Search results for: BIOSORBENTS, CHLORINATED SOLVENTS, LOW-COST ADSORBENT, SORPTION
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Fast tolerance-aware design optimization of miniaturized microstrip couplers using variable-fidelity EM simulations and re-sponse features
PublicationManufacturing tolerances and other types of uncertainties may considerably affect operation and performance of microwave components and systems. Quantification of these effects is therefore an important part of the design process. It is even more important to obtain designs whose sensitivity to parameter deviations is reduced as much as possible. All of these require statistical analysis carried out at the level of electromagnetic...
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Optimizing FSO networks resilient to adverse weather conditions by means of enhanced uncertainty sets
PublicationThis work deals with dimensioning of wireless mesh networks (WMN) composed of FSO (free space optics) links. Although FSO links realize broadband transmission at low cost, their drawback is sensitivity to adverse weather conditions causing transmission degradation on multiple links. Hence, designing such FSO networks requires an optimization model to find the cheapest configuration of link capacities that will be able to carry...
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Nanostructure of the laser-modified transition metal nanocomposites for water splitting
PublicationAlthough hydrogen is considered by many to be the green fuel of the future, nowadays it is primarily produced through steam reforming, which is a process far from ecological. Therefore, emphasis is being put on the development of electrodes capable of the efficient production of hydrogen and oxygen from water. To make the green alternative possible, the solution should be cost-efficient and well processable, generating less waste...
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High-Efficacy Global Optimization of Antenna Structures by Means of Simplex-Based Predictors
PublicationDesign of modern antenna systems has become highly dependent on computational tools, especially full-wave electromagnetic (EM) simulation models. EM analysis is capable of yielding accurate representation of antenna characteristics at the expense of considerable evaluation time. Consequently, execution of simulation-driven design procedures (optimization, statistical analysis, multi-criterial design) is severely hindered by the...
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Chapter 11 – Application of Chemical Sensors and Sensor Matrixes to Air Quality Evaluation
PublicationIndoor and outdoor air quality is one of the key factors influencing human health. However, air quality evaluation is not easy task. Air is a complex system, which is subjected to changes even within short period of time. Progress in analytical methods and analytical tools provides increasingly more reliable information on the condition and quality of indoor and outdoor air. This progress, however, generates an increase in the...
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Rapid assessment of the authenticity of limequat fruit using the electronic nose and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry
PublicationCitrus fruits are very popular food products. There are many species and varieties of them. There are also documented cases of some citrus fruits causing a severe allergic reaction. Some species of the citrus fruits, especially hybrid ones show a reduced allergenic effect due to the lack of seeds. There is a need for rapid methods for evaluation of citrus’ botanical origin. During research, the headspace of three citrus fruits...
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Time for temporariness! Temporary architecture - whim or necessity?
PublicationWhat are the qualities of temporary architectural objects that make them helpful instruments for evolving the image of contemporary urban space? Six hypotheses provide rationales for why current temporary architecture seems to be a remedy for dysfunctional city structures. The research was limited to the temporary architectural objects constructed in open-air city zones, including the architecture of events. The temporary objects'...
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Effects of the Covid-19 travel restrictions on metropolises mobility: empirical evidence from the Tricity metropolis (Poland)
PublicationThis paper aims to assess changes in mobility and modal shift caused by COVID-19 travel restrictions among the residents of Gdańsk Bay Metropolis (Poland). Measurement’s moments were assumed in periods differing in the level of restric- tions. The computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) was carried out in November and December 2020. The results did not confirm the expected modal shift. However, significant changes in the number...
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Rapid multi-criterial design of microwave components with robustness analysis by means of knowledge-based surrogates
PublicationManufacturing tolerances and uncertainties concerning material parameters, e.g., operating conditions or substrate permittivity are detrimental to characteristics of microwave components. The knowledge of relations between acceptable parameter deviations (not leading to violation of design specifications) and the nominal performance (not considering uncertainties), and is therefore indispensable. This paper proposes a multi-objective...
