Hopping Mode Research Articles

High‐Resolution Electrochemical Mapping of the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction on Transition‐Metal Dichalcogenide Nanosheets

AbstractHigh‐resolution scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM) is used to image and quantitatively analyze the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalytically active sites of 1H‐MoS2 nanosheets, MoS2, and WS2 heteronanosheets. Using a 20 nm radius nanopipette and hopping mode scanning, the resolution of SECCM was beyond the optical microscopy limit and visualized a small triangular MoS2 nanosheet with a side length of ca. 130 nm. The electrochemical cell provides local cyclic voltammograms with a nanoscale spatial resolution for visualizing HER active sites as electrochemical images. The HER activity difference of edge, terrace, and heterojunction of MoS2 and WS2 were revealed. The SECCM imaging directly visualized the relationship of HER activity and number of MoS2 nanosheet layers and unveiled the heterogeneous aging state of MoS2 nanosheets. SECCM can be used for improving local HER activities by producing sulfur vacancies using electrochemical reaction at the selected region.

Photo- and electroluminescence features of films and field effect transistors based on inorganic perovskite nanocrystals embedded in a polymer matrix

The optical and electrical properties of films and field-effect transistors (FETs) based on pure MEH-PPV, neat CsPbBr3 nanocrystals (NCs), and MEH-PPV:CsPbBr3 NCs composites with different contents of CsPbBr3 NCs are investigated. The films were characterized by absorbance, atomic-force microscope and current-voltage characteristics (I-Vs) techniques. Relative PL and EL intensities and PL spectra of the pure MEH-PPV, neat CsPbBr3 NCs and MEH-PPV:CsPbBr3 NCs films were measured at 300 K at various levels of optical and electrical excitation power; these dependencies of the PL and EL intensities turned out to be sublinear and superlinear respectively. FETs based on MEH-PPV:CsPbBr3 NCs (1:1) films exhibit I-Vs at 290 – 100 K a dominant hole transport mechanism. The mobility of charge carriers was determined at 290 K for neat CsPbBr3 NCs (for electrons: 2.7 10−2 cm2/Vs) and MEH-PPV:CsPbBr3 NCs (1:1) (for holes: 9 cm2/Vs). The temperature dependence of the hole mobility μFET(T) of FETs based on MEH-PPV:CsPbBr3 NCs (1:1) films characteristic of the hopping mode. It was found that the superlinearity of the dependence of EL of MEH-PPV:CsPbBr3 NCs LE-FETs at 290 K increases with increasing concentration of CsPbBr3 NCs due to efficient energy transfer between CsPbBr3 NCs and the MEH-PPV polymer matrix, and also because of the probability of electron tunneling through the potential barrier to electrode. It is expected that the obtained MEH-PPV:CsPbBr3 NCs nanocomposite films will be useful for efficient applications in nanotechnology LEDs, FETs and LE-FETs.

Industrial internet of things over IEEE 802.15.4 TSCH networks: design and challenges

Using the internet of things technologies in manufacturing provides a promising opportunity to build powerful industrial systems and applications. The quest for mobility, flexibility, and low-energy consumption has created a strong push toward using low-power wireless solutions to enable the industrial internet of things (IIoT). This paper presents a survey of the emerging research concerning IIoT with a focus on the most promising solutions. It, first, outlines the main requirements to be addressed in order to build a powerful IIoT system. The paper, then, presents an overview accompanied by a comparative study of the most prevalent IIoT communication technologies. The study reveals the potential of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard with its time slotted channel hopping (TSCH) mode to lead the way through the IIoT, thanks to its latency, reliability and low-power characteristics along with the support of multi-hop communications. Based on this outcome, the paper provides an in-depth look at TSCH mechanisms and outlines the most challenging issues. Finally, the paper concludes the need to propose new solutions addressing such issues in order to make successful IIoT systems.

