Poor Integration Research Articles

Development of a Taxonomy of Policy Interventions for Integrating Nurse Practitioners into Health Systems

Background: Nurse practitioners (NPs)—nurses with advanced training who can provide and prescribe care—are increasingly prevalent internationally. The growth of NPs can be attributed to physician shortages, growing demand for health services, and the professionalization of nursing. Ensuring efficacious integration of NPs into the health system is critical for maximizing their impact on patient and system outcomes. Nonetheless, there is a dearth of information on practical policy interventions facilitating the successful integration of NPs. Effective policy interventions should capture the perspectives of actors at all levels of the health system—ie, national and organizational levels. This study aimed to delineate a taxonomy of policy interventions for integrating NPs into health systems. This paper presents a taxonomy developed among gerontology NPs in Israel. Methods: This qualitative descriptive study used multiple perspective, one-to-one interviews with four professional groups—national policy-makers, organizational administrators, NPs, and physicians. Data were analyzed using deductive content analysis. Analysis accounted for diverging and converging patterns between professional groups. Results: There were 58 participants across the four professional groups. The national-level domain interventions include marketing, workforce development, professional licensure and regulation, financial incentives, stakeholder cooperation, education and training programs, and national-level research. Organizational domain interventions included organizational guidelines, infrastructure development and resource allocation, interprofessional leadership engagement, and organizational messaging. Unit- and care-team domain interventions included interprofessional experience and exposure, team communication, and mentorship. Conclusion: The taxonomy’s trichotomy of three health system level domains describes the relationship between national and organizational policy interventions. Adopting these interventions may result in an improved response to provider shortages. Policies insufficiently addressing role clarity and workforce retention resulted in poor integration and a failure to efficaciously combat workforce shortages. Future work will expand the focus of this preliminary taxonomy by further development and testing with international participants.

Injectable microcarrier‐hydrogel composite for dental stem cell delivery and tissue regeneration

AbstractConventional methods of stem cell therapy for tissue regeneration often face challenges, such as poor cell viability and integration posttransplantation. To address this, we proposed transplanting cells within synthetic microenvironments that maintain viability, cell phenotype, support extracellular matrix (ECM) secretion, and promote differentiation to enhance the regeneration of damaged host tissue. This hypothesis was tested in dental tissue regeneration using dental pulp stem cell‐laden microcarriers (MCs) mixed in a gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogel as a delivery system. The combination of MCs and GelMA exhibited similar physical properties and favorable biological properties compared to GelMA alone. Specifically, cell‐laden MC mixed into GelMA enhanced cell proliferation and ECM secretion and maintained a normal phenotype. Notably, MC‐modified GelMA amplified odontogenic differentiation, mineralization, and vascular endothelial growth factor release. Moreover, the storage of MC‐modified GelMA showed no detrimental effects on its injection force, cell viability, and mineralization potential, which demonstrates that the composite hydrogel is a promising injectable vehicle for therapeutic stem cell delivery. This strategy may be broadly applied to various tissues and organ systems, in which the provision and instruction of a cell population to participate in regeneration may be clinically useful.

Polymer‐based filaments with embedded magnetocaloric Ni‐Mn‐Ga Heusler alloy particles for additive manufacturing

AbstractOne important issue associated to magnetocaloric materials that hinders its technological application is the poor processability and structural integrity of those with the highest performance, usually intermetallics undergoing first‐order magnetic phase transitions. Additionally, the performance of these magnetocaloric materials highly depends on the structural stability of the magnetocaloric phase, which is, in many cases, very sensitive to temperature and mechanical processes. Additive manufacturing via the extrusion of polymer‐based composites is regarded as a promising way to overcome these issues. A recently presented manufacturing method of encapsulating functional fillers into polymer capsules has been used to produce a composite filament with a large load of magnetocaloric off‐stoichiometric Ni2MnGa Heusler alloy fillers with a uniform distribution throughout the polymer matrix as demonstrated by x‐ray tomography characterization. The incorporation of these metallic particles causes changes in the thermal behavior of the polymer as well as an increase in the flowability of the composite with respect to the polymer at the same temperature. The increased flowability of the composites found during manufacturing can be compensated by lowering the extrusion temperatures, making this technique even more convenient for preserving the filler properties, which is an important concern when additive manufacturing magnetocaloric materials. This is confirmed by the magnetic and magnetocaloric behavior of the composites, with responses proportional to the fraction of fillers.Highlights Ultrasonic‐atomization produces highly spherical Ni‐Mn‐Ga Heusler alloy particles. Ni‐Mn‐Ga filled polymer capsules allow a direct extrusion of composites for AM. X‐ray tomography shows uniform volumetric filler distribution within the filaments. Decreased viscosity of the matrix favors the lowering of the processing temperature. The low processing temperatures avoid altering the MCE of the alloy fillers.

