Stability of organic solar cells with PCDTBT donor polymer: An interlaboratory study

This work is part of the interlaboratory collaboration to study the stability of organic solar cells containing PCDTBT polymer as a donor material. The varieties of the OPV devices with different device architectures, electrode materials, encapsulation, and device dimensions were prepared by seven research laboratories. Sets of identical devices...

A combined experimental and numerical examination of welding residual stresses

This study examines residual stresses in bead-on-plate welded specimens in transverse direction over the thickness of the plate, using a combination of experimental and numerical procedures. Dilatometer and tensile tests were used to determine the phase transition temperatures with associated volumetric strains and the stressstrain relationships...

A polymer based miniature loop heat pipe with silicon substrate and temperature sensors for high brightness light-emitting diodes

Solid State Lighting (SSL) systems, powered by light-emitting diodes (LEDs), are revolutionizing the lighting industry with energy saving and enhanced performance compared to traditional light sources. However, around 70%-80% of the electric power will still be transferred to heat. As the elevated temperature negatively affects the maximum...

Performance of inkjet-printed structures on different substrate materials under high humidity and elevated temperature conditions

Inkjet printing is widely being researched as enabling technology for printed electronics; however, there are scarce publications concerning the reliability of inkjet-printed structures on different substrates. The reliability of such structures under high humidity and high temperature conditions is treated in this work. To do so, the adhesion...

A hot plate solar cooker with electricity generation-Combining a parabolic trough mirror with a sidney tube and heat pipe

Solar cookers supply clean and sustainable energy for cooking and so limit the use of wood or charcoal. A new type of solar cooker is developed with a hot plate. The hot plate offers comfortable access to the food under preparation. The hot plate opens up the opportunity to generate small amounts of electricity with the help of a thermo electric...

The effect of calcining temperature on the properties of 0-3 piezoelectric composites of PZT and a liquid crystalline thermosetting polymer

We report on the optimisation of a recently developed high performance 0-3 piezoelectric composite comprising of the piezoelectric Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) powder and a liquid crystalline thermosetting matrix polymer (LCT). The matrix polymer is a liquid crystalline polymer comprising of an HBA-HNA backbone with phenylethynyl end-groups....

Local buckling of fire-exposed aluminum members: New design model

Design models for local buckling of fire-exposed aluminum sections are currently lacking. Based on analyses with validated finite-element models, this paper investigates local buckling of extruded sections with stress-strain relationships representative for fire-exposed aluminum alloys. Due to the fact that these stress-strain relationships are...

Aluminium structures exposed to fire conditions. An overview

This paper gives an overview of the structural behaviour and design of aluminium structures exposed to fire conditions. Two design approaches are elaborated: the "traditional" approach that is mainly based on conventions and the fire safety engineering approach that is more based on physics. For the traditional approach, equations for the...

Flexural buckling of fire exposed aluminium columns

In order to study buckling of fire exposed aluminium columns, a finite element model is developed. The results of this model are verified with experiments. Based on a parametric study with the finite element model, it is concluded that the simple calculation model for flexural buckling of fire exposed aluminium columns in EN 1999-1-2 does not...

Local buckling of aluminium structures exposed to fire. Part 2: Finite element models

A test series was carried out and reported in a corresponding paper on slender aluminium alloy sections, loaded in compression at elevated temperature. This paper gives the results of simulations of these tests with a finite element model. For this purpose, a novel constitutive model for fire exposed aluminium alloys is used. The critical...

Preparation and properties of a novel remendable coating concept

Key properties of organic coatings, such as mechanical strength and solvent resistance, are greatly influenced by the structure of the polymeric binder. In general, a 3-dimensional polymeric network gives the best properties and therefore most performance coatings have a 3-dimensional network structure. However, 3-dimensional networks cannot...

A comparative study of via drilling and scribing on PEN and PET substrates for flexible electronic applications using excimer and Nd:YAG laser sources

A study on via drilling and channel scribing on PEN and PET substrates for flexible electronic application is discussed in this paper. For the experiments, both KIF excimer laser (248 nm) and frequency tripled Nd:YAG (355 nm) laser are used. Different measurement techniques like optical microscopy, Dektak profilometer, Confocal microscopy and...

Local buckling of aluminium structures exposed to fire. Part 1: Tests

This paper describes an experimental investigation into local buckling of compressed aluminium alloy sections at elevated temperatures. Stress-strain relationships are derived based on uniaxial tensile tests. A special test set-up with a furnace is developed to test slender square hollow sections and angular sections in compression. The results...

Feasibility of warm drawing of aluminium products

A study is carried out on the feasibility of using warm forming at temperatures from 100 to 250°C in order to improve the makeability of aluminium sheet components. Drawing tests are performed on 1050, 5754 and 6016 series aluminium sheets. Both box shaped and conical rectangular products are made with a tool with heated die and blankholder. The...