Unraveling the mechanism of non-uniform zinc deposition in rechargeable zinc-based batteries with vertical orientation

Farm machinery like water sprinklers (WS) and pesticide sprayers (PS) are becoming quite popular in the agricultural sector. The WS and PS are two distinct types of machinery, mostly powered using conventional energy sources. In recent times, the battery and solar-powered WS and PS have also emerged. With the current WS and PS, the main drawback is the lack of intelligence on water and pesticide use decisions and autonomous control. This paper proposes a novel multi-purpose smart farming robot (MpSFR) that handles both water sprinkling and pesticide spraying. The MpSFR is a photovoltaic (PV) powered battery-operated internet of things (IoT) and computer vision (CV) based robot that helps in automating the watering and spraying process. Firstly, the PV-powered battery-operated autonomous MpSFR equipped with a storage tank for water and pesticide drove with a programmed pumping device is engineered. The sprinkling and spraying mechanisms are made fully automatic with a programmed pattern that utilizes IoT sensors and CV to continuously monitor the soil moisture and the plant’s health based on pests. Two servo motors accomplish the horizontal and vertical orientation of the spraying nozzle. We provided an option to remotely switch the sprayer to spray either water or pesticide using an infrared device, i.e., within a 5-m range. Secondly, the operation of the developed MpSFR is experimentally verified in the test farm. The field test’s observed results include the solar power profile, battery charging, and discharging conditions. The results show that the MpSFR operates effectively, and decisions on water use and pesticide are automated.

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High-Efficiency Responsive Smart Windows Fabricated by Carbon Nanotubes Modified by Liquid Crystalline Polymers

Crystals ◽

10.3390/cryst11040440 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 440

Author(s):

Yuan Deng ◽

Shi-Qin Li ◽

Qian Yang ◽

Zhi-Wang Luo ◽

He-Lou Xie

Keyword(s):

Carbon Nanotubes ◽

Liquid Crystalline ◽

Near Infrared ◽

High Efficiency ◽

Polymer Brush ◽

Light Transmittance ◽

Smart Window ◽

Vertical Orientation ◽

Smart Windows ◽

Conversion Materials

Smart windows can dynamically and adaptively adjust the light transmittance in non-energy or low-energy ways to maintain a comfortable ambient temperature, which are conducive to efficient use of energy. This work proposes a liquid crystal (LC) smart window with highly efficient near-infrared (NIR) response using carbon nanotubes grafted by biphenyl LC polymer brush (CNT-PDB) as the orientation layer. The resultant CNT-PDB polymer brush can provide the vertical orientation of LC molecules to maintain the initial transparency. At the same time, the smart window shows a rapid response to NIR light, which can quickly adjust the light transmittance to prevent sunlight from entering the room. Different from common doping systems, this method avoids the problem of poor compatibility between the LC host and photothermal conversion materials, which is beneficial for improving the durability of the device.

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Judged Beauty of Fractal Symmetries

Empirical Studies of the Arts ◽

10.1177/0276237421994699 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 027623742199469

Author(s):

Jay Friedenberg ◽

Preston Martin ◽

Naomi Uy ◽

Mackenzie Kvapil

Keyword(s):

Local Symmetry ◽

Self Similarity ◽

Vertical Orientation ◽

Degree Of Similarity ◽

Different Levels

Fractals are patterns that show self-similarity at different levels of scale. Typically they appear in nature and this degree of similarity is approximate or statistical. However, artificial or exact fractals have also been studied and the advantage of these stimuli is the ability to more carefully control the relationships that occur across various hierarchies. In two experiments we studied the perceived beauty of a novel class of exact visual fractal in which we introduced reflection, rotation, translation, and random symmetries that repeated at a local and global levels. Rotation and reflection were consistently preferred to translation and randomness. Only reflected patterns were preferred at a vertical orientation. For all other symmetries there was no difference in preference between vertical and horizontal. In a second experiment we progressively eliminated the salience of local symmetry through opaque shading . Perceived beauty decreased with an increase in shading . For these patterns greater discriminability of their fractal quality makes them more aesthetically appealing.

