Liquid Metal-Based Devices: Material Properties, Fabrication and Functionalities

This paper reviews the material properties, fabrication and functionalities of liquid metal-based devices. In modern wireless communication technology, adaptability and versatility have become attractive features of any communication device. Compared with traditional conductors such as copper, the flow characteristics and lack of elastic limit of conductive fluids make them ideal alternatives for applications such as flexible circuits, soft electronic devices, wearable stretch sensors, and reconfigurable antennas. These fluid properties also allow for innovative manufacturing techniques such as 3-D printing, injecting or spraying conductive fluids on rigid/flexible substrates. Compared with traditional high-frequency switching methods, liquid metal (LM) can easily use micropumps or an electrochemically controlled capillary method to achieve reconfigurability of the device. The movement of LM over a large physical dimension enhances the reconfigurable state of the antenna, without depending on nonlinear materials or mechanisms. When LM is applied to wearable devices and sensors such as electronic skins (e-skins) and strain sensors, it consistently exhibits mechanical fatigue resistance and can maintain good electrical stability under a certain degree of stretching. When LM is used in microwave devices and paired with elastic linings such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), the shape and size of the devices can be changed according to actual needs to meet the requirements of flexibility and a multistate frequency band. In this work, we discuss the material properties, fabrication and functionalities of LM.

Control over Vertical Orientation of Liquid Crystal using Spin Coated Silica Nanoparticles Layer on Conductive Substrates

Recently, various techniques such as self-assembly, chemical vapour deposition and capillary method etc. are used for nanoparticles (NPs) deposition on the conductive substrates for the vertical alignment (VA) of liquid crystals (LCs). The initial VA of LCs in display devices have the potential impact on industry and various electro-optic devices applications. In the present work, vertical orientation of LCs was controlled on silica (SiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) layer deposited on indium tin oxide (ITO) glass substrates using spin coating method. The VA LC cell was also prepared for conventional polyimide coated ITO glass substrates. The morphological images showed the initial darker textures under crossed polarizers and conoscopic image with dark cross confirmed the VA of LC on SiO2 NPs coated substrates analogous to the conventional VA LC cell. Further, electro-optic results revealed the reduction in applied voltage and better contrast ratio for SiO2 NPs coated VA LC cell compared with polyimide coated VA LC cell.

Виготовлення авіаційних деталей з жароміцних нікелевих сплавів методом адитивного плазмового наплавлення

The aviation part of the ring-type was made of heat-resistant structural alloy EI 868 (HN60VT) by the method of additive multilayer plasma surfacing with wire. The traditional technology for obtaining this type of ring blank is the stamping of rods, which are then brought to the final shape of the part by further machining. The disadvantage of traditional technology is the significant cost of metal, which in the process of machining the pressed rod, is converted into chips and not reused, which increases the cost of the finished product. The use of additive technologies will significantly reduce the cost of material in obtaining annular workpieces by manufacturing a workpiece with a configuration as close as possible to the geometry of the part. Additive surfacing was performed on a robotic complex consisting of a plasma power supply SBI PMI-350 AC/DC TL and work FANUC M-710iC on a rigidly fixed substrate of steel 20. To determine the possibility of obtaining aviation parts using the method of layer-by-layer plasma surfacing, a study of the deposited material was conducted The structure of the grown part was studied, it was found that the microstructure corresponds to the normal state of the alloy EI868 (HN60W) in the microstructure of the fusion line is not visible, the structure is homogeneous with the mutual germination of grains between layers. Alloy parts obtained using the method of additive cultivation are at the level of cast blanks and forgings and at T = 900oC are: sв =35±5 кгс/мм2,s0,2 =49±5 кгс/мм2, y = 62±5 %. After machining the grown workpiece, a capillary method of control and radiation control of the grown part - cracks and other types of critical metallurgical defects was not detected. The practical significance of the introduction of this method is a significant reduction in material costs in obtaining parts and ensuring economic efficiency, which is about 159 thousand hryvnias.

Determination of the melting point of solid polymers by rheological method

The rheological properties of polymer systems determine their deformation behavior and the relationship between stresses, strains and strain rates. We present the results of determining the melting points of solid polymer compounds by the rheological method. Tests were carried out using a rotary rheometer in an oscillating mode. Using the obtained thermomechanical dependences, the experimental data were compared with the values determined by standard analytical (capillary method) and thermal (differential scanning calorimetry) methods. The viscous and elastic behavior of the samples were analyzed using the dependence of the oscillating stress or strain on the angular velocity or frequency. It is shown that the temperature dependences of the storage and loss moduli, as well as the angle of mechanical losses, determine the physical and relaxation transitions in polymers upon their heating. The obtained results can be used in analysis of the effect of conditions of polymer processing on their properties, as well as in optimization of the technological processes of product manufacture and modeling the behavior of materials under operation conditions at the stage of development.

