Smart Switch Research Articles

Turn-on stimuli-responsive switch: strategies for activating a new fluorescence channel by pressure.

The stimulus-responsive smart switching of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) features has attracted considerable attention in 4D information encryption, optical sensors and biological imaging. Nevertheless, for some AIE-inactive triphenylamine (TPA) derivatives, activating the fluorescence channel of TPA remains a challenge based on their intrinsic molecular configuration. Here, we took a new design strategy for opening a new fluorescence channel and enhancing AIE efficiency for (E)-1-(((4-(diphenylamino)phenyl)imino)methyl)naphthalen-2-ol. The turn-on methodology employed is based on pressure induction. Combining ultrafast and Raman spectra with high-pressure in situ showed that activating the new fluorescence channel stemmed from restraining intramolecular twist rotation. Twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) and intramolecular vibration were restricted, which induced an increase in AIE efficiency. This approach provides a new strategy for the development of stimulus-responsive smart-switch materials.

Generic Home Automation System Using IoT Gateway Based on Wi-Fi and ant+ Sensor Network

This research article explores the use of internet of things (IoT) technology in home automation, including cloud computing and sensor networks to improve quality of life, and the increasing affordability through mobile connectivity. In this proposed smart home system, our main objective is to build a home automation system for the common consumer, which can help him to use home appliances with confidence and control at a low cost. The paper describes the building of an IoT gateway using the ANT multi-hop wireless network protocol and the Wi-Fi protocol, specifically utilizing the nRF24L01 and Esp8266 chips. Various sensor nodes, such as a water tank level sensor, human presence sensor, smart LED door sensor, and smart switch, will be integrated into the system. The main goal of the research is to develop an affordable solution for smart home technology for everyday consumers.

Analysis of the Solar Charge Controller using ABCD Framework

Purpose: The renewable energy is getting more and more popular today due to various factors including the benefits of the energy system, contribution to the environment in zero pollution, and flexible adoption for both domestic as well as the industry. Among the various renewable energy sources, the most popular is solar energy which can be easily installed. This type of renewable energy is more popular today. The performance of the solar energy system is affected by the availability of sunlight, the battery backup, and the load. Thus, the efficiency of the solar energy system depends on the above factors. It is very important that every solar energy system needs a charge controller to increase the efficiency of the total system. The solar charge controller has to control the charge stored in the battery backup, load, and switching concepts. A new model of the solar charge controller by the name smart switch is suggested which could improve the efficiency of solar energy by taking smart decisions in charging the battery backup, supplying the solar energy to the load when the battery is getting full, and then managing the energy storage in the battery backup, etc. Design/Methodology/Approach: Developing a conceptual theoretical model by the name smart switch and studying the performance of the same by taking the values in different time intervals. Then analysis of the model is done using the ABCD framework. Findings/Results: The performance of the model is studied by considering the values at various time intervals and the observations are noted in the tabular format. The values entered in the table are from the theoretical performance of the smart switch-a modified solar charge controller. From the table it is proved that the performance of the model is found to be optimal. The performance of the smart switch is analyzed using the ABCD framework. Originality/Value: A new conceptual model is analyzed using ABCD framework by identifying the determinant issues and key attributes for each determinant issue. This analysis is proven to be adaptable in future technology. Paper Type: Conceptual Research.

Unparalleled Dielectric‐Switching Effects Caused by Dual Polarization Synergy

AbstractDielectric switching materials are prospective candidates for smart electronic/electrical applications, and high dielectric switching ratios are crucial for their practical applications. However, the substantial improvement of the dielectric switching ratio is limited by the available dielectric switching mechanisms, and obtaining high dielectric switching ratios is a major challenge. Here, an unparalleled dielectric switching effect is reported in a water‐in‐oil emulsion system, caused by dual polarization synergy below the dielectric transition temperature in concert with suppression of the electrode polarization above the dielectric transition temperature. The synergistic dielectric switching effect of interfacial polarization and electrode polarization endows the emulsion with unprecedentedly high dielectric switching ratios. The highest room temperature dielectric switching ratio of this emulsion system up to 2.86 × 106 at 20 Hz, is four orders of magnitude higher than the highest switching ratio reported so far. The unparalleled high dielectric switching ratio, reliable cycle stability, good frequency adaptability, and satisfactory scalability make the inorganic salt solution/octadecane emulsions potentially excellent candidates for high‐sensitivity room‐temperature smart switching or sensing devices.