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Vertical Orientation of Liquid Crystal on 4-n-Alkyloxyphenoxymethyl-Substituted Polystyrene Containing Liquid Crystal Precursor

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym13050736 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 736

Author(s):

Kyutae Seo ◽

Hyo Kang

Keyword(s):

Molecular Structure ◽

Liquid Crystal ◽

Surface Energy ◽

Polymer Films ◽

Ultraviolet Irradiation ◽

Molar Fraction ◽

Side Chain ◽

Polymer Modification ◽

Vertical Orientation ◽

Surface Energies

We synthesized a series of polystyrene derivatives that were modified with precursors of liquid crystal (LC) molecules, such as 4-ethyloxyphenol (homopolymer PEOP and copolymer PEOP#; # = 20, 40, 60, and 80, where # indicates the molar fraction of 4-ethyloxyphenoxymethyl in the side chain), 4-n-butyloxyphenol (PBOP), 4-n-hexyloxyphenol (PHOP), and 4-n-octyloxyphenol (POOP), via polymer modification reaction to investigate the orientation of LC molecules on polymer films, exhibiting part of the LC molecular structure. LC molecules showed a stable and uniform vertical orientation in LC cells fabricated with polymers that have 4-ethyloxyphenoxymethyl in the range of 40–100 mol%. In addition, similar results were obtained in LC cells fabricated with homopolymers of PEOP, PBOP, PHOP, and POOP. The vertical orientation of LC molecules in LC cells fabricated with polymer films correlated to the surface energy of polymer films. For example, vertical LC orientation was observed when the total surface energies of the polymer films were lower than approximately 43.2 mJ/m2. Good alignment stabilities were observed at 150 °C and 20 J/cm2 of ultraviolet irradiation for LC cells fabricated with PEOP film.

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Modifying hydrogel electrolyte to induce zinc deposition for dendrite-free zinc metal anode

Electrochimica Acta ◽

10.1016/j.electacta.2021.139094 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 139094

Author(s):

Yachun Mao ◽

Huaizheng Ren ◽

Jiachi Zhang ◽

Tao Luo ◽

Nannan Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Zinc Deposition ◽

Metal Anode ◽

Zinc Metal ◽

Free Zinc

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Location-controlled parallel and vertical orientation by dewetting-induced block copolymer directed self-assembly

Journal of Materials Chemistry C ◽

10.1039/c3tc30278d ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 1 (25) ◽

pp. 4020 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Haeng-Deog Koh ◽

Youn Jung Park ◽

Seong-Jun Jeong ◽

Young-Nam Kwon ◽

In Taek Han ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Block Copolymer ◽

Self Assembly ◽

Vertical Orientation

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Reorientation of a single red blood cell during sedimentation

Journal of Fluid Mechanics ◽

10.1017/jfm.2016.601 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 806 ◽

pp. 102-128 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

D. Matsunaga ◽

Y. Imai ◽

C. Wagner ◽

T. Ishikawa

Keyword(s):

Angular Velocity ◽

Blood Cell ◽

Red Blood Cell ◽

Blood Cells ◽

Driving Force ◽

Viscosity Ratio ◽

Orientation Angle ◽

Bond Number ◽

Vertical Orientation ◽

Main Factors

The reorientation phenomenon of a single red blood cell during sedimentation is simulated using the boundary element method. The cell settles downwards due to a density difference between the internal and external fluids, and it changes orientation toward a vertical orientation regardless of Bond number or viscosity ratio. The reorientation phenomenon is explained by a shape asymmetry caused by the gravitational driving force, and the shape asymmetry increases almost linearly with the Bond number. When velocities are normalised by the driving force, settling/drifting velocities are weak functions of the Bond number and the viscosity ratio, while the angular velocity of the reorientation drastically changes with these parameters: the angular velocity is smaller for lower Bond number or higher viscosity ratio. As a consequence, trajectories of the sedimentation are also affected by the angular velocity, and blood cells with slower reorientation travel longer distances in the drifting direction. We also explain the mechanism of the reorientation using an asymmetric dumbbell. From the analysis, we show that the magnitude of the angular velocity is explained by two main factors: the shape asymmetry and the instantaneous orientation angle.

