Fast Response Characteristics Research Articles

2-dimensional impact-damping electrostatic actuators with elastomer-enhanced auxetic structure

Biomimetic robots yearn for compliant actuators that are comparable to biological muscle in both functions and structural properties. For that, electrostatic actuators have been developed to imitate bio-muscle in features of fast response, high power, energy-efficiency, etc. However, those actuators typically lack impact damping performance, making them vulnerable and unstable in real applications. Here, we present auxetic electrostatic actuators that address this issue and demonstrate muscle-like performance by using elastomer-enhanced auxetics and electrostatic zipping mechanism. The proposed actuators contract linearly on applied voltage, producing large actuation strength (15 N) and contraction ratio (59%). Fabricated from readily available materials, our prototypes can quickly attenuate vibrations caused by impacts and absorb shock energy in 0.3 s. Furthermore, leveraging their 2-dimensional working mode and self-locking mechanism, a stiffness-changing muscle for a robotic arm and an active tensegrity device exemplify the potential applications of auxetic electrostatic actuators to a wide range of bionic robots.

A Stretchable Soft Pump Driven by a Heterogeneous Dielectric Elastomer Actuator

AbstractElectrically driven soft pumps act as ideal “hearts” for flexible fluidic systems in soft robots and wearable devices. Dielectric elastomers (DEs) are promising for soft pump fabrication owing to their features of fast response, large strain, high energy density, and low power consumption. However, conventional dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) using single DE material usually exhibit poor pumping performance due to electromechanical instability or insulating problems. Herein, a multilayer structured heterogeneous dielectric elastomer actuator (H‐DEA) is fabricated based on thin films of processable, high‐performance dielectric elastomer (PHDE) and silicones, and is integrated onto silicone pump body to build a fully soft pump. The pump achieves a flow rate of 3.25 mL min−1 and a blocked pressure of 2.75 kPa with a mass of less than 1 g and a power consumption of 0.21 W. It maintains pumping functions when being bent or stretched and after twisted. It works for viscous liquids and is demonstrated to drive a soft robotic fluidic circuit.

A Micro Capacitive Humidity Sensor Based on Al-Mo Electrodes and Polyimide Film.

Quickly sensing humidity changes is required in some fields, such as in fuel cell vehicles. The micro humidity sensor used for the relative humidity (RH) measurement with fast response characteristics, and its numerical model and method are rare. This paper firstly presents a numerical model and method for a parallel plate capacitor and a numerical analysis of its dynamic characteristics. The fabrication of this sensor was carried out based on the numerical results, and, the main characteristics of its moisture-sensitive element are shown. This parallel plate capacitor is made using complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible technology, with a P-type monocrystalline silicon wafer used as the substrate, a thin polyimide film (PI) between the upper grid electrode and the lower parallel plate electrode, and electrodes with a molybdenum-aluminum bilayer structure. The shape of the micro sensor is square with 3 mm on the side of the source field. The humidity sensor has a linearity of 0.9965, hysteresis at 7.408% RH, and a sensitivity of 0.4264 pF/%RH. The sensor displays an average adsorption time of 1 s and a minimum adsorption time of 850 ms when the relative humidity increases from 33.2% RH to 75.8% RH. The sensor demonstrates very good stability during a 240 h test in a 25 °C environment. The numerical model and method provided by this study are very useful for predicting the performance of a parallel plate capacitor.

Utilizing excited-state proton transfer fluorescence quenching mechanism, layered rare earth hydroxides enable ultra-sensitive detection of nitroaromatic

Convenient, rapid, and accurate detection of nitroaromatic organic toxins and harmful substances is of great significance in research. In the present study, two-dimensional layered rare-earth hydroxides (LYH) were used as ion-exchange matrix materials, and the anionic fluorescent dye molecules (HPTS) were successfully introduced into the LYH structures in situ via a simple and effective “plug-and-play” strategy, which gave the compounds ultra-sensitive fluorescence sensing detection of nitrobenzene, p-nitrotoluene and p-nitrophenol (Fluorescence response time < 1 sec, and the LOD for nitrobenzene, p-nitrophenol and p-nitrotoluene reached an impressive 349 ppb, 22 ppb and 98 ppb, respectively). Combined with theoretical calculations, we elucidated in detail the fluorescence quenching response mechanism of the LYH-HPTS towards nitroaromatic. Additionally, we also constructed fluorescent paper sensor, which effectively transformed the LYH-HPTS from theoretical detection to device application. The LYH-HPTS material is not only simple to synthesize, cost-effective and stable, but also has the features of fast response, excellent sensitivity and selectivity, and good reproducibility, which provides a new approach for the rapid and accurate detection of nitroaromatic.