Optimal Energy Storage System and Smart Switch Placement in Dynamic Microgrids With Applications to Marine Energy Integration

This paper studies a dynamic microgrid (DMG) planning problem that places energy storage systems (ESSs) and smart switches (SSWs) optimally in the system. We apply the proposed methodology to applications concerning marine renewable energy (MRE). MRE is an emerging clean energy resource with enormous capacity but volatile and intermittent energy output profiles. Innovative grid-integration technologies designed to enhance the reliability of an MRE-integrated system are needed. However, there are still limited studies in this regard. Existing works have shown the promising prospect of using a dynamic microgrid (DMG) operational concept to accommodate renewable resources in distribution systems, but they usually assume fixed ESS and SSW installations. To further improve the operational flexibility of DMGs, we propose a DMG planning methodology that optimally places ESSs and SSWs so that a DMG with MRE is warranted with proper resource adequacy and topological flexibility in both the contingency and normal operations. We use realistic case studies based on a real-world distribution network and the U.S. Department of Energy's MRE dataset to verify the value and validity of the proposed work.

Zero‐waste emission design of sustainable and programmable actuators

A sustainable zero-waste emission methodology is developed to prepare soft actuators using carbon nano-powders and biodegradable polymers. The entire synthetic process achieves zero-waste emission due to the water solubility and recyclability of matrixes. The geometries of composite film could be designed and modulated for programmable motions and specific applications, including walkers, smart switches, robotic arms, flexible excavators, and hand-shaped actuators.

New smart actuator based on shape memory alloys for avoiding overheating and preventing fire in electronic devices

In the past few years, fire incidents in electronic systems have become frequent and caused many losses of life and property. Consequently, various studies have been conducted in order to establish effective ways to avoid fire caused by electrical devices. In light of the fact that electrical sensors frequently get damaged, it is crucial to develop a smart switch that can detect and control off electrical current during an unexpected heat increase or fire incident. In this study, a numerical study that aims to develop a smart actuators combined with electrical devices in order to protect electronic system from fire accidents has been conducted. The proposed smart actuator is based on the shape memory alloy (SMA), which has a robust thermomechanical coupling that reacts to the temperature variation and generates an important mechanical loading. Using the SMA actuator between an electrical power source and the device will avoid any incident related to the temperature increase. Therefore, mathematical modelling has been conducted to adjust the smart actuator with any electrical device, with rules that will be developed to increase the actual detection rate. The simulation results of the proposed fire detection system has been compared with several current methods. The results show that the proposed engineering is very promising and can respond to a temperature change in 0.2 s and generate a total deformation of about 8%. The results show that the suggested method has a higher fire detection rate that can reach 90% for detection.

A 20–200 mV, 92.52% peak efficiency, dual-mode boost converter with inductor peak-current-controlled and efficient ZCS for thermoelectric energy harvesting in bioimplantable devices

This paper presents a DC-DC boost converter in which a new inductor peak current control (IPCC) technique is adopted for efficient thermoelectric energy harvesting. The proposed technique reduces power loss and increases the efficiency of the boost converter. First, it is shown mathematically that the boost converter's minimum loss and maximum efficiency for each given input voltage occur at a certain unique amount of peak inductor current. It is also shown that by increasing the input power in the boost converter, the peak inductor current should be reduced to decrease the conduction loss and improve the efficiency. Then the proposed IPCC technique has been realized by using a smart switching frequency and duty cycle modulation. The proposed boost converter operates in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) and critical conduction mode (CRM), decided by the input voltage range and maximum inductor current. To verify the technique, the circuit has been implemented in TSMC 0.18 μm standard CMOS process. Using zero current switching (ZCS) and IPCC techniques over an input range of 20–200 mV, the converter achieves a peak efficiency of 92.52% and 60.73% at 150 mV and 20 mV, respectively.

