This book comprehensively discusses the basic principles and working mechanism of all kind of batteries towards clean energy storage devices. In addition, it focuses on the synthesis of various electrode materials with 1D architecture via electrospinning technique. This book will give a clear idea about recent synthetic strategy towards nanofibers and nanocomposites for alkali-ion storage applications. The reader could understand the formation mechanism of nanofibers and their potential application in the future energy storage system.

This book thoroughly examines and explains the basic processing steps used in MEMS fabrication (both integrated circuit and specialized micro machining processing steps. The book places an emphasis on the process variations in the device dimensions resulting from these commonly used processing steps. This will be followed by coverage of commonly used metrology methods, process integration and variations in material properties, device parameter variations, quality assurance and control methods, and design methods for handling process variations. A detailed analysis of future methods for improved microsystems manufacturing is also included. This book is a valuable resource for practitioners, researchers and engineers working in the field as well as students at either the undergraduate or graduate level.

This book presents the latest advances and future trends in electron and phonon spectrometrics, focusing on combined techniques using electron emissions, electron diffraction, and phonon absorption and reflection spectrometrics from a substance under various perturbations to obtain new information on bond-electron-phonon dynamics. Discussing the principles of the bond order-length-strength (BOLS) correlation, nonbonding electron polarization (NEP), local bond average (LBA), and multi-field lattice oscillation dynamics for systems under perturbation, the book covers topics like differential photoelectron/phonon spectrometrics (DPS), which distils transition of the length, energy, stiffness and the fraction of bonds upon chemical or physical conditioning; and the derived performance of electrons in various bands in terms of quantum entrapment and polarization. This book appeals to researchers, scientists and engineers in the fields of chemistry, physics, surface and interface science, and materials science and engineering who are interested in electron and phonon spectrometrics.

This volume gathers the latest advances, innovations, and applications in the field of robotics engineering, as presented by leading international researchers and engineers at the Latin American Symposium on Industrial and Robotic Systems (LASIRS), held in Tampico, Mexico on October-November 30-01 2019. The contributions cover all major areas of R&D and innovation in simulation, optimization, and control of robotics, such as design and optimization of robots using numerical and metaheuristic methods, autonomous and control systems, industrial compliance solutions, numerical simulations for manipulators and robots, metaheuristics applied to robotics problems, Industry 4.0, control and automation in petrochemical processes, simulation and control in aerospace and aeronautics, and education in robotics. The conference represented a unique platform to share the latest research and developments in simulation, control and optimization of robotic systems, and to promote cooperation among specialists in machine and mechanism area.

This book features selected papers presented at the Fourth International Conference on Nanoelectronics, Circuits and Communication Systems (NCCS 2018). Covering topics such as MEMS and nanoelectronics, wireless communications, optical communications, instrumentation, signal processing, the Internet of Things, image processing, bioengineering, green energy, hybrid vehicles, environmental science, weather forecasting, cloud computing, renewable energy, RFID, CMOS sensors, actuators, transducers, telemetry systems, embedded systems, and sensor network applications in mines, it offers a valuable resource for young scholars, researchers, and academics alike.

This book provides an overview of the experimental characterization of materials and their numerical modeling, as well as the development of new computational methods for virtual design. Its 17 contributions are divided into four main sections: experiments and virtual design, composites, fractures and fatigue, and uncertainty quantification. The first section explores new experimental methods that can be used to more accurately characterize material behavior. Furthermore, it presents a combined experimental and numerical approach to optimizing the properties of a structure, as well as new developments in the field of computational methods for virtual design. In turn, the second section is dedicated to experimental and numerical investigations of composites, with a special focus on the modeling of failure modes and the optimization of these materials. Since fatigue also includes wear due to frictional contact and aging of elastomers, new numerical schemes in the field of crack modeling and fatigue prediction are also discussed. The input parameters of a classical numerical simulation represent mean values of actual observations, though certain deviations arise: to illustrate the uncertainties of parameters used in calculations, the book's final section presents new and efficient approaches to uncertainty quantification.

