Effect of the Alumina Particle Filler Structure and Particle Size on the Dielectric Constant and Dielectric Loss in the Millimeter-Wave Band.

The sixth-generation communication system (6G) is the next-generation communication system and is expected to be operational in 2030. The following areas will use 6G: the frequency band employed in 6G is expected to be 100 GHz or higher, necessitating additional reduction of the dielectric constant and dielectric loss in the substrate material. In this study, we examined the effects of compounding various phases of alumina with different shapes and crystal phases on the dielectric constant and dielectric loss of cyclo-olefin polymer (COP) compounds. It was confirmed that the smaller the particle size, the higher the effect on the dielectric loss. The dielectric loss decreased from 1.6 × 10-3 of COP to 1.2 × 10-3 when the smallest filler was added at 30 wt %.

Ba1/3CoO2: A Thermoelectric Oxide Showing a Reliable ZT of ∼0.55 at 600 °C in Air.

Thermoelectric energy conversion technology has attracted attention as an energy harvesting technology that converts waste heat into electricity by means of the Seebeck effect. Oxide-based thermoelectric materials that show a high figure of merit are promising because of their good chemical and thermal stability as well as their harmless nature compared to chalcogenide-based state-of-the-art thermoelectric materials. Although several high-ZT thermoelectric oxides (ZT > 1) have been reported thus far, the reliability is low due to a lack of careful observation of their stability at elevated temperatures. Here, we show a reliable high-ZT thermoelectric oxide, Ba1/3CoO2. We fabricated Ba1/3CoO2 epitaxial films by the reactive solid-phase epitaxy method (Na3/4CoO2) followed by ion exchange (Na+ → Ba2+) treatment and performed thermal annealing of the film at high temperatures and structural and electrical measurements. The crystal structure and electrical resistivity of the Ba1/3CoO2 epitaxial films were found to be maintained up to 600 °C. The power factor gradually increased to ∼1.2 mW m-1 K-2 and the thermal conductivity gradually decreased to ∼1.9 W m-1 K-1 with increasing temperature up to 600 °C. Consequently, the ZT reached ∼0.55 at 600 °C in air.

High Temperature Electrical Properties of Co-Substituted La4BaCu5O13+δ Thin Films Fabricated by Sputtering Method.

The high-temperature conductivity of the perovskite oxides of a La4BaCu5O13+δ (LBCO) thin film prepared by RF sputtering deposition and thermal annealing has been studied. While the bulk LBCO compound was metallic, the LBCO film deposited on a Si substrate by sputtering and a post annealing process showed semiconductor-like conduction, which is considered to be due to the defects and poor grain connectivity in the LBCO film on the Si substrate. The LBCO film deposited on a SrTiO3 substrate was of high film quality and showed metallic conduction. When the cation site Cu was substituted by Co, the electrical conductivity of the LBCO film increased further and its temperature dependence became smaller. The transport properties of LBCO films are investigated to understand its carrier generation mechanism.

Development of Na0.5CoO2 Thick Film Prepared by Screen-Printing Process.

The Na0.5Co0.9Cu0.1O2 thick film with the same thermoelectric performance as a Na0.5CoO2 bulk was formed on an alumina substrate by the screen-printing process. The power factor exceeded 0.3 mW/K2m, with the resistivity of 3.8 mΩcm and the thermopower of 108 µV/K. The thick film without any cracks strongly adhered to the substrate. The high-quality thick film had been realized through the carefully designed and improved process, mixing NaCl to promote the anisotropic sintering of Na0.5Co0.9Cu0.1O2, inserting a CuO interlayer to adhere the film and substrate, and Co-Cu substituting Cu for Co to control the sintering temperature.

Selective Detection of Target Volatile Organic Compounds in Contaminated Air Using Sensor Array with Machine Learning: Aging Notes and Mold Smells in Simulated Automobile Interior Contaminant Gases.

We investigated the selective detection of target volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which are age-related body odors (namely, 2-nonenal, pelargonic acid, and diacetyl) and a fungal odor (namely, acetic acid) in the presence of interference VOCs from car interiors (namely, n-decane, and butyl acetate). We used eight semiconductive gas sensors as a sensor array; analyzing their signals using machine learning; principal-component analysis (PCA), and linear-discriminant analysis (LDA) as dimensionality-reduction methods; k-nearest-neighbor (kNN) classification to evaluate the accuracy of target-gas determination; and random forest and ReliefF feature selections to choose appropriate sensors from our sensor array. PCA and LDA scores from the sensor responses to each target gas with contaminant gases were generally within the area of each target gas; hence; discrimination between each target gas was nearly achieved. Random forest and ReliefF efficiently reduced the required number of sensors, and kNN verified the quality of target-gas discrimination by each sensor set.

Co-Substitution Effect in Room-Temperature Ferromagnetic Oxide Sr3.1Y0.9Co4O10.5.

