This paper addresses the problem of dielectric breakdown in composite materials. The dielectric breakdown model was generalized to describe dielectric breakdown patterns in conductor-loaded composites. Conducting particles are distributed at random in the insulating matrix, and the dielectric breakdown propagates according to new rules to take into account electrical properties and particle siz...

Conducting organic polymers have found two main kinds of application in electronics so far: as materials for construction of various devices and as selective layers in chemical sensors. In either case, interaction with ambient gases is critical. It may compromise the performance of a device based on conducting polymers, whereas it is beneficial in a sensor. Conductivity has been the primary pro...

The effective waste heat recovery is one of the present-day challenges in the industry and power engineering. The energy systems dedicated for waste heat conversion into electricity are usually characterized by low efficiency and are complicated in the design. The possibility of waste heat recovery via thermoelectric materials may be an interesting alternative to the currently used technologies...

Versatile polyelectrolytes with tunable physical properties have the potential to be transformative in applications such as energy storage, fuel cells and various electronic devices. Among the types of materials available for these applications, nanostructured cationic block copolyelectrolytes offer mechanical integrity and well-defined conducting paths for ionic transport. To date, most cation...

Recently, cellulose has been re-discovered as a smart material that can be used as sensor and actuator materials, which is termed electro-active paper (EAPap). This paper reports recent advances in paper actuators made with cellulose and hybrid materials such as multi-walled carbon nanotubes, conducting polymers and ionic liquids. Two distinct actuator principles in EAPap actuators are demonstr...

Screening for potential new materials with experimental and theoretical methods has led to the discovery of many promising candidate materials for p-type transparent conducting oxides. It is difficult to reliably assess a good p-type transparent conducting oxide (TCO) from limited information available at an early experimental stage. In this paper we discuss the influence of sample thickness on...

The past two decades have witnessed the discoveries of several new classes of novel electronic materials. Ranging from conducting polymers through charge transfer solids and inorganic chain compounds to organic and high temperature superconductors, these materials have in common two important, unusual properties. First, their electronic structures are strongly anisotropic, in some cases (e.g., ...

conducting sufficient usability test requires planning and attention to the evaluation details. In common, usability test methods for software take into considerations, planning usability questions, selecting a representative sample and recruiting participants, and preparing the test materials and actual test environment. Several issues were reported while choosing the suitable usability test m...

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) Office of Materials and Road Research advances the state of the practice of pavement design, construction, and maintenance by conducting and participating in pavement and materials research projects, implementation of research results, and supporting practitioners. One of the many research strategies is the study of tire-pavement noise using M...