This book highlights the latest advances in AFM nano-manipulation research in the field of nanotechnology. There are numerous uncertainties in the AFM nano-manipulation environment, such as thermal drift, tip broadening effect, tip positioning errors and manipulation instability. This book proposes a method for estimating tip morphology using a blind modeling algorithm, which is the basis of the analysis of the influence of thermal drift on AFM scanning images, and also explains how the scanning image of AFM is reconstructed with better accuracy. Further, the book describes how the tip positioning errors caused by thermal drift and system nonlinearity can be corrected using the proposed landmark observation method, and also explores the tip path planning method in a complex environment. Lastly, it presents an AFM-based nano-manipulation platform to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method using theoretical research, such as tip positioning and virtual nano-hand.

This book deals with the electro-chemo-mechanical properties characteristic of and unique to solid electrode surfaces, covering interfacial electrochemistry and surface science. Electrochemical reactions such as electro-sorption, electro-deposition or film growth on a solid electrode induce changes in surface stress or film stress that lead to transformation of the surface phase or alteration of the surface film. The properties of solid electrode surfaces associated with the correlation between electrochemical and mechanical phenomena are named "electro-chemo-mechanical properties". The book first derives the surface thermodynamics of solid electrodes as fundamentals for understanding the electro-chemo-mechanical properties. It also explains the powerful techniques for investigating the electro-chemo-mechanical properties, and reviews the arguments for derivation of surface thermodynamics of solid electrodes. Further, based on current experimental findings and theories, it discusses the importance of the contribution of surface stress to the transformation of surface phases, such as surface reconstruction and underpotential deposition in addition to the stress evolution during film growth and film reduction. Moreover, the book describes the nano-mechanical properties of solid surfaces measured by nano-indentation in relation to the electro-chemo-mechanical properties. This book makes a significant contribution to the further development of numerous fields, including electrocatalysis, materials science and corrosion science.

The series Topics in Current Chemistry Collections presents critical reviews from the journal Topics in Current Chemistry organized in topical volumes. The scope of coverage is all areas of chemical science including the interfaces with related disciplines such as biology, medicine and materials science. The goal of each thematic volume is to give the non-specialist reader, whether in academia or industry, a comprehensive insight into an area where new research is emerging which is of interest to a larger scientific audience. Each review within the volume critically surveys one aspect of that topic and places it within the context of the volume as a whole. The most significant developments of the last 5 to 10 years are presented using selected examples to illustrate the principles discussed. The coverage is not intended to be an exhaustive summary of the field or include large quantities of data, but should rather be conceptual, concentrating on the methodological thinking that will allow the non-specialist reader to understand the information presented. Contributions also offer an outlook on potential future developments in the field.

This book reports on the development of nanostructured metal-oxide-based electrode materials for use in water purification. The removal of organic pollutants and heavy metals from wastewater is a growing environmental and societal priority. This book thus focuses primarily on new techniques to modify the nanostructural properties of various solvent-electrolyte combinations to address these issues. Water treatment is becoming more and more challenging due to the ever increasing complexity of the pollutants present, requiring alternative and complementary approaches toward the removal of toxic chemicals, heavy metals and micro-organisms, to name a few. This contributed volume cuts across the fields of electrochemistry, water science, materials science, and nanotechnology, while presenting up-to-date experimental results on the properties and synthesis of metal-oxide electrode materials, as well as their application to areas such as biosensing and photochemical removal of organic wastewater pollutants. Featuring an introductory chapter on electrochemical cells, this book is well positioned to acquaint interdisciplinary researchers to the field, while providing topical coverage of the latest techniques and methodology. It is ideal for students and research professionals in water science, materials science, and chemical and civil engineering.