Experiences of hospital care for people with multiple long-term conditions: a scoping review of qualitative research

BackgroundMultiple long-term conditions—the co-existence of two or more chronic health conditions in an individual—present an increasing challenge to populations and healthcare systems worldwide. This challenge is keenly felt in hospital settings where care is oriented around specialist provision for single conditions. The aim of this scoping review was to identify and summarise published qualitative research on the experiences of hospital care for people living with multiple long-term conditions, their informal caregivers and healthcare professionals.MethodsWe undertook a scoping review, following established guidelines, of primary qualitative research on experiences of hospital care for people living with multiple long-term conditions published in peer-reviewed journals between Jan 2010 and June 2022. We conducted systematic electronic searches of MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Proquest Social Science Premium, Web of Science, Scopus and Embase, supplemented by citation tracking. Studies were selected for inclusion by two reviewers using an independent screening process. Data extraction included study populations, study design, findings and author conclusions. We took a narrative approach to reporting the findings.ResultsOf 8002 titles and abstracts screened, 54 papers reporting findings from 41 studies conducted in 14 countries were identified as eligible for inclusion. The perspectives of people living with multiple long-term conditions (21 studies), informal caregivers (n = 13) and healthcare professionals (n = 27) were represented, with 15 studies reporting experiences of more than one group. Findings included poor service integration and lack of person-centred care, limited confidence of healthcare professionals to treat conditions outside of their specialty, and time pressures leading to hurried care transitions. Few studies explored inequities in experiences of hospital care.ConclusionsQualitative research evidence on the experiences of hospital care for multiple long-term conditions illuminates a tension between the desire to provide and receive person-centred care and time pressures inherent within a target-driven system focussed on increasing specialisation, reduced inpatient provision and accelerated journeys through the care system. A move towards more integrated models of care may enable the needs of people living with multiple long-term conditions to be better met. Future research should address how social circumstances shape experiences of care.

Factors affecting social integration after road traffic orthopaedic injuries in Rwanda.

Road traffic injuries (RTIs) leading to long-term disability present a significant public health challenge, causing immense personal and societal consequences. Every year, 50 million people are hurt, 1.2 million die, 30% are permanently disabled, and 14% cannot return to work due to road traffic accidents. However, in many developing countries, information on the social integration of patients post-RTI remains limited. This study aimed to identify factors contributing to social integration following road traffic-related orthopedic injuries (RTOI) in Rwanda. A multicenter, cross-sectional study included 369 adult Road traffic orthopedic injuries (RTOI) victims from five Rwandan referral hospitals. Participants completed the IMPACT-S Questionnaire between 2 June 2022, and 31 August 2022, two years after the injury. It measured social integration in terms of activities and paricipation. We used logistic regression statistical analysis with a significance level of p < 0.05 to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). The Institutional Review Board for Health Sciences and Medicine at the University of Rwanda College of Medicine ethically authorized this study. Participants signed a written consent form before participating in the study. The data was kept private and was used only for this study. The study's findings indicated that the mean age of RTOI victims was 37.5 ± 11.26 years, with a notable male predominance over females. Of the participants, 5.69% were unable to resume normal life activities. The overall mean score on the IMPACT-S scale was moderate, at 77 ± 17. Specifically, participants achieved an average score of 76 ± 16 for "activities" and a higher average of 84 ± 16 for "participation." Certain factors were associated with poor social integration compared to others, including belonging to the age group above 65 years (OR = 8.25, p = 0.02), female sex (OR = 3.26, p = 0.02), lack of rehabilitation (OR = 3.82, p = 0.01), and length of hospital stay >15 days (OR = 4.44, p = 0.02). The majority of RTOI victims in Rwanda achieved successful reintegration into society; nevertheless, their mobility and community engagement were more significantly impacted compared to other aspects assessed by the IMPACT-S scale. The study emphasized the importance of early management, effective rehabilitation, and prompt patient discharge from the hospital in facilitating a successful return to everyday life after road traffic-related orthopedic injuries.

