Thermochromic Polymeric Films for Applications in Active Intelligent Packaging-An Overview.

The need for passive sensors to monitor changes in temperature has been critical in several packaging related applications. Most of these applications involve the use of bar codes, inks and equipment that involve constant complex electronic manipulation. The objective of this paper is to explore solutions to temperature measurements that not only provide product information but also the condition of the product in real time, specifically shelf-life.

Additive Manufacturing of Sensors for Military Monitoring Applications.

The US Department of Defense (DoD) realizes the many uses of additive manufacturing (AM) as it has become a common fabrication technique for an extensive range of engineering components in several industrial sectors. 3D Printed (3DP) sensor technology offers high-performance features as a way to track individual warfighters on the battlefield, offering protection from threats such as weaponized toxins, bacteria or virus, with real-time monitoring of physiological events, advanced diagnostics, and connected feedback. Maximum protection of the warfighter gives a distinct advantage over adversaries by providing an enhanced awareness of situational threats on the battle field.

Hydrophobically Modified Isosorbide Dimethacrylates as a Bisphenol-A (BPA)-Free Dental Filling Material.

A series of bio-based hydrophobically modified isosorbide dimethacrylates, with , , and benzoate aromatic spacers (ISBGBMA), are synthesized, characterized, and evaluated as potential dental restorative resins. The new monomers, isosorbide 2,5-bis(4-glyceryloxybenzoate) dimethacrylate (ISB4GBMA), isosorbide 2,5-bis(3-glyceryloxybenzoate) dimethacrylate (ISB3GBMA), and isosorbide 2,5-bis(2-glyceryloxybenzoate) dimethacrylate (ISB2GBMA), are mixed with triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) and photopolymerized. The resulting polymers are evaluated for the degree of monomeric conversion, polymerization shrinkage, water sorption, glass transition temperature, and flexural strength.

Energy Gap-Refractive Index Relations in Perovskites.

In this study, the energy gap-refractive index relations of perovskites are examined in detail. In general, the properties of perovskites are dependent on the structural reorganization and covalent nature of their octahedral cages. Based on this notion, a simple relation governing the energy gap and the refractive index is proposed for perovskites.

A Magnetic-Field-Assisted Milli-Scale Robotic Assembly Machine: An Approach to Parallel Robotic Automation Systems.

Utilizing large numbers of microrobots to heterogeneously integrate small devices to build advanced structures has long been a goal in the field of manufacturing automation. In this paper, we demonstrate a novel milli-scale robotic assembly machine with highly parallel capabilities and assisted with a programmable magnetic field. The prototype machine consists of a 16 × 16 array of electromagnets.

Multi-pass Monte Carlo simulation method in nuclear transmutations.

Monte Carlo methods, in their direct brute simulation incarnation, bring realistic results if the involved probabilities, be they geometrical or otherwise, remain constant for the duration of the simulation. However, there are physical setups where the evolution of the simulation represents a modification of the simulated system itself. Chief among such evolving simulated systems are the activation/transmutation setups.