Industrial internet of things over IEEE 802.15.4 TSCH networks: design and challenges

Using the internet of things technologies in manufacturing provides a promising opportunity to build powerful industrial systems and applications. The quest for mobility, flexibility, and low-energy consumption has created a strong push toward using low-power wireless solutions to enable the industrial internet of things (IIoT). This paper presents a survey of the emerging research concerning IIoT with a focus on the most promising solutions. It, first, outlines the main requirements to be addressed in order to build a powerful IIoT system. The paper, then, presents an overview accompanied by a comparative study of the most prevalent IIoT communication technologies. The study reveals the potential of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard with its time slotted channel hopping (TSCH) mode to lead the way through the IIoT, thanks to its latency, reliability and low-power characteristics along with the support of multi-hop communications. Based on this outcome, the paper provides an in-depth look at TSCH mechanisms and outlines the most challenging issues. Finally, the paper concludes the need to propose new solutions addressing such issues in order to make successful IIoT systems.

IETF 6TiSCH: A Tutorial

The IETF IPv6 over the TSCH mode of IEEE802.15.4e (6TiSCH) working group has standardized a set of protocols to enable low power industrial-grade IPv6 networks. 6TiSCH proposes a protocol stack rooted in the Time Slotted Channel Hopping (TSCH) mode of the IEEE802.15.4-2015 standard, supports multi-hop topologies with the IPv6 Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks (RPL) routing protocol, and is IPv6-ready through 6LoWPAN. 6TiSCH has defined the missing control plane protocols to match link-layer resources to the routing topology and application communication needs. 6TiSCH has also defined a secure light-weight join processes combining link-layer security features (through Counter with CBC-MAC (CCM*)) with a secure joining procedure using the Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP). This tutorial provides a comprehensive overview of the 6TiSCH architecture and protocol suite, including the 6TiSCH Operation Sublayer (6top), the 6top Protocol (6P), and how it uses 6LoWPAN, IP-in-IP encapsulation, and RPL. This document is meant to be used both as a primer, and as a reference. It is tailored to the advanced researcher and engineer implementing and building upon IETF 6TiSCH specifications.

Path integral study on C15-type Laves TiCr2 hydride

The path integral method has been applied for the C15-type Laves alloy hydride, TiCr2H1.3, to treat quantum mechanical effects on atomic nuclei. The atomic interaction is simulated by the machine learning potential which reproduces well the results of density functional calculations. The canonical ensemble is sampled using the hybrid Monte Carlo method at 300 K. The predicted heat of solution, −19 kJ/mol H2, agrees well with the available experimental data. Hydrogen atoms dominantly occupy the 96g sites which form the closed hexagonal rings (HRs). Two H diffusion paths, the intra- and inter-HR paths, are identified, for which the activation barriers are evaluated to be 63 and 155 meV, respectively. They most likely correspond to different two H hopping modes assigned in the nuclear magnetic resonance experiment.

Throughput Maximizing and Fair Scheduling Algorithms in Industrial Internet of Things Networks

Time-slotted channel hopping (TSCH) mode in the IEEE 802.15.4-2015 standard provides ultrahigh reliability and ultralow power consumption to sensor devices. The key feature of TSCH is the scheduling of time slots and frequencies, which falls outside the current standards. In this paper, we focus on throughput maximizing and max-min fair scheduling problems in a centralized TSCH networks. At first, a polynomial time algorithm for the throughput maximizing scheduling problem is proposed. We proceed to investigate and deliberate on some instances of the problem with their combinatorial properties. Second, a novel auction-based scheduling algorithm that uses a first-price sealed-bid auction mechanism is presented for the throughput maximizing problem. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm obtains a close throughput performance to the optimal one obtained through CPLEX with a much lower complexity. Moreover, we propose a novel heuristic for the max-min fair scheduling problem and demonstrate its performance through extensive simulations in terms of the total throughput and fairness varying the number of nodes, frequencies, and antennas. Simulation results indicate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm and its close performance to the optimal solution.

