Experimental Investigation of Solar Panel Cooling by a Novel Micro Heat Pipe Array

A novel micro heat pipe array was used in solar panel cooling. Both of air-cooling and water-cooling conditions under nature convection condition were investigated in this paper. Compared with the ordinary solar panel, the maximum difference of the photoelectric conversion efficiency is 2.6%, the temperature reduces maximally by 4.7℃, the output power increases maximally by 8.4% for the solar panel with heat pipe using air-cooling, when the daily radiation value is 26.3 MJ. Compared with the solar panel with heat pipe using air-cooling, the maximum difference of the photoelectric conversion efficiency is 3%, the temperature reduces maximally by 8℃, the output power increases maximally by 13.9% for the solar panel with heat pipe using water-cooling, when the daily radiation value is 21.9 MJ.

Multifunctional Perovskite Photodetectors: From Molecular-Scale Crystal Structure Design to Micro/Nano-scale Morphology Manipulation

Multifunctional photodetectors boost the development of traditional optical communication technology and emerging artificial intelligence fields, such as robotics and autonomous driving. However, the current implementation of multifunctional detectors is based on the physical combination of optical lenses, gratings, and multiple photodetectors, the large size and its complex structure hinder the miniaturization, lightweight, and integration of devices. In contrast, perovskite materials have achieved remarkable progress in the field of multifunctional photodetectors due to their diverse crystal structures, simple morphology manipulation, and excellent optoelectronic properties. In this review, we first overview the crystal structures and morphology manipulation techniques of perovskite materials and then summarize the working mechanism and performance parameters of multifunctional photodetectors. Furthermore, the fabrication strategies of multifunctional perovskite photodetectors and their advancements are highlighted, including polarized light detection, spectral detection, angle-sensing detection, and selfpowered detection. Finally, the existing problems of multifunctional detectors and the perspectives of their future development are presented.

A Status Graph Based Control Allocation Algorithm of Digital Micro-Thruster Array for Micro/Nano-Satellites Orbit Control Application

Digital micro-thruster arrays can be used for special missions of micro/nano-satellites with the requirements of high precision and small impulse.This paper presents a novel control allocation algorithm for the digital micro-thruster array,namely status graph based control allocation(SGBCA)algorithm,which aims at finding the optimal micro thrusters combination scheme to realize the sequential control synthesis for micro/nano-satellite during real-time orbit control tasks.A mathematical model is set up for the control allocation of this multivariate over-actuated system.Through dividing thrusters into disjoint segments by offline calculation and combining segments dynamically online to provide a sequence of the required impulse for the micro/nano-satellite,the time complexity of the control allocation algorithm decreases significantly.All levels of impulse can be generated by the digital micro thruster arrays and the service life of the arrays can be extended using the segment converting strategy proposed in this paper.The simulation indicates that the algorithm can satisfy the requirements of real-time orbit control for micro/nano-satellites.

Micro Gas Sensor Array for Monitoring Highly Toxic Gases

Recently,the possibility of a disaster due to the improper use of highly toxic gases which are known as agents throughout the world has been increased.Therefore,the development of technology for countermeasure against CWA has been highly demanded.In this study,thick film SnO_2-based gas sensing devices were prepared and the sensing properties for the four different kinds of simulants such as dimethyl methyl phosphonate (DMMP),acetonitrile,dichloromethane and dipropylene glycol methyl ether have been investigated.And a micro sensor array consists of six devices was prepared using MEMS technology to provide high selective and reliable sensing system for the detection of chemical warfare agents.The micro gas sensor array prepared showed good sensitivity and selectivity to CWA.

Novel Fractal DGS Based on MEMS and Its Application in Miniaturization of Microstrip Antenna Array

An uncommon fractal construction method is applied in the microwave element design. A novel fractal defected ground structure （DGS） based on micro electro-mechanical system （MEMS） is proposed. The size of this novel fractal DGS can achieve 86% size reduction compared with the conventional dumbbell type DGS. This novel fractal DGS is used in the miniaturization design of L-band microstrip antenna array. The simulation result shows that this novel fractal DGS can effectively reduce the mutual coupling between the antenna elements, so it is helpful to the miniaturization of microstrip array, namely the approximately same gain value can be achieved with the shorter distance between elements.

