Design Concept Research Articles

Graphene-doped silicon-carbon materials with multi-interface structures for lithium-ion battery anodes

The carbon nanomaterials are usually used to improve the electrical conductivity and stability of silicon (Si) anodes for lithium-ion batteries. However, the Si-based composites containing carbon nanomaterials generally show large specific surface area, leading to severe side reactions that generate large amounts of solid electrolyte interphase films. Herein, we embedded graphene oxide (GO) and silicon nanoparticles (Si NPs) uniformly in pitch matrix by solvent dispersion. The internally doped GO reduces the exposed surface and improves the electrical conductivity of the composite. Meanwhile, the multi-interface structures are constructed inside to limit the domains of Si NPs and improve the structural stability of the material. When evaluated as anodes, the Si/graphene/pitch-based carbon composite anode exhibits the outstanding electrochemical properties, delivering a reversible capacity of 820.8 mAh/g at 50 mA g−1, as well as a capacity retention of 93.6 % after 1000 cycles at 2 A/g. In addition, when assembled with the LiFePO4 cathode, the full cell exhibits an impressive capacity retention of 95 % after 100 cycles at 85 mA g−1. This work provides a valuable design concept for the development of Si/carbon anodes.

Improving Grading Fairness and Transparency with Decentralized Collaborative Peer Assessment

Computer-assisted collaborative peer grading is a developing growth area in academic evaluation. However, peer assessment often needs help with problems such as the lack of reliability, transparency, fairness, grading speed, and motivation to participate among students. The literature suggests several principles that each partly address the said issues. We propose a novel decentralized approach to academic peer assessment, using blockchain as an underlying technology, to address the principal problems in traditional peer assessment. We also derive design concepts for a modern courseware (CW) application consisting of our method and apply them to implement our approach in a CW called Blockment. We test the effectiveness of our method and system by running quantitative and qualitative experiments, proving our claims of improving reliability, transparency, fairness, grading speed, and motivation of grades in peer assessment. The results suggest embedding our method and system in academic courses to improve conventional peer grading methods.

Strategies for Implementing "Integrated Teaching-Learning-Assessment" in the Context of English Core Literacy

The emergence of the National English Curriculum Standards (2017 Edition, Revised in 2020) has sparked widespread attention and resonance in the field of secondary school English teaching. Delving into the study and application of the new curriculum standards has become a crucial entry point and lever for secondary school English teachers to renew their teaching philosophies, enhance teaching effectiveness, and advance the depth of education. The new curriculum standards provide important guidance on how secondary school English teachers should teach, how students should learn, and how to effectively integrate teaching, learning, and assessment, thereby delineating the direction of English teaching in the current era of emphasizing subject core literacy in quality education. The 2022 Compulsory Education Curriculum Standards explicitly mention the curriculum design concept of "integrating teaching and assessment," further deepening the intrinsic connections among teaching, learning, and assessment. Therefore, based on the guiding principles of "integrating teaching and assessment," this paper relies on the 2017 edition of the new curriculum standards and combines the practical situation of secondary school English teaching to analyze how to comprehensively understand the connotation of "integrating teaching and assessment" and how to implement effective teaching and assessment practices.

A Compact Millimeter-Wave Multilayer Patch Antenna Array Based on a Mixed CPW-Slot-Couple Feeding Network.

A compact Ka-band antenna array has been proposed to realize broadband and high gain for millimeter-wave applications. The antenna array is divided into a multilayer composed of a driven slot patch layer and a parasitic patch array layer, which is excited by a mixed CPW-Slot-Couple feeding network layer. According to characteristic mode analysis, a pair of narrow coupling slots are introduced in the driven patch to move the resonant frequency of characteristic mode 3 to the resonant frequency of characteristic mode 2 for enhanced bandwidth. In this article, a 1to4 CPW-Slot-Couple feeding network for a 2 × 2 driven slot patch array is implemented, and then each driven slot patch excites a 2 × 2 parasitic patch array. Finally, a proposed 4 × 4 × 3 (row × column × layer) Ka-band antenna array is fabricated to verify the design concepts. The measured results show that the frequency bandwidth of the antenna array is 25 GHz to 32 GHz, and the relative bandwidth is 24.5%. The peak gain is 20.1 dBi. Due to its attractive properties of miniaturization, broadband, and high gain, the proposed antenna array could be applied to millimeter-wave wireless communication systems.