This book presents the latest research on mechatronic systems engineering. By bringing together the most important papers from the 2018 Mechatronics Forum Conference 'Reinventing Mechatronics,' it outlines key trends in research and applications that will define mechatronics for the next 50 years. Mechatronics was established as an engineering discipline over 50 years ago, as the integration of electronics and information technology with mechanical design. Given major technological advances and the growth of systems-level concepts such as Cyber-Physical Systems and the Internet of Things, along with Cloud Technologies and Big Data, it's now high time to reconsider the role of mechatronics, particularly within engineering design. Past and ongoing technological changes are impacting how systems are designed and configured in ways that could never have been envisaged when the field of mechatronics was first introduced.

Part I introduces the basic "Principles and Methods of Force Measurement" according to a classification into a dozen of force transducerstypes: resistive, inductive, capacitive, piezoelectric, electromagnetic, electrodynamic, magnetoelastic, galvanomagnetic (Hall-effect), vibrating wires, (micro)resonators, acoustic and gyroscopic. Two special chapters refer to force balance techniques and to combined methods in force measurement. Part II discusses the "(Strain Gauge) Force Transducers Components", evolving from the classical force transducer to the digital / intelligent one, with the incorporation of three subsystems (sensors, electromechanics and informatics). The elastic element (EE) is the "heart" of the force transducer and basically determines its performance. A 12-type elastic element classification is proposed (stretched / compressed column or tube, bending beam, bending and/or torsion shaft, middle bent bar with fixed ends, shear beam, bending ring, yoke or frame, diaphragm, axial-stressed torus, axisymmetrical and voluminous EE), with emphasis on the optimum place of the strain gauges. The main properties of the associated Wheatstone bridge, best suited for the parametrical transducers, are examined, together with the appropriate electronic circuits for SGFTs. The handbook fills a gap in the field of Force Measurement, both experts and newcomers, no matter of their particular interest, finding a lot of useful and valuable subjects in the area of Force Transducers; in fact, it is the first specialized monograph in this inter- and multidisciplinary field.

This book presents the findings of experimental and theoretical (including first-principles molecular dynamics simulation) studies of nanostructured and nanocomposite metal-based materials, and nanoscale multilayer coatings fabricated by physical or chemical vapor deposition, magnetron sputtering, electrospark alloying, ionic layer absorption, contact melting, and high-current electron beam irradiation. It also discusses novel methods of nanocomposite formation, as well as the structure of the deposited films, coatings and other nanoscale materials, their elemental and phase composition, and their physical-mechanical, tribological, magnetic and electrical properties. Lastly, it explores the influence of a various surface modification methods, such as thermal annealing, pulsed laser modification, and thermomechanical and ultrasonic treatment, as well as different properties of nanostructured films.

This book presents quantum phononics as an exciting new field of research, and introduces readers to the quantum nature of phonons and their application to quantum technologies. Both the theory of and recent experiments in "quantum phononics," involving e.g. coherent phonons, phonon squeezing, coherent control, and phonon quantum technologies, are presented. The theoretical background of the generation and detection of phonons is described in a way that will be easy to understand for graduate students and experimental scientists who are newcomers to the field. Moreover, the book focuses on coherent phonons produced by ultrafast laser pulses, which can be used for the coherent control of atomic motions in solids and phase transformation. The laser-matter interaction is treated using a density matrix formalism of the time-dependent Schroeedinger equation. In addition, the third-order nonlinear optical response of condensed matter is also described.

This book presents selected articles from the 2nd International Conference on Nanomaterials and Advanced Composites, which brings together leading researchers and professionals from academia and industry to present their findings and provides a platform for the exchange of ideas and future collaboration. The book covers eight topics, including nanomaterials, polymer materials, mechanical materials, materials chemistry, materials physics, ceramics, recycling materials and green composites.

