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To treat cardiovascular diseases (i.e., a major cause of mortality after cancers), endovascular-technique-based guidewire has been employed for intra-arterial navigation. To date, most commercially available guidewires (e.g., Terumo, Abbott, Cordis, etc.) are non-steerable, which is poorly suited to the human arterial system with numerous bifurcations and angulations. To reach a target artery, surgeons frequently opt for several tools (guidewires with different size integrated into angulated catheters) that might provoke arterial complications such as perforation or dissection. Steerable guidewires would, therefore, be of high interest to reduce surgical morbidity and mortality for patients as well as to simplify procedure for surgeons, thereby saving time and health costs. Regarding these reasons, our research involves the development of a smart steerable guidewire using electroactive polymer (EAP) capable of bending when subjected to an input voltage. The actuation performance of the developed device is assessed through the curvature behavior (i.e., the displacement and the angle of the bending) of a cantilever beam structure, consisting of single- or multi-stack EAP printed on a substrate. Compared to the single-stack architecture, the multi-stack gives rise to a significant increase in curvature, even when subjected to a moderate control voltage. As suggested by the design framework, the intrinsic physical properties (dielectric, electrical, and mechanical) of the EAP layer, together with the nature and thickness of all materials (EAP and substrate), do have strong effect on the bending response of the device. The analyses propose a comprehensive guideline to optimize the actuator performance based on an adequate selection of the relevant materials and geometric parameters. An analytical model together with a finite element model (FEM) are investigated to validate the experimental tests. Finally, the design guideline leads to an innovative structure (composed of a 10-stack active layer screen-printed on a thin substrate) capable of generating a large range of bending angle (up to 190°) under an acceptable input level of 550 V, which perfectly matches the standard of medical tools used for cardiovascular surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the design steps of a planar circularly polarized (CP) bowtie‐shaped antenna for 2.4–2.5 GHz industry, science, and medicine band. Using these design steps, an antenna model is developed. The antenna design is extensively described, simulated, measured, and analyzed. The antenna is simulated using the HFSS software and produced by laser etching of copper on a low‐cost Taconic RF‐35 substrate. The presented method of this design is easy to fabricate and is tunable to different frequencies. The produced CP planar antenna has a size of 55 × 55 × 0.25 mm3, a measured axial ratio bandwidth ranging from 2.33 to 2.49 GHz, and a measured peak gain of 3.21 dBiC. The produced antenna is fully planar, compatible with the printing process and thus suitable for Internet of Things applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thin film transistors, with channels composed of In-X-Zn oxides, IXZO, with X dopants: Ga, Sb, Be, Mg, Ag, Ca, Al, Ni, and Cu, were fabricated and their I-V characteristics were taken at selected temperatures in the 77KST, were extracted from the characteristics for each of the studied IXZOs. At higher T, the mobility follows the Arrhenius law with an upward distortion, increasing as T is lowered, gradually transforming into the exp [-(T0/T)1/4] variation. We showed that μ(T, NST) follows μ0 exp[-Eaeff(T,NST)/kT], with T-dependent effective activation energy Eaeff(T, NST) accounts for the data, revealing a linear correlation between Eaeff and NST at higher T. Temperature variation of Eaeff(T, NST) was evaluated using a model assuming a random distribution of conduction mobility edge Ec values in the oxides, stemming from spatial fluctuations induced by disorder in the interface traps distribution. For a Gaussian distribution of Ec, the activation energy Eaeff(T, NST) varies linearly with 1/T, which accounts satisfactorily for the data obtained on all the studied IXZOs. The model also shows that Eaeff(T, NST) is a linear function of NST at a fixed T, which explains the exponential decrease of μ with NST. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper was to provide insight into the impact of matrix and surfactants on the rheology, morphology, and dielectric and piezoelectric properties of screen-printed BaTiO3/PVDF composites. Two matrices were compared (PVDF–HFP and PVDF–TrFE), and lead-free BaTiO3 microparticles were added in volume fractions of 30% and 60%. Here, we demonstrated that the presence of surfactants, helping to prevent phase separation, was crucial for achieving a decent screen-printing process. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy together with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the two "fluoro-benzoic acid" surfactants established stable bonds with BaTiO3 and improved the dispersion homogeneity, while the "fluoro-silane" proved to be ineffective due to it evaporating during the functionalization process. PVDF–TrFE composites featured a more homogeneous composite layer, with fewer flaws and lower roughness, as compared with PVDF–HFP composites, and their inks were characterized by a higher viscosity. The samples were polarized in either AC or DC mode, at two different temperatures (25 °C and 80 °C). The 30% BaTiO3 PVDF–TrFE composites with two fluorinated surfactants featured a higher value of permittivity. The choice of the surfactant did not affect the permittivity of the PVDF–HFP composites. Concerning the d33 piezoelectric coefficient, experimental results pointed out that PVDF–TrFE matrices made it possible to obtain higher values, and that the best results were achieved in the absence of surfactants (or by employing the fluoro-silane). For instance, in the composites with 60% BaTiO3 and polarized at 80 °C, a d33 of 7–8 pC/N was measured, which is higher than the values reported in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]