Multiscale functionalized graphene origami metamaterials enable programming thermoelectric performance of flexible energy harvesters

Origami engineering stands out as one of the prominent approaches for fine tuning the multiphysical properties of energy materials. Employing first-principle calculations at the nanoscale, we explore the mechano-thermoelectric properties of graphene origami metamaterials functionalized by hydrogen (H), nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), and fluorine (F) adatoms. Our computational results reveal that functionalizing carbon (C) atoms induce buckling in the pristine graphene, transitioning carbon atoms from sp2 (for pristine graphene sheet) to hybridized sp3 orbital to fold the graphene origami. The functionalized graphene origami metamaterials, adopting the Miura-ori architecture, exhibit anisotropic mechanical properties and an unprecedented negative Poisson's ratio (NPR) of up to −0.8. Non-symmetrical functionalization breaks the inherent symmetry of graphene, resulting in a robust non-zero electronic band gap. This characteristic makes the graphene origami metamaterial a compelling contender for thermoelectric applications, since they offer an electronic figure of merit that exceed 200 at room temperature (Graphene-H), surpassing that of the majority of 2D thermoelectric materials can offer. Resorting to the finite element approach, we explore the origami-based thermoelectric legs in nanogenerators at mesoscale. The folding capability of origami architectures offer tunable heat insulation in order to realize next generation of thermoelectric legs. Compared to conventional cuboid leg thermoelectric nanogenerators, thermoelectric conversion efficiency of origami metamaterials can be two orders of magnitude higher; an enhancement that is significantly governed by their folding angle. The underlying principles governing the multiphysics performance of multiscale origami-based thermoelectric materials impart novel design concepts for customizing the thermoelectric performance of shape-changing low-dimensional metamaterials and energy-related devices.

Research on Interior Space Art Form

Mies van der Rohe is one of the four most famous modern architects in the world in the middle of the 20th century, also a great educator, the third president of the Bauhaus school, the director of the Department of Architecture of the Illinois Institute of Technology, his design ideas for the development of the industrialized society pointed out the direction of the building, and the design concept he put forward, "less is more", has profoundly influenced and changed other designers' understanding and expression of design, such ideas advocate nature and transcend freedom. His design concept of "less is more" has also profoundly influenced and changed other designers' understanding and expression of design. This paper analyzes the works from the background of the times and a cultural point of view, applying the viewpoints of comparison, dialectic, connection, and development to discuss his philosophical concepts, creative methods, and the intrinsic connection of indoor spatial art forms and the influence on modern design, to promote designers' understanding of design aesthetics and to encourage designers' understanding of design aesthetics. This paper analyzes the works from the perspective of time background and culture, using comparative, dialectic, connection, and development to discuss their philosophical concepts, creative methods, and the inner connection of interior space art forms and their influence on modern design, to encourage design workers to have a deeper understanding of design aesthetics.

MXene-Enabled Pneumatic Multiscale Shape Morphing for Adaptive, Programmable and Multimodal Radar-infrared Compatible Camouflage.

Achieving radar-infrared compatible camouflage with dynamic adaptability has been a long-sought goal, but faces significant challenges owing to the limited dispersion relations of conventional material systems operating in different wavelength ranges. Here, this work proposes the concept of pneumatic multiscale shape morphing and design a periodically arranged pneumatic unit consisting of MXene-based morphable conductors and intake platforms. During gas actuation, the morphable conductor transforms centimeter-scale 2D flat sheets into 3D balloon shapes to enhance microwave absorption behavior, and also reconfigures micrometer-scale MXene wrinkles into smooth planes in combination with cavity-induced low heat transfer to minimize infrared (IR) signatures. Through theory-guided reverse engineering, the final pneumatic matrix shows remarkable frequency tunability (2.64-18.0 GHz), moderate IR emissivity regulation (0.14 at 7-16.5 µm), rapid responsiveness (≈30 ms), wide-angle operation (>45°), and excellent environmental tolerance. Additionally, the multiplexed pneumatic matrix enables over 14 programmable coding sequences that independently alter thermal radiation without compromising radar stealth, and allows multimodal camouflage switching between three distinct compatible states. The approach may facilitate the evolution of camouflage techniques and electromagnetic functional materials toward multispectral, adaptability and intelligence.