Experiences regarding Home Care for Older Adults from the Viewpoint of Family, Paid Caregivers, Nurses, and Experts: A Qualitative Study

Home care (HC) is recommended for older adults who want to live at home as long as possible despite life-limiting conditions. It is more convenient and cost-effective than institutionalization and hospitalization. However, HC for older adults in Iran faces many challenges. The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of different stakeholders involved in HC for older adults about their experiences and suggestions for HC improvement. This qualitative study was conducted based on the explorative content analysis approach between 2021 and 2022 in Tabriz, Iran. The participants were selected using the purposeful sampling method, and the data were collected through in-depth semistructured personal interviews. A total of 27 individuals who participated in individual interviews were family members, HC workers (including nurses and unqualified paid caregivers), heads of counseling and nursing care at home centers, and experts who had clinical or research experience in the field of geriatric care. Collected data were categorized into three main themes: defects in home care governance, concern about the efficiency of home care, and caregivers’ job security concerns. These themes reflected the problems of HC, such as conflicts between multiple trustees, lack of evaluation and monitoring, inadequate competence and financial barriers of families and caregivers, and poor integration and coordination of services. Therefore, it is recommended to develop a national model for HC for Iranian older adults and allocation of different financial resources for HC, implementing quality improvement and evaluation tools, enhancing the training of caregivers, providing them with adequate compensation and benefits, and ensuring the safety and quality of services. These findings can inform the policymakers and planners of care services about the needs and challenges of this population and facilitate the collaboration among different stakeholders to provide better HC for older adults.

Introducing transversal vibration in twist drilling: Material removal mechanisms and surface integrity

In twist drilling, severe extrusion is unavoidable at the chisel edge zone and results in high thrust force and poor surface integrity. Traditional axial vibration-assisted twist drilling only modifies the material removed from the continuous extrusion to the interrupted extrusion for the chisel edge centre, and must satisfy the chip-breaking conditions to ensure that the cutting edge is periodically separated from the workpiece. Hence, transversal vibration, has been introduced in twist drilling to overcome the severe extrusion behaviour of the chisel edges of the twist drills, referred to as ultrasonic transversal vibration-assisted drilling (UTVD). Theoretical models revealed that the material removal behaviour of the chisel edge centre changed from extrusion in CD to cutting in UTVD. Experiments were performed on UTVD of Ti-6Al-4V to confirm the feasibility with this novel method. The results indicated that transverse vibration significantly affected the thrust force and torque, and the maximum decline was 29.4% and 31.5%, respectively, compared with CD. Generated chips verified the material removal behaviour of the chisel edge centre zone changed from extrusion in CD to cutting in UTVD. Therefore, the hole quality and surface integrity were improved significantly by UTVD. Deeper plastic deformation (∼2.5 times), higher surface microhardness and compressive residual stress were realised using UTVD. This study enhanced the understanding of material removal and formation mechanisms of the surface and subsurface in UTVD, thereby providing a novel method and theoretical basis for the high-performance twist drilling of difficult-to-cut alloys.

