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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2017) | Viewed by 63026

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Prof. Dr. Shoou-Jinn Chang

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Department of Electrical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan
Interests: optical and electronic devices; semi-conductive materials; nanotechnology
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Prof. Dr. Teen-Hang Meen

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Department of Electronic Engineering National Formosa University, Yunlin 632, Taiwan
Interests: IOT devices; photovoltaic devices; STEM education
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Dr. Stephen D. Prior

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Aeronautics, Astronautics and Computational Engineering, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 7QF, UK
Interests: microsystem design; nanotechnology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The 2017 IEEE International Conference on Applied System Innovation (IEEE ICASI 2017) will be held in Sapporo, Japan on May 13~17, 2017, and will provide a unified communication platform for material topics. Scientists all over the world actively want to discover new advanced materials in electrical and mechanical engineering. In recent years, the applications of advanced materials have been highly developing fields, in the areas of semiconductor and electronic device technology, design, manufacturing, physics, and modeling. Therefore, the fields of electrical and mechanical materials have been the subjects of review. The scope of IEEE ICASI 2017 not only encompasses material sizes at the nanoscale, but also in various dimensions where the onset of size-dependent phenomena usually enables novel applications.

This Special Issue selects excellent papers from IEEE ICASI 2017 and covers the following topics: fundamental and advanced materials of electrical and mechanical engineering; their synthesis and engineering; their application on optical sensors, magnetic, acoustic, and thermal transduction; their integration with many elements; designing of electrical or mechanical devices; evaluation various performance; and exploring their broad applications in industry, environmental control, material analysis, etc. We invite investigators to contribute original research articles, as well as review articles to this Special Issue. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

Developments of advanced materials for new electrical and optical properties
Nanomaterials for preparation and applications
Combinatorial methods of advanced materials for mechanical design and optimization
Advanced materials for preparation and applications
Subjects related to electronic thin films and coating technology
Synthesis engineering of advanced materials
Advanced materials in mechatronics applications

Chair Professor Dr. ShoouJinn Chang
Prof. TeenHang Meen
Dr. Stephen D. Prior
Guest Editors

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Developments of advanced materials for new electrical and optical properties
Nanomaterials for preparation and applications
Combinatorial methods of advanced materials for mechanical design and optimization
Advanced materials for preparation and applications
Subjects related to electronic thin films and coating technology
Synthesis engineering of advanced materials
Advanced materials in mechatronics applications

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Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

5060 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Magnetic Material Assessment of a Novel Ultra-High Step-Up Converter with Single Semiconductor Switch and Galvanic Isolation for Fuel-Cell Power System

by Chih-Lung Shen and Heng Liou

Materials 2017, 10(11), 1311; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10111311 - 15 Nov 2017

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 5000

Abstract

In this paper, a novel step-up converter is proposed, which has the particular features of single semiconductor switch, ultra-high conversion ratio, galvanic isolation, and easy control. Therefore, the proposed converter is suitable for the applications of fuel-cell power system. Coupled inductors and switched capacitors are incorporated in the converter to obtain an ultra-high voltage ratio that is much higher than that of a conventional high step-up converter. Even if the turns ratio of coupled inductor and duty ratio are only to be 1 and 0.5, respectively, the converter can readily achieve a voltage gain of up to 18. Owing to this outstanding performance, it can also be applied to any other low voltage source for voltage boosting. In the power stage, only one active switch is used to handle the converter operation. In addition, the leakage energy of the two couple inductors can be totally recycled without any snubber, which simplifies the control mechanism and improves the conversion efficiency. Magnetic material dominates the conversion performance of the converter. Different types of iron cores are discussed for the possibility to serve as a coupled inductor. A 200 W prototype with 400 V output voltage is built to validate the proposed converter. In measurement, it indicates that the highest efficiency can be up to 94%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from IEEE ICASI 2017)

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3212 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Low-Concentration Indium Doping in Solution-Processed Zinc Oxide Films for Thin-Film Transistors

by Xue Zhang, Hyeonju Lee, Jung-Hyok Kwon, Eui-Jik Kim and Jaehoon Park

Materials 2017, 10(8), 880; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10080880 - 31 Jul 2017

