Fractional condensation of bio-oil vapors from pyrolysis of various sawdust wastes in a bench-scale bubbling fluidized bed reactor.

The use of lignocellulosic waste as an energy source for substituting fossil fuels has attracted lots of attention, and pyrolysis has been established as an effective technology for this purpose. However, the utilization of bio-oil derived from non-catalytic pyrolysis faces certain constraints, making it impractical for direct application in advanced sectors. This study has focused on overcoming these challenges by employing fractional condensation of pyrolytic vapors at distinct temperatures.

Layer-Selective Synthesis of MoS and WS Structures under Ambient Conditions for Customized Electronics.

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted significant interest as one of the key materials in future electronics such as logic devices, optoelectrical devices, and wearable electronics. However, a complicated synthesis method and multistep processes for device fabrication pose major hurdles for their practical applications. Here, we introduce a direct and rapid method for layer-selective synthesis of MoS and WS structures in wafer-scale using a pulsed laser annealing system (λ = 1.

Ag flake/silicone rubber composite with high stability and stretching speed insensitive resistance via conductive bridge formation.

High stability, stretchable speed insensitive properties, high stretchability, and electrical conductivity are key characteristics for the realisation of wearable devices. However, conventional research is mainly focused on achieving only high stretchability and electrical conductivity. Studies on the stability and stretching speed insensitive properties generally require complex fabrication processes, which are in need of further improvement.

Two-in-One Device with Versatile Compatible Electrical Switching or Data Storage Functions Controlled by the Ferroelectricity of P(VDF-TrFE) via Photocrosslinking.

Organic electronics demand new platforms that can make integrated circuits and undergo mass production while maintaining diverse functions with high performance. The field-effect transistor has great potential to be a multifunctional device capable of sensing, data processing, data storage, and display. Currently, transistor-based devices cannot be considered intrinsic multifunctional devices because all installed functions are mutually coupled.

Low-Voltage Organic Transistor Memory Fiber with a Nanograined Organic Ferroelectric Film.

Wearable technology offers new ways to be more proactive about our health and surroundings in real time. For next-generation wearable systems, robust storage and recording media are required to monitor and process the essential electrical signals generated under various unpredictable strain conditions. Here, we report the first fibriform organic transistor memory integrated on a thin and flexible metal wire.

Light sintering of ultra-smooth and robust silver nanowire networks embedded in poly(vinyl-butyral) for flexible OLED.

A conductive, uniform, and ultra-smooth flexible transparent composite film is produced by embedding silver nanowires (AgNWs) into poly(vinyl-butyral) (PVB) without pressure or high-temperature annealing. The adhesion of AgNWs was greatly improved by embedding them in PVB, and surface roughness and sheet resistance (R) improvements were achieved through the use of the intense pulsed light (IPL) method, which welds the interconnections among AgNWs in a short time without heat or pressure treatment. The sheet resistance of PVB/AgNWs with the IPL(PAI) composite film reaches 12.

Ultrastretchable Conductor Fabricated on Skin-Like Hydrogel-Elastomer Hybrid Substrates for Skin Electronics.

Printing technology can be used for manufacturing stretchable electrodes, which represent essential parts of wearable devices requiring relatively high degrees of stretchability and conductivity. In this work, a strategy for fabricating printable and highly stretchable conductors are proposed by transferring printed Ag ink onto stretchable substrates comprising Ecoflex elastomer and tough hydrogel layers using a water-soluble tape. The elastic modulus of the produced hybrid film is close to that of the hydrogel layer, since the thickness of Ecoflex elastomer film coated on hydrogel is very thin (30 µm).

Flash-induced nanowelding of silver nanowire networks for transparent stretchable electrochromic devices.

Electrochromic devices (ECDs) are emerging as a novel technology for various applications like commercialized smart window glasses, and auto-dimming rear-view mirrors. Recently, the development of low-power, lightweight, flexible, and stretchable devices has been accelerated to meet the growing demand in the new wearable devices market. Silver nanowires (AgNWs) can become new primary transparent conducting electrode (TCE) materials to replace indium tin oxide (ITO) for ECDs.

Switching Mechanisms of Nonvolatile Memory Devices Fabricated with a Polydopamine Layer.

Nonvolatile memory devices based on a polydopamine (PDA) layer were fabricated by using a dip-coating process. Atomic force microscopy images revealed that the PDA layer had a conformal surface. The energy dispersive X-ray data showed the atomic stoichiometry of nitrogen and carbon in the PDA layer.

Intense pulsed light induced crystallization of a liquid-crystalline polymer semiconductor for efficient production of flexible thin-film transistors.

Here we demonstrated the split-second crystallization of a liquid-crystalline conjugated polymer semiconductor induced by irradiation with intense pulsed white light (IPWL) for the efficient improvement of electrical properties of flexible thin film transistors. A few seconds of IPWL irradiation of poly(didodecylquaterthiophene-alt-didodecylbithiazole) (PQTBTz-C12) thin films generated heat energy through the photo-thermal effect, leading to the crystallization of PQTBTz-C12 and formation of nodule-like nanostructures. The IPWL-induced crystallization of PQTBTz-C12 resulted in a threefold improvement in the field-effect mobility of thin film transistors compared to as-prepared devices.

Split-second nanostructure control of a polymer:fullerene photoactive layer using intensely pulsed white light for highly efficient production of polymer solar cells.

Intensely pulsed white light (IPWL) treatment was tested as an ultrafast, large-area processable optical technique for the control of the nanostructure of a polymeric bulk-heterojunction photoactive layer to improve the efficiencies of polymer solar cells. Only 2 s of IPWL irradiation of a polymer:fullerene photoactive layer under ambient conditions was found to enhance significantly the power conversion efficiencies of the tested polymer solar cells to values approaching that of typical devices treated with thermal annealing. Consecutive white-light pulses from the xenon lamp induce the self-organization of the polymeric donor into an ordered structure and result in the optimized phase segregation of the polymeric donor and the fullerene acceptor in the photoactive layer, which enhances the light absorption and hole mobility and results in efficient photocurrent generation.

Porous polyimide membranes prepared by wet phase inversion for use in low dielectric applications.

A wet phase inversion process of polyamic acid (PAA) allowed fabrication of a porous membrane of polyimide (PI) with the combination of a low dielectric constant (1.7) and reasonable mechanical properties (Tensile strain: 8.04%, toughness: 3.

J-aggregation induced low bandgap anthracene-based conjugated molecule for solution-processed solar cells.

A new anthracene-based X-shaped conjugated molecule, HBTATHT, was synthesized. Thin film transistors based on unannealed HBTATHT showed a carrier mobility of 0.15 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) (I(on/off) = 7.

Formation of a polymer particle monolayer by continuous self-assembly from a colloidal solution.

The preparation of two-dimensional monolayers of polymer particles over a large area was demonstrated via a facile solution process. Polymer microspheres were continuously self-assembled into a close-packed monolayer from a colloidal solution confined between two plates such that the top plate was carefully dragged at a constant velocity in the direction opposite that of the monolayer growth. In situ direct observation of the particle movement during the coating process confirmed that particle transport was directed toward the contact line of the solution meniscus by evaporation-induced convective flow.

Multi-pulsed white light sintering of printed Cu nanoinks.

Pulse management of white light to maximize the sintering efficiency of a rapid (msec) and substrate-protective method, intense pulsed light (IPL), was studied systematically with a printable Cu nanoink. An excessive pulse energy that induces deleterious defects on the Cu film along with damage on a plastic substrate was dissipated into multiple sub-pulses while maintaining a total energy budget over the threshold level for successful Cu sintering. Electrical properties of the metal layers were analyzed in conjunction with pulse formation factors such as average energy, pulse duration, peak power and pulse number to determine their respective effects on IPL sintering.

Hollow ZnO nanofibers fabricated using electrospun polymer templates and their electronic transport properties.

Thin (0.5 to 1 microm) layers of nonaligned or quasi-aligned hollow ZnO fibers were prepared by sputtering ZnO onto sacrificial templates comprising polyvinyl-acetate (PVAc) fibers deposited by electrospinning on silicon or alumina substrates. Subsequently, the ZnO/PVAc composite fibers were calcined to remove the organic components and crystallize the ZnO overlayer, resulting in hollow fibers comprising nanocrystalline ZnO shells with an average grain size of 23 nm.

Organic-inorganic hybrid nanomaterial as a new fluorescent chemosensor and adsorbent for copper ion.

Functionalized silica nanotube (FSNT) possessing the phenanthroline moiety as a fluorescent receptor was fabricated by solgel reaction, and the binding ability of FSNT with metal ions was evaluated by fluorophotometry.

Thin film fabrication of PMMA/MEH-PPV immiscible blends by corona discharge coating and its application to polymer light emitting diodes.

We introduce a new and facile process, corona discharge coating (CDC), to fabricate thin polymer films of the immiscible poly[2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethylhexyloxy)-p-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) blends. The method is based on utilizing directional electric flow, known as electric wind, of the charged unipolar particles generated by corona discharge between a metallic needle and a bottom plate under high electric field (5-10 kV/cm). The electric flow rapidly spreads out the polymer solution on the bottom plate and subsequently forms a smooth and flat thin film over a large area within a few seconds.