Bionic vine-stems structure for enhancing electrochromic cyclic stability and mechanical stability of multiband spectral regulation fiber

Wearable electrochromic (EC) devices can adjust visible-infrared spectra demonstrate promising potential for applications in display, decoration, personal thermal management, and adaptive thermal camouflage. However, existing flat layer-layer EC devices are hindered by poor air permeability, limited flexibility, and integration difficulties with fabrics, particularly in the realm of intelligent wearables. The creation of highly efficient fiber-shaped infrared (IR) modulation devices with exceptional structural and performance stability represents a significant challenge. We draw inspiration from the arboreous vine-stems structure observed in Chinese wistaria, which effectively minimizes the risk of damage to their vine and stems during harsh weather conditions. We have successfully designed a wearable high efficient multiband spectral regulation fiber (MSRF) with a bioinspired vine-stems structure using carbon fiber and polyaniline (PANI) as the active layer. The planar working electrode (Au) with PANI deposited on its surface was spirally wound around the counter electrode (carbon fiber) and separated by a gel electrolyte (PC/LiClO4), with polyolefin serving as the encapsulation layer. The distribution of electrical potential and lithium ions in the MSRF were analyzed using finite element analysis, demonstrating exceptional electrochromic stability without the length limit of the fiber. Moreover, the MSRF exhibited exceptional IR emissivity (△ε = 0.528) within the 8–14 μm range, fast response time (2.44 s) at low applied potentials (−0.8 V and 0.8 V), robust long-term cycling stability (at least 5000 cycles), and remarkable mechanical stability (at least 5000 bending cycles). The compatibility of the fiber with fabric and potential for patterning using MSRF with high length was also explored, providing new insights into the development of wearable adaptive thermal camouflage and spectral regulation fiber devices.

Microwave-assisted synthesis of composites based on titanium and hydroxyapatite for dental implantation.

Titanium (Ti) and its alloys are widely used in clinical practice. As they are not bioactive, hydroxyapatite (HA) is commonly used to modify them. This study offered a review of microwave-assisted synthesis of composites based on Ti and HA for dental implantation by exploring their interaction mechanisms with microwave and features of two main techniques, namely microwave coating and sintering, along with current challenges and potential solutions in the field. It was shown that microwave coating enables rapid deposition of HA, but suffers from problems such as uneven coating thickness, poor integrity and unstable composition of the products. They can be solved by creating interlayers, combining the spin coating technique, etc. Unlike microwave coating, microwave sintering can effectively modify the mechanical properties of the composites, despite the shortcomings of excessive elastic moduli and potential HA decomposition. These issues are expected to be addressed by adding alloying elements and employing appropriate materials as space holders and ion-doped HA for sintering.

Epididymal sperm characteristics in Brown-throated Sloth (Bradypus variegatus Schinz, 1825)

Three-toed sloths (Bradypus variegatus) are mammals belonging to the superorder Xenarthra and are commonly found in the tropical forests of Latin America. Few studies have investigated aspects related to the reproduction of these animals, and there is a lack of research on the characteristics of their spermatozoa. This study aimed to evaluate spermatozoa recovered from the epididymides of four animals that were euthanized at CETRAS-Tangara in Recife, Brazil. Gamete recovery was successful in only two individuals, leading to histological analyses of the gonads and epididymides. The absence of gametes, combined with histological findings and the topographical position of the gonads, confirmed that partial testicular descent is necessary for the initiation of spermatogenesis in this species. The recovered gametes exhibited low motility (18.8 %) and poor acrosomal integrity (8 %). Despite these results, this investigation provided initial insights into the spermatozoa of B. variegatus, which may contribute to future research aimed at studying and preserving Bradypus species.

Robust Perception and Precise Segmentation for Scribble-Supervised RGB-D Saliency Detection.

This paper proposes a scribble-based weakly supervised RGB-D salient object detection (SOD) method to relieve the annotation burden from pixel-wise annotations. In view of the ensuing performance drop, we summarize two natural deficiencies of the scribbles and try to alleviate them, which are the weak richness of the pixel training samples (WRPS) and the poor structural integrity of the salient objects (PSIO). WRPS hinders robust saliency perception learning, which can be alleviated via model design for robust feature learning and pseudo labels generation for training sample enrichment. Specifically, we first design a dynamic searching process module as a meta operation to conduct multi-scale and multi-modal feature fusion for the robust RGB-D SOD model construction. Then, a dual-branch consistency learning mechanism is proposed to generate enough pixel training samples for robust saliency perception learning. PSIO makes direct structural learning infeasible since scribbles can not provide integral structural supervision. Thus, we propose an edge-region structure-refinement loss to recover the structural information and make precise segmentation. We deploy all components and conduct ablation studies on two baselines to validate their effectiveness and generalizability. Experimental results on eight datasets show that our method outperforms other scribble-based SOD models and achieves comparable performance with fully supervised state-of-the-art methods.