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 6888

Abstract

We investigated the influence of low-concentration indium (In) doping on the chemical and structural properties of solution-processed zinc oxide (ZnO) films and the electrical characteristics of bottom-gate/top-contact In-doped ZnO thin-film transistors (TFTs). The thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry analysis results showed that thermal annealing at 400 °C for 40 min produces In-doped ZnO films. As the In content of ZnO films was increased from 1% to 9%, the metal-oxygen bonding increased from 5.56% to 71.33%, while the metal-hydroxyl bonding decreased from 72.03% to 9.63%. The X-ray diffraction peaks and field-emission scanning microscope images of the ZnO films with different In concentrations revealed a better crystalline quality and reduced grain size of the solution-processed ZnO thin films. The thickness of the In-doped ZnO films also increased when the In content was increased up to 5%; however, the thickness decreased on further increasing the In content. The field-effect mobility and on/off current ratio of In-doped ZnO TFTs were notably affected by any change in the In concentration. Considering the overall TFT performance, the optimal In doping concentration in the solution-processed ZnO semiconductor was determined to be 5% in this study. These results suggest that low-concentration In incorporation is crucial for modulating the morphological characteristics of solution-processed ZnO thin films and the TFT performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from IEEE ICASI 2017)

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4158 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synthesis and Characterization of Gelatin-Based Crosslinkers for the Fabrication of Superabsorbent Hydrogels

by Penphitcha Amonpattaratkit, Sureerat Khunmanee, Dong Hyun Kim and Hansoo Park

Materials 2017, 10(7), 826; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070826 - 19 Jul 2017

Cited by 29 | Viewed by 5563

Abstract

In this work, crosslinkers were prepared by conjugating high- and low-molecular-weight gelatin with different mole ratios of itaconic acid (IA) with double bonds. Then, the gelatin-itaconic acid (gelatin-IA) crosslinkers were compared with the gelatin-methacrylate (gelatin-MA) crosslinkers. The molecular weights and structures of gelatin-MA and gelatin-IA were confirmed using gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Additionally, the swelling ratio and biodegradation properties of the hydrogels using IA as starting monomers and gelatin-IA and gelatin-MA as crosslinkers were investigated. Both hydrogels prepared with high and low molecular weights of gelatin-IA showed higher swelling ratios than those prepared with the gelatin-MA. The results also showed that absorbent hydrogels with different biodegradabilities and swelling ratios could be prepared by changing the ratio of the gelatin-based crosslinkers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from IEEE ICASI 2017)

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7015 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Thin-Film Coated Plastic Wrap for Food Packaging

by Hsin-Yu Wu, Ting-Xuan Liu, Chia-Hsun Hsu, Yun-Shao Cho, Zhi-Jia Xu, Shu-Chuan Liao, Bo-Han Zeng, Yeu-Long Jiang and Shui-Yang Lien

Materials 2017, 10(7), 821; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070821 - 18 Jul 2017

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 6455

Abstract

In this study, the antimicrobial property and food package capability of polymethylpentene (PMP) substrate with silicon oxdie (SiO_x) and organic silicon (SiC_xH_y) stacked layers deposited by an inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition system were investigated. The experimental results show that the stacked pair number of SiO_x/SiC_xH_y on PMP is limited to three pairs, beyond which the films will crack and cause package failure. The three-pair SiO_x/SiC_xH_y on PMP shows a low water vapor transmission rate of 0.57 g/m²/day and a high water contact angle of 102°. Three-pair thin-film coated PMP demonstrates no microbe adhesion and exhibits antibacterial properties within 24 h. Food shelf life testing performed at 28 °C and 80% humidity reports that the three-pair thin-film coated PMP can enhance the food shelf-life to 120 h. The results indicate that the silicon-based thin film may be a promising material for antibacterial food packaging applications to extend the shelf-life of food products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from IEEE ICASI 2017)

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3537 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Silver Dopants on the ZnO Thin Films Prepared by a Radio Frequency Magnetron Co-Sputtering System

by Fang-Cheng Liu, Jyun-Yong Li, Tai-Hong Chen, Chun-How Chang, Ching-Ting Lee, Wei-Hua Hsiao and Day-Shan Liu

Materials 2017, 10(7), 797; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070797 - 14 Jul 2017

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4700

Abstract

Ag-ZnO co-sputtered films at various atomic ratios of Ag (Ag/(Ag + Zn) at.%) were prepared by a radio frequency magnetron cosputtering system, using the co-sputtered targets of Ag and ZnO. The activation of the Ag acceptors (Ag_Zn) and the formation of the Ag aggregations (Ag⁰) in the ZnO matrix were investigated from XRD, Raman scattering, and XPS measurements. The Ag-ZnO co-sputtered film behaving like a p-type conduction was achievable after annealing at 350 °C under air ambient for 1 h. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from IEEE ICASI 2017)