Incorporating direct load control demand response into active distribution system planning

Nowadays, moving toward new technologies and smart grids is a successful way of overcoming distribution system challenges. Smart grids facilitate demand-side management (DSM) which affects the expansion of network resources. In this paper, distribution system planning (DSP) considering demand response (DR), as an effective DSM tool, is presented. The proposed model is based on direct load control (DLC) DR in which a utility offers financial incentives to the customers to control their consumption through installing smart meters and switches. The utility deploys the DR program to reduce network daily peak load, which is formulated as a linear programming model, where uncertainties associated with the DR program are captured by the spherical simplex unscented transformation method. Although the DR is implemented on the basis of hourly data, integrating its high-resolution results into the DSP can cause intractability. To mitigate this issue, scenario definition and scenario reduction models using the K-means clustering algorithm are proposed. Besides, feeder reinforcement as well as renewable and conventional distributed generation (DG) installation are considered as the other network expansion alternatives. The proposed method is applied to the modified IEEE 33 Bus test system and effects of the DR program and DG installation on DSP are investigated. The results reveals that the implementation of the DLC program in the DSP either reduces or postpones feeder reinforcement actions thereby resulting in lower overall DSP costs. Furthermore, DG installation can significantly reduce operating costs, particularly purchased energy from the main grid and energy loss. Eventually, the most cost-efficient solution is obtained by incorporating both DLC and DG into the DSP.

Calumenin, a Ca2+ Binding Protein, Is Required for Dauer Formation in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Caenorhabditis elegans can adapt and survive in dynamically changing environments by the smart and delicate switching of molecular plasticity. C. elegans dauer diapause is a form of phenotypic and developmental plasticity that induces reversible developmental arrest upon environmental cues. An ER (endoplasmic reticulum)-resident Ca2+ binding protein, calumenin has been reported to function in a variety of malignant diseases in vertebrates and in the process of muscle contraction-relaxation. In C. elegans, CALU-1 is known to function in Ca2+-regulated behaviors (pharyngeal pumping and defecation) and cuticle formation. The cuticles of dauer larvae are morphologically distinct from those of larvae that develop in favorable conditions. The structure of the dauer cuticle is thicker and more highly reinforced than that of other larval stages to protect dauer larvae from various environmental insults. Since the calu-1(tm1783) mutant exhibited abnormal cuticle structures such as highly deformed annuli and alae, we investigated whether CALU-1 is involved in dauer formation or not. Ascaroside pheromone (ascr#2) and crude daumone were used under starvation conditions to analyze the rate of dauer formation in the calu-1(tm1783) mutant. Surprisingly, the dauer ratio of the calu-1(tm1783) mutant was extremely low compared to that of the wild type. In fact, the calu-1(tm1783) mutants were mostly unable to enter diapause. We also found that calu-1 is expressed in body-wall muscle and AIA interneurons at the dauer stage. Taken together, our results suggest that CALU-1 is required for normal entry into diapause in C. elegans.

Quantifying the hybrid flow and aperture forming of liquid metals immersed in NaOH solution under rotating magnetic field

AbstractLiquid metal (LM) immersed in solutions exhibited profound fluidic phenomena under various working situations. With persistent research endeavor, a growing number of intriguing phenomena along this direction have been increasingly disclosed. Among the many critical issues, quantifying the hybrid flow of LMs and surrounding solutions often encounters tough challenges due to the large property differences between the two fluids, including density, electrical and fluidic characteristics, and so forth. Especially, when the electromagnetic field is involved, the problems would become ever complicated. In this article, to characterize the hybrid fluids of LM and NaOH solution under rotating magnetic field (RMF), we established a coupled three‐dimensional model considering magnetic effect on the two‐phase flow. The computational prediction of the model was validated through comparing the simulated morphological features of LM with the experimental measurements at different rotational speeds of magnetic field. Finally, two phenomena were revealed with potential applications interpreted: (1) LM would accelerate the solution due to their difference in viscosity; (2) an asymmetric flow and tunable hole formation under RMF will occur due to the surface tension redistribution on LM. The present works are expected to provide reliable guidance for quantifying the multiphase flow behaviors of hybrid fluids composed of LM and other liquids. The revealed hole size dominated LM aperture is especially useful for developing future smart optical switch and electromagnetic shielding devices.