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New light on the photocatalytic performance of NH4V4O10 and its composite with rGO
PublicationSolar-driven photocatalysis has shown great potential as a sustainable wastewater treatment technology that utilizes clean solar energy for pollutant degradation. Consequently, much attention is being paid to the development of new, efficient and low-cost photocatalyst materials. In this study, we report the photocatalytic activity of NH4V4O10 (NVO) and its composite with rGO (NVO/rGO). Samples were synthesized via a facile one-pot...
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Shape Memory Alloy-Based Fluidically Reconfigurable Metasurfaced Beam Steering Antenna
PublicationA low-cost actuator-based fluidically programmable metasurface (FPMS) antenna is proposed to solve the slow tuning speed problem of the manually fluidic based reconfigurable antennas. The FPMS-based antenna is probe-fed and comprises a 4 × 4 square ring metasurface as a superstrate. Moreover, two shape memory alloy (SMA)-based electrically-controlled actuators are employed in the design for controlling the position of the 3D-printed...
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Resonator-Loaded Waveguide Notch Filters with Broad Tuning Range and Additive-Manufacturing-Based Operating Frequency Adjustment Procedure
PublicationThis article presents a new class of ring-resonator-loaded waveguide notch filters with a broad tuning range, low cost, and improved performance. The proposed approach employs a comple-mentary asymmetric split ring resonator coupled to a microstrip transmission line and excited in a rectangular waveguide. An equivalent circuit model is proposed to explain the working principle of the proposed notch filter. The adjustment of the...
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Highly Reliable Passive RFID-Based Inductor–Capacitor Sensory System Strengthened by Solvatochromism for Fast and Wide-Range Lactate Detection
PublicationA passive radio frequency-identification-based inductor-capacitor (LC) lactate sensory system with a specific dye-containing interdigitated capacitor (IDC) in which the sensing signal is amplified by the solvatochromic effect is proposed. When a lactate solution contacts the IDC of the LC lactate sensor, the capacitance of the IDC changes, changing the resonance frequency of the sensor. This changes the oscillation frequency of...
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Family Tree for Aqueous Organic Redox Couples for Redox Flow Battery Electrolytes: A Conceptual Review
PublicationRedox flow batteries (RFBs) are an increasingly attractive option for renewable energy storage, thus providing flexibility for the supply of electrical energy. In recent years, research in this type of battery storage has been shifted from metal-ion based electrolytes to soluble organic redox-active compounds. Aqueous-based organic electrolytes are considered as more promising electrolytes to achieve “green”, safe, and low-cost...
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Rapid on-line method of wastewater parameters estimation by electronic nose for control and operating wastewater treatment plants toward Green Deal implementation
PublicationIn order to comply with legal regulations related to wastewater quality, the operational mode of facilities at wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) should be properly adjusted according to parameters of influents, however it is very difficult without frequently performed measurements. Currently there are known many techniques and devices for assesment of wastewater parameters such as chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand,...
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Tubular House - Form Follows Technology, Concrete Shell Structure with Inner Thermal Insulation
PublicationThe aim of this paper is the theoretical analysis of the possibilities and limitations of using an unconventional technology and the original architectural form stemming from it – the building with external construction and internal insulation. In Central European climatic conditions, the traditional solution for the walls of heated buildings relies on using external thermal insulation. This stems from building physics: it prevents...
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Composite as a Material of the Future in the Era of Green Deal Implementation Strategies
PublicationComposite materials have become synonymous with modernity, desired in nearly every aspect of our daily lives, from simple everyday objects to sanitary facilities, pipelines, the construction of modern sewer networks, their renovation, water supply, and storage reservoirs, to complex structures—automotive, planes, and space science. Composites have seen a considerable rise in attention owing to their characteristics, durability,...
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Comparison of target strength (TS) distributions obtained by means of the use of direct and indirect techniques in sea cages
PublicationThe aim of this study is to verify the reliability of a processing application developed for the indirect measurement of target strength (TS), with a view to the integration into a single-beam system for its utilization in fish farms. Dorsal and ventral measurements are carried out for gilt-head sea-bream (Spams Aurata) for 5 size classes using a split-beam EK60 echosounder and single-beam data obtained from one of the channels...
