Search results

Since carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were discovered by Iijima in 1991, they have gained more and more attention by people because of their unique physical and chemical properties. The CNTs have one-dimensional nanostructure, high surface adsorption capacity, good conductivity and electronic ballistic transmission characteristics and therefore have excellent mechanical, electrical, physical and chemical properties. CNTs are ideal basic materials to make nanometer gas sensors. Nanometallic materials function as to enhance electrode activity and promote the electron transfer, so if composite nanometallic materials M (such as Au, Pt, Cu and Pd) and CNTs are used, all kinds of their characters of components would have coeffect. Electrochemical sensors by use of such composite as electrode would have a higher detection sensitivity.

CNTs were synthesized via chemical vapor deposition technique and were purified afterward. CNTs-M(Pt,Au) suspension was prepared by chemical deposition using spinning disc processor (SDP) and was coated on gold electrode. The modified electrodes were constructed, based on immobilization of glucose oxidase on an Au electrode by electrostatic effect. CNTs-Pt/ glassy carbon electrodes (GCE) electrodes were made by electrochemically deposition of platinum particles on GCE modified by CNTs. The microstructures of the harvested CNTs, CNTs-M (M = Au, Pt) were analyzed under scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The application of the sensor in medical detection has been evaluated.

The results shown that CNTs-Au biosensors exhibit good reproducibility, stability and fast response to glucose detection, it can be used in the clinic detection of glucose concentration in human serum. Using CNTs-Pt/GCE for formaldehyde detection exhibited high sensitivity and good reproducibility.

This study modified CNTs by using self-assembled techniques through SDP with nano Pt and Au by electrodeposition for the first time. CNTs-Pt/GCE electrode was prepared by depositing platinum particles electrochemically on GCE modified by CNTs. CNTs-Au-modified electrode was prepared by immobilization of glucose oxidase on an Au electrode first by electrostatic effect. Electrochemical behaviors of glucose at CNTs-Au and formaldehyde at CNTs-Pt/GCE were investigated by cyclic voltammetry.

Current multi-source image fusion methods frequently overlook the issue of detailed features when employing deep learning technology, resulting in inadequate target feature information. In real-world mission scenarios, such as military information acquisition or medical image enhancement, the prominence of target feature information is of paramount importance. To address these challenges, this paper introduces a novel infrared-visible light fusion model.

Leveraging the foundational architecture of the traditional DenseFuse model, this paper optimizes the backbone network structure and incorporates a Unique Feature Encoder (UFE) to meticulously extract the distinctive features inherent in the two images. Furthermore, it integrates the Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM) and the Squeeze and Excitation Network (SE) to enhance and replace the original spatial and channel attention mechanisms.

Compared to other methods such as IFCNN, NestFuse, DenseFuse, etc., the values of entropy, standard deviation, and mutual information index of the method presented in this paper can reach 6.9985, 82.6652, and 13.6022, respectively, which are significantly improved compared with other methods.

This paper presents a UFEFusion framework that synergizes with the CBAM attention mechanism to markedly augment the extraction of detailed features relative to other methods. Moreover, the framework adeptly extracts and amplifies unique features from disparate images, thereby elevating the overall feature representation capability.

This paper aims to prepare a residual rust epoxy coating by adding different quantities of phytic acid (PA) on the surface of the rusty steel and investigate the corrosion protection of PA and its action mechanisms.

A residual rust epoxy coating by adding different quantities of PA was prepared on the surface of the rusty steel. The influence of PA on the corrosion resistance of epoxy-coated rusty steel was investigated by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and adhesion testing.

Results indicated that PA can substantially improve the corrosion resistance of epoxy-coated rusty steel. This improvement is due to the reaction of PA with residual rust and generation of new compounds with protection properties and increased adhesive strength effects on the coating/metal interface. The coating showed better protection performance when 2 per cent PA was added.

Considering the structure of the active groups, PA has strong chelating capability with many metal ions and can form stable complex compounds on the surface of a metal substrate, thereby improving corrosion resistance. In recent years, PA has been reported to be useful in the conversion of coatings or as green corrosion inhibitor. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, few studies have reported the use of PA as a rust converter or residual rust coating. The present work aims to improve the corrosion resistance of residual rust epoxy coating by adding PA.

