­Background Electrolytic reduction of metal carbonates in molten salts at elevated temperatures have attracted attention over the past decade as a new way of producing various materials such as carbon materials and metal oxides. These carbon materials can be in various forms including carbon nanotubes, nanofibers, aggregates, amorphous carbon,...

Computer memory devices may employ any of various mechanisms for storing data, e.g., using memory cells each of which may be programmed to be in any of two or more states. Non-volatile memory includes memory cells each of which operates by changing the resistance across an active switching layer, e.g., an insulator, through the formation of conductive...

Diamond is a wide bandgap material with superior electric properties that has been studied in recent years for use in high power and high frequency electronics applications. Doping of the diamond material is necessary for effective control of defect formation, and is typically achieved by incorporating the dopant (e.g., phosphorous, boron) into the...

Background The conversion of solar energy to fuels requires both water (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) as feedstocks. These feedstocks provide the carbon and hydrogen atoms necessary to form hydrocarbons. By removing oxygen from one or both of these compounds, liquid hydrocarbon fuels can be produced. Water can be converted into hydrogen and oxygen...

­Soft robotics is a growing field of study encompassing biology, chemistry, materials science, and engineering. Soft robots can be used for safe and adaptive interaction with humans and harsh environments, manipulation of delicate objects, navigation through a confined space, and actuation with multiple degrees of freedom. One key element in soft...

Background Metal oxide (MOX) gas sensors are a type of solid-state sensing device capable of transducing the binding of an analyte to a measurable signal in the form of changes in electrical resistance. In order to effectively incorporate MOX sensors into wireless devices for environmental and health monitoring applications, the sensors must be miniature...

A variety of techniques are employed in geotechnical engineering practice to improve the in situ properties of soils. Different techniques are applicable to different types of soil. The technology of using microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) as a means of improving the properties of sandy soil has attracted a significant amount of interest...

Background Conventional pulse-width modulation (PWM) control techniques such as voltage-mode DC-DC converters are susceptible to single event effects (SEE) of radiation in harsh environments due to their inherent analog nature. Digital controllers, on the other hand, are more immune to SEEs than their voltage-mode analog counterparts. Current-mode...

High frequency isolated resonant converters have found widespread application in the field of EV charging, solar inverters, switch mode power supplies, and aircraft power supplies, due to their higher power density and superior conversion efficiency. Specific applications include auxiliary power units used in more electric aircrafts that use fuel cell-based...

Background Effective ground improvement methods are essential for optimal utilization of land, whether they be roads, embankments, dunes, or slopes. Conventional methods using compaction, pile insertion, and cement-soil mixing provide adequate stability but have several major drawbacks. They are often expensive, time-consuming, require specialized...