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HILS for the Design of Three-Wheeled Mobile Platform Motion Surveillance System with a Use of Energy Performance Index
PublicationCurrent tendency in mechatronic design requires the use of comprehensive development of an environment, which gives the possibility to prototype, design, simulate and integrate with dedicated hardware. The paper discusses the Hardware-In-the-Loop Simulations (HILS) mechatronic technique, used during the design of the surveillance system based on energy performance index. The presented test configuration (physical controller – emulated...
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Economical methods for measuring road surface roughness
PublicationTwo low-cost methods of estimating the road surface condition are presented in the paper, the first one based on the use of accelerometers and the other on the analysis of images acquired from cameras installed in a vehicle. In the first method, miniature positioning and accelerometer sensors are used for evaluation of the road surface roughness. The device designed for installation in vehicles is composed of a GPS receiver and...
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Resource constrained neural network training
PublicationModern applications of neural-network-based AI solutions tend to move from datacenter backends to low-power edge devices. Environmental, computational, and power constraints are inevitable consequences of such a shift. Limiting the bit count of neural network parameters proved to be a valid technique for speeding up and increasing efficiency of the inference process. Hence, it is understandable that a similar approach is gaining...
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Green and sustainable hydrogels based on quaternized chitosan to enhance wound healing
PublicationHydrogel-based biomaterials applied as wound dressings provide the wound with a moist environment, which facilitates tissue regeneration through granulation and re-epithelialization. The inherent flexibility and adjustable architecture of hydrogels enables incorporation of cells, antimicrobial drugs, growth factors, and bioactive compounds, which leads to expediting wound contraction and enhancing the regeneration process. The...
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Rapid Re-Design and Bandwidth/Size Trade-Offs for Compact Wideband Circular Polarization Antennas Using Inverse Surrogates and Fast EM-Based Parameter Tuning
PublicationDesign of compact wideband circularly polarized (CP) antennas is challenging due to the necessity of simultaneous handling of several characteristics (reflection, axial ratio, gain) while maintaining a small size of the structure. Antenna re-design for various operating bands is clearly more difficult yet practically important because intentional reduction of the bandwidth (e.g., by moving the lower edge of the operating band up...
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Expedited antenna optimization with numerical derivatives and gradient change tracking
PublicationDesign automation has been playing an increasing role in the development of novel antenna structures for various applications. One of its aspects is electromagnetic (EM)-driven design closure, typically applied upon establishing the antenna topology, and aiming at adjustment of geometry parameters to boost the performance figures as much as possible. Parametric optimization is often realized using local methods given usually reasonable...
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Ultrasound-assisted heterogeneous activation of persulfate and peroxymonosulfate by asphaltenes for the degradation of BTEX in water
PublicationThis study investigated – for the first time - the simultaneous degradation of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and o-xylene (BTEX) by persulfate (PS) and peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activated by asphaltenes (Asph) under ultrasound (US) irradiation. Advantageous properties such as high thermal stability, low production cost and extensive availability make asphaltenes as an appealing carbonaceous material for heterogeneous catalysis....
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3D Metamaterial Ultra-Wideband Absorber for curved surface
PublicationThis paper proposes a three-dimensional metamaterial absorber based on a resistive film patch array to develop a low-cost, lightweight absorber for curved surfaces. An excellent absorption over a large frequency band is achieved through two different yet controllable mechanisms; In the first mechanism, a considerable attenuation in the wave power is achieved via graphite resistive films. The absorption is then intensified through...
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Evaluation of antimicrobial activities of powdered cuttlebone against Klebsiella oxytoca, Staphylococcus aureus, and Aspergillus flavus
PublicationBackground: The presence of medicines in the environment is considered as a serious threat to the human health. The entrance of these substances into the water sources causes soil pollution, which eventually leads to the environmental pollution and it creates some problems for the public health. Also, increasing antibiotic resistant bacteria has attracted the attention of researchers to the use of natural resources such as marine...