Immunohistochemical analysis of 8 biomarkers on tissue microarray (TMA) of 46 Moroccan invasive breast carcinoma

Aim of the study: Immunohistochemical evaluation of hormone receptors, Her2/neu, CK5/6, E-cadherin, beta-catenin, p53 and PTEN on Tissue Micro Array (TMA) of 46 Moroccan invasive breast carcinomas. Materials and Methods: The cases comprised 40 invasive ductal carcinomas, 4 invasive lobular carcinomas, 1 mixed carcinoma and 1 invasive colloid carcinoma. TMA paraffin blocs were prepared with the Beecher manual arrayer and immunostaining was performed using standard immunoperoxidase techniques. Results: 58.69% of the cases were ER positive. 43.18% (19/44) were triple negative breast cancers (TNBC) of which 15.78% (3/19) were of the basal phenotype expressing CK5/6. On the other hand, 72.22% (13/18) of the TNBC cases were IDC grade 3. Of the 18 IDC grade 3, 22.22% (4/18) were CK5/6 positive. 41.30% and 10.86% of the cases showed reduced expression of E-cadherin and beta-catenin respectively. Beta-catenin nuclear and cytoplasmic staining was noted in 20% and 97.82% respectively. p53 was overexpressed in 10.86% of the cases whereas PTEN loss or reduced expression was noted in 86.95% of the cases. Conclusion: The aim of our study was to introduce TMA technique in our hospital which is considered a reference institution for cancer in Morocco. Although no statistical study was performed to look for any significance of the results obtained, we found good correlation with some of the data in the literature. To determine the molecular characteristics, if any, of the Moroccan patient, larger multidisciplinary and prospective studies would be interesting in the aim to personalize therapeutic decisions.

Polarization Band Effect and MEMS-Based Plasma Generation

We find that effects resulting from micro/nano scale structures can regulate space charges which excite and lead to the special electric field distribution featuring the flux convergence band structure. It is here referred to as the polarization band effect, which stems from the specific field-induced interactions among atoms and molecules. The micro/nanoelectrode array structures were designed and fabricated using the non-silicon micro/nano processing technology, forming micro/nano electrode arrays-based plasma microelectromechanical systems(NPMEMS). The integrated NPMEMS device can be used to regulate the inner energy states of matters and generate plasma based on the polarization band effect, all within a single chip-size limited local area or extending into a large volume space with the deployment of a distributed array of multiple devices. Its special physical and chemical properties can be utilized to greatly improve the efficiency of potential application systems or solve mechanism-level challenges in plasma-related applications of multiple fields.

Stainless steel anisotropic superhydrophobic surfaces fabrication with inclined cone array via laser ablation and post annealing treatment

Metal superhydrophobic surfaces with anisotropic wettability and adhesion have become more and more important due to their promising applications. Herein, we report a new fabrication strategy through a combination of pulsed laser ablation and low-temperature annealing post-processing. An inclined cone structure array is made on stainless steel surfaces, and then 120 °C low-temperature annealing is applied. Such surface displays excellent mechanical durability and anisotropic superhydrophobicity. It is demonstrated experimentally that the contact angle of water droplets on the surface is different along the parallel(167° ±2°) and perpendicular directions(157° ±2°) of the inclined cone structure. The sliding behaviors of water droplets and mechanical durability of the inclined cone structures are studied. These surfaces obtained in a short time with environmentally friendly fabrication can be applied in industries for water harvesting, droplet manipulation, and pipeline transportation.

SILICON NEEDLE ARRAY ON FLEXIBLE SUBSTRATE FOR FLUID TRANSFER

Transdermal delivery is an attractive alternative, but it is limited by the extremely low permeability of skin. To solve this problem, a novel means--micro needle array based on micro electro-mechanical system （MEMS） technology, is provided to increase permeability of human skin with efficiency, safety and painless delivery. The fabrication method consists of a sequence of deep-reactive ion etching （DRIE）, anisotropic wet etching and conformal thin film deposition. The novel technology can enable the realization of micro fabricated micro needle array on a flexible silicon substrate. The micro needle array can be mounted on non-planar surface or even on flexible objects such as a human fingers and arms. The fabricated hollow wall straight micro needles are 200 μm in length, 30 μm inner diameter, and 50 μm outer diameter with 250 μm center-to-center spacing. Flow rate test proves that the polymeric base construction is important to function of micro needles array in package. Glucose solvent tests show that surface tension is the dominant force to affect the characters of flow in micro needles channel.