Quantitative SERS sensor for mycotoxins with extraction and identification function

The development of new sensors for on-site food toxin monitoring that combine extraction, analytes distinction and detection is important in resource-limited environments. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based signal readout features fast response and high sensitivity, making it a powerful method for detecting mycotoxins. In this work, a SERS-based assay for the detection of multiple mycotoxins is presented that combines extraction and subsequent detection, achieving an analytically relevant detection limit (∼ 1 ng/mL), which is also tested in corn samples. This sensor consists of a magnetic-core and mycotoxin-absorbing polydopamine-shell, with SERS-active Au nanoparticles on the outer surface. The assay can concentrate multiple mycotoxins, which are identified through multiclass partite least squares analysis based on their SERS spectra. We developed a strategy for the analysis of multiple mycotoxins with minimal sample pretreatment, enabling in situ analytical extraction and subsequent detection, displaying the potential to rapidly identify lethal mycotoxin contamination on site.

Shape Memory Polyurethane Composite With Fast Response to Near-Infrared Light Based on Tannic Acid-Iron and Dynamic Phenol-Carbamate Network.

Intelligent materials derived from green and renewable bio-based materials garner widespread attention recently. Herein, shape memory polyurethane composite (PUTA/Fe) with fast response to near-infrared (NIR) light is successfully prepared by introducing Fe3+ into the tannic acid-based polyurethane (PUTA) matrix through coordination between Fe3+ and tannic acid. The results show that the excellent NIR light response ability is due to the even distribution of Fe3+ filler with good photo-thermal conversion ability. With the increase of Fe3+ content, the NIR light response shape recovery rate of PUTA/Fe composite films is significantly improved, and the shape recovery time is reduced from over 60 s to 40s. In addition, the mechanical properties of PUTA/Fe composite film are also improved. Importantly, owing to the dynamic phenol-carbamate network within the polymer matrix, the PUTA/Fe composite film can reshape its permanent shape through topological rearrangement and show its good NIR light response shape memory performance. Therefore, PUTA/Fe composites with high content of bio-based material (TA content of 15.1-19.4%) demonstrate the shape memory characteristics of fast response to NIR light; so, it will have great potential in the application of new intelligent materials including efficient and environmentally friendly smart photothermal responder.

Dy3+,Mn4+ co-doped phosphors for synergistic luminescent dual-mode thermometer and high-resolution imaging

Fluorescent temperature measurement has become a research hotspot due to its characteristics of non-contact, miniaturization, and fast response. However, it remains a key challenge to realize excellent sensitivity and high resolution. Herein, a series of La2MgTiO6:Dy3+,Mn4+ phosphors are developed and the related energy transfer between Dy3+→Mn4+ is discovered. The coupling distance between Mn4+ and adjacent ligands is greatly affected by temperature. However, the energy differences between the emission energy levels and lower energy levels of Dy3+ hinder the multi-phonon relaxation process, which moderates the thermal quenching rate of Dy3+. Therefore, highly sensitive FIR thermometers are built according to the significant discrimination temperature dependence of Dy3+ and Mn4+. The maximum Sa and Sr reach 0.022 K−1(@563 K) and 2.622 %K−1(@544 K). In contrast, a thermometer based on the emission lifetime of Mn4+ is fabricated, which is extremely sensitive to temperature. Interestingly, Dy3+ can effectively promote the quenching of Mn4+, and then improve the sensitivity. The maximum Sr enhances from 1.621 %K−1(@503 K) to 2.305 %K−1 (@480 K). The high sensitivity and resolution of the dual-mode fluorescence thermometry have exceeded most of the current optical thermal measurement materials. Besides, the thermochromic properties presented by the designed phosphors can be combined with PDMS films to qualitatively evaluate the ambient temperature.

Tongue-inspired gelatin/poly(acrylate-co-acrylamide)-Fe3+ organic hydrogel with tunable mechanical, electrical, and sensory properties

Conductive hydrogels have emerged as one of the most promising candidates for the next generation of wearable soft electronics. However, they face limitations during practical implementation owing to their unbalanced overall properties. In this study, we present a dynamic cross-linked gelatin/poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide) (GxPyFez) hydrogel with tunable mechanical strength, self-healing, freezing resistance, electrical conductivity, and high sensitivity, which was prepared by incorporating Fe3+ ions. The hydrogel was prepared based on the tongue, in which gelatin/poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide) and Fe3+ ions mimic the connective tissue and receptor cells of the human tongue. The synergistic effect of reversible crosslinking, along with the modulation of rigid and flexible components enabled tunable flexible structures that exhibit excellent mechanical properties such as elongation at break (569 %) and toughness (8.82 MJ m−3). Notably, the G2P3Fe0.1 hydrogel exhibited remarkable self-healing ability, even at room temperature, while maintaining a good freezing resistance. Furthermore, the G2P3Fe0.1 demonstrated fast response characteristics along with a high sensitivity (GF = 2.75). Consequently, it could be assembled into sensors capable of effectively detecting various movements of the human body; it serves as an electronic skin that responds to diverse external stimuli and monitors underwater motion signals. This study provides new insights into the design of conductive hydrogels with tunable overall properties that can be modified to suit specific application scenarios.

