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Bridges of the ÖBB Pyhrn railway line – Two‐track expansion in the Hinterstoder‐Pießling section ÖBB‐Infrastruktur AG is continuously expanding the position of the railway as one of the most environmentally friendly means of transport. Above all, a sustainable offer for mobility and logistics also includes the expansion of the rail network infrastructure. On the Linz‐Selzthal route, a selective two‐track expansion will be carried out in the next few years, the core of which in the Pyhrnbahn area between Hinterstoder and Vorderstoder/Pießling is based on an 8.5 km long new route. In the planning phase, essential aspects of sustainable and long‐term route availability are already anticipated in the preliminary planning for the EIA procedure. Especially in the area of bridge structures, special paths are being taken that are intended to ensure this route availability and longevity of the structures in a clearer way. In addition to several smaller bridge structures, the single‐track valley bridges will be renewed on the section mentioned. Three arch bridges and two beam bridges are planned, the special features of which are described in more detail in this article. The main focus here is on topics such as the possibility of replacing one half of the bridge at a later date, increasing loads, subsequent prestressing and special paths in the case of interaction between track and structure and braking loads on double‐track bridges. Planning boundary conditions that are already dealt with at the level of a tender project when submitting the EIA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel transducer concept based on an organic electrochemical transistor is described. Its function as an integral part of an air humidity sensor, in which the proton conductor Nafion acts as sensitivity layer has been realised. The resulting electrochemical sensor–transistor, based on the conducting polymer PEDOT:PSS, operates at low voltages, on the order of 1 V. The sensor response, measured as the drain–source current of the electrochemical transistor, versus air humidity, has a close to exponential behaviour. The sensor can be realised using exclusively printing and coating fabrication techniques. Here, we demonstrate devices realised on plastic foils and on ordinary coated fine paper substrates. This organic electrochemical transducer promise future applications such as all-integrated low-cost sensor tags for single-use chemical sensors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We report on the polarizing electrochromic (EC) effect of a conjugated polymer. This has been achieved in a planar flexible electrochemical device cell comprised of a patterned stretch-aligned thin film of polyaniline and an electrolyte, all made on a polyethylene foil substrate. The resulting device exhibits polarized absorption characteristics, of a dichroic ratio of 4, that can be controlled by the voltage applied. Also, thin flexible EC polarizers have been realized by combining two stretch-aligned polyaniline films with orthogonal stretching direction. In the resulting EC polarizer the orientation of the polarized absorption can be switched between two orthogonal directions, depending on the voltage applied. © 2003 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An all-organic printed electrochemical rectifier is reported. The device is based on a patterned layer of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) that interfaces a patterned electrolyte top layer. Overlap between the electrolyte layer and the conducting polymer pattern results in the formation of two electrochemically active areas within the conducting polymer pattern. When bias voltage is applied across the conducting polymer pattern, the PEDOT in the negatively biased areas is reduced electrochemically, while the PEDOT in the positively biased area is further oxidized. Reducing PEDOT from its p-doped, pristine state to the neutral state results in a marked loss of electrical conductivity. Due to the unsymmetrical device geometry, the current through the device may be shut off for one polarity of applied bias voltage with an electrical current rectification ratio of 100 compared to the opposite polarity. The output characteristics of a corresponding half wave rectifier as well as those from a full wave bridge rectifier show stable performance at frequencies below 15 Hz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]