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Coupling In-Situ Techniques to Analyze Zinc Deposition and Dissolution for Energy Storage Applications

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/opl.2012.1734 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 1491 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jayme Keist ◽

Christine Orme ◽

Frances Ross ◽

Dan Steingart ◽

Paul Wright ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Liquid Electrolyte ◽

Scattering Data ◽

Zinc Deposition ◽

Ionic Liquid Electrolyte ◽

Force Microscopy ◽

In Situ Techniques ◽

X Ray Scattering ◽

Atomic Force ◽

Afm Analysis

ABSTRACTThis investigation describes preliminary results of in-situ analysis of zinc deposition within an ionic liquid electrolyte utilizing electrochemical atomic force microscopy (EC AFM). From the AFM analysis, the morphology of the zinc deposition was analyzed by quantifying the surface roughness using height-height correlation functions. These results will be used to analyze the scattering data obtained from zinc deposition analysis utilizing an electrochemical ultra-small angle x-ray scattering (EC USAXS). The goal of this research is to link the early nucleation and growth behavior to the formation of detrimental morphologies.

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Impact of Position and Orientation of RFID Tags on Real Time Asset Tracking in a Supply Chain

Journal of theoretical and applied electronic commerce research ◽

10.3390/jtaer3010003 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

Sidney D’Mello ◽

Eric Mathews ◽

Lee McCauley ◽

James Markham

Keyword(s):

Supply Chain ◽

Real World ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Three Dimensions ◽

Rfid Tags ◽

Vertical Orientation ◽

Fine Grained ◽

Asset Tracking ◽

Transverse Electromagnetic ◽

World Environment

We studied the characteristics of four commercially available RFID tags such as their orientation on an asset and their position in a three dimensional real world environment to obtain comprehensive data to substantiate a baseline for the use of RFID technology in a diverse supply chain management setting. Using RFID tags manufactured by four different vendors and a GHz Transverse Electromagnetic (GTEM) cell, in which an approximately constant electromagnetic (EM) field was maintained, we characterized the tags based on horizontal and vertical orientation on a simulated asset. With these baseline characteristics determined, we moved two of the four tags through a real world environment in three dimensions using an industrial robotic system to determine the effect of asset position in relation to the reader on tag readability. Combining the data collected over these two studies, we provide a rich analysis of the feasibility of asset tracking in a real world supply chain, where there would likely be multiple tag types. We offer fine grained analyses of the tag types and make recommendations for diverse supply chain asset tracking.

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The Oppel–Kundt Illusion and Its Relation to Horizontal-Vertical and Oblique Effects

Perception ◽

10.1177/03010066211006545 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 030100662110065

Author(s):

Klaus Landwehr

Keyword(s):

Oblique Effect ◽

The Other ◽

Vertical Orientation ◽

Horizontal Orientation ◽

Full Circle ◽

Original Stimulus ◽

Vertical Part

The Oppel–Kundt illusion consists in the overestimation of the length of filled versus empty extents. Two experiments explored its relation to the horizontal-vertical illusion, which consists in the overestimation of the length of vertical versus horizontal extents, and to the oblique effect, which consists in poorer discriminative sensitivity for obliquely as opposed to horizontally or vertically oriented stimuli. For Experiment 1, Kundt’s (1863) original stimulus was rotated in steps of 45° full circle around 360°. For Experiment 2, one part of the stimulus remained at a horizontal or vertical orientation, whereas the other part was tilted 45° or 90°. The Oppel–Kundt illusion was at its maximum at a horizontal orientation of the stimulus. The illusion was strongly attenuated with L-type figures when the vertical part was empty, but not enhanced when this part was filled, suggesting that the horizontal-vertical illusion only acts on nontextured extents. There was no oblique effect.

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