Magnetic Switchability via Thermal-Induced Structural Phase Transitions in Molecular Solids

Magnetically switchable molecular solids with stimuli-responsive ON/OFF characteristics are promising candidates for smart switches and magnetic storage. In addition to conventional spin-crossover/charge-transfer materials whose magnetic responses arise from changes in the electronic structure of the metal centers, peripheral chemical entities that exhibit tunability provide an alternative and promising tactic for the construction of magnetic multi-stable materials. Temperature changes can trigger a reversible structural phase transition that can affect the coordination environment of a transition-metal center because of the thermal-induced motion of ligands, counterions, neutral guests, and/or changes in coordination number, thus potentially realizing magnetic bistability which can arise from a concomitant spin state change or the modulation of orbital angular momentum. Perspectives and challenges are also highlighted to provide insights into its development.

Zero‐waste emission design of sustainable and programmable actuators

AbstractMoisture‐responsive actuators are widely used as energy‐harvesting devices due to their excellent ability to spontaneously and continuously convert external energy into kinetic energy. However, it remains a challenge to sustainably synthesize moisture‐driven actuators. Here, we present a sustainable zero‐waste emission methodology to prepare soft actuators using carbon nano‐powders and biodegradable polymers through a water evaporation method. Due to the water solubility and recyclability of the matrixes employed here, the entire synthetic process achieves zero‐waste emission. Our composite films featured strong figures of merit and capabilities with a 250° maximum bending angle under 90% relative humidity. Programmable motions and intelligent bionic applications, including walkers, smart switches, robotic arms, flexible excavators, and hand‐shaped actuators, were further achieved by modulating the geometry of the actuators. This sustainable method for actuators’ fabrication has great potential in large‐scale productions and applications due to its advantages of zero‐waste emission manufacturing, excellent recyclability, inherent adaptive integration, and low cost.

Smart power switch using internet of things

The increase in electricity consumption coupled with the lack of a convenient way to assist the consumers to lower their electricity consumption is a growing concern. Smart internet of things (IoT)-based devices has been developed in this regard. However, no specific standards were followed, and this is a problem for the consumer as they have to own different smart device from different brands which results in higher cost. To solve these issues, a smart power switch using IoT is proposed. The system consists of microcontroller (ESP32), relay and current sensor (ACS712). The ACS712 measures the current of the appliance. The ESP32 then send these readings to server. Whenever the ESP32 receives switching commands from the cloud platform, ESP32 will activate the relay and hence switching the appliance. The cloud platform is linux based virtual private server (VPS) running on Django Python and structured query language (SQL) ite database. The mobile application built using flutter to allow both iOS and android users to use the app to control and monitor the normal appliances. The server, circuit and mobile application have showed a real-time data exchange, fast response, numerical, graphical consumption presentation and capable of setting energy or power limit for the appliance to not exceed.

Solvent-Responsive Reversible and Controllable Conversion between a Polyimine Membrane and an Organic Molecule Cage.

Adaptive bionic self-correcting behavior offers an attractive property for chemical systems. Here, based on the dynamic feature of imine formation, we propose a solvent-responsive strategy for smart switching between an amorphous ionic polyimine membrane and a crystalline organic molecule cage without the addition of other building blocks. To adapt to solvent environmental constraints, the aldehyde and amine components undergo self-correction to form a polymer network or a molecular cage. Studies have shown that the amorphous film can be switched in acetonitrile to generate a discrete cage with bright birefringence under polarized light. Conversely, the membrane from the cage crystal conversion can be regained in ethanol. Such a membrane-cage interconversion can be cycled continuously at least 5 times by switching the two solvents. This work builds a bridge between the polymer network and crystalline molecules and offers prospects for smart dynamic materials.