Modelling the inactivation of Staphylococcus aureusat moderate heating temperatures

The survival of bacterial contaminants at moderate processing temperatures is of interest to many food producers, especially in terms of the safety and quality of the final products. That is why the heat resistance of Staphylococcus aureus 2064, an isolate from artisanal Slovakian cheese, was studied in the moderate temperature range (57–61 °C) by the capillary method. The fourth decimal reduction time t_4D- and z-values were estimated in two steps by traditional log-linear Bigelow and non-linear Weibull models. In addition, a one-step fitting procedure using the Weibull model was also applied. All the approaches provided comparable t_4D-values resulting in the following z-values of 11.8 °C, 12.3 °C and 11.3 °C, respectively. Moreover, the one-step approach takes all the primary data into z-value calculation at once, thus providing a more representative output at the reasonable high coefficient of determination R₂ = 0.961

Study of the diffusion of metals and metals-EDTA complexes in water by capillary method

EDTA can complex with radionuclides (RNs) to form negatively charged complexes, making it difficult for clay minerals to retard the diffusion of RNs waste. The diffusion coefficient of RNs in water (Dw) is an important parameter for the safety assessment of the repository. In this study, the effectsof EDTA on the diffusion of metal ions (Cu2+, Sm3+, Nd3+, Lu3+ and Zn2+) were investigated by a capillary method. The experimental results showed that [Cu-EDTA]2-, [Sm-EDTA]-and [La-EDTA]-have higher Dw thanthe Mn+. Whereas, [Nd-EDTA]-and [Zn-EDTA]2- have lower Dw than Nd3+ and Zn2+ cations. The Dw is consistent with the literatures, indicating the validity of the capillary method to determine the diffusion coefficients. According to Stokes-Einstein relation, the ionic radius and ionic potential of the ion are in disproportional to the Dw value. Cu-, Sm-and La-EDTA complexes have smaller molecular size than the uncomplexed metal ions, indicating that the Mn+ ions might be associated with many water molecules to form hydrated ions with larger ionic radius. Whereas the [Nd-EDTA]-and [Zn-EDTA]2- have larger molecular size than Nd3+ and Zn2+ cations.

Using a fingerstick test for haematological monitoring in patients treated with clozapine

Background Treatment with clozapine requires regular blood monitoring in order to minimise the risk of agranulocytosis. The demands on patients and clinicians associated with monitoring may be reduced by using point-of-care, as opposed to lab-based assessments. We assessed the utility of a device that can measure white blood cell (WBC) and neutrophil counts by capillary fingerstick blood. Method The performance of a small, portable device (HemoCue® WBC DIFF System) was compared with that of a widely used laboratory analyser (ADVIA® 2120i) for measuring WBC and neutrophil counts. Patients with schizophrenia who were being treated with clozapine ( n = 201) provided a fingerstick capillary sample and a venous sample for the respective assays. Results WBC counts and neutrophil counts from venous blood as determined by ADVIA 2120i, ranged from 3.0 × 109/l to 19.5 × 109/l, and 1.2 × 109/l to 15.9 × 109/l, respectively. There was a strong correlation between the results from venous and the capillary sample methods (WBC: R = 0.89, neutrophil: R = 0.92). By Passing–Bablok regression analysis, the slope of the association between ADVIA® 2120i and HemoCue WBC DIFF for WBC was 1.0 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.944–1.086], with intercept at −0.9 (95% CI −1.43 to −0.45). For neutrophils, the slope was 0.870 (95% CI 0.817–0.923), with intercept at −0.19 (95% CI −0.43 to 0.02). Overall, mean biases of −0.95 × 109/l for WBC, and −0.91 × 109/l for neutrophils were observed for the capillary blood method compared with the venous blood method. Below the clinical cutoff intervals for clozapine monitoring WBC (<3.5 × 109/l) and neutrophils (<1.5 × 109/l) these biases were −1.1 × 109/l for WBC, and −0.25 × 109/l for neutrophils. Conclusion Results from the capillary blood HemoCue WBC DIFF analyser compared well with the venous blood ADVIA 2120i analyser for determining WBC and neutrophil counts. There was a slight overall bias, with the capillary method reporting lower values for both measures. Fingerstick point-of-care analysis is suitable for monitoring blood counts in patients on clozapine, although confirmatory standard venous testing is recommended for test results falling below accepted thresholds.

Contributions of malaria, helminths, HIV and iron deficiency to anaemia in pregnant women attending ante-natal clinics in SouthWest Nigeria

Background: Iron deficiency is a dominant source of anaemia in many settings. To evaluate the key cause of anaemia in the study area, the prevalence of anaemia due to major public health diseases was compared with anaemia due to iron deficiency. Methods: Pregnant women were recruited from ante-natal (n=490) and HIV clinics (n=217) with their personal data docu- mented using a questionnaire. Microscopy of Giemsa-stained thick smears was used for detection of malaria parasites while helminths in stools were detected using direct smear method. Haematocrit values were determined by capillary method. Se- rum ferritin levels were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Data was analysed using SPSS version 22.0. Results: The mean age of the recruited women was 28.6±5.4 years old. There were 68.1% cases of anaemia of which 35.5% was due to infections only predominantly HIV and malaria, 14.9% from unknown sources while anaemia due to iron deficiency only was 7.1%. Conclusion: It can safely be inferred that malaria and HIV predispose to anaemia than iron deficiency in the study area. Although pregnant women are dewormed and given IPTp for helminths and malaria treatment respectively, there should be complementary routine malaria screening at ANC visits for those with HCT values <33% and those infected with HIV. Keywords: Iron deficiency anaemia; antenatal care; Plasmodium; helminth; pregnant women; HIV.