Hierarchical spiral-scan trajectory for efficient scanning ion conductance microscopy

Scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) is an emerging technique for non-contact, high-resolution topography imaging, especially suitable for live cells investigation in a physiological environment. Despite its rapid development, the extended acquisition time issues of its typical hopping/backstep scanning mode still restrict its application for more fields. Herein, we propose a novel SICM scanning approach to effectively reduce the retract distance of existing hopping/backstep mode. In this approach, the SICM probe first gradually descends in the z-direction. Then by using Archimedes spiral trajectory, which has the advantage of higher angular velocity due to its continuous and smooth trajectory, the probe rapidly detects the highest point of the sample in the xy-plane in a layer-by-layer way. Further, the maximum height that decides the retrace distance of pipet in the detected region can be quickly achieved, avoiding a huge retrace distance usually adopted in the existing methods without any prior knowledge (sample height and steepness in the scanning region). Therefore, this new scanning method can greatly reduce the imaging time by minimizing the retrace height of each measurement point. Theoretical analysis is conducted to compare the imaging time of traditional and new method. And various factors in the new method that affect the imaging speed are analyzed. In addition, PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) and biological samples (C2C12 cells) were imaged by SICM that was operated in the hopping mode, raster-based detecting and developed method with a single-barrel pipet, respectively. The experimental results suggest that the new method has a faster imaging speed than conventional scanning modes but does not sacrifice the imaging quality.

Topology Management and TSCH Scheduling for Low-Latency Convergecast in In-Vehicle WSNs

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are considered as a promising solution in intravehicle networking to reduce wiring and production costs. This application requires reliable and real-time data delivery, while the network is very dense. The time-slotted channel hopping (TSCH) mode of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard provides a reliable solution for low-power networks through guaranteed medium access and channel diversity. However, satisfying the stringent requirements of in-vehicle networks is challenging and demands for special consideration in network formation and TSCH scheduling. This paper targets convergecast in dense in-vehicle WSNs, in which all nodes can potentially directly reach the sink node. A cross-layer low-latency topology management and TSCH scheduling (LLTT) technique is proposed that provides a very high timeslot utilization for the TSCH schedule and minimizes communication latency. It first picks a topology for the network that increases the potential of parallel TSCH communications. Then, by using an optimized graph isomorphism algorithm, it extracts a proper match in the physical connectivity graph of the network for the selected topology. This network topology is used by a lightweight TSCH schedule generator to provide low data delivery latency. Two techniques, namely grouped retransmission and periodic aggregation, are exploited to increase the performance of the TSCH communications. The experimental results show that LLTT reduces the end-to-end communication latency compared to other approaches, while keeping the communications reliable by using dedicated links and grouped retransmissions.

MHD modeling of rotating arc under restrike mode in ‘Kvaerner-type’ torch: part I. Dynamics at 1 bar pressure

This paper focuses on the 3D MHD modeling of an arc plasma at industrial level; the torch is a ‘Kvaerner-type’ one, made of two concentric graphite electrodes and where spots are displaced with an external magnetic field. Different phenomenologies in arc movement were observed, ranging from a gliding arc on electrodes surfaces to hopping arc foots, agreeing with previous experimental works at atmospheric pressure. These dynamics have non-negligible consequences in the plasma process: the hopping mode induces more erosion due to a higher heat flux at the electrodes surfaces in comparison to the gliding arc; the latter mode results also in a strong gas swirling inside the torch, thus longer particles residence time is predicted.