Fabrication of Ordered Micro/Nanostructures Using Probe‑Based Force‑Controlled Micromachining System

This paper presents a probe-based force-controlled nanoindentation method to fabricate ordered micro/nanostructures.Both the experimental and finite element simulation approaches are employed to investigate the influence of the interval between the adjacent indentations and the rotation angle of the probe on the formed micro/nanostructures.The non-contacting part between indenter and the sample material and the height of the material pile-up are two competing factors to determine the depth relationship between the adjacent indentations.For the one array indentations,nanostructures with good depth consistency and periodicity can be formed after the depth of the indentation becoming stable,and the variation of the rotation angle results in the large difference between the morphology of the formed nanostructures at the bottom of the one array indentation.In addition,for the indentation arrays,the nanostructures with good consistency and periodicity of the shape and depth can be generated with the spacing greater than 1μm.Finally,Raman tests are also carried out based on the obtained ordered micro/nanostructures with Rhodamine probe molecule.The indentation arrays with a smaller spacing lead to better the enhancement effect of the substrate,which has the potential applications in the fields of biological or chemical molecular detection.

A Novel Stacked Array Antenna with Uni-planar Compact EBG Reflector

Most broadband microstrip antennae are implemented in the form of slot structure or laminate structure,which provide a broad impedance bandwidth and meanwhile bring large sidelobes and backlobes. A novel uni-planar compact electromagnetic band-gap( EBG) structure is proposed, which shows excellent performance when applied to broadband stacked or aperture coupled microstrip array antennae. The test results indicate that,the directivity is effectively improved,and the front-to-back ratio is increased,and the thickness of the antenna is reduced. These improvements make this structure better used in airborne antennae.

Facile synthesis and electrochemical sodium storage of CoS2 micro/nano-structures

We report the synthesis and electrochemical sodium storage of cobalt disulfide （COS2） with various micro/nano-structures. CoS2 with microscale sizes are either assembled by nanoparticles （P-CoS2） via a facile solvothermal route or nano- octahedrons constructed solid （O-COS2） and hollow microstructures （H-CoS2） fabricated by hydrothermal methods. Among three morphologies, H-CoS2 exhibits the largest discharge capacities and best rate performance as anode of sodium-ion batteries （SIBs）. Furthermore, H-CoS2 delivers a capacity of 690 mA.h.g 1 at 1 A·g 1 after 100 cycles in a potential range of 0.1-3.0 V, and N240 mA.h.g-1 over 800 cycles in the potential window of 1.0-3.0 V. This cycling difference mainly lies in the two discharge plateaus observed in 0.1-3.0 V and one discharge plateau in 1.0-3.0 V. To interpret the reactions, X-ray diffraction （XRD） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM） are applied. The results show that at the first plateau around 1.4 V, the insertion reaction （COS2 ＋ xNa＊ ＋ xe NaxCoS2） Occurs; while at the second plateau around 0.6 V, the conversion reaction （NaxCoS2 ＋ （4 - x） Na＋ ＋ （4 - x）e -~ Co ＋ 2Na2S） takes place. This provides insights for electrochemical sodium storage of CoS2 as the anode of SIBs.

Micro/nano-structured TiO2 surface with dual-functional antibacterial effects for biomedical applications

Implant-associated infections are generally difficult to cure owing to the bacterial antibiotic resistance which is attributed to the widespread usage of antibiotics.Given the global threat and increasing influence of antibiotic resistance,there is an urgent demand to explore novel antibacterial strategies other than using antibiotics.Recently,using a certain surface topography to provide a more persistent antibacterial solution attracts more and more attention.However,the clinical application of biomimetic nano-pillar array is not satisfactory,mainly because its antibacterial ability against Gram-positive strain is not good enough.Thus,the pillar array should be equipped with other antibacterial agents to fulfill the bacteriostatic and bactericidal requirements of clinical application.Here,we designed a novel model substrate which was a combination of periodic micro/nano-pillar array and TiO2 for basically understanding the topographical bacteriostatic effects of periodic micro/nano-pillar array and the photocatalytic bactericidal activity of TiO2.Such innovation may potentially exert the synergistic effects by integrating the persistent topographical antibacterial activity and the non-invasive X-ray induced photocatalytic antibacterial property of TiO2 to combat against antibiotic-resistant implant-associated infections.First,to separately verify the topographical antibacterial activity of TiO2 periodic micro/nano-pillar array,we systematically investigated its effects on bacterial adhesion,growth,proliferation,and viability in the dark without involving the photocatalysis of TiO2.The pillar array with sub-micron motif size can significantly inhibit the adhesion,growth,and proliferation of Staphylococcus aureus(S.aureus)and Escherichia coli(E.coli).Such antibacterial ability is mainly attributed to a spatial confinement size-effect and limited contact area availability generated by the special topography of pillar array.Moreover,the pillar array is not lethal to S.aureus and E.coli in 24 h.Then,the X-ray induced photocatalytic antibacterial property of TiO2 periodic micro/nano-pillar array in vitro and in vivo will be systematically studied in a future work.This study could shed light on the direction of surface topography design for future medical implants to combat against antibiotic-resistant implant-associated infections without using antibiotics.