Optimal configuration of energy storage considering flexibility requirements and operational risks in a power system

The integration of renewable energy units into power systems brings a huge challenge to the flexible regulation ability. As an efficient and convenient flexible resource, energy storage systems (ESSs) have the advantages of fast-response characteristics and bi-directional power conversion, which can provide flexible support for the power system. This paper establishes an optimization model for the ESS based on a bi-level programming model. The upper-level model optimizes the decision strategy of ESS configuration planning. The lower-level model is based on scenario analysis theory to simulate the operation of typical daily scenarios. Flexibility requirement constraints are added to characterize the required flexibility resources of the power system. In addition, the conditional value-at-risk (CVaR) is applied to characterize the risk of wind curtailment and load shedding during operation. To simplify the model, a set of association constraints is introduced to convert the original bi-level programming model into a direct-solvable single-level mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed model is verified through case studies.

Fiber-Optic Photoacoustic CO Sensor for Gas Insulation Equipment Monitoring Based on Cantilever Differential Lock-In Amplification and Optical Excitation Enhancement.

A fiber-optic photoacoustic CO sensor for gas insulation equipment is proposed, which relies on F-P interferometric cantilever-based differential lock-in amplification and optical multipass excitation enhancement. The sensor has excellent characteristics of high sensitivity, antielectromagnetic interference, fast response, and long-distance detection. The photoacoustic pressure waves in the two resonators of the differential photoacoustic cell (DPAC) are simultaneously detected by two fiber-optic interferometric cantilevers and processed differentially; thereby, the gas flow noise is effectively suppressed. Based on the comprehensive analysis of the superposition of photoacoustic excitation and multipass absorption, the diameter of the resonator is determined to be 6 mm. The optical power emitted by the 1566.6 nm distributed feedback laser is increased to 500 mW by an erbium-doped fiber amplifier. The near-infrared light is reflected 30 times in the multipass cell, which improves the order of magnitude of optical effective excitation. Due to the low sound velocity of SF6 gas, the resonant frequency of the DPAC with a resonator length of 80 mm is 760 Hz. The response time to CO/SF6 gas is 93 s with a flow rate of 500 sccm. The detection limit of the CO sensor is 53 ppb, which realizes the accurate and timely perception of the SF6 decomposition derivative CO and provides technical support for trouble-free operation of gas insulation equipment.

Intelligent sensing technology inspired by cell electrophoresis: Dielectric polarization sensor for monitoring the electrical equipment status of IoT nodes

The rapid development of the Internet of Things (IoT) era has led to the emergence of various types of information sensing devices. The operation and maintenance of IoT devices require a large-scale use of sensors at the expense of high energy consumption. In this work, we develop a self-powered voltage monitoring sensor (VSM-S) based on the principle of dielectric polarization, which is inspired by the cell electrophoresis phenomenon. This sensor imitates the structure of biological cells and takes advantage of the easier polarization characteristics of liquid medium with high dielectric constant in an external electric field. It collects electric field energy to achieve self-powering function and can monitor the position and status of the electric field source in real-time through output signals. Experiments show that the designed VSM-S has the characteristics of fast response (10−9-10−15 s), high sensitivity (0.3 nA/V), and wide application range. Furthermore, its integration with monitoring systems enables applications in smart industries, smart homes, and smart grids. This work has considerable development prospects in the fields of wearable sensors and the IoTs.

Research on the Driving and Control of an Intelligent Book Robot

Based on the theoretical foundation provided by kinematic simulations under various parameter conditions using Adams for robots' control, this paper designs a dual-closed-loop drive control system for the robot. It constructs the drive speed control hardware circuit and simulates the step response of positional PID, incremental PID, and fuzzy PID in Simulink. Positional PID is selected as the velocity control algorithm due to its fast response characteristics and ease of implementation. The drive circuit and control algorithm are jointly simulated using Proteus to verify the speed control effect of the robot's drive.