An investigative study on the parameters optimization of the electric discharge machining of Ti6Al4V

&lt;abstract&gt; &lt;p&gt;This investigative study explored the field of electrical discharge machining (EDM), with a particular focus on the machining of Ti6Al4V, a titanium alloy that finds widespread application in aerospace, airframes, engine components, and non-aerospace applications such as power generation and marine and offshore environments. Ti6Al4V presents difficulties for conventional metal cutting techniques because of high cutting forces, poor surface integrity, and tool wear. This has led to the adoption of unconventional techniques like EDM. However, problems like high electrode wear rates, low material removal rates, long machining times, and less-than-ideal surface finishes still exist, especially in large-scale applications. By addressing the particular difficulties associated with large-scale electrical discharge machining and by putting forth a multi-objective optimization strategy, this research makes a substantial contribution to the field. With an emphasis on the optimization of input parameters like pulse on time (T&lt;sub&gt;on&lt;/sub&gt;), pulse off time (T&lt;sub&gt;off&lt;/sub&gt;), voltage (HV), and current (LV), which are critical in large-scale industrial applications, the study attempts to evaluate the optimal parameter states that simultaneously accomplish multiple goals during the machining process. This work is the first to simultaneously optimize all relevant output responses, such as material removal rate (MRR), electrode wear rate (EWR), machining time (Tm), surface roughness (Ra), and base radius. Previous studies have concentrated on one or two output responses. To optimize MRR, EWR, Tm, Ra, and base radius, the experiments were carefully planned using design of experiment (DOE) and response Surface methodology (RSM). Regression analysis and ANOVA are two statistical techniques that were used with Minitab 15 to help interpret experimental data and build a solid regression model specifically for Ti6Al4V. Throughout the experiment, a variety of input factor settings were employed, and the responses to those were noted. The following parameters were used to obtain the experimental data: current (LV) at 30 and 50 A, voltage (HV) at 0.3 and 0.7 V, pulse on time (T&lt;sub&gt;on&lt;/sub&gt;) at 4 and 6.5 µs, and pulse off time (T&lt;sub&gt;off&lt;/sub&gt;) at 5.5 and 6.5 µs. T&lt;sub&gt;on&lt;/sub&gt; and current are the most significant variables that influence most of the output responses. By addressing the simultaneous optimization of multiple output responses, this investigative study not only sets a new standard in the field but also identifies current bottlenecks and offers solutions.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/abstract&gt;

Tool wear and surface finish analysis after drilling Al-SiC metal matrix composite with DLC-coated tools at varying feed

Metal matrix composites (MMCs) show enhanced mechanical and physical properties compared to monolithic alloys, which make them attractive for various engineering applications. However, their actual use in industry is limited due to their low machinability. The hard reinforcements present in the matrix may lead to high tool wear and poor surface integrity. In this context, the paper aims at studying the drillability of an Al-SiC MMC when using DLC-coated tungsten carbide tools at varying feeds. After the machining trials, a quantitative evaluation of the tool wear as well as the analysis of the hole surface roughness and damage was carried out. The results demonstrate that, at increasing feed, the tool wear, surface roughness, and surface defect density decrease, leading to the counterintuitive conclusion that increasing feed when drilling causes an increase in the MMC drillability.