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Application of passive sampling techniques as a usable tool in the field of environmental quality monitoring
PublicationAnalysis of literature data published for the past 20 years leads to the conclusion, that passive sampling technique has been developing very quickly and is commonly used in the field of monitoring pollutants in air, water and soil environment. The popularity of application of passive sampling techniques in analytical and environmental chemistry results from its many advantages e.g.: Simplicity in use, low costs of exploitation,...
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PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF CoFe2O4/TiO2-PANI HYBRID NANOCOMPOSITE WITH MAGNETIC AND PHOYOCATALYTIC ACTIVITY
PublicationHybrid nanocomposites consisting of inorganic component and organic conducting polymer are promising materials, which can be applied in heterogeneous photocatalysis. Titanium(IV) oxide is widely used photocatalysts due to its non-toxicity, low cost and chemical stability. The main disadvantage of TiO2 is low photocatalytic activity under visible light. Conducting polymers, also known as conjugated polymers are polymer materials...
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Reduced-Cost Microwave Design Closure by Multi-Resolution EM Simulations and Knowledge-Based Model Management
PublicationParameter adjustment through numerical optimization has become a commonplace of contemporary microwave engineering. Although circuit theory methods are ubiquitous in the development of microwave components, the initial designs obtained with such tools have to be further tuned to improve the system performance. This is particularly pertinent to miniaturized structures, where the cross-coupling effects cannot be adequately accounted...
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Pyrolysis of Waste Biomass: Technical and Process Achievements, and Future Development-A Review
PublicationPyrolysis has been applied in the human economy for many years, and it has become a significant alternative to the production of chemical compounds, including biofuels. The article fo-cuses mostly on recent achievements in the technical and processing aspects of pyrolysis. The aim of the review is to present the latest research on the process of waste biomass pyrolysis to fuel production. The paper describes the mechanisms of...
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Preparation and characterization of natural rubber composites highly filled with brewers' spent grain/ground tire rubber hybrid reinforcement
PublicationBrewers' spent grain (BSG) and ground tire rubber (GTR) were applied as low-cost hybrid reinforcement natural rubber (NR). The impact of BSG/GTR ratio (in range: 100/0, 75/25, 50/50, 25/75 and 0/100 phr) on processing and performance properties of highly filled natural rubber composites was evaluated by oscillating disc rheometer, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy,...
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Variable-fidelity shape optimization of dual-rotor wind turbines
PublicationPurpose Dual-rotor wind turbines (DRWTs) are a novel type of wind turbines that can capture more power than their single-rotor counterparts. Because their surrounding flow fields are complex, evaluating a DRWT design requires accurate predictive simulations, which incur high computational costs. Currently, there does not exist a design optimization framework for DRWTs. Since the design optimization of DRWTs requires numerous model...
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Generalized Pareto ranking bisection for computationally feasible multi-objective antenna optimization
PublicationMulti-objective optimization (MO) allows for obtaining comprehensive information about possible design trade-offs of a given antenna structure. Yet, executing MO using the most popular class of techniques, population-based metaheuristics, may be computationally prohibitive when full-wave EM analysis is utilized for antenna evaluation. In this work, a low-cost and fully deterministic MO methodology is introduced. The proposed generalized...
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Thermodynamic and economic analysis of nuclear power unit operating in partial cogeneration mode to produce electricity and district heat
PublicationThis paper presents the methodology of techno-economic analysis for a nuclear unit operating in partial cogeneration mode and its application for the case study: a nuclear power plant planned in Poland. The research objectives were: to propose EPR, AP1000 and ESBWR nuclear condensing-extraction turbine systems modifications required for operation in cogeneration, to determine optimal heat production and heat transport line (HTL)...