Investigations of MoS2-Based Self-Powered M–S–M Photodetectors with Low Defect Density and Fast Response and Low-Temperature Characteristics

Investigations of MoS₂-Based Self-Powered M–S–M Photodetectors with Low Defect Density and Fast Response and Low-Temperature Characteristics

Portable microfluidic plasmonic chip for fast real-time cardiac troponin I biomarker thermoplasmonic detection.

Acute myocardial infarction is one of the most serious cardiovascular pathologies, impacting patients' long-term outcomes and health systems worldwide. Significant effort is directed toward the development of biosensing technologies, which are able to efficiently and accurately detect an early rise of cardiac troponin levels, the gold standard in detecting myocardial injury. In this context, this work aims to develop a microfluidic plasmonic chip for the fast and accurate real-time detection of the cardiac troponin I biomarker (cTnI) via three complementary detection techniques using portable equipment. Furthermore, the study focuses on providing a better understanding of the thermoplasmonic biosensing mechanism taking advantage of the intrinsic photothermal properties of gold nanoparticles. Specifically, a plasmonic nanoplatform based on immobilized gold nanobipyramids was fabricated, exhibiting optical and thermoplasmonic properties that promote, based on a sandwich-like immunoassay, the "proof-of-concept" multimodal detection of cTnI via localized surface plasmon resonance, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy and thermoplasmonic effects under simulated conditions. Furthermore, after the integration of the plasmonic nanoplatform in a microfluidic channel, the determination of cTnI in 16 real plasma samples was successfully realized via thermoplasmonic detection. The results are compared with a conventional high-sensitivity enzyme-linked immunosorbent clinical assay (ELISA), showing high sensitivity (75%) and specificity (100%) as well as fast response features (5 minutes). Thus, the proposed portable and miniaturized microfluidic plasmonic chip is successfully validated for clinical applications and transferred to clinical settings for the early diagnosis of cardiac diseases, leading towards the progress of personalized medicine.

Elastomers with ultrahigh mechanical properties for flexible sensing and triboelectric nanogenerators

With the continuous development of technology, flexible wearable electronic devices have received widespread attention. However, flexible substrate materials with high strength and toughness and flexible stretchable electrode materials that can meet practical needs are still full of challenges. Here, we successfully prepared elastomeric substrate materials with high tensile strength (30.95 MPa), high toughness (134.16 MJ/m3), solvent resistance and puncture resistance by modulating the reaction conditions of maleic anhydride and polystyrene-b-polybutadiene-b-polystyrene. Subsequently, the preparation of flexible and stretchable electrodes was achieved by mixing an elastomeric substrate with carbon nanotubes. The capacitive sensor designed and assembled based on this stretchable electrode has fast response characteristics and can be used for human movement detection. Additionally, the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) fabricated using this material for the friction layer exhibits a high open-circuit voltage of 848 V along with a short-circuit current of 20 μA. Its excellent stability is evidenced by its ability to withstand up to 10,000 cycles, and it also possesses an impressive power density of 3.8 W/m2. These characteristics provide a solid foundation for advancing research in intelligent sensing technologies and lay the groundwork for its future incorporation into energy-harvesting devices.

Reliability Evaluation of Cabled Active Distribution Network Considering Multiple Devices—A Generalized MILP Model

With the rapid development of power electronic equipment, the automation and intelligence level of active distribution networks (ADNs) continues to improve. Against this background, soft open points (SOPs) are gradually replacing traditional segmented switches and interconnection switches. The voltage support capability and fast response characteristics of SOPs can shorten power outage time and expand load recovery range. However, the widespread integration of distributed renewable energy and new power electronic devices has made the fault characteristics of ADNs more complex, significantly increasing the computational complexity of ADN reliability assessment. At present, there are few studies that comprehensively consider ADNs with multiple devices. Therefore, this paper proposes a reliability evaluation method for ADNs that considers multiple devices. Firstly, the impact of circuit breakers, SOPs, and segmented switches on the load recovery process is analyzed. Secondly, an improved virtual fault flow model based on the action mechanisms of circuit breakers, SOPs, and segmented switches is established. The virtual fault flow is represented by logical variables to simulate post fault network reconstruction strategies that include circuit breaker tripping, SOP power supply recovery, and segmented switch isolation actions. Then, with the goal of minimizing the system average outage time after network reconstruction, a generalized mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model is given. Finally, taking the IEEE 33-node testing system as a case, the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method are demonstrated.

