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In Japan, which is thought to be a rapidly growing super-aging society, a national campaign named "the Dementia Supporter Caravan" has been deployed. The aim of this study was to assess the educational benefits of the dementia supporter training program for nurses and nursing students. We conducted dementia supporter training, and measured knowledge and attitudes regarding people with dementia as educational benefits pre- and post-training. Data sets of 134 nursing students and 63 nurses were analyzed. The results indicated that the two groups gained knowledge, understanding, and the confidence to care for people with dementia after attending the dementia supporter training program. Moreover, the two groups derived different benefits from the program. Nursing students gained substantial knowledge and learnt the importance of early detection and treatment, to levels similar to those of nurses prior to training. The training program reduced the difficulties of nurses to interact with and care for people with dementia. We can conclude that the dementia supporter training program has considerable educational benefits for nurses and nursing students.

This chapter demonstrates the use of inkjet printing not only as a passive materials dispensing technique, but also as an active tool in materials fabrication. A survey of developments in this exciting area is discussed with examples showing the potential of RIJ printing in nanomaterials fabrication, the grey-scale sheet resistivity in conducting polymer of PEDOT : PSS, and the self-assembled synthesis of uniform size gold nanoparticles.

In order to exploit mechanical flexibility of organic-based electronic devices, conducting polymer anodes, such as polyaniline or poly(3,4-ethylenedioxy)-thiophene-poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT-PSS), have been extensively studied. Along with the use of solution based processing techniques, conducting polymers can simplify the device fabrication procedure and yield themselves easily to printing techniques. In this paper, we present the results of utilizing desktop inkjet printer as a tool for direct printing and patterning of conducting polymer. Design of printable patterns and adjustment of printing parameters can be performed using any software such as Power Point. PEDOT-PSS suspension can be loaded into an inkjet cartridge and deposited on a given substrate in any designed pattern. The gray-scale color scheme can be employed to control the layer thickness and sheet resistivity of the inkjet printed layers. These layers are then used as anodes in organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs).

Due to its capability of dispensing very small volumes of different liquids in a control manner, ink-jet printing is well suited for combinatorial experiments. The multi-nozzle ink-jet delivery system is especially advantageous for parallel chemical synthesis of different materials. We have used ink-jet printing of an oxidizing agent to pattern a pre-ocated conducting polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxy)-thiophene-poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT-PSS), yielding electrodes with predefined shapes and a controlled degree of sheet resistivity for use in gray-scale organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs). The electrical and optical properties of the PEDOT-PSS layer are modified via chemical interaction using the oxidizing agent, These experiments were performed using a desktop ink-jet printer in conjunction with common graphic software which employed color functions such as CMY (cyan, magenta and yellow), HSL (hue, saturation and luminosity) and RGB (red, green and blue).

A series of θ-shaped poly(tetrahydrofuran), poly(THF), of different molecular weights were effectively synthesized by an electrostatic self-assembly and covalent fixation process using a three-armed, star telechelic precursor having N-phenylpyrrolidinium salt groups carrying a trimesate, 1,3,5-benzene tricarboxylate, counteranion (1/trimesate). Under appropriate dilution in acetone, θ-shaped poly(THF)s (2) were obtained in 40−49% isolated yields through the covalent conversion of an electrostatic self-assembly of a single polymer precursor unit with retaining the balance of the charges between cations and anions. The isolated product was unequivocally characterized by means of 1H NMR, IR, SEC as well as a reversed-phase chromatography (RPC), and MALDI−TOF MASS techniques.

We describe a new type of electroactive polymer gel. In contrast to cross-linked polyacrylates, this system is based on triepoxides cross-linked with polyfunctional amines. The stoichiometry is selected to form a cross-linked gel with excess amino hydrogens. In acid solutions these become cationic and the ionic interactions cause the gel to swell. We describe the mechanical properties of the gels, their response to changes in pH and to electrical activation. The response time is in rough agreement with what would be expected for a diffusional process through a gel of this size (about 100 μm). Samples of smaller dimensions would be expected to respond more rapidly.

Mono-, bis-, and tris{tritluoromethane-sulfonate ester)s ((triflate ester)s) were prepared by the reaction of benzyl alcohol (1), 1,4-bis(hydroxymethyl)-benzene (2) and 1,3,5-tris(hydroxymethyl)benzene (3) with trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride in the presence of 2,6-di-tert-butylpyridine. These benzylic triflate esters were applied in-situ for the living polymerization of tetra-hydrofuran (THF). The subsequent end-capping reaction with a suitable nucleophile proceeded quantitatively to produce mono, bi- and, in particular, novel trifunctional telechelic poly(THF)s, respectively.

