability in individual applications. This research proposes an integrated approach of SPL with architecture style selection and componentbased design for the precision farming domain. The focus of this paper is to highlight the process of architecture style selection in the proposed approach, which involves a multi-criteria design decision. The selection process uses a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (fuzzy AHP) in order to select the best architectural style, which can fulfil most of the sought-after criteria for precision farming product line application