Scanning Ion Conductance Microscopy: Quantitative Nanopipette Delivery–Substrate Electrode Collection Measurements and Mapping

Scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) is becoming a powerful multifunctional tool for probing and analyzing surfaces and interfaces. This work outlines methodology for the quantitative controlled delivery of ionic redox-active molecules from a nanopipette to a substrate electrode, with a high degree of spatial and temporal precision. Through control of the SICM bias applied between a quasi-reference counter electrode (QRCE) in the SICM nanopipette probe and a similar electrode in bulk solution, it is shown that ionic redox species can be held inside the nanopipette, and then pulse-delivered to a defined region of a substrate positioned beneath the nanopipette. A self-referencing hopping mode imaging protocol is implemented, where reagent is released in bulk solution (reference measurement) and near the substrate surface at each pixel in an image, with the tip and substrate currents measured throughout. Analysis of the tip and substrate current data provides an improved understanding of mass transport and nanoscale delivery in SICM and a new means of synchronously mapping electrode reactivity, surface topography, and charge. Experiments on Ru(NH3)63+ reduction to Ru(NH3)62+ and dopamine oxidation in aqueous solution at a carbon fiber ultramicroelectrode (UME), used as the substrate, illustrate these aspects. Finite element method (FEM) modeling provides quantitative understanding of molecular delivery in SICM. The approach outlined constitutes a new methodology for electrode mapping and provides improved insights on the use of SICM for controlled delivery to interfaces generally.

High-speed scanning ion conductance microscopy for sub-second topography imaging of live cells.

Scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) is an emerging tool for non-invasive and high-resolution topography imaging of live cells. However, the imaging speed of conventional SICM setups is slow, requiring several seconds or even minutes per image, thereby making it difficult to study cellular dynamics. Here, we describe a high-speed SICM (HS-SICM) setup for topography imaging in the hopping mode with a pixel rate of 11.0 kHz, which is 15 times faster than what was reported before. In combination with a "turn step" procedure for rapid pipette retraction, we image the ultra-fast morphodynamics of live human platelets, A6 cells, and U2OS cells at a rate as fast as 0.6 s per frame. The results show that HS-SICM provides a useful platform for investigating the dynamics of cell morphology on a sub-second timescale.

DISH

The MAC standard amendment IEEE 802.15.4e is designed to meet the requirements of industrial and critical applications. In particular, the Time Slotted Channel Hopping (TSCH) mode divides time into periodic, equally sized, slotframes composed of transmission timeslots. Then, it combines time slotted access with multichannel and channel hopping capabilities, providing large network capacity, high reliability, and predictable latency while ensuring energy efficiency. Since every network node considers the same timeslots at each slotframe and selects physical channels according to a periodic function, TSCH produces a steady channel utilization pattern. This can be exploited by a selective jammer to entirely thwart communications of a victim node in a way that is stealthy, effective, and extremely energy efficient. This article shows how a selective jamming attack can be successfully performed even though TSCH uses the IEEE 802.15.4e security services. Furthermore, we propose DISH, a countermeasure which randomly permutes the timeslot and channel utilization patterns at every slotframe in a consistent and completely distributed way without requiring any additional message exchange. We have implemented DISH for the Contiki OS and tested its effectiveness on TelosB sensor nodes. Quantitative analysis for different network configurations shows that DISH effectively contrasts selective jamming with negligible performance penalty.

Parallel Rendezvous-Based Association for IEEE 802.15.4 TSCH Networks

The time-slotted channel hopping (TSCH) mode of the standard IEEE 802.15.4 provides medium access control for most low-power and lossy network (LLN) applications in the Internet of Things. TSCH creates a synchronized mesh network capable of delivering data packets in a reliable and timely manner. The standard defines a scan mechanism to allow nodes to detect the presence of a TSCH network and to associate to it. However, the time required to do so can be long, which causes excessive energy consumption, as nodes that are trying to associate stay awake during this process. In this paper, we present a rendezvous-based algorithm for TSCH association called PRV-TSCH that significantly reduces the time required for going through this process. The algorithm uses the principle of parallel rendezvous to allow nodes to associate to a TSCH network in a very short time. The interaction between the IPv6 Routing Protocol for LLNs and the time to associate to the TSCH network is also studied. The results of extensive simulation experiments and a mathematical model demonstrate that PRV-TSCH outperforms the purely passive scan proposed by the standard in terms of the time and energy required to associate to a TSCH network.