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Broadband communication solutions for maritime ITSs: Wider and faster deployment of new e-navigation services
Publicationn its initial part, the paper presents an overview of popular technologies and systems currently developed or employed in maritime communication. These solutions are used to provide both ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore communication for the purpose of supporting specific services, often dedicated to maritime safety and e-navigation. Utility of such communication systems have been thoroughly verified over the years and their strengths...
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Membrane-SPME the best 'green' sample preparation technique for the gas chromatographic determination polar organic pollutants in polar media
PublicationOne of the most popular technique for sample preparation, which fulfill requirements of green analytical chemistry, is solid phase microextraction (SPME). Because of the undoubted advantages of SPME technique, solvent-free character of the extraction process and the enormous potential in analytical practice, a series of studies has been undertaken to develop new technical solutions, where improving the sensitivity and the extraction...
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g-C3N4 for Photocatalytic Degradation of Parabens: Precursors Influence, the Radiation Source and Simultaneous Ozonation Evaluation
PublicationGraphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) is a promising catalyst for contaminants of emerging concern removal applications, especially as a visible-light-driven material. In this study, g-C3N4 catalysts were effectively synthesized through a simple thermal polymerization method, using melamine, urea, and thiourea as precursors to elucidate the influence of these compounds on the final product’s photocatalytic performance. The degradation...
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sp2-rich dendrite-like carbon nanowalls as effective electrode for environmental monitoring of explosive nitroaromatic
PublicationNitroaromatic compounds are commonly used explosive materials that pose a risk to human health and ecosystems due to their acute toxicity and carcinogenicity. Nitroaromatics have numerous pathways into the environment via discarded munitions (e.g. into the Baltic Sea after World War II), after use in mining operations, and in industrial run-off from factories producing these compounds (which are produced across the world to date)....
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Reduction of exceeding the guaranteed service time for external trucks at the DCT Gdańsk container terminal using a six sigma framework
PublicationPurpose The purpose of this research was to investigate ways to reduce the average amount of exceeded guaranteed service time for external trucks at Deepwater Container Terminal Gdańsk Sp z o.o. (DCT Gdańsk) via dosing the gate activities, in particular IN-Gate entry process of trucks carrying import/export/transit containers. Design/methodology/approach A Six Sigma methodology with the DMAIC methods along with the SIPOC chart,...
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New Complementary Resonator for Permittivity- and Thickness-Based Dielectric Characterization
PublicationThe design of high-performance complementary meta-resonators for microwave sensors featur-ing high sensitivity and consistent evaluation of dielectric materials is challenging. This paper presents the design and implementation of a novel complementary resonator with high sensi-tivity for dielectric substrate characterization based on permittivity and thickness. A comple-mentary crossed arrow resonator (CCAR) is proposed and integrated...
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Post-Pyrolytic Carbon as a Phase Change Materials (PCMs) Carrier for Application in Building Materials
PublicationThis article covers new application for char as a carrier of phase-change materials (PCM) that could be used as an additive to building materials. Being composed of bio-char and PCM, the granulate successfully competes with more expensive commercial materials of this type, such as Micronal® PCM. As a PCM carrier, char that was obtained from the pyrolysis of chestnut fruit (Aesculus hippocastanum) with different absorbances of the...
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Application of micellar electrokinetic chromatography for detection of silver nanoparticles released from wound dressing
PublicationThe recent emergence of nanotechnology has provided a new therapeutic modality in case of silver nanoparticles. Dressings containing silver form the basis for the treatment of burns and wounds, either acute or chronic ones. The aim of the study was to examine silver release from the different wound dressings: commercially available (Atrauman Ag, Aqua- cel Ag) and experimental (FKDP-AgNPs) using MEKC. In order to characterize prepared keratin...
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A global multinational survey of cefotaxime-resistant coliforms in urban wastewater treatment plants
PublicationThe World Health Organization Global Action Plan recommends integrated surveillance programs as crucial strategies for monitoring antibiotic resistance. Although several national surveillance programs are in place for clinical and veterinary settings, no such schemes exist for monitoring antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the environment. In this transnational study, