摘要:
Practical applications of a class of nematic elastomer which has light avoidance characteristics are disclosed. Such practical applications include a switching device, a load carrying device and programmable mask. The use of different light sources, including the use of an autonomous device are further disclosed.
摘要:
An energy conversion system, comprising: a reservoir container (14) including at least two chambers (18a, 18b) of inversely variable volume for respectively storing a quantity of fuel and receiving a quantity of exhaust; a means (22) for decreasing the volume of the first chamber while concurrently increasing the volume of the second chamber; at least one energy conversion device (12); first means (16) for communicating fuel between the at least one energy conversion device and a first of the chambers in the reservoir container; and second means for communicating exhaust between the at least one energy conversion device and a second of the chambers in the reservoir container. The reservoir container may be transported to a recharging/refilling station (27) or recharged in-situ. A particular application for metal-air fuel cell power systems is shown and described.
摘要:
A method for fabricating multi layer active devices on a bulk substrate is disclosed. Multi layer microelectromechanical and microfluidic devices are fabricated on a substrate with layers of predetermined weak and strong bond regions where deconstructed layers of devices at or on the weak bond regions. Multi layer integrated circuits are fabricated on a substrate with layers of predetermined weak and strong bond regions is disclosed. An arbitrary number of layers can be bonded and stacked to create a predetermined device on the substrate. Also disclosed are methods of creating edge interconnects and vias through the substrate to form interconnections between layers and devices thereon.
摘要:
A hybrid electrochemical cell system is provided. In one embodiment, the hybrid system includes a cathode, an electrolyte, and a plurality of anode portions. A first anode portion is in ionic communication with the cathode via the electrolyte, and a second anode portion in ionic communication with the cathode via the electrolyte. The first anode portion, the electrolyte, and the cathode form a power generating electrochemical cell. Further, the second anode portion, the electrolyte, and the cathode form an auxiliary electrochemical cell. In another embodiment, separate cathode portions are provided.
摘要:
The present invention relates generally to broadband, reflective circular polarizers and, more particularly, to single layer super broadband, reflective circular polarizers. The polarizers of the present invention are made from a film of material, like a polymer having a cholesteric order, in which a second liquid crystal material, like a nematic liquid crystal, is distributed in a non-linear fashion across the thickness of the film in a plurality of liquid crystal-rich and liquid crystal-depleted sites in the polymer. The resulting polarizers have band passes approaching 2000 nm and reflect circularly polarized light which is either left-handed or right-handed depending on the final spiral structure of the materials utilized. The material of the present invention is fabricated by mixing commercially available polymers having a cholesteric order, a second liquid crystal material and a photoinitiator at a temperature which maintains the mixture in a liquid state. The polymer and the liquid crystal are present in a ratio by weight of 1:2, for example, and the photoinitiator is present in an amount of 0.6% by weight, for example, in the mixture. The heated mixture is then subjected to actinic radiation for a time and at an intensity sufficient to polymerize the polymer or the liquid crystal material or both. Under all polymerizing conditions the segregation rate of the liquid crystal material has to be greater than the polymerization rate of the material being polymerized. The liquid crystal segregates and diffuses, during polymerization, to sites of enlarged pitch in the polymer material from sites of shrunken pitch in the polymer material. Because the actinic light has an exponential intensity distribution due to light attenuation by, for example, light absorption, polymerization occurs in a non-linear fashion resulting in a non-linear distribution of the polymer and the liquid crystal material across the film.
摘要:
Disclosed are liquid crystal (LC) phase-retarders and linear polarizers and methods and apparatus for making the same. The liquid crystal phase-retarder is realized by a liquid crystal film structure having one or more phase retardation regions formed therein. Each phase retardation region has an optical axis specified by the direction and depth of orientation of liquid crystal molecules along the surface of the liquid crystal film structure. The liquid crystal linear polarizer is realized by a liquid crystal film structure having a chiral phase region within which liquid crystal molecules are cholesterically ordered. One or more nematic phase regions are formed along the surface of the liquid crystal film structure within which liquid crystal molecules are oriented along a direction and to a surface depth sufficient to realize one or more phase retardation regions therein having optical axes along the direction of liquid crystal molecule orientation.
摘要:
A recyclable fuel distribution system comprising a hierarchy of operatively linked (with fuel supply and reaction product collection elements) fluid fuel transport vehicles, fluid fuel storage tanks, fuel supply reservoirs (optional depending on specific use), and fluid fuel usage devices operatively linked to the storage tanks or supply reservoirs, as applicable. The fuel, during use, undergoes a reversible chemical reaction, whereby collected reaction product is reversible to the original fuel. At least one and preferably all of the vehicles, storage tanks and reservoirs contain a storage volume with separated chambers, adapted to inversely change relative to fuel being supplied and reaction product being collected and stored. As a result, a single volume during transport, storage, and use, provides the dual function of fuel supply and collection of reversible reaction product, with concomitant nearly halving of transport, storage and use volumes and costs. Electrical production with a zinc fuel which reversibly forms a zinc oxide reaction product is a particularly suitable fuel for the present system for use in large scale fuel cell applications. Applications range from large scale megawatt power levels for industrial levels to tens of kilowatts for homes and transportation systems down to several watts for portable electrical and electronic appliances and devices.
摘要:
Disclosed are various types of metal-air FCB-based systems (110) comprising a metal-fuel transport subsystem (111), a metal-fuel discharging subsystem (115), and a metal-fuel recharging subsystem (117). The function of the metal-fuel transport subsytem is to transport metal-fuel cards or sheets to the metal-fuel discharge subsystem, or the metal-fuel recharge subsystem, depending on the mode of the system selected. When transported to or through the metal-fuel discharge subsystem, each metal-fuel card (112) is discharged by electrochemical reaction with one or more discharging heads in order to produce electrical power across an electrical load (116) connected to the subsystem, while water and oxygen are consumed at the cathode-electrolyte interface during electrochemical reaction. When transported to or through the metal-fuel recharging subsystem, discharged metal-fuel is recharged by one or more recharging heads in order to convert the oxidized metal-fuel material into its source material suitable for reuse in power discharging operations, while oxygen is released a the cathode-electrolyte interface during the electrochemical reaction. In the illustrative embodiments, various forms of metal-fuel cards can be discharged and recharged in an efficient manner to satisfy a broad range of electrical loading conditions.
摘要:
Disclosed is a metal-air fuel cell battery system (1), wherein metal-fuel tape (5) can be transported through its discharging head assembly (6) as well as its recharging head assembly (7) in a bi-directional manner while the availability of metal-fuel therealong is automatically managed in order to improve the performance of the system.