Self-Isolation of Faulted Section from Closed loop Distribution System Using HHO for WSN-Based Smart Grids

Raining, fog, lightning, insulation failure and short circuit are the major reason for fault occurrence in smart grids of distribution systems. This work arranges the distribution system as a radial network (closed loop structure). Generally, the radial network is suffered from both transient and permanent faults. This work uses the harris hawks optimization (HHO) algorithm to find and isolate such faults. Self-isolation separates faulted sections from the distribution system to provide a nonstop power supply. Accurate self-identification and permanent isolation of faulty sections are the main objective functions of HHO, which reduces the complexity and energy loss of the self-isolation process. The harris hawks optimized self-isolation (HHOSI) algorithm continuously monitors the smart grid relays, switches and circuit breakers through a wireless sensor network (WSN) to identify the faulty part. The proposed algorithm is implemented in the MATLAB platform and analyzed the performance of a self-isolation scheme for 5 minutes. As a result, the proposed method attains 32.38% performance improvement over AEC and 18.06% over the LO-ADI method.

Guest editorial: Application of cloud energy storage systems in power systems

Guest editorial: Application of cloud energy storage systems in power systems

Temperature- and pressure-controlled insulator-conductor transition performance of flexible fluoroelastomer, tin bismuth alloy and carbon nanotube composites with a sandwich structure

Recently, flexible insulator-conductor transition (ICT) composites have attracted much attention, and they are of great interest for many applications, including smart switches, sensors, and visualized circuits. In this study, flexible ICT composites based on fluorelastomers as the matrix and tin bismuth alloys (SnBi) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as conductive fillers were prepared. The effects of the SnBi alloy and MWCNT contents and the testing temperature and pressure on the ICT properties of the flexible composites were investigated. The cyclic stability of the ICT properties for the composites was evaluated. The microstructure was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. The ICT mechanism of the composites was identified. The volume resistivity of the FKM/MWCNT/SnBi composites decreased by 11 orders of magnitude from 109 to 10−2 Ω·cm when the composites were compressed at 140 °C and then recovered to an insulation state after the composites were stretched several times with a strain of 20% at room temperature. The composites showed superior cyclic stability of the ICT performance for up to 100 cycles.

A bio-inspired self-assembled asymmetrical supramolecular film for highly-sensitive fire warning, solvent response, and smart switching

In nature, early warning, response, and driver behaviors in different environments are essential for living organisms, which, however, is still a big challenge to be conquered in synthetic materials. Herein, an asymmetrical VGO-CB bilayer film inspired by the dermis of leaves was designed using self-assembled graphene oxide (GO) and vermiculite (V) with cucurbituril (CB). Due to the outstanding of smart fire switching of GO, a highly stable substrate of V and excellent carbon-forming of CB, the designed VGO-CB bilayer film exhibited a highly sensitive fire-warning response (0.20 s). Besides, given the asymmetrical swelling of bilayer structure and supramolecular host–guest of CB, the VGO-CB film not only presented a unique highly sensitive response in solvent vapors, humidity, self-driven, and smart switching, but also revealed controllable swift movement and bending for grabbing double weight. The bio-inspired leaves concept combines a fire alarm, response and self-driven with artificial intelligence, which provides potential applications for smart materials, early warning, and soft robotics.

Designable Electrical/Thermal Coordinated Dual-Regulation Based on Liquid Metal Shape Memory Polymer Foam for Smart Switch.

Electronic components with tunable resistance, especially with synergistic regulation of thermal conductivity, play important roles in the fields of electronics, smart switch, soft robots, and so on. However, it is still a challenge to get the material with various resistance and thermal conductivity stably without lasting external force. Herein, a liquid metal shape memory polymer foam (LM-SMF) is developed by loading electrically and thermally conductive liquid metal (LM) on deformable foam skeleton. Based on thermal response shape memory effect, the foam skeleton can be reversibly pressed, the process of which enables LM to transfer between connected and disconnected states. As a result, obtained LM-SMF shows that the resistance stably changes from 0.8 Ω (conductor) to 200 MΩ (insulator), and the thermal conductivity difference is up to 4.71 times (0.108 to 0.509W m-1 K-1 ), which indicates that LM-SMF can achieve the electrical and thermal dual-regulation. Moreover, LM-SMF can be used as a designable self-feedback/-warning integrated smart switch or tunable infrared stealth switch. This work proposes a novel strategy to get the material with electrical-thermal coordinated dual-regulation, which is possibly applied in intelligent heating system with real-time monitoring function, electrothermal sensor in the future.