Ultrafast self-transportation and efficient separation of organic droplets on semi-conical asymmetric structure

Manipulating oil droplets in an aqueous solution is highly desirable for organic multiphase liquid separation. Despite substantial works in the realm of organic multiphase liquid manipulation and separation, the ultrafast transportation and efficient and precise separation of these liquids, especially those with varied surface tensions, encounters significant challenges due to little driving forces. To address this issue, a semi-conical structure with pine-needlelike features and incorporated wedge-shaped grooves is fabricated, which could support the ultrafast transport and separation of organic droplets. For pre-wetted superhydrophobic surfaces, organic liquids with lower surface tension can be transported at a speed of 305.6 mm/s. The Laplace pressure difference caused by the conical structure determines the direction of transport of organic liquids, and the capillary force caused by flat wedge-shaped grooves increases the transport speed of organic droplets on the surface. Based on the characteristics of “differential” transportation and directional transportation, the separation of mixed organic liquids is realized. This biomimetic design concept will pave a path for microfluidics, liquid manipulation, and the separation of various organic liquids.

Volatile and thermally stable tungsten organometallic complexes (RCp)W(CO)2(η3-2-tert-butylallyl) as potential thin film deposition precursor

Two organometallic tungsten complexes (RCp)W(CO)2(η3-2-tert-butylallyl) (R = methyl or ethyl, Cp = cyclopentadienyl) as precursors capable of growing tungsten-containing thin films, are constructed bearing heteroleptic ligand system. The syntheses adopt a rationally designed approach excluding the use of extreme conditions and involving facile purification procedures. The two complexes are authenticated by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and elemental analysis, as well as Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Thermal property evaluations, including thermogravimetric and vapor pressure tests, reveal favorable thermal stability and volatility which are essential for a typical ALD process. It is noteworthy that both precursors possess relatively low-melting point and specifically, the one bearing ethyl-Cp group is in liquid phase at room temperature. Such design concept of heteroleptic ligand system and substructure tuning pave the way to develop liquid precursors which are imperative demand in microelectronic industry.

Novel long-span cable-stayed deck arch bridge: Concept and structural characteristics

To explore a cost-efficient bridge structure system and expand the options for long-span bridges in mountainous regions, we propose an innovative cable-stayed deck arch (CSDA) bridge with significant potential benefits. This paper discusses the conceptualization, structural design considerations, and implementable construction methods of this bridge-type. We trial designed two CSDA bridges with span arrangements of 268 + 350 + 268 m and 280 + 3 × 380 + 280 m to demonstrate the versatility of our proposal in different topographic situations and its ability to accommodate both single and multiple main spans. The finite element analysis confirms the mechanical properties and structural feasibility of the conceptual designs. A comprehensive comparison with other types of bridges under identical conditions reveals that this new hybrid bridge is not only lightweight in structure, excellent in performance, and elegant in form, but also cost savings and with minor environmental impact. The preliminary study indicates that the CSDA bridges are suitable for the construction demand of high-rise pier and long-span bridges in mountainous terrain, and also an economical option for the main span between 350 to 400 m.

Deuterium and helium desorption/retention properties of low-activation vanadium alloys possible for reuse in a short time in fusion reactors

Low-activation vanadium (V) alloys are alternative to the reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic steels due to their high-temperature strength, superior irradiation properties and non-magnetic characteristics. To make the reusage of the alloys possible in a short time in fusion reactors, new design concepts of V alloy have been suggested in National Institute for Fusion Science. In the present study, the deuterium and helium retention/desorption behaviors of the new designed V alloys were investigated.A major desorption peak of D2 appeared at 600–750 K for the irradiation at room temperature. This peak would be originated from D atom in a binding state in the alloy. In the case of the irradiation at 773 K, a new peak appeared around 820 K only for the alloy with low purity and high Ti content. Discussion with results of EELS analysis suggests that the desorption around 820 K were originated form D trapped by the precipitates. Other V alloy samples used in the present study showed low D retention for the case of the 773 K irradiation.The helium desorption which was originated from the blisters appeared at the high temperature region. The amounts of these desorption for the alloy with high Ti content was large, compared with the case of low Ti content.