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1819 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Structure and Photoluminescence Properties of Sm³⁺ Ion-Doped YInGe₂O₇ Phosphor

by Hung-Rung Shih and Yee-Shin Chang

Materials 2017, 10(7), 779; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070779 - 10 Jul 2017

Cited by 38 | Viewed by 4354

Abstract

A new phosphor, Sm³⁺ ion-doped YInGe₂O₇,was synthesized using a planetary ball mill solid state reaction. The XRD patterns show that all of the peaks can be attributed to the monoclinic YInGe₂O₇crystal structure when the Sm³⁺ ion concentration is increased up to 20 mol %. Under an excitation wavelength of 404 nm, the Sm³⁺ intra-4f transition appears in the emission spectrum including two stronger emission peaks located at 560–570 nm and 598 nm correspond to the⁴G_5/2 → ⁶H_5/2and ⁴G_5/2 → ⁶H_7/2transitions, respectively, and another weak emission peak located at 645 nm is due to the ⁴G_5/2 → ⁶H_9/2 transition. The decay time decreases from 4.5 to 0.8 ms as Sm³⁺ ion concentrations increase from 1 to 20 mol %, and the decay mechanism of the ⁴G_5/2 → ⁶H_7/2 transition is a single decay component between Sm³⁺ ions only. The concentration quenching effect occurs when the Sm³⁺ ion concentration is higher than 3 mol %. The CIE color coordinate of Y_0.97Sm_0.03InGe₂O₇ phosphor is at x = 0.457 and y = 0.407, which is located in the orange-yellow light region. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from IEEE ICASI 2017)

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5915 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Plasmonic Light Scattering in Textured Silicon Solar Cells with Indium Nanoparticles from Normal to Non-Normal Light Incidence

by Wen-Jeng Ho, Jian-Cheng Lin, Jheng-Jie Liu, Chien-Wu Yeh, Hong-Jhang Syu and Ching-Fuh Lin

Materials 2017, 10(7), 737; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070737 - 1 Jul 2017

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 6319

Abstract

In this study, we sought to improve the light trapping of textured silicon solar cells using the plasmonic light scattering of indium nanoparticles (In NPs) of various dimensions. The light trapping modes of textured-silicon surfaces with and without In NPs were investigated at an angle of incidence (AOI) ranging from 0° to 75°. The optical reflectance, external quantum efficiency (EQE), and photovoltaic performance were first characterized under an AOI of 0°. We then compared the EQE and photovoltaic current density-voltage (J-V) as a function of AOI in textured silicon solar cells with and without In NPs. We observed a reduction in optical reflectance and an increase in EQE when the cells textured with pyramidal structures were coated with In NPs. We also observed an impressive increase in the average weighted external quantum efficiency (∆EQE_w) and short-circuit current-density (∆J_sc) in cells with In NPs when illuminated under a higher AOI. The ∆EQE_w values of cells with In NPs were 0.37% higher than those without In NPs under an AOI of 0°, and 3.48% higher under an AOI of 75°. The ∆J_sc values of cells with In NPs were 0.50% higher than those without In NPs under an AOI of 0°, and 4.57% higher under an AOI of 75°. The application of In NPs clearly improved the light trapping effects. This can be attributed to the effects of plasmonic light-scattering over the entire wavelength range as well as an expanded angle of incident light. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from IEEE ICASI 2017)

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3379 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Electrical and Optical Characterization of Sputtered Silicon Dioxide, Indium Tin Oxide, and Silicon Dioxide/Indium Tin Oxide Antireflection Coating on Single-Junction GaAs Solar Cells

by Wen-Jeng Ho, Jian-Cheng Lin, Jheng-Jie Liu, Wen-Bin Bai and Hung-Pin Shiao

Materials 2017, 10(7), 700; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070700 - 26 Jun 2017

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 6280

Abstract

This study characterized the electrical and optical properties of single-junction GaAs solar cells coated with antireflective layers of silicon dioxide (SiO₂), indium tin oxide (ITO), and a hybrid layer of SiO₂/ITO applied using Radio frequency (RF) sputtering. The conductivity and transparency of the ITO film were characterized prior to application on GaAs cells. Reverse saturation-current and ideality factor were used to evaluate the passivation performance of the various coatings on GaAs solar cells. Optical reflectance and external quantum efficiency response were used to evaluate the antireflective performance of the coatings. Photovoltaic current-voltage measurements were used to confirm the efficiency enhancement obtained by the presence of the anti-reflective coatings. The conversion efficiency of the GaAs cells with an ITO antireflective coating (23.52%) exceeded that of cells with a SiO₂ antireflective coating (21.92%). Due to lower series resistance and higher short-circuit current-density, the carrier collection of the GaAs cell with ITO coating exceeded that of the cell with a SiO₂/ITO coating. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from IEEE ICASI 2017)

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4482 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Enhancing the Compatibility of Poly (1,4-butylene adipate) and Phenoxy Resin in Blends

by Cheng-Fu Yang, Hsiang-Ching Wang and Chean-Cheng Su

Materials 2017, 10(7), 692; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070692 - 23 Jun 2017

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4588

Abstract

This work concerns the enhancement in the compatibility of blends of poly (1,4-butylene adipate) (PBA) with poly (hydroxy ether of bisphenol-A) (phenoxy) via alcoholytic exchange. Results on the thermal behavior and morphology show that the blended PBA/phenoxy system exhibits a homogeneous phase and a composition-dependent glass transition temperature (T_g). The interaction parameter (χ₁₂) of PBA/phenoxy blends was calculated using the melting point depression method and was found to be −0.336. However, the compatibilization of PBA/phenoxy blends can be enhanced by chemical exchange reactions between PBA and phenoxy upon annealing. Annealed PBA/phenoxy blends were found to have a homogeneous phase with a higher T_g than that of the blended samples, and a smooth surface topography that could be improved by annealing at high temperature. The results of this investigation demonstrate that promotional phase compatibilization in the PBA/phenoxy blend can only be obtained upon thermal annealing, thus causing transreactions to occur between the dangling –OH of the phenoxy and the ester functional groups in PBA. Extensive transreactions cause alcoholytic exchange between the PBA and phenoxy to form a network, thus reducing the mobility of the polymer chain. Finally, the crystallinity of PBA decreased as the degree of transreaction in the blends increased. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from IEEE ICASI 2017)

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8885 KiB

Open AccessArticle

On the Morphology of the SDS Film on the Surface of Borosilicate Glass

by Zih-Yao Shen and Maw-Tien Lee

Materials 2017, 10(5), 555; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10050555 - 19 May 2017

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 6208

Abstract

Surfactant films on solid surfaces have attracted much attention because of their scientific interest and applications, such as surface treatment agent, or for micro- or nano-scale templates for microfluidic devices. In this study, anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) solutions with various charged inorganic salts was spread on a glass substrate and dried to form an SDS thin film. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was employed to observe the micro-structure of the SDS thin film. The effects of inorganic salts on the morphology of the SDS film were observed and discussed. The results of experiments demonstrated that pure SDS film formed patterns of long, parallel, highly-ordered stripes. The existence of the inorganic salt disturbed the structure of the SDS film due to the interaction between the cationic ion and the anionic head groups of SDS. The divalent ion has greater electrostatic interaction with anionic head groups than that of the monovalent ion, and causes a gross change in the morphology of the SDS film. The height of the SDS bilayer measured was consistent with the theoretical value, and the addition of the large-sized monovalent ion would lead to lowering the height of the adsorbed structures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from IEEE ICASI 2017)

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3066 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fabrication of Polymeric Antireflection Film Manufactured by Anodic Aluminum Oxide Template on Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

by Jenn-Kai Tsai and Yu-Shin Tu

Materials 2017, 10(3), 296; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10030296 - 15 Mar 2017

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 5463

Abstract

In this study, high energy conversion efficient dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were successfully fabricated by attaching a double anti-reflection (AR) layer, which is composed of a subwavelength moth-eye structured polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) film and a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film. An efficiency of up to 6.79% was achieved. The moth-eye structured PMMA film was fabricated by using an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template which is simple, low-cost and scalable. The nano-pattern of the AAO template was precisely reproduced onto the PMMA film. The photoanode was composed of Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles (NPs) with a diameter of 25 nm deposited on the fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrate and the sensitizer N3. The double AR layer was proved to effectively improve the short-circuit current density (JSC) and conversion efficiency from 14.77 to 15.79 mA/cm² and from 6.26% to 6.79%, respectively. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from IEEE ICASI 2017)

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