Search

High‐temperature heating is ubiquitously utilized in material synthesis and manufacturing, which often features a rapid production rate due to the significantly improved kinetics. However, current technologies generally provide overall and steady‐state heating, thereby limiting their applications in micro/nano‐manufacturing that require selective patterning and swift heating. Herein, significantly improved control over small‐scale heating is reported by utilizing 3D printed reduced‐graphene‐oxide (RGO) probe triggered by electrical Joule heating, which enables precise heating with high spatial (sub‐millimeter scale) and temporal (milliseconds) resolutions. The block copolymer‐modified aqueous‐based RGO ink enabled 3D printing of high‐precision structures, and a bio‐inspired cellular microstructure is constructed to achieve control of the electrical conductivity and maximize structure robustness (benefit for efficient heating and operability). In particular, a thermal probe featuring a microscale tip with excellent heating capabilities (up to ≈3000 K, ultra‐fast ramping rate of ≈105 K s−1, and durations in milliseconds) is fabricated. This thermal probe is ideal for surface patterning, as it is demonstrated for the selective synthesis of patterned metal (i.e., platinum and silver) nanoparticles on nano‐carbon substrates, which is not possible by traditional steady‐state heating. The material construction and heating strategy can be readily extended to a range of applications requiring precise control on high‐temperature heating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hygrothermal assessment is essential to the production of healthy and energy efficient buildings. This has given rise to the demand for the development of a hygrothermal laboratory, as input data to hygrothermal modeling tools can only be sourced and validated through appropriate empirical measurements in a laboratory. These data are then used to quantify a building's dynamic characteristic moisture transport vis-a-vis a much more comprehensive energy performance analysis through simulation. This paper discusses the methods used to establish Australia's first hygrothermal laboratory for testing the water vapor resistivity properties of construction materials. The approach included establishing a climatically controlled hygrothermal test room with an automatic integrated system which controls heating, cooling, humidifying, and de-humidifying as required. The data acquisition for this hygrothermal test room operates with the installation of environmental sensors connected to specific and responsive programming codes. The room was successfully controlled to deliver a relative humidity of 50% with ±1%RH deviation and at 23 °C temperature with ±1 °C fluctuation during the testing of the water vapor diffusion properties of a pliable membrane common in Australian residential construction. To validate the potential of this testing facility, an independent measurement was also conducted at the Fraunhofer Institute of Building Physics laboratory (IBP) Holzkirchen, Germany for the diffusion properties of the same pliable membrane. The inter-laboratory testing results were subjected to statistical analysis of variance, this indicates that there is no significant difference between the result obtained in both laboratories. In conclusion, this paper demonstrates that a low-cost hygrothermally controlled test room can successfully replace the more expensive climatic chamber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]