A novel protocol for designing a variety of topologically unique multicyclic polymer architectures, such as mono-, bi-, and tricyclic polymers as well as topological isomers, has been proposed on the basis of an electrostatic self-assembly of polymer precursors having five-membered cyclic ammonium salt groups accompanying plurifunctional carboxylate counteranions. Upon dilution in an organic medium at a concentration of below a gram per liter, the multiple aggregates of the polymer precursors completely dissociate into a smallest assembly, and cations and anions balance the charge. The subsequent covalent fixation through the ring-opening reaction of cyclic ammonium salt groups by carboxylate counteranions provides an efficient means for a variety of polymer architectures comprising mono- and multicyclic polymer units.

For the front side photovoltaics metallization paste, acquiring a high aspect ratio grid line is one of the keys to boosting crystalline silicon solar cell efficiencies. Currently, with screen printing technology, fired grid line width under standard production parameters are commonly in the range of 80–120 μm with about 0.2 aspect ratios. In this paper, we report our most recent efforts and progresses on developing novel types of organic vehicles, which influence the rheological behavior of front side pastes drastically. Along with the optimization of screen and printing parameters, we observed a significant improvement in the high resolution printed line quality. With single pass screen printing, 60–70 μm width with 0.25–0.35 aspect ratio fingers were fabricated, while maintaining excellent lay-down features.

We study the conductance of phase-coherent disordered quantum wires focusing on the case in which the number of conducting channels is imbalanced between two propagating directions. If the number of channels in one direction is by one greater than that in the opposite direction, one perfectly conducting channel without backscattering is stabilized regardless of wire length. Consequently, the dimensionless conductance does not vanish but converges to unity in the long-wire limit, indicating the absence of Anderson localization. To observe the influence of a perfectly conducting channel, we numerically obtain the distribution of conductance in both cases with and without a perfectly conducting channel. We show that the characteristic form of the distribution is notably modified in the presence of a perfectly conducting channel., 7 pages, 16 figures

Growth of biological tissues often occurs by a layer of cells building new tissue layer-by-layer. Each new layer is the result of the reaction between a series of reagents and catalysts expressed by the cell layer. The nozzles of inkjet printheads have dimensions similar to those of cells and so it is possible to imagine a versatile inkjet printer also building tissues by depositing a series of drops of various reagents. This paper describes preliminary tests of this approach, the use of inkjet printing to form lines and layers of polymers, reaction between successive drops to produce layers of gels about 100nm thick, addition of enzymes into these gels and there use to produce mineralized structures.

There are many available techniques for patterning materials at low temperature, including microcontact printing, dip pen lithography, inkjet printing and others. As with conventional printing methods, each has particular advantages and disadvantages and each will find its place in a technology of organic electronics.This paper reviews the factors that will guide the application of inkjet printing to making device structures. In particular, the process does lend itself to forming multilayer structures, either by sequentially printing many layers of a single material in order to make a thick line, or by printing sequences of different materials that react on the substrate to form insoluble solids. One concern with inkjet printing is the limitation of the resolution to that of the nozzle diameter, typically 25–50 µm. Various strategies have been discussed for improving on this. We have found that printed particles often center in the deposited drops and therefore may be the basis for high resolution printing with a low resolution printer.

In the last few years, organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) [1] have moved from the laboratory to the market place [2,3]. It is now possible to buy devices such as car stereos and cell phones where the display is based on OLEDs. Efforts are also directed to larger displays, and prototypes of 13 and 17 in. displays have recently been demonstrated.

Inkjet printing is familiar as a method for printing ink on absorbent paper. In principle the method can be used to print multilayer devices, but we will then need to be able to control the structure of material deposited onto hard surfaces and to overprint different materials on one another. This paper deals addresses the approaches available to form materials by reaction between successive ink layers. The short diffusion distances allow uniform structures to form instead of interfacial barriers or precipitates that would result on a larger scale. Many aspects of these processes can be compared to those that occur during growth of biological tissues. Thus, biology may be a fruitful source of ideas on how to exploit this technology.

Amine-epoxy based gel actuators have been made since this chemistry allows the small volume gels to be made easily and is expected to provide enough strength for practical use with highly crosslinked networks. In this study, a small drop of cationic polyelectrolyte gel was prepared by crosslinking of trifunctional polyetheramines with ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether. The response of these materials to electrical stimuli, pH and metal ions is controlled by the crosslink density and ionic strength of medium. When the gels contact a platinum anode, positive charges are generated on the amine groups and the ionic repulsion causes the swelling. Reversing current neutralizes amines and the hydrogen bonding interaction causes a volume collapse. These gels show large and rapid swelling in response to an electrical and chemical input on a sub-millimeter scale.

Add-Vision has brought a new perspective to OLED commercialization, devices, and manufacturing, based on doped organic semiconductor device chemistries and air stable cathode technology to enable low cost printing tools and flexible, lamination encapsulation. Add-Vision's balance of cost, performance, and form factor are enabling advantages for new printed electronics opportunities outside of conventional high resolution display applications, and complex and high capital cost processing.