We investigated the Co substitution effect for the magnetic properties in room-temperature ferromagnetic oxide Sr3.1Y0.9Co4O10.5. The substituted element (Al and Ga) and low-spin state Co3+, which was changed from a high-spin or intermediate-spin state by Al or Ga substitution, reduced the Curie temperature to even 1.5 times lower than the temperature estimated from a simple dilution effect. Al3+ preferentially substituted for intermediate-spin-state Co3+ in the ferrimagnetic CoO6 layer and deteriorated the saturation magnetization of Sr3.1Y0.9Co4O10.5. By contrast, Ga3+ substituted for high-spin-state Co3+ in the CoO6 layer and/or the antiferromagnetic CoO4.25 layer and enhanced the saturation magnetization per Co ion. These results indicate that the magnetic properties of Sr3.1Y0.9Co4O10.5 can be controlled by selectively substituting for Co3+ with different spin states.

Unusually Small Thermal Expansion of Ordered Perovskite Oxide CaCu3Ru4O12 with High Conductivity.

We measured the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of conducting composite ceramics 30 vol.% CuO-mixed CaCu3Ru4O12 together with CaCu3Ru4O12 and CuO. Although conducting ceramics tend to show higher CTE values than insulators, and its CTE value does not match with other ceramic materials, the CTE of CaCu3Ru4O12 (7⁻9 × 10-6/K) was as small as those of insulators such as CuO (9 × 10-6/K), alumina (8 × 10-6/K), and other insulating perovskite oxides. We propose that the thermal expansion of CaCu3Ru4O12 was suppressed by the Cu-O bond at the A-site due to the Jahn⁻Teller effect. This unusually small CTE of CaCu3Ru4O12 compared to other conducting oxides plays a vital role enabling successful coating of 30 vol.% CuO-mixed CaCu3Ru4O12 thick films on alumina substrates, as demonstrated in our previous study.

Trial of an All-Ceramic SnO2 Gas Sensor Equipped with CaCu3Ru4O12 Heater and Electrode.

We have constructed a gas sensor of SnO2 equipped with ceramic electrodes and a heater made of CaCu3Ru4O12, which demonstrated good device performance at high temperature. The CaCu3Ru4O12-based electrodes and heater were formed on Al2O3 substrates using a screen-printing process, which is cost-effective and suitable for mass-production. This all-ceramic device reached 600 °C at the lowest, and remained intact after one week of operation at 500 °C and rapid thermal cycling of 500 °C temperature changes within 10 s. We propose CaCu3Ru4O12 as a robust and reliable conducting material that can be a substitute for Pt in various devices.

Thermoelectric Array Sensors with Selective Combustion Catalysts for Breath Gas Monitoring.

Inflammable breath gases such as H2 and CH4 are used as bio markers for monitoring the condition of the colon. However, their typical concentrations of below 100 ppm pose sensitivity and selectivity challenges to current gas sensing systems without the use of chromatography. We fabricated a compact, gas-selective thermoelectric array sensor (TAS) that uses micro-machined sensor devices with three different combustion catalysts to detect gases such as H2, CO, and CH4 in breath. Using Pt/Pt-W thin-film micro-heater meanders, Pd/Al2O3, Pt,Pd,Au/Co3O4, and Pt/Al2O3 catalysts were heated to 320, 200, and 125 °C, respectively, and the gas sensing performances of the TAS for each gas and for a model breath gas mixture of 100 ppm H2, 25 ppm CO, 50 ppm CH4, and 199 ppm CO2 in air were investigated. Owing to its high catalyst temperature, the Pd/Al2O3 catalyst burned all three gases, while the Pt,Pd,Au/Co3O4 burned CO and H2 and the Pt/Al2O3 burned H2 selectively. To calibrate the gas concentration of the mixture gas without the use of a gas separation tool, linear discriminant analysis was applied to measure the sensing performance of TAS. To enhance the gas selectivity against H2, a double catalyst structure was integrated into the TAS sensor.

Thin Film Coating with Highly Dispersible Barium Titanate-Polyvinylpyrrolidone Nanoparticles.

Thin BaTiO3 (BT) coating layers are required in various multilayer ceramic technologies, and fine nanosized BT particles with good dispersion in solution are essential for this coating process. In this work, cubic and tetragonal phase monodispersed BT nanoparticles—which were referred to as LBT and HBT-PVP coated on their surface by polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) polymer—were prepared by low temperature synthesis (LTS) and hydrothermal method (HT) at 80 and 230 °C, respectively. They were applied for the thin film coating on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and Si wafer substrates by a simple bar coating. The thickness of BT, LBT-PVP, and HBT-PVP films prepared by their 5 wt % coating agent on Si are around 268, 308, and 263 nm, and their surface roughness are 104.6, 91.6, and 56.1 nm, respectively. The optical transmittance of BT, LBT-PVP, and HBT-PVP films on PET are 55, 66, and 73% at 550 nm wavelength and the haze values are 34.89, 24.70, and 20.53% respectively. The mechanism of dispersant adsorbed on the BT surface for densification of thin film during the drying process of the film was discussed.

Increase in breath hydrogen concentration was correlated with the main pancreatic duct stenosis.