This paper aim to investigate the influence of PA on the corrosion behavior of carbon steel with blast cleaned or pre-rusted treatments, and interpret the inhibition mechanism of PA on the steel with different surface treatments.

The influence of PA on the corrosion behavior of blast cleaned or rusty steel was investigated by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The EIS data were analyzed using the @ZsimpWin commercial software. The morphology and component of steel after immersion were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), Fourier transformation infrared (FTIR) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD).

EIS analysis results indicated that PA had good corrosion inhibition for blast cleaned or rusty steel. SEM, EDS, FTIR and XRD further indicated that PA had two main corrosion inhibition processes for the corrosion inhibition of blast cleaned or rusty steel: corrosion dissolution and formation of protective barrier layers.

Most published works focus the attention only toward the effect of corrosion inhibitor for the clean metal surfaces. However, the surface condition of metal sometimes is unsatisfactory in the practical application of corrosion inhibitor, such as existing residual rust. Some studies also have shown that several corrosion inhibitors could be applied on partially rusted substrates. These inhibitors mainly include tannins and phosphoric acid, but not PA. Therefore, the authors investigated the influence of PA on the corrosion behavior of carbon steel with blast cleaned or pre-rusted treatments in this paper.

The purpose of this paper is to describe a strap‐down image stable strategy for multi‐load optoelectronic imaging platform hung below a tethered aerostat.

Four two dimension pods, each with a visible light camera, are fixed on the optoelectronic platform. A POS (Position and Orientation System) is used to acquire the attitude rate data of optoelectronic platform, while the data can be coupled to the pods' servo systems through corresponding coordinate rotation, then the motors of pods will adjust the line of sight to the opposite way to keep the stabilization of image exported by visible light camcorders. Simultaneously, two rate gyros are installed at the inner frame of each pod, which are used as a backup to avoid the failure of POS.

Using one attitude and position measurement system can realize the stabilization of multi optoelectronic pods, which is same as or even better than the ratio gyro stabilization.

As the tethered aerostat is a flexible body, it is affected a lot by the wind speed and wind direction at the low height (<1,000 m), which leads to the motors of pods always adjust the line of sight to the mechanical limiting of pods.

Strap‐down stabilization technology has been successfully used in the tethered aerostat monitoring platform to surveillance Shanghai World EXPO site. Long time experiments verify the feasible and effective of the multi‐load stabilization technology. The impact on the image by the adjustment of servos is less than 10 percent of the whole view of sight.

The paper introduces a strap‐down stabilization technology for multi‐load tethered aerostat platform, which is more suitable to be applied in the platform of relatively minor attitude change, like the airborne multi‐load platform and multi‐load UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) platform.

Due to the increasing size and complexity of construction projects, construction engineering and management involves the coordination of many complex and dynamic processes and relies on the analysis of uncertain, imprecise and incomplete information, including subjective and linguistically expressed information. Various modelling and computing techniques have been used by construction researchers and applied to practical construction problems in order to overcome these challenges, including fuzzy hybrid techniques. Fuzzy hybrid techniques combine the human-like reasoning capabilities of fuzzy logic with the capabilities of other techniques, such as optimization, machine learning, multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) and simulation, to capitalise on their strengths and overcome their limitations. Based on a review of construction literature, this chapter identifies the most common types of fuzzy hybrid techniques applied to construction problems and reviews selected papers in each category of fuzzy hybrid technique to illustrate their capabilities for addressing construction challenges. Finally, this chapter discusses areas for future development of fuzzy hybrid techniques that will increase their capabilities for solving construction-related problems. The contributions of this chapter are threefold: (1) the limitations of some standard techniques for solving construction problems are discussed, as are the ways that fuzzy methods have been hybridized with these techniques in order to address their limitations; (2) a review of existing applications of fuzzy hybrid techniques in construction is provided in order to illustrate the capabilities of these techniques for solving a variety of construction problems and (3) potential improvements in each category of fuzzy hybrid technique in construction are provided, as areas for future research.

The purpose of this paper is to answer “Why do Chinese consumers use IOT systems?” and “Do consumers’ cognitive and affect experiences moderate the relationship between psychological perception factors and perceived usefulness?”