Construction of natural population cohort on telephone follow-up management quality control system and discussion regarding critical issues by REDCap system

With completing a baseline survey of a large natural population cohort, conducting regular follow-up has become a key factor in further improving the quality of cohort construction and ensuring its sustainable development. Typical cohort follow-up methods include repeat surveys, routine monitoring, and community-oriented surveillance. However, in practical applications, there are often issues such as high costs, difficulty, and high error rates. Telephone follow-up is an important supplementary method to the methods mentioned above, as it has the characteristics of low cost, fast response, and high quality. However, the with difficult organization, quality control is challenging, response rates are low, and management levels vary widely, which limits its widespread use in large-scale population cohort studies. Given the above problems, this study draws on customer relationship management based on the actual needs of the China Northwest Cohort follow-up. It relies on the REDCap electronic data collection platform to build a telephone follow-up management and quality control system. Targeted solutions are provided for key issues in telephone follow-up implementation, including organizational structure, project management, data collection, and process quality control, to improve the quality control level of telephone follow-up comprehensively and thereby enhance the quality and efficiency of follow-up. We hope to provide standardized follow-up programs and efficient quality control tools for newly established and existing cohort studies.

Fixed time adaptive fault tolerant sliding mode control of PEMFC air supply system

Guaranteeing rapid management of oxygen excess ratio (OER) for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) under load variations is a challenge with practical significance. To improve the controller response of PEMFC air supply system, a fixed time fault-tolerant control strategy is proposed in this paper. A fixed convergence time of PEMFC air supply control system is quantified and guaranteed by the proposed method and the control response can be accelerated by reducing the setting time. The contributions of this paper is fourfold. Firstly, the manifold leakage fault is estimated by fixed time fault observer, which can improve the real-time fault tracking performance of the control system. Secondly, a hierarchical fixed time sliding mode controller is proposed to regulate the OER rapidly. Furthermore, a novel adaptive term is employed to reduce the effects of the chattering from fault observer in the outer loop. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified on a real-time PEMFC simulation platform. Experimental results on a Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) platform show that the proposed fixed time fault tolerant control strategy has the characteristics of fast response and high robustness.

Adaptive micro-projection system based on liquid lens

Projectors play an important role in the fields of education, entertainment, etc. The conventional projectors are generally bulky, lack of portability and adaptability. In this paper, an adaptive micro-projection system based on liquid lens is proposed. The main part of the system consists of a sequential three-color light source module, a light-homogenized module, a piece of liquid–crystal-on-silicon (LCoS) with high refresh rate, a polarization beam splitter (PBS), a zoom projection lens based on liquid lenses, a liquid lens controller and a display driver board. By adjusting the driving voltages on the liquid lenses, the adaptive micro-projection system can work with the distance at least from 150 mm to 310 mm continuously. Moreover, by synchronously controlling the refresh of the LCoS and the sequential lighting of the three-color light source through the display driver board, a 60 Hz color video display can be realized with only one piece of LCoS. We introduce the design method of the liquid lens based zoom projection lens in detail and provide an optical structure of the liquid lens based zoom projection lens with excellent performance. The control software and hardware of the system are carefully developed. Simulations and experiments demonstrate the feasibility of the system. The proposed system has the characteristics of fast response, portability, integration and high adaptability and is expected to be used in virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), on-board display, head-mounted display and so on.

Modeling of temperature effect on electromechanical properties of dielectric elastomer minimum energy structures

Due to the characteristics of large deformation and fast response to excitation voltage, dielectric elastomer minimum energy structures (DEMES) can actively adjust its shape to adapt to the complex environments, which is a research hotspot in the field of soft robotics. The electromechanical properties of DEMES are sensitive to temperature variation. However, the analysis of the effect of temperature on the viscoelastic dynamic behavior of DEMES is incomplete in existing studies. In this paper, an analytical framework for investigating the electromechanical performances of DEMES actuator is presented. By introducing the effects of temperature on the dielectric constant and elastic modulus of DEMES actuator, the governing equations of motion for the underlying non-conservative system affected by temperature are established by combining the DE viscoelastic rheological model and the Euler-Lagrange equation. The proposed model is used for building insights into the effect of temperature on the stiffness, equilibrium state, actuation range and the evolution law of the dynamic response under the DC and AC excitations of DEMES. The results show that a significant enhancement in the equilibrium angle attained by the structure with the improving of the temperature is observed, indicating a favorable impact of ambient temperature. Phase paths and Poincaré maps are presented for assessing the temperature effect on the stability and periodicity of the nonlinear oscillations. The frequency responses of the actuator for the AC loads indicate that a suitable temperature can significantly improve the dynamic performance and stability of DEMES actuator. The proposed analytical model and results presented in this study can provide guidance for the design and development of DEMES based soft robot subjected to harsh environments.