BACKGROUND: Hydrogen is produced from unabsorbed carbohydrates in the intestine through degradation and metabolism by hydrogenase of intestinal bacteria. The hydrogen is then partially diffused into blood flow and released and detected in exhaled breath. Pancreatic juice production is decreased in patients with reduced pancreatic exocrine function, including those with pancreatic cancer, thus decreasing digestion and absorption of nutrients including carbohydrates, which may increase undigested carbohydrates in the intestine and increase breath hydrogen concentration (BHC). The aim of this study was to investigate the association between BHC and pancreatic diseases. METHODS: A retrospective study was designed and 68 patients underwent morning fasting breath hydrogen test. Since there is no clear standard, normal BHC, the median of the measured values from the subjects (9 ppm) was adopted as the standard. The subjects were classified into those with a value exceeding the median (BHC high group: 32 patients) and a value equal to or below the median (BHC low group: 36 patients). Patients characteristics, blood test results and imaging findings characteristic of pancreatic diseases were compared between the groups. RESULTS: The age was significantly higher (P = 0.010) and the incidences of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and autoimmune pancreatitis were significantly higher (P = 0.018 and P = 0.004, respectively) in the BHC high group. With respect to the blood test items, the Alb level was significantly lower in the BHC high group (P = 0.005). With respect to the characteristic imaging findings of pancreatic diseases, the proportions of patients with pancreatic enlargement, the main pancreatic duct (MPD) stenosis, and the MPD dilatation were significantly higher in the BHC high group (P = 0.022, P < 0.001, and P = 0.002, respectively). On univariate analysis, only the MPD stenosis was extracted as an independent factor (P = 0.014). CONCLUSION: It was suggested that the fasting BHC is associated with pancreatic diseases causing stenosis of the MPD, including pancreatic cancer (UMIN000020777).

Formation Mechanism and Dispersion of Pseudo-Tetragonal BaTiO3-PVP Nanoparticles from Different Titanium Precursors: TiCl4 and TiO2.

Nano-sized tetragonal BaTiO3 (BT) particles that are well dispersed in solution are essential for the dielectric layer in multilayer ceramic capacitor technology. A hydrothermal process using TiCl4 and BaCl2, as source of Ti and Ba, respectively, or the precursor TiO2 as seed for the formation of BT, and poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) as a surfactant, was employed in this study to enhance both the dispersibility and tetragonality (c/a) simultaneously in a single reaction process. The process parameters, i.e., the ratio of TiO2 substitution of TiCl4, the reaction time, and PVP content were systematically studied, and the growth mechanism and relation between the tetragonality and the particle size are discussed. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis was used to show that truncated pseudo-tetragonal BT-PVP particles with an average size of 100 nm, having a narrow size distribution and a coefficient of variation (CV) as low as 20% and being mono-dispersed in water, were produced. The narrow particle size distribution is attributed to the ability of PVP to inhibit the growth of BT particles, and the high c/a of BT-PVP to heterogeneous particle growth using TiO2 seeds.

Selective Detection of Target Volatile Organic Compounds in Contaminated Humid Air Using a Sensor Array with Principal Component Analysis.

We investigated selective detection of the target volatile organic compounds (VOCs) nonanal, n-decane, and acetoin for lung cancer-related VOCs, and acetone and methyl i-butyl ketone for diabetes-related VOCs, in humid air with simulated VOC contamination (total concentration: 300 µg/m³). We used six "grain boundary-response type" sensors, including four commercially available sensors (TGS 2600, 2610, 2610, and 2620) and two Pt, Pd, and Au-loaded SnO2 sensors (Pt, Pd, Au/SnO2), and two "bulk-response type" sensors, including Zr-doped CeO2 (CeZr10), i.e., eight sensors in total. We then analyzed their sensor signals using principal component analysis (PCA). Although the six "grain boundary-response type" sensors were found to be insufficient for selective detection of the target gases in humid air, the addition of two "bulk-response type" sensors improved the selectivity, even with simulated VOC contamination. To further improve the discrimination, we selected appropriate sensors from the eight sensors based on the PCA results. The selectivity to each target gas was maintained and was not affected by contamination.

Development of an Exhaled Breath Monitoring System with Semiconductive Gas Sensors, a Gas Condenser Unit, and Gas Chromatograph Columns.

Various volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in breath exhaled by patients with lung cancer, healthy controls, and patients with lung cancer who underwent surgery for resection of cancer were analyzed by gas condenser-equipped gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) for development of an exhaled breath monitoring prototype system involving metal oxide gas sensors, a gas condenser, and gas chromatography columns. The gas condenser-GC/MS analysis identified concentrations of 56 VOCs in the breath exhaled by the test population of 136 volunteers (107 patients with lung cancer and 29 controls), and selected four target VOCs, nonanal, acetoin, acetic acid, and propanoic acid, for use with the condenser, GC, and sensor-type prototype system. The prototype system analyzed exhaled breath samples from 101 volunteers (74 patients with lung cancer and 27 controls). The prototype system exhibited a level of performance similar to that of the gas condenser-GC/MS system for breath analysis.