Nonswellable hydrogels with robust micro/nano-structures and durable superoleophobic surfaces under seawater

Hydrogels, composed mainly of water trapped in three dimensional cross-linked polymer networks, have been widely utilized to construct underwater superoleophobic surfaces. However, the swelling nature and instability of hydrogels under complex marine environment will weaken their underwater superoleophobicity. Herein, we synthesize structured poly （2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate） （PHEMA） hydrogels by using sandpaper as templates. The robust non-swelling of PHEMA hydrogel ensures that micro/nano-structures on the surface of PHEMA hydrogels can be well maintained. Moreover, when roughness Ra of about 3-4 bun, the surface has superior oil-repellency. Additionally, even after immersing in seawater for one-month, their breaking strength and toughness can be well kept. The non-swellable hydrogels with long-term stable under seawater superoleophobicity will promote the development of robust superoleophobic materials in marine antifouling coatings, biomedical devices and oil/water separation.

Fabrication of micro/nano-structures by electrohydrodynamic jet technique

Electrohydrodynamicjet （E-Jet） is an approach to the fabrication of micro/nano-structures by the use of electrical forces. In this process, the liquid is subjected to electrical and mechanical forces to form a liquid jet, which is further disintegrated into droplets. The major advantage of the E-Jet technique is that the sizes of the jet formed can be at the nanoscale far smaller than the nozzle size, which can realize high printing resolution with less risk of nozzle blockage. The E-Jet technique, which mainly includes E-Jet deposition and E-Jet printing, has a wide range of applications in the fabrication ofmicro/nano-structures for micro/nano-electromechanical system devices. This tech- nique is also considered a micro/nano-fabrication method with a great potential for commercial use. This study mainly reviews the E-Jet deposition/printing fundamentals, fabrication process, and applications.

Engineering nano-structures with controllable dimensional features on micro-topographical titanium surfaces to modulate the activation degree of M1 macrophages and their osteogenic potential

Modulating the activation state and degree of macrophages still remains as a challenge for the topographical design of Ti-based implants.In this work,micro/nano-structured coatings were prepared on Ti substrates by micro-arc oxidation(MAO)and subsequent hydrothermal(HT)treatment.By varying the HT conditions,plate-like nano-structures with an average length of 80,440 or 780 nm were obtained on MAO-prepared micro-topographical surfaces.Depending on the dimensional features of nano-plates,the specimens were noted as Micro,Micro/Nano-180,Micro/Nano-440 and Micro/Nano-780,respectively.The in vitro results showed that the activation state and degree of macrophages could be effectively modulated by the micro/nano-structured surfaces with various dimensional features.Compared to the Micro surface,the Micro/Nano-180 surface activated both M1 and M2 phenotype in macrophages,while the Micro/Nano-440 and Micro/Nano-780 surfaces polarized macrophages to their M1 phenotype.The activation degree of M1 macrophages followed the trend:Micro<Micro/Nano-180<Micro/Nano-440<Micro/Nano-780.However,the osteogenic potential of the activated macrophages in response to various surfaces were in the order:Micro≈Micro/Nano-780<Micro/Nano-180<Micro/Nano-440.Together,the findings presented in this work indicate that engineering nano-structures with controllable dimensional features is a promising strategy to modulate macrophage activation state and degree.In addition,it is essential to determine the appropriate activation degree of M1 macrophages for enhanced osteogenesis.

