Design, fabrication and characterization of infrared filters

In-situ temperature monitoring, mapping, and control have become significant in semiconductor processes. Temperature of these processes can be measured by making use of the thermal emission from substrates in the infrared region. Various methods have been proposed to provide multicolor infrared detection. One such method involves placing segmented infrared filters close to the focal plane. The present study aims at gaining an insight into the design, fabrication and characterization of infrared filters. Filters were designed and fabricated with peak transmission at 1.5, 3.0, and 4.5 m. Extensive spectroscopic studies, using FTIR spectroscopy, have been performed in the infrared region, on the materials chosen for the filters - Si, SiO2, and Al2O3. The spectral transmittance characteristics of the filters have also been studied using optical spectrometry to monitor their performance at the desired wavelengths

Effect of rhamnolipids on surface tension and interfacial behaviors on traditional surfactants

The global surfactant market is expected to reach $44.9 billion by 2022, of which 67% of the demand is from the personal care and detergents market [1]. Due to consumers’ increasing awareness on product sustainability, the microbial-produced biosurfactants are increasingly gaining the interest of the personal care industry as potential alternatives for traditional petroleum-derived and chemically synthesized surfactants [2]. The future of personal care and detergent products is the elimination of non-biodegradable, environmentally toxic surfactants. However, prior to that, an understanding of performance criteria such as surface tension is affected by substitution of traditional surfactants with biosurfactants is required. This study mainly focuses on the influences of rhamnolipid biosurfactant on surface tensions and CMC behavior of sodium laureth sulfate and cocamidopropyl betaine. In addition, the effect of rhamnolipids on the interfacial tensions of surfactants mixture and dimethicone have also been evaluated. Reference [1] News & Views - Market Reports: Global Markets for Surfactant Chemicals and Materials. Chemical Industry Digest. 2018. ISSN: 0971-5266. [2] Fakruddin Md (2012) Biosurfactant: Production and Application. J Pet Environ Biotechnol 3:124. doi:10.4172/2157-7463.1000124 * Y.Zhou and L.Xu contributed equally to this work

Effect of rhamnolipids biosurfactant on traditional surfactants: A macro- and microrheological study

The global surfactant market is expected to reach $44.9 billion by 2022, of which 67% of the demand is from the personal care and detergents market [1]. Due to consumers’ increasing awareness on product sustainability, the microbially produced biosurfactants are increasingly gaining the interest of the personal care industry as potential alternatives for traditional petroleum derived and chemically synthesized surfactants [2]. The future of personal care and detergent products is the elimination of non-biodegradable, environmentally toxic surfactants. However, prior to that, an understanding of how performance criteria such as rheology is affected by substitution of traditional surfactants with biosurfactants is required. In this study, the affect of rhamnolipid biosurfactant on the rheological response of traditional surfactants such as sodium laureth sulfate and cocamidopropyl betaine is explored utilizing mechanical rheometry, microrheometry, microfluidic rheometry and Raman spectroscopy. The study provides unique insights into microstructure-rheology linkages in complex biosurfactant-surfactant mixtures. Reference [1] News & Views - Market Reports: Global Markets for Surfactant Chemicals and Materials. Chemical Industry Digest. 2018. ISSN: 0971-5266. [2] Fakruddin Md (2012) Biosurfactant: Production and Application. J Pet Environ Biotechnol 3:124. doi:10.4172/2157-7463.1000124 *L.Xu and Y.Zhou contributed equally to this work

Formulation design of complex fluids based products through diffusing wave spectroscopy (DWS)

Complex fluids and soft matter systems are ubiquitous in consumer and cosmetic products and also in products found across many other industrial sectors encompassing foods, paints, coatings, biopharmaceutiucals etc. A critical aspect in the formulation design and optimization of these complex fluids based products is the maintenance of stability and enhancement of the sensory and functional performance. This requires establishing and optimizing the microstructure-property-performance linkages in these complex fluids. Since complex fluids are structured on multiple length scales and undergo dynamics over a wide range of timescales, the establishment of such linkages requires experimental tools that allow access to these length and time scales. Diffusing Wave Spectroscopy has emerged as a versatile experimental technique that allows unique insights into the microstructure/dynamics/rheology of complex fluid based products, allowing the design and optimization of formulations for enhanced performance benefits. This talk reviews a number of different examples and applications of DWS that are relevant for formulation design. This will include sizing, rheology and stability monitoring in emulsions, rheology of polymers to understand short time dynamics and monitoring the effect active/drug release has on the evolution of a micellar system. M. Reufer Journal OF Pharmaceutical Sciences 103:3902–3913, 2014 D. Gaudino et al., PCCP, 19, 2017, 782. LS Instruments Application Note

A Comparative Analysis on IoT Communication Protocols for Future Internet Applications

With the emergence of 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT) will bring about the next industrial revolution in the name of Industry 4.0. The communication aspect of IoT devices is one of the most important factors in choosing the right device for the right usage. So far, the IoT physical layer communication challenges have been met with various communications protocols that provide varying strengths and weaknesses. And most of them are wireless protocols due to the sheer number of device requirements for IoT. In this paper, we summarize the network architectures of some of the most popular IoT wireless communications protocols. We also present them side by side and provide a comparative analysis revolving around some key features, including power consumption, coverage, data rate, security, cost, and Quality of Service (QoS). This comparative study shows that LTE-based protocols like NB-IoT and LTE-M can offer better QoS and robustness, while the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) Band based protocols like LoRa, Sigfox, and Z-wave claim their place in usage where lower power consumption and lesser device complexity are desired. Based on their respective strengths and weaknesses, the study also presents an application perspective of the suitability of each protocol in a certain type of scenario and addresses some open issues that need to be researched in the future. Thus, this study can assist in the decision making regarding choosing the most suitable protocol for a certain field

Annex 21 : scrutiny of electricity billing and supply data as a probable proxy for economic activities : an analysis of power consumption of Dhaka, Bangladesh (draft)

This case study attempts to provide a load forecasting model to help ascertain short-term electricity demand at the regional level in Bangladesh. To assist policy makers in determining how regulatory decisions impact behavior, consumer level billing data, and power satiation level, supply data such as load variability and load shedding is analyzed. Cleaning the dataset and dealing with outlier values includes such problems as lack of exact household addresses in Dhaka city. The impact of changes in appliance use due to weather or price hikes is examined in order to predict future energy needs of consumers