Understanding the interplay of Zn vapours and formation of intermetallic compounds during remote laser welding of Zn-coated steel to aluminium in a zero-gap lap joint configuration

Remote laser welding (RLW) of Zn-coated steel to aluminium is challenged by: (1) Zn vaporisation causing spatters and poor seam surface when welding in a zero-gap lap joint configuration; and (2) brittle intermetallic compounds (IMCs) at the weld interface, leading to cracks and poor weld integrity. This paper aims to study the impact of Zn coating during the RLW of Zn-coated steel to aluminium in a nominal zero part-to-part gap lap configuration. The combination of metallurgical and mechanical analysis with an in-process monitoring approach, using a high-speed camera, allowed the study of the interplay between Zn formation/out-gassing, molten pool dynamics and formation of IMCs. Findings revealed that the presence of a Zn coating results in an un-even connection area between steel and aluminium, with localised lack of fusion. A significant 72% joint efficiency compared to parent aluminium was achieved when Zn is removed, opposed to 65% when Zn is present.

Hydrogen-treated CoCrMo alloy: a novel approach to enhance biocompatibility and mitigate inflammation in orthopedic implants.

In recent decades, orthopedic implants have been widely used as materials to replace human bone tissue functions. Among these, metal implants play a crucial role. Metals with better chemical stability, such as stainless steel, titanium alloys, and cobalt-chromium-molybdenum (CoCrMo) alloy, are commonly used for long-term applications. However, good chemical stability can result in poor tissue integration between the tissue and the implant, leading to potential inflammation risks. This study creates hydrogenated CoCrMo (H-CoCrMo) surfaces, which have shown promise as anti-inflammatory orthopedic implants. Using the electrochemical cathodic hydrogen-charging method, the surface of the CoCrMo alloy was hydrogenated, resulting in improved biocompatibility, reduced free radicals, and an anti-inflammatory response. Hydrogen diffusion to a depth of approximately 106 ± 27 nm on the surface facilitated these effects. This hydrogen-rich surface demonstrated a reduction of 85.2% in free radicals, enhanced hydrophilicity as evidenced by a decrease in a contact angle from 83.5 ± 1.9° to 52.4 ± 2.2°, and an increase of 11.4% in hydroxyapatite deposition surface coverage. The cell study results revealed a suppression of osteosarcoma cell activity to 50.8 ± 2.9%. Finally, the in vivo test suggested the promotion of new bone formation and a reduced inflammatory response. These findings suggest that electrochemical hydrogen charging can effectively modify CoCrMo surfaces, offering a potential solution for improving orthopedic implant outcomes through anti-inflammatory mechanisms.

Surface Integrity Enhancement of Inconel 718 in Dry Turning using Novel Soft Metallic Coated Lubricants

Inconel 718 is a critical component in many sectors such as aerospace and nuclear due to its outstanding properties. As in these sectors parts are exposed to intense environments, any failure in the system can be calamitous. Thus, there are strict requirements for manufacturing precision and quality enforcement. However, poor machinability of Inconel 718 parts has caused ongoing challenges for both researchers and industry. The difficulties arise from the poor surface integrity of the machined parts due to its high strength at elevated temperatures, susceptibility to work-hardening, presence of hard carbides, low thermal conductivity, and built-up edge formation during machining. These characteristics make conventional machining methods less effective, necessitating innovative approaches. This study introduces an innovative solution to tackle this issue —a new in-situ coating method for depositing novel lubricating materials on the tool. Comprehensive machining tests and surface integrity analyses have been performed. The results show substantial improvements, including a significant prolongation in tool life, improved surface quality, and less machining-induced microstructural alteration. The success of using novel lubricious coatings in conjunction with the new in-situ method promises improved Inconel 718 machining as it resulted in exceptional tool performance and surface finishes that meet the tight standards of industry.

Advanced hybrid MRAM based novel GPU cache system for graphic processing with high efficiency

With the rapid development of portable computing devices and users’ demand for high-quality graphics rendering, embedded Graphics Processing Units (GPU) systems for graphics processing are increasingly turning into a key component of computer architecture to enhance computability. The cache system based on traditional static random access memory (SRAM) plays a crucial role in GPUs. But high leakage, low lifetime and poor integration problems deeply plague the science and engineering field. In the paper, a novel magnetic random access memory (MRAM) based cache architecture of GPU systems is proposed for highly efficient graphics processing and computing accelerating, with the merits of high speed, long endurance, strong interference resistance, and ultra-low power consumption. Spin transfer torque-MRAM and spin orbit torque-MRAM are utilized in off-chip and on-chip caches, respectively. A controller design scheme with prefetching modules and optimized cache coherency protocols are adopted. After testing and evaluating with multiple loads, neural network models and datasets, the simulation results show that the proposed system can achieve up to 28%, 56%, and 66.45% optimizations mostly in terms of speed, energy and leakage power, respectively.