Seamless roaming and guaranteed communication using a synchronized single-hop multi-gateway 802.15.4e TSCH network

Industrial wireless sensor and actuator networks (WSANs) are being used to improve the efficiency, productivity and safety of industrial processes. One open standard that is commonly used in such cases is IEEE 802.15.4e. Its Time-Slotted Channel Hopping (TSCH) mode employs a time synchronized based medium access control (MAC) scheme together with channel hopping to alleviate the impact of channel fading and interference. Until now, most of the industrial WSANs have been designed to only support static nodes and are not able to deal with mobility. In this paper, we show how a single-hop, multi-gateway IEEE 802.15.4e TSCH network architecture can tackle the mobility problem. We introduce the Virtual Grand Master (VGM) concept that moves the synchronization point from separated Backbone Border Routers (BBRs) towards the backbone network. With time synchronization of all BBRs, mobile nodes can roam from one BBR to another without time desynchronization. In addition to time synchronization, we introduce a mechanism to synchronize the schedules between BBRs to support fast handover of mobile nodes. We show that with the proposed network architecture handovers happen instantly without any packet losses, while the handover time can be up to tens of seconds without any time synchronization between BBRs. The solution is evaluated in a testbed setting as well as in a real industrial environment.

Beacon advertising in an IEEE 802.15.4e TSCH network for space launch vehicles

Which wireless technology is able to meet the requirements of space launch vehicles in terms of latency, throughput and robustness? The IEEE 802.15.4e amendment has been designed to meet such requirements. More specifically, the Time Slotted Channel Hopping (TSCH) mode has been designed for industrial automation, process control and equipment monitoring. In this paper, we focus on the time needed by a joining node to detect beacons advertising the TSCH network. An Enhanced beacon is a TSCH frame that contains information on synchronization, channel hopping and timeslot used in the advertised network. However, the advertising policy is left unspecified by the IEEE 802.15.4e standard and is under the responsibility of a layer upper than the MAC one. Since beacons are broadcast, they are lost in case of collisions.The main problem is how to avoid such collisions?In this paper, we propose a Deterministic Beacon Advertising Algorithm, called DBA. The goal of DBA is to ensure that beacons are transmitted on all frequencies used by the TSCH network, regularly and without collision. With DBA, the exact value for the maximum time for a joining node to detect a beacon can be computed easily. We use the NS3 Simulator to evaluate this time as well as the number of message losses, considering different network topologies (star or multihop). We compare the performance of DBA with that of two algorithms existing in the state of the art.

Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Salt Diffusion in Polyelectrolyte Assemblies.

The diffusion of salt ions and charged probe molecules in polyelectrolyte (PE) assemblies is often assumed to follow a theoretical hopping model, in which the diffusing ion hops between charged sites of chains based on electroneutrality. However, experimental verification of diffusing pathway at such microscales is difficult, and the corresponding molecular mechanisms remain elusive. In this study, we perform all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of salt diffusion in the PE assembly of poly(sodium-4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) and poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDAC). Besides the ion hopping mode, the diffusing trajectories are found to present common features of a jump process, that is, subjecting to PE relaxation, water pockets in the structure open and close; thus, the ion can move from one pocket to another. Anomalous subdiffusion of ions and water is observed because of the trapping scenarios in these water pockets. The jump events are much rarer compared with ion hopping but significantly increases salt diffusion with increasing temperature. Our result strongly indicates that salt diffusion in hydrated PDAC/PSS is a combined process of ion hopping and jump motion. This provides a new molecular explanation for the coupling of salt motion with chain motion and the nonlinear increase of salt diffusion at glass-transition temperature.

Smart Scanning Ion-Conductance Microscopy Imaging Technique Using Horizontal Fast Scanning Method.