In-depth interview with consumers and experts had been conducted and then the perceived psychological factors that influence perceived usefulness had been summarized. Based on a survey test of 337 smart home users, this study applies partial least squares technique analysis to test the research model.

The research results show that perceived psychological factors (perceived ease of use, perceived intelligence, perceived convenience and perceived privacy risk) have significant effect on the intention and behavior of IOT systems usage through perceived usefulness. Cognitive experience moderates the relationship between perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness, perceived privacy risk and perceived usefulness; affect experience moderates the relationship between perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness.

The current study mainly tested the antecedents of consumers’ usage of IOT systems, and the outcome of using the system was not investigated. Future research can examine the outcome (e.g. satisfaction, perceived value) by using the expectation-confirmation theory.

This study provides a useful insight into the key driving factors in consumers’ intention and behavior of using IOT systems. The previous studies over IOT systems have not observed consumers’ perception of IOT systems, but in fact IOT systems are being applied to more and more personal users.

The purpose of this paper is to enhance the compatibility of titanium dioxide in epoxy resins and thus the corrosion resistance of the coatings.

In this work, TiO₂ was modified by the mechanochemistry method where mechanical energy was combined with thermal energy to complete the modification. The stability of modified TiO₂ in epoxy was analyzed by sedimentation experiment. The modified TiO₂-epoxy coating was prepared, and the corrosion resistance of the coating was analyzed by open circuit potential, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and neutral salt spray test.

High-temperature mechanical modification can improve the compatibility of TiO₂ in epoxy resin. At the same time, the modified TiO₂-epoxy coating showed better corrosion resistance. Compared to the unmodified TiO₂-epoxy coating, the coating improved the dry adhesion force by 61.7% and the adhesion drop by 33.3%. After 2,300 h of immersion in 3.5 Wt.% NaCl solution, the coating resistance of the modified TiO₂ coating was enhanced by nearly two orders of magnitude compared to the unmodified coating.

The authors have grafted epoxy molecules onto TiO₂ surfaces using a high-temperature mechanical force modification method. The compatibility of TiO₂ with epoxy resin is enhanced, resulting in improved adhesion of the coating to the substrate and corrosion resistance of the coating.

Epoxy zinc-rich coatings are widely used in harsh environments because of the long-lasting cathodic protection of steel surfaces. The purpose of this paper is to use flake zinc powder instead of the commonly used spherical zinc powder to reduce the zinc powder content.

In this paper, the authors have prepared an anticorrosive zinc-rich coating using a flake zinc powder instead of the conventional spherical zinc powder. The optimal dispersion of scaly zinc powder in zinc-rich coatings has been explored by looking at the surface and cross-sectional morphology and studying the cathodic protection time of the coating.

The final epoxy zinc-rich coating with 35 Wt.% flake zinc powder content was prepared using sand-milling dispersions. It has a similar cathodic protection time and salt spray resistance as the 60 Wt.% spherical zinc-rich coating, with a higher low-frequency impedance modulus value.

This study uses flake zinc powder instead of the traditional spherical zinc powder. This reduces the amount of zinc powder in the coating and improves the corrosion resistance of the coating.

The purpose of this paper was to research the influence of polyaniline/montmorillonite (PANI/OMMT) composite powder content on the corrosion protection of epoxy (EP) coating.

The polyaniline/montmorillonite/epoxy (PANI/OMMT/EP) coatings containing different contents of PANI/OMMT composite powder were prepared on steel. The corrosion protection performances of PANI/OMMT/EP coatings in 3.5 per cent NaCl solutions were investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The barrier property of coatings was examined using water absorption analysis. The structure and crosslink density of coatings were examined using scanning electron microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry, respectively.

The PANI/OMMT composite powder could enhance the barrier properties of the EP coating and reduce the corrosion rate of the steel beneath the coating. The coating showed the best corrosion protection performance when 3 per cent PANI/OMMT powder was added to the coating.

The research clarified the influence of PANI/OMMT content on the corrosion protection of coating from two aspects: one is the barrier performance of the coating; the other is the corrosion inhibitors for metal substrate.