A phenazine-based conjugated microporous polymer as a high performing cathode for aluminium-organic batteries.

One of the possible solutions to circumvent the sluggish kinetics, low capacity, and poor integrity of inorganic cathodes commonly used in rechargeable aluminium batteries (RABs) is the use of redox-active polymers as cathodes. They are not only sustainable materials characterised by their structure tunability, but also exhibit a unique ion coordination redox mechanism that makes them versatile ion hosts suitable for voluminous aluminium cation complexes, as demonstrated by the poly(quinoyl) family. Recently, phenazine-based compounds have been found to have high capacity, reversibility and fast redox kinetics in aqueous electrolytes because of the presence of a CN double bond. Here, we present one of the first examples of a phenazine-based hybrid microporous polymer, referred to as IEP-27-SR, utilized as an organic cathode in an aluminium battery with an AlCl3/EMIMCl ionic liquid electrolyte. The preliminary redox and charge storage mechanism of IEP-27-SR was confirmed by ex situ ATR-IR and EDS analyses. The introduction of phenazine active units in a robust microporous framework resulted in a remarkable rate capability (specific capacity of 116 mA h g-1 at 0.5C with 77% capacity retention at 10C) and notable cycling stability, maintaining 75% of its initial capacity after 3440 charge-discharge cycles at 1C (127 days of continuous cycling). This superior performance compared to reported Al//n-type organic cathode RABs is attributed to the stable 3D porous microstructure and the presence of micro/mesoporosity in IEP-27-SR, which facilitates electrolyte permeability and improves kinetics.

Large-Scale Vertically Interconnected Complementary Field-Effect Transistors Based on Thermal Evaporation.

With the rapid development of integrated circuits, there is an increasing need to boost transistor density. In addition to shrinking the device size to the atomic scale, vertically stacked interlayer interconnection technology is also an effective solution. However, realizing large-scale vertically interconnected complementary field-effect transistors (CFETs) has never been easy. Currently-used semiconductor channel synthesis and doping technologies often suffer from complex fabrication processes, poor vertical integration, low device yield, and inability to large-scale production. Here, a method to prepare large-scale vertically interconnected CFETs based on a thermal evaporation process is reported. Thermally-evaporated etching-free Te and Bi2S3 serve as p-type and n-type semiconductor channels and exhibit FET on-off ratios of 103 and 105, respectively. The vertically interconnected CFET inverter exhibits a clear switching behavior with a voltage gain of 17 at a 4 V supply voltage and a device yield of 100%. Based on the ability of thermal evaporation to prepare large-scale uniform semiconductor channels on arbitrary surfaces, repeated upward manufacturing can realize multi-level interlayer interconnection integrated circuits.

Ductile-brittle transition mechanism of SiC particle-reinforced Al-MMCs under ultrasonic assisted grinding with single grain

High volume fraction (45 %) silicon carbide particle-reinforced Al matrix composites (SiCp/Al-MMCs) play an important role in various engineering fields due to their excellent properties, but the high hardness and brittleness of the SiC reinforcements result in poor surface integrity during conventional grinding (CG). Ultrasonic assisted grinding (UAG) is an efficient machining process to improve the quality of finished surface for hard-brittle materials. In this study, comparison tests between UAG and CG with single grain were designed and the grinding force, specific grinding energy, material removal rate, surface and subsurface morphology, and the ductile-brittle transition mechanism of SiC particle were investigated. The results showed that ultrasonic vibration can increase the critical depth of ductile-brittle transition for SiC particles, making it easier to realize the micro brittle fracture and effectively reduce the surface and subsurface damage of SiCp/Al composites.