The Application of Participatory Design in Weifang Kites, China

This paper discusses the key application of participatory design in Weifang kite culture. Kite, as a treasure of Chinese traditional culture, carries rich historical and cultural connotations. Weifang kite is famous both at home and abroad for its exquisite craftsmanship and unique design. However, under the impact of modern society, the traditional kite culture is facing the dual challenges of inheritance and innovation. Participatory design, with its emphasis on user participation and joint creation, provides a new perspective and method for the inheritance of kite culture. Through the systematic analysis of the core concept and implementation methods of participatory design, this paper creatively puts forward a set of targeted participatory design strategies based on the uniqueness of Weifang kite culture and the realistic needs of inheritance. These strategies aim to stimulate the enthusiasm of the community people to participate, gather collective wisdom, and jointly promote the innovation and development of kite culture. This paper mainly focuses on the theoretical discussion and the construction of the strategy system, aiming to provide new ideas and directions for the inheritance of Weifang kite culture, rather than being limited to specific cases or empirical analysis.

Experimental and analytical investigations on reusable column base connection with pinned energy dissipators

This research paper introduces a novel, yet simple, column base connection that is reusable for moment resisting frames (MRFs). The performance of this connection was evaluated through a comprehensive experimental investigation. The proposed design incorporates a pinned energy dissipator (ED) that effectively absorbs seismic energy. Moreover, the connection utilises the weight of the column itself to provide a recentring force. Unlike existing self-centring column base connections, the ED in this innovative design is equipped with pins to prevent resistance to recentring caused by inelastic deformation after earthquakes. This unique feature ensures that the connection possesses self-centring capability, energy dissipation ability, and reusability. The analytical simplified models developed in this study effectively illustrate the monotonic and cyclic behaviours of the proposed connection. To validate the design concepts and simplified models, tests were conducted on specimens of the ED and the complete column base connection.

Discourse Analysis of the impact of Short Videos on Public Design Awareness and Design Thinking

This paper delves into the context, content, and audience interaction of design-related short videos on Bilibili, examining their impact on design discourse. The study reveals that these short videos merge professional and popular design discourses, making design more accessible to the general public through unique narrative and visual methods. These videos not only provide design knowledge and technical demonstrations but also reflect a critique of fast-paced living and modern consumer culture. Through interactive features such as bullet comments and reviews, a diverse and interactive design discourse space has formed, where the boundaries between designers and viewers are increasingly blurred, facilitating the widespread dissemination of design concepts and innovative methods. Additionally, the platform's algorithms significantly influence the recommendation of video content, further shaping the paths of design discourse dissemination and audience reach. In summary, as a new media tool for design communication, design-related short videos not only broaden the audience for design but also promote the diverse development of design culture.

Semiphysical Design Concept for Developing Miniaturized Microrobots In Vivo.

The miniaturization of biomedical microrobots is crucial for their in vivo applications. However, it is challenging to reduce their size while maintaining their biomedical functions. To resolve this contradiction, we propose a semiphysical design concept for developing miniaturized microrobots, in which invisible components such as light beams are utilized to replace most of the physical parts of a microrobot, thus minimizing its physical size without sacrificing its biomedical functions. According to this design, we have constructed a semiphysical microrobot (SPM) composed of main light beam, light-responsive microparticle, and auxiliary light beam, serving as the actuation system, recognition part, and surgical claws, respectively. Based on the functions of actuation, biosensing, and microsurgery, a SPM has been applied for a series of applications, including thrombus elimination at the branch vessel, stratified removal of multilayer thrombus, and biosensing-guided microsurgery. The proposed semiphysical design concept should bring new insight into the development of miniaturized biomedical microrobots.

An integrated design concept evaluation model based on interval valued picture fuzzy set and improved GRP method.

The objective of this research is to enhance the precision and efficiency of design concept assessments during the initial stages of new product creation. Design concept evaluation, which occurs at the end of the conceptual design phase, is a critical step in product development. The outcome of this evaluation significantly impacts the product's eventual success, as flawed design concepts are difficult to remedy in later stages. However, the evaluation of new product concepts is a procedure that encompasses elements of subjectivity and ambiguity. In order to deal with the problem, a novel decision-making method for choosing more logical new product concepts is introduced. Basically, the evaluation process is outlined in three main phases: the construction of evaluation index system for design concept alternatives, the calculation of weights for evaluation criteria and decision-makers, the selection of the best design concept alternatives. These stages are composed of a hybrid method based on kano model, multiplicative analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method, the entropy of IVPFS and improved grey relational projection (GRP) under interval-valued picture fuzzy set (IVPFS). The novel approach integrates the strength of interval-valued picture fuzzy number in handling vagueness, the advantage of multiplicative AHP and the merit of improved GRP method in modelling multi-criteria decision-making. In final, the effectiveness of the proposed model is validated through comparisons with other models. The potential applications of this study include but are not limited to product development, industrial design, and innovation management, providing decision-makers with a more accurate and comprehensive design concept evaluation tool.

