This work explores the blending of e-textile technology with the porous electrode of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) and with smart wound patches to allow monitoring and in-situ diagnostics. This work includes contributions to understanding water transport and conductivity in the carbon cloth gas diffusion layer (GDL), and further developing thread-based relative humidity (RH) and temperature sensors, which can be sewn on a cloth GDL in PEMFCs. We also explore the application of the developed RH and temperature sensors in wearable biomonitoring. First, an experimental prototype is developed for evaluating water transport, thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity of carbon cloth GDLs under different hydrophobic coatings and compressions. Second, we demonstrate the addition of external threads to the carbon cloth GDL to (1) facilitate water transport and (2) measure local RH and temperature with a minimal impact on the physical, microstructural and transport properties of the GDL. We illustrate the roll-to-roll process for fabricating RH and temperature sensors by dip-coating commodity threads into a carbon nanotubes (CNTs) suspension. The thread-based sensors response to RH and temperature in the working environment of PEMFCs is investigated. As a proof-of-concept, the local temperature of carbon cloth GDL is monitored in an ex-situ experiment. Finally, we optimized the coating parameters (e.g. CNTs concentration, surfactant concentration and a number of dipping) for the thread-based sensors. The response of the thread-based sensors in room conditions is evaluated and shows a linear resistance decrease to temperature and a quadratic resistance increase to RH. We also evaluated the biocompatibility of the sensors by performing cell cytotoxicity and studying wound healing in an animal model. The novel thread-based sensors are not only applicable for textile electrochemical devices but also, show a promising future in wearable biomonitoring applications. / Graduate

Permeability surface layer of concrete is engaged in many research institutes around the world, because the surface layer is the weakest link in the entire concrete structure. This dissertation followed on the issue of global solutions and broadens the horizon of the covercrete issues. The aim of this work was to create the conversion relations between the methods for evaluating the permeability of concrete surface layer allow approximate evaluation of the surface layer of concrete depending on the current moisture. In practice mostly occur concrete, which surface mass of moisture is equal to 3 %, so this amount of moisture is selected as the reference. For comparison were used: the device TPT (Torrent Permeability Tester), device GWT (Germanns Water Permeability Tester) and methods ISAT (Initial Surface Absorption Test). A secondary aim was to create a unified methodology for measuring the device.

Shell and tube heat exchangers and their use in cooling processes are the major topic of this thesis. The theoretical part of the thesis starts with the mechanisms of heat transfer and then deals with shell and tube heat exchangers. Their position, design specifications and equations for calculations are given. In the experimental part, the heat transfer on semi-operating shell and tube heat exchangers with baffles and glass or silicon carbide heat exchange surface is examined by cooling the humid air by 50% propylene glycol in tubes. For four or five coolant flows and three airflows, input and output flow temperatures including relative air humidity were measured. Differences in exchanged heat between the exchangers were negligible due to the low local air heat transfer coefficient, although silicon carbide has two orders of magnitude better thermal conductivity than glass. Much higher efficiency was performed by the carbide heat exchanger because the difference between air outlet temperature and liquid inlet temperature was one and half times higher for the glass heat exchanger. That was reflected in a decrease in mean temperature difference, which resulted in a 16 % higher experimental heat transfer coefficient compared with the glass surface. The theoretical model using the j factor, the correction factors for the baffles, and the correction for air humidity condensation have proven to be appropriate. For the glass surface, for the highest air flow rates the model gives an appropriate heat-transfer coefficient; at lower flow rates it gives slightly higher values. For the silicon carbide surface, it gives a lower heat-transfer coefficient because the model failed to consider a lower mean temperature difference. The results also evaluate the heat loss through the shell and the heat exchanged in addition by air humidity condensation.

This thesis deals with the dielectric relaxation spectroscopy applied to samples of an epoxy slip filled by grounded mica with granularity of 40 m. The changes of dielectric properties were investigated depending on the fulfillment of grounded mica, temperature, the relative air humidity, and the frequency between 100 Hz and 1MHz.

Master's thesis is monitoring changes in basic dielectric properties. Monitoring changes in absorbency of characteristics and temporal dependences in rezistance with change of relative humidity. On the colection samples were measured temporal dependences charged and uncharged currents in ambient temperature and 0%, 55%, 75%, 95% relative humidity. The next part of my work is monitoring temporal dependences interior rezistance in the time of ageing in different humidities. Experiments were made on material ISONOM NKN and NMN.

This thesis deals with reducing the moisture content of biomass drying and its subsequent use as biofuel. The work is a belt drying and its integration into the system with a grate boiler. It proposes a variety of drying options for use of different drying media. In the end, an economic evaluation of the combustion system uses a belt dryer, and a system without any possibility of drying the fuel before it enters the boiler.

The main aim of this thesis is to provide and explore main factors that affect a drying process. The first part contains brief description of the drying process and focuses on a convectional industrial drying process. The following section discusses the theory of an experiment planning followed by an experiment design of the compact tumble industrial dryer. The thesis also includes an exact description of the executed experiment, then outputs of the measurements and model characterizing the drying process of the tested dryer. The last part deals with the methodology and recommendations for the measurements in operating conditions.

The aim of this master thesis is a research of effects of clay plaster application and natural ventilation on heat storage of a room. In addition to theoretical analysis of basic characteristics of clay as material used in the field of civil engineering, an experimental verification of these characteristical features is carried out as well. The thesis also studies thermal comfort of a room in terms of humidity and concentration of CO2 in dependence of natural ventilation. In the last part, numerical verification of effects of clay plaster application on heat storage is calculated using Simulace 2015 software.