To solve extended acquisition time issues inherent in the conventional hopping-scanning mode of scanning ion-conductance microscopy (SICM), a new transverse-fast scanning mode (TFSM) is proposed. Because the transverse motion in SICM is not the detection direction and therefore presents no collision problem, it has the ability to move at high speed. In TSFM, the SICM probe gradually descends in the vertical/detection direction and rapidly scans in the transverse/nondetection direction. Further, the highest point that decides the hopping height of each scanning line can be quickly obtained. In conventional hopping mode, however, the hopping height is artificially set without a priori knowledge and is typically very large. Consequently, TFSM greatly improves the scanning speed of the SICM imaging system by effectively reducing the hopping height of each pixel. This study verifies the feasibility of this novel scanning method via theoretical analysis and experimental study, and compares the speed and quality of the scanning images obtained in the TFSM with that of the conventional hopping mode. The experimental results indicate that the TFSM method has a faster scanning speed than other SICM scanning methods while maintaining the quality of the images. Therefore, TFSM provides the possibility to quickly obtain high-resolution three-dimensional topographical images of extremely complex samples.

A distributed density optimized scheduling function for IEEE 802.15.4e TSCH networks

AbstractThe Industrial Internet of Things is a challenge for wireless sensor networks, where ultrareliability, guaranteed performance, and ultralow‐power consumption are mandatory requirements to enable critical IoT applications. The time‐slotted channel hopping (TSCH) mode of the IEEE 802.15.4e standard is one of the most promising technologies to accomplish these requirements by yielding guaranteed performance and, simultaneously, efficiently combating external interference and multipath fading. One of the challenges in TSCH networks is to build an efficient schedule for managing the access of the nodes to the timeslots and channels. Several scheduling algorithms have been proposed. Currently, the Scheduling Function Zero SFx is one of the proposed scheduling algorithms for 6TiSCH, the ongoing standard for an IPv6‐enabled stack working over TSCH. SFx is based on random resource allocation according to the traffic demand, which makes it inadequate for large‐scale and dense deployments due to internal collisions. This paper has two main goals. First, we extensively investigate the performance of SFx for large‐scale and dense scenarios, analyze its scalability, and identify its scheduling limitations. Second, we present a new TSCH‐based scheduling function, ie, the distributed broadcast‐based scheduling (DeBraS) algorithm, a scheduling solution designed for dense deployments based on sharing scheduling information between nodes to reduce collisions proactively. We show, through extensive and large‐scale simulations, that DeBraS supports much larger densities than state‐of‐the‐art scheduling functions, outperforming the current distributed 6TiSCH algorithm SFx up to 1.61 times in terms of throughput for large network sizes, at the expense of an increase in power consumption.

Hopping mode SECM imaging of redox activity in ionic liquid with glass-coated inlaid platinum nanoelectrodes prepared using a heating coil puller

Major difficulties in nanoscale scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM), resulting from the short tip-to-sample distance, are tilt misalignment and vertical thermal drift. This renders constant height mode nanoscale electrochemical imaging experimentally problematic. Nanoscale SECM also requires application of reliable nanoprobes. Although SECM nanotips are commercially available, they are rather disposable, fragile and their shelf-life is limited. Many SECM laboratories employ self-prepared nanoprobes, fabricated using advanced apparatus. In this paper, we employ a hopping mode approach to nanoscale electrochemical imaging, which resolves the mentioned common difficulties. The applied platinum nanoelectrodes, insulated with borosilicate glass, were prepared using affordable equipment and materials. They were applied for nanoscale mapping of redox mediator regeneration at a model interdigitated microsensor, composed of Pt microband electrodes, in a solution of ferrocene in viscous hydrophobic room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) – 1-butyl-3-methylimidazoliumbis(trifluoro-methylsulfonyl)imide (C4mim N(Tf)2). The presented nanosensors were also characterized with cyclic voltammetry in aqueous electrolyte containing hexamineruthenium (III) chloride as redox mediator.