A review of extant literature and recent trends in residential construction waste reduction.

The residential construction sector in New Zealand and worldwide is experiencing increased criticism for generating substantial waste that poses environmental concerns. Accordingly, researchers have advocated implementing residential construction waste reduction (RCWR) strategies as a sustainable solution to managing construction waste (CW). This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of RCWR by analysing 87 articles from the Scopus database using bibliometric and critical review methods. The co-occurrence analysis of keywords revealed five clusters, in which five main themes emerged: (i) waste generation and management performance, (ii) prefabrication and life cycle assessment concepts, (iii) design concepts, (iv) circular economy and (v) decision-making concepts. The findings suggest that sustainable practices such as designing for waste reduction, prefabrication, waste quantification, three-dimensional printing and building information modelling can effectively achieve RCWR. The study also highlights the benefits of RCWR, including reducing environmental impacts, and identifies management, economic, legislative, technology and cultural barriers that affect the implementation of RCWR strategies. These results provide valuable insights to support future policy formulation and research direction for RCWR in New Zealand.

Application of seamless phase Ⅱ/Ⅲ design in vaccine clinical trials

The seamless phase Ⅱ/Ⅲ design integrates independent phase Ⅱ and phase Ⅲ clinical trials into a continuous, phased adaptive clinical trial design. Compared with traditional independent phase Ⅱ and phase Ⅲ clinical trials, the seamless design offers significant advantages in accelerating drug or vaccine development and improving clinical trial efficiency. Currently, the application of this design in anti-tumor drug research is becoming increasingly mature, and it is gradually expanding to clinical trials of vaccines, including the 9-valent human papillomavirus vaccine, sabin strain inactivated polio vaccine, and others. This paper aims to clarify the seamless phase Ⅱ/Ⅲ design concept and offer valuable insights into its implementation. It accomplishes this by presenting a clinical trial example featuring a phase Ⅱ/Ⅲ seamless design for a 9-valent human papillomavirus vaccine. The article delves into the specific considerations and potential challenges related to implementing the seamless design, aiming to provide valuable insights for optimizing vaccine clinical trials within our country.

Comparison of Various Input Energy Spectra for the February 6th, 2023, Kahramanmaraş Earthquake Sequence

ABSTRACT This study aims to evaluate the success of various seismic input energy spectra equations in capturing the energy content of the ground motion records of the Türkiye earthquakes since the acceleration response spectra of some records exceeded the design spectra. Although most existing spectra had limited success, especially near the corner period, some recent equations yielded accurate results. Based on the obtained results, it is envisaged that the energy-based seismic design concept will have the maturity to be included in the next-generation seismic design codes as a reliable alternative to the current approaches.

Space-code division multiple access for broadband acoustic networks

We present an investigation into the design of an acoustic communication network, where multiple users are distributed across space and transmit and receive simultaneously in the same band to and from a common base station. Specifically, we focus on a system that utilizes orthogonal frequency division multiplexing as a modulation method, and allows users to transmit and receive in either synchronous or asynchronous fashion. To distinguish between users on the uplink, the base station employs a combination of code-division and space-division multiple access. The base station iteratively steers a beam to each stable propagation path of the desired user’s channel while placing nulls in the direction of other paths, as well as in the directions of interfering users. Finally, the multiple paths of the desired user are recombined before data detection. The process is repeated for each user. Broadband beamforming is employed to account for the broadband nature of acoustic signals. The beamformer coefficients on each carrier depend on the angles of signal arrivals, which are estimated during the uplink transmission and used to construct both the uplink and the downlink beamformer. On the downlink, the base station utilizes angle information to assemble beamforming weights and point in the direction of stable paths of the users. It superimposes multiuser signals and transmits the sum signal to the users. The signal intended for a given user reaches only that user, requiring just a simple detector. Each user is equipped by a single-element transducer. To demonstrate the design concepts, we conducted simulations using a shallow water channel model and performed experimental over-the-air tests in an indoor environment using an acoustic communications testbed. The results were excellent, thereby encouraging future implementations in practical systems.