This thesis deals with the design of overall concept of distributed system which is used for temperature, pressure and humidity measurement. The system is adapted to be used in instrument transformers and sensors production hall of ABB s.r.o. Brno. Firstly, the requirements for the measuring system are defined. After that market research focused on sensors and measurement modules is performed. The selected sensor is afterwards built into own measurement module for which hardware and software part is designed. The work continues with design of local and remote database of measured values. Besides, the PC software used for local and remote data storage is designed afterwards. The components of the measurement system are tested in the final part of the thesis.

<p>Detection and control of humidity is very important in our everyday life.<br />Humidity sensors are used in many areas, such as meteorology,<br />environmental protection, medicine, food industry, agriculture, etc.<br />Various transduction techniques, such as capacitive, resistive, acoustic,<br />optical and mechanical, have been adopted for the design of humidity<br />sensors.In the last two decades, carbon nanomaterials materials,<br />especially graphene, are taking their place in the production of humidity<br />sensors. In addition to graphene, graphene oxide (Graphene-oxide-GO)<br />is involved in many areas from electronics to sensors. Printed electronics<br />increasingly becomes the leading technology in the fabrication of<br />sensors. In addition to inexpensive manufacturing and additive processes<br />with reduced infrastructure, the benefits of printed technology are lowpower<br />components, flexible, transparent, thin, components that can be<br />embedded in/on clothes, as well as the production of a large number of<br />components. In the last few years, robots are more involved in human&rsquo;s<br />life, which has led to the need for advanced research in the field of<br />robotics. People communicate with the environment using four senses:<br />touch, hearing, sight and taste. The sense of touch allows people to grab<br />various objects, lift them, perform various tasks, etc. For this reason, it is<br />very important to develop touch sensors, that is, the sensors that will be<br />incorporated into robotic fingers. As one type of such sensor, Force<br />Sensing Resistors (FSR) are used. In these sensors, there is a change in<br />resistance if the sensor is affected by a certain force.</p> / <p>Детекција и контрола влажности су од суштинског значаја у нашем<br />свакодневном животу. Сензори влаге се користе у многим областима,<br />као што су метеорологија, заштита животне средине, медицина,<br />прехрамбена индустрија, пољопривреда, итд. За дизајн сензора влаге<br />углавном се користе капацитивне, резистивне, акустичне, механичке<br />или оптичке структуре. У посљедње двије деценије све више се користе<br />наноструктурни угљенични материјали, посебно графен. Поред графена<br />велику пажњу у многим областима од електронике до сензора је<br />привукао графен-оксид (Graphene-oxide - GO). Штампана електроника<br />све више постаје водећа технологија у изради сензора. Поред јефтине<br />израде и адитивних процеса са смањеном инфраструктуром, предности<br />штампане технологије су компоненте мале масе, савитљиве,<br />транспарентне, танке, компоненте које се могу уградити у/на гардеробу<br />и носити, као и производња великог броја компоненти. У последњих<br />неколико година роботи се све више укључују у људски живот, што је<br />довело до потребе за усавршавањем у области роботике. Људи са<br />окружењем комуницирају помоћу четири чула: додира, слуха, вида и<br />укуса. Чуло додира људима омогућава да дохвате различите предмете,<br />подигну их, обављају различите задатке, итд. Из тог разлога је развој<br />сензора додира, односно сензора који би се уградили у роботске прсте,<br />од веома великог значаја. Као једна врста таквих сензора су отпорнички<br />сензори силе (Force Sensing Resistors - FSR). Код ових сензора долази<br />до промјене отпорности уколико се на сенсор дјелује одређеном силом.</p> / <p>Detekcija i kontrola vlažnosti su od suštinskog značaja u našem<br />svakodnevnom životu. Senzori vlage se koriste u mnogim oblastima,<br />kao što su meteorologija, zaštita životne sredine, medicina,<br />prehrambena industrija, poljoprivreda, itd. Za dizajn senzora vlage<br />uglavnom se koriste kapacitivne, rezistivne, akustične, mehaničke<br />ili optičke strukture. U posljednje dvije decenije sve više se koriste<br />nanostrukturni ugljenični materijali, posebno grafen. Pored grafena<br />veliku pažnju u mnogim oblastima od elektronike do senzora je<br />privukao grafen-oksid (Graphene-oxide - GO). Štampana elektronika<br />sve više postaje vodeća tehnologija u izradi senzora. Pored jeftine<br />izrade i aditivnih procesa sa smanjenom infrastrukturom, prednosti<br />štampane tehnologije su komponente male mase, savitljive,<br />transparentne, tanke, komponente koje se mogu ugraditi u/na garderobu<br />i nositi, kao i proizvodnja velikog broja komponenti. U poslednjih<br />nekoliko godina roboti se sve više uključuju u ljudski život, što je<br />dovelo do potrebe za usavršavanjem u oblasti robotike. LJudi sa<br />okruženjem komuniciraju pomoću četiri čula: dodira, sluha, vida i<br />ukusa. Čulo dodira ljudima omogućava da dohvate različite predmete,<br />podignu ih, obavljaju različite zadatke, itd. Iz tog razloga je razvoj<br />senzora dodira, odnosno senzora koji bi se ugradili u robotske prste,<br />od veoma velikog značaja. Kao jedna vrsta takvih senzora su otpornički<br />senzori sile (Force Sensing Resistors - FSR). Kod ovih senzora dolazi<br />do promjene otpornosti ukoliko se na sensor djeluje određenom silom.</p>