The series Topics in Current Chemistry Collections presents critical reviews from the journal Topics in Current Chemistry organized in topical volumes. The scope of coverage is all areas of chemical science including the interfaces with related disciplines such as biology, medicine and materials science. The goal of each thematic volume is to give the non-specialist reader, whether in academia or industry, a comprehensive insight into an area where new research is emerging which is of interest to a larger scientific audience. Each review within the volume critically surveys one aspect of that topic and places it within the context of the volume as a whole. The most significant developments of the last 5 to 10 years are presented using selected examples to illustrate the principles discussed. The coverage is not intended to be an exhaustive summary of the field or include large quantities of data, but should rather be conceptual, concentrating on the methodological thinking that will allow the non-specialist reader to understand the information presented. Contributions also offer an outlook on potential future developments in the field.

The extended and revised edition of this textbook provides essential information for a comprehensive upper-level graduate course on the crystalline growth of semiconductor heterostructures. Heteroepitaxy is the basis of today's advanced electronic and optoelectronic devices, and it is considered one of the most important fields in materials research and nanotechnology. The book discusses the structural and electronic properties of strained epitaxial layers, the thermodynamics and kinetics of layer growth, and it describes the major growth techniques: metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy, molecular-beam epitaxy, and liquid-phase epitaxy. It also examines in detail cubic and hexagonal semiconductors, strain relaxation by misfit dislocations, strain and confinement effects on electronic states, surface structures, and processes during nucleation and growth. Requiring only minimal knowledge of solid-state physics, it provides natural sciences, materials science and electrical engineering students and their lecturers elementary introductions to the theory and practice of epitaxial growth, supported by references and over 300 detailed illustrations. In this second edition, many topics have been extended and treated in more detail, e.g. in situ growth monitoring, application of surfactants, properties of dislocations and defects in organic crystals, and special growth techniques like vapor-liquid-solid growth of nanowires and selective-area epitaxy.

This book presents the mechanics of piezoelectric semiconductor structures where the main electromechanical coupling of interest is the interaction between mechanical fields and semiconduction. This volume stands as the first full book treatment of this multi-physical subject from the mechanics angle. The analysis of piezoelectric semiconductor structures and devices is an emerging and rapidly growing interdisciplinary area involving materials, electronics, and solid mechanics. It has direct applications in the new area of piezotronics and piezo-phototronics. The book is theoretical, beginning with a phenomenological framework and progressing to include solutions to problems fundamental to the theory and application. Dr. Yang illustrates how in piezoelectric semiconductors, mechanical fields interact with semiconduction through the piezoelectrically produced electric fields by mechanical loads. This provides the foundation of piezotronic and piezo-phototronic devices in which semiconduction is induced, affected, manipulated, or controlled by mechanical fields. Also discussing composite structures of piezoelectric dielectrics and nonpiezoelectric semiconductors as well as thermal effects, the book is an ideal basic reference on the topic for researchers.

Written by the inventors and leading experts of this new field, the book results from the International Symposium on "Atomic Switch: Invention, Practical use and Future Prospects" which took place in Tsukuba, Japan on March 27th - 28th, 2017. The book chapters cover the different trends from the science and technology of atomic switches to their applications like brain-type information processing, artificial intelligence (AI) and completely novel functional electronic nanodevices. The current practical uses of the atomic switch are also described. As compared with the conventional semiconductor transistor switch, the atomic switch is more compact (~1/10) with much lower power consumption (~1/10) and scarcely influenced by strong electromagnetic noise and radiation including cosmic rays in space (~1/100). As such, this book is of interest to researchers, scholars and students willing to explore new materials, to refine the nanofabrication methods and to explore new and efficient device architectures.