Experimental investigations on the heat transfer characteristics of micro heat pipe array applied to flat plate solar collector

This paper introduces a novel fiat plate solar collector （FPC） using micro heat pipe array （MHPA） as a key element. To analyze the thermal transfer behavior of flat plate solar collector with micro heat pipe array （MHPA-FPC）, an indoor experiment for thermal transfer characteristic of MHPA applied to FPC was conducted by using an electrical heating film to simulate the solar radiation. Different cooling water flow rates, cooling water temperatures, slopes, and contact thermal resistances be- tween the condenser of MHPA and the heat exchanger were tested at different heating powers. The experimental results in- dicate that MHPA-FPC exhibits the enhanced heat transfer capability with increased cooling water flow rate and temperature. Total thermal resistance has a maximum decline of approximately 10% when the flow rate increases from 180 to 360 L h-1 and 38% when the cooling water temperature increases from 20~C to 40~C. When the inclination angle of MHPA-FPC ex- ceeds 30~, the slope change has a negligible effect on the heat transfer performance of MHPA-FPC. In addition, contact thermal resistance significantly affects the heat transfer capability of MHPA-FPC. The total thermal resistances lowers to nearly half of the original level when contact material between the condenser of MHPA and the heat exchanger changes from conductive silicone to conductive grease. These results could provide useful information for the optimal design and operation of MHPA-FPC.

Numerical and Experimental Investigation on the Performance of Battery Thermal Management System Based on Micro Heat Pipe Array

Battery thermal management is very crucial for the safe and long-term operation of electric vehicles or hybrid electric vehicles.In this study,numerical simulation method is adopted to simulate the temperature field of Li-ion battery cell and module.It is proved that the maximum temperature and maximum temperature difference of battery cell and module increase with the increase of charge/discharge rate(C-rate)of the battery.For battery module,it can reach a maximum temperature of 61.1℃at a C-rate of 2 under natural convection condition with the ambient temperature of 20.0℃.A battery thermal management system based on micro heat pipe array(BTMS-MHPA)is deeply investigated.Experiments are conducted to compare the cooling effect on the battery module with different cooling methods,which include natural cooling,only MHPA,MHPA with fan.The maximum temperature of battery module which is cooled by MHPA with a fan is 43.4℃at a C-rate of 2,which is lower than that in the condition of natural cooling.Meanwhile,the maximum temperature difference was also greatly reduced by the application of MHPA cooling.The experimental results confirm that the feasibility and superiority of the BTMS-MHPA for guaranteeing the working temperature range and temperature uniformity of the battery.

Light field head-mounted display with correct focus cue using micro structure array

A new type of light fiehl display is proposed using a head-mounted display （HMD） and a micro structure array （MSA, lens array or pinhole array）. Each rendering point emits abundant rays from different directions into the viewer＇s pupil, and at one time the dense light field is generated inside the exit pupil of the HMD through the eyepiece. Therefore, the proposed method not only solves the problem of accommodation and convergence conflict in a traditional HMD, but also drastically reduces the huge data in real three-dimensional （3D） display. To demonstrate the proposed method, a prototype is developed, which is capable of giving the observer a real perception of depth.

Performance simulation and optimization of new radiant floor heating based on micro heat pipe array

This paper proposes two new radiant floor heating structures based on micro heat pipe array(MHPA),namely cement-tile floor and keel-wood floor.The numerical models for these different floor structures are established and verified by experiments.The temperature distribution and heat transfer process of each part are comprehensively obtained,and the structure is optimized.The results show that the cement-tile floor has the better heat transfer performance of the two.When under the same inlet water temperature and flow rate,the keel-wood floor's surface temperature distribution is about 2℃ lower than that of the cement-tile floor.The inlet water temperature of cement-tile floor is about 10℃ lower than that of keel-wood structure when the floor surface temperature is the same.During a longitudinal heat transfer above MHPA,the floor surface temperature decreases by 0.5℃ for every 10 mm filling layer increase.In order to reduce the non-uniformity of the floor's surface temperature and improve the thermal comfort of the heated room,the optimal structure for a floor is given,with the maximum surface temperature difference reduced by 3.35℃.We used research focusing on new radiant floor heating,with advantages including high efficiency heat transfer,low water supply temperature,simple waterway structure,low resistance and leakage risk,to provide theory and data to support the application of an effective radiant floor heating based on MHPA.