abstract: In today's world there is a great need for sensing methods as tools to provide critical information to solve today's problems in security applications. Real time detection of trace chemicals, such as explosives, in a complex environment containing various interferents using a portable device that can be reliably deployed in a field has been a difficult challenge. A hybrid nanosensor based on the electrochemical reduction of trinitrotoluene (TNT) and the interaction of the reduction products with conducting polymer nanojunctions in an ionic liquid was fabricated. The sensor simultaneously measures the electrochemical current from the reduction of TNT and the conductance change of the polymer nanojunction caused from the reduction product. The hybrid detection mechanism, together with the unique selective preconcentration capability of the ionic liquid, provides a selective, fast, and sensitive detection of TNT. The sensor, in its current form, is capable of detecting parts per trillion level TNT in the presence of various interferents within a few minutes. A novel hybrid electrochemical-colorimetric (EC-C) sensing platform was also designed and fabricated to meet these challenges. The hybrid sensor is based on electrochemical reactions of trace explosives, colorimetric detection of the reaction products, and unique properties of the explosives in an ionic liquid (IL). This approach affords not only increased sensitivity but also selectivity as evident from the demonstrated null rate of false positives and low detection limits. Using an inexpensive webcam a detection limit of part per billion in volume (ppbV) has been achieved and demonstrated selective detection of explosives in the presence of common interferences (perfumes, mouth wash, cleaners, petroleum products, etc.). The works presented in this dissertation, were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS, 2009) and Nano Letters (2010), won first place in the National Defense Research contest in (2009) and has been granted a patent (WO 2010/030874 A1). In addition, other work related to conductive polymer junctions and their sensing capabilities has been published in Applied Physics Letters (2005) and IEEE sensors journal (2008). / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Electrical Engineering 2012

No / The science and engineering of biomaterials have improved the human life expectancy. Tissue engineering is one of the nascent strategies with an aim to fulfill this target. Tissue engineering scaffolds are one of the most significant aspects of the recent tissue repair strategies; hence, it is imperative to design biomimetic substrates with suitable features. Conductive substrates can ameliorate the cellular activity through enhancement of cellular signaling. Biocompatible polymers with conductivity can mimic the cells’ niche in an appropriate manner. Bioconductive polymers based on aniline oligomers can potentially actualize this purpose because of their unique and tailoring properties. The aniline oligomers can be positioned within the molecular structure of other polymers, thus painter acting with the side groups of the main polymer or acting as a comonomer in their backbone. The conductivity of oligoaniline-based conductive biomaterials can be tailored to mimic the electrical and mechanical properties of targeted tissues/organs. These bioconductive substrates can be designed with high mechanical strength for hard tissues such as the bone and with high elasticity to be used for the cardiac tissue or can be synthesized in the form of injectable hydrogels, particles, and nanofibers for noninvasive implantation; these structures can be used for applications such as drug/gene delivery and extracellular biomimetic structures. It is expected that with progress in the fields of biomaterials and tissue engineering, more innovative constructs will be proposed in the near future. This review discusses the recent advancements in the use of oligoaniline-based conductive biomaterials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications.

No description available.

The following research investigates the effect that axial cooling channels will have on the performance of the thermal management system of a hypothetical switched reluctance motor. A baseline motor with no axial cooling will be compared to an identical motor with the innovative cooling design implemented. This will allow for a direct comparison of the two designs, with a quantifiable performance increase determined through thermal simulations. The ability of a polymer composite to transfer heat to the axial cooling channel is also explored. A detailed material selection process is discussed with the result being an epoxy polymer composite. The material development of a thermally enhanced polymer composite is then investigated to achieve a maximum thermal conductivity material that can exist within the stator slot to achieve enhanced thermal energy transfer. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc) / The desire to increase the power density of electric machines is becoming an increasingly popular challenge, especially in the automotive industry. With the advent of electrified powertrains as an alternative solution to conventional internal combustion powered vehicles, the topic of increasing electric motor performance is becoming very attractive area of research. An important aspect of electric motor performance is the way in which the generated thermal energy is managed. Through material development and innovative motor design, there exists the opportunity to cool electric motors through cooling paths flowing axially through the stator. This ‘axial cooling’ design has the opportunity to greatly increase motor cooling by removing thermal energy directly from its main source, the motor windings. The following research is aimed at the thermal design of the axial cooling and the role in which thermally conductive polymer composites play in order to enhance motor cooling.

No description available.

No description available.

Blendas poliméricas de PAni dopada com ácido dodecilbenzeno sulfônico (PANI-DBSA) e copolímero etileno-propileno-monômero dieno desvulcanizado por microondas (dEPDM) foram obtidas por processo mecânico em diferentes concentrações. Caracterizações físico-químicas, morfológicas e elétrica foram realizadas para analisar as blendas. Um estudo sobre a desvulcanização da borracha EPDM foi descrito. Os ensaios de DSC mostraram temperaturas de transição vítrea diferentes nas blendas indicando que os componentes poliméricos não são totalmente miscíveis, o que permite a formação de uma rede condutora (PANI-DBSA) na matriz isolante (dEPDM). As análises de FTIR indicaram uma interação basicamente física entre o polímero PANI-DBSA e o copolímero dEPDM. As análises de raios-X confirmaram a presença de uma fase cristalina no interior das blendas atribuída à PANI-DBSA. Os ensaios de TGA mostraram que a PAni-DBSA diminuiu, significativamente, a estabilidade térmica do dEPDM. As análises de DMTA apresentaram a diminuição do amortecimento do sistema ocasionado pela presença da PAni, que é mais rígida, no segmento flexível do EPDM; ou seja, a mobilidade da cadeia fica mais limitada. Finalmente, o estudo de condutividade elétrica das blendas foi realizado e como esperado, esta aumenta com a concentração de PANIDBSA nas blendas, e um baixo limite de percolação pode ser observado devido à condutividade ocorrer para baixas concentrações de material condutor (<20%). A condutividade máxima alcançada foi de, aproximadamente, 102 S/cm para a composição de 50% de PANI-DBSA em massa. / Polyaniline doped with dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid (PAni-DBSA) and ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer (EPDM) rubber devulcanizated by microwave (dEPDM) blends have been prepared by mechanical process. Flexible, free-standing and stretchable films have been obtained, which have been characterized by electrical conductivity measurements, FTIR, XRD, DSC, TGA, DMTA and SEM. Study about EPDM rubber devulcanization has been described. DSC analysis have showed different glass-transition temperatures in the blends and it has been observed that the compositions present enough compatibility to form a conductive network (PAni-DBSA) in the elastomeric matrix (dEPDM). By FTIR analysis, it has been noted that there was not modification about the spectrum of blends; therefore the interactions between the components were, basically, physics. X-ray analysis have confirmed the presence of a crystalline phase into the blends that is attributed by PAni-DBSA. TGA analysis have showed that the PAni-DBSA decreased significantly the rubber thermal stability. DMTA analysis have indicated that the system damping decreased according to the presence of PAni because of its stiffness. Finally, blends electric conductivity study has been carried out and as expected, the conductivity have increased with PAni-DBSA concentration in the blends and a low percolation threshold has been observed with the onset of conductivity occurring at lower concentrations of the conductive materials (<20%).

Blendas poliméricas de PAni dopada com ácido dodecilbenzeno sulfônico (PANI-DBSA) e copolímero etileno-propileno-monômero dieno desvulcanizado por microondas (dEPDM) foram obtidas por processo mecânico em diferentes concentrações. Caracterizações físico-químicas, morfológicas e elétrica foram realizadas para analisar as blendas. Um estudo sobre a desvulcanização da borracha EPDM foi descrito. Os ensaios de DSC mostraram temperaturas de transição vítrea diferentes nas blendas indicando que os componentes poliméricos não são totalmente miscíveis, o que permite a formação de uma rede condutora (PANI-DBSA) na matriz isolante (dEPDM). As análises de FTIR indicaram uma interação basicamente física entre o polímero PANI-DBSA e o copolímero dEPDM. As análises de raios-X confirmaram a presença de uma fase cristalina no interior das blendas atribuída à PANI-DBSA. Os ensaios de TGA mostraram que a PAni-DBSA diminuiu, significativamente, a estabilidade térmica do dEPDM. As análises de DMTA apresentaram a diminuição do amortecimento do sistema ocasionado pela presença da PAni, que é mais rígida, no segmento flexível do EPDM; ou seja, a mobilidade da cadeia fica mais limitada. Finalmente, o estudo de condutividade elétrica das blendas foi realizado e como esperado, esta aumenta com a concentração de PANIDBSA nas blendas, e um baixo limite de percolação pode ser observado devido à condutividade ocorrer para baixas concentrações de material condutor (<20%). A condutividade máxima alcançada foi de, aproximadamente, 102 S/cm para a composição de 50% de PANI-DBSA em massa. / Polyaniline doped with dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid (PAni-DBSA) and ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer (EPDM) rubber devulcanizated by microwave (dEPDM) blends have been prepared by mechanical process. Flexible, free-standing and stretchable films have been obtained, which have been characterized by electrical conductivity measurements, FTIR, XRD, DSC, TGA, DMTA and SEM. Study about EPDM rubber devulcanization has been described. DSC analysis have showed different glass-transition temperatures in the blends and it has been observed that the compositions present enough compatibility to form a conductive network (PAni-DBSA) in the elastomeric matrix (dEPDM). By FTIR analysis, it has been noted that there was not modification about the spectrum of blends; therefore the interactions between the components were, basically, physics. X-ray analysis have confirmed the presence of a crystalline phase into the blends that is attributed by PAni-DBSA. TGA analysis have showed that the PAni-DBSA decreased significantly the rubber thermal stability. DMTA analysis have indicated that the system damping decreased according to the presence of PAni because of its stiffness. Finally, blends electric conductivity study has been carried out and as expected, the conductivity have increased with PAni-DBSA concentration in the blends and a low percolation threshold has been observed with the onset of conductivity occurring at lower concentrations of the conductive materials (<20%).

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:31:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2011-02-10Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:41:26Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 fuzarijunior_gc_dr_ilha.pdf: 2491694 bytes, checksum: c09e7e7eb16e8b1d4eed262b46a092d8 (MD5) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / No presente trabalho foram preparados filmes compósitos de PZT/PVDF com PAni por mistura mecânica e posterior prensagem a quente. A PAni foi inserida de duas maneiras distintas no compósito: recobrindo parcialmente os grãos cerâmicos; e disposta separadamente aos grãos. Foram controladas as razões volumétricas dos constituintes dos compósitos e a condutividade da PAni que pode ser controlada pelo seu grau de protonação. A grande vantagem de sistemas com grãos recobertos é garantir a proximidade de canais de condução (ou polarização) com o grão, além de impossibilitar a percolação da fase condutora se o compósito exibir conectividade 0-3. Para o caso das amostras preparadas com PAni (dopada) disposta separadamente do grão, quando o limiar de percolação é alcançado, torna-se impossível o processo de polarização. Para compósitos com grãos recobertos, os melhores resultados em relação às propriedades de eletroatividade (e polarização) são encontrados acima da concentração crítica, onde o padrão de conectividade 0-3 já não é válido. As grandes vantagens obtidas usando compósitos com condutividade controlada são principalmente o tempo mais curto e o campo elétrico inferior usado para a polarização. Os resultados mostraram que é possível obter filmes compósitos com baixo conteúdo de cerâmica recoberta, que apresentem boas propriedades de eletroatividade e flexibilidade. Como uma de suas possíveis aplicações, o compósito mostrou boas propriedades como sensor fototérmico. / In the present work composite films of PZT-PAni/PVDF were prepared hot pressing the mixture of components mechanically mixed. The PAni was inserted into the composite by two different ways: partially recovering the ceramic grains; and dispersed separately from the ceramic grains. Volumetric ratio of the single phases of the composite and the electrical conductivity of the PAni were controlled. The advantage of systems with ceramic grains partially recovered is that it allow the neighborhood of conduction channels (or poling) with the ceramic grain, besides to prevent the percolation of the conducting phase if the composite exhibit 0-3 connectivity. For the case of samples prepared with doped PAni dispersed separately from the ceramic grain, the poling process is not able when the limiar of percolation is reached. For composites with partially recovered grains the best results concerned to the electroactive properties (and polarization) are obtained over the critical concentration where the 0-3 connectivity pattern is not valid. The advantages obtained using composite with controlled conductivity are mainly the poling short time of polarization and the lower electric field. The results showed the possibility to obtain composite films with low content of recovered ceramic grain, which shows good electroactive property with flexibility. The composite also showed good properties as photothermal sensor

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have the potential to play a major role as energy generators for transportation and portable applications. One of the current barriers to their commercialization is the cost of the components and manufacturing, specifically the bipolar plates. One approach to preparing PEMFCs for commercialization is to develop new bipolar plate materials, related to mass production of fuel cells. Thermoplastic/carbon filler composites with low filler loading have a major advantage in that they can be produced by a conventional low-cost injection molding technique. In addition, the materials used are inexpensive, easy to shape, and lightweight. An optimal bipolar plate must possess high surface and bulk electronic conductivity, sufficient mechanical integrity, low permeability, and corrosion resistance. However, it is difficult to achieve high electrical conductivity from a low-cost thermoplastic composite with low conductive filler loading. Concerns over electrical conductivity improvement and the injection processability of composites have brought forth the idea of producing a polypropylene/three-carbon-filler composite for bipolar plate application. The thesis addresses the development of synergistic effects of filler combinations, investigating composite conductive materials and using composite bipolar plate testing in PEMFCs. One significant effect of conductive network formation is the synergetic effects of different carbon filler sizes, shapes, and multiple filler ratios on the electrical conductivity of bipolar plate materials. A polypropylene resin combined with low-cost conductive fillers (graphite, conductive carbon black, and carbon fibers with 55 wt% of filler loading) compose the main composite for all investigations in this research. Numerous composite formulations, based on single-, two-, and three-filler systems, have been created to investigate the characteristics and synergistic effects of multiple fillers on composite conductivity. Electrical conductivity measurements corresponding to PEMFC performance and processing characteristics were investigated. Experimental work also involved other ex-situ testing for the physical requirements of commercial bipolar plates. All combinations of fillers were found to have a significant synergistic effect that increased the composite electrical conductivity. Carbon black was found to have the highest influence on the increase of electrical conductivity compared to the other fillers. The use of conjugated conducting polymers such as polypyrrole (PPy) to help the composite blends gain desirable conductivities was also studied. Electrical conductivity was significantly improved conductivity by enriching the conducting paths on the interfaces between fillers and the PP matrix with PPy. The conductive network was found to have a linkage of carbon fibers following the respective size distributions of fibers. The combination of Fortafil and Asbury carbon fiber mixture ameliorated the structure of conductive paths, especially in the through-plane direction. However, using small fibers such as carbon nanofibers did not significantly improve in electrical conductivity. The useful characteristics of an individual filler and filler supportive functions were combined to create a novel formula that significantly improved electrical conductivity. Other properties, such as mechanical and rheological ones, demonstrate the potential to use the composites in bipolar plate applications. This research contributes a direction for further improvement of marketable thermoplastic bipolar plate composite materials.