This volume summarizes the state-of-the-art technologies, key advances and future trends in the field of label-free biosensing. It provides detailed insights into the different types of solid-state, label-free biosensors, their underlying transducer principles, advanced materials utilized, device-fabrication techniques and various applications. The book offers graduate students, academic researchers, and industry professionals a comprehensive source of information on all facets of label-free biosensing and the future trends in this flourishing field. Highlights of the subjects covered include label-free biosensing with: * semiconductor field-effect devices such as nanomaterial-modified capacitive electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor structures, silicon nanowire transistors, III-nitride semiconductor devices and light-addressable potentiometric sensors * impedimetric biosensors using planar and 3D electrodes * nanocavity and solid-state nanopore devices * carbon nanotube and graphene/graphene oxide biosensors * electrochemical biosensors using molecularly imprinted polymers * biomimetic sensors based on acoustic signal transduction * enzyme logic systems and digital biosensors based on the biocomputing concept * heat-transfer as a novel transducer principle * ultrasensitive surface plasmon resonance biosensors * magnetic biosensors and magnetic imaging devices

This book summarizes the application of linear algebra-based controllers (LABC) for trajectory tracking for practitioners and students across a range of engineering disciplines. It clarifies the necessary steps to apply this straight-forward technique to a non-linear multivariable system, dealing with continuous or discrete time models, and outlines the steps to implement such controllers. In this book, the authors present an approach of the trajectory tracking problem in systems with dead time and in the presence of additive uncertainties and environmental disturbances. Examples of applications of LABC to systems in real operating conditions (mobile robots, marine vessels, quadrotor and pvtol aircraft, chemical reactors and First Order Plus Dead Time systems) illustrate the controller design in such a way that the reader attains an understanding of LABC.

Plant Nanobionics, Volume 2 continues the important discussion of nanotechnology in plants, but focuses with a focus on biosynthesis and toxicity. This book discusses novel approaches to biosynthesis of nanoparticles for the increase of plant production systems, controlled release of agrochemicals and management of plant biotic stress. Green biosynthesis of metallic nanoparticles from bee propolis, artificial photosynthesis and hybrid structures are presented. Although engineered nanoparticles have great potential for solving many agricultural and societal problems, their consequences on the ecosystems and environment must be responsibly considered. This volume aims to contribute to the limited literature on this topic through its comprehensive examination of nanoparticle toxicity on plants, microbes and human health. Environmental risks with recent data are discussed as well as risks associated with the transfer of nanoparticles through the food chain. This volume highlights the study of a mechanistic approach and the study of nanoparticles towards nanobionics. The application of polymeric materials for smart packing in the food industry and agriculture sector as well as the future of nanomaterials in detecting soil microbes for environmental remediation are also included.

This book reviews advances in cutting-edge micro-/nano-electrometers, and discusses the technological challenges involved in their practical implementation. The detection of electrostatic charge has a wide range of applications in ionization chambers, bio-analyte and aerosol particle instruments, mass spectrometers, scanning tunneling microscopes, and even quantum computers. Designing micro-/nano-electrometers (also known as charge sensors) for electrometry is considered vital because of the charge sensitivity and resolution issues at micro-/nano-scales. The remarkably dynamic microelectromechanical systems (MEMSs)/nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMSs), and advances in solid-state electronics, hold considerable potential for the design and fabrication of extremely sensitive charge sensors.

This book introduces a variety of basic sciences and applications of the nanocomposites and heterostructures of functional oxides. The presence of a high density of interfaces and the differences in their natures are described by the authors. Both nanocomposites and heterostructures are detailed in depth by researchers from each of the research areas in order to compare their similarities and differences. A new interfacial material of heterostructure of strongly correlated electron systems is introduced.

This book provides a comprehensive reference to major neural interfacing technologies used to transmit signals between the physical world and the nervous system for repairing, restoring and even augmenting body functions. The authors discuss the classic approaches for neural interfacing, the major challenges encountered, and recent, emerging techniques to mitigate these challenges for better chronic performances. Readers will benefit from this book's unprecedented scope and depth of coverage on the technology of neural interfaces, the most critical component in any type of neural prostheses. Provides comprehensive coverage of major neural interfacing technologies; Reviews and discusses both classic and latest, emerging topics; Includes classification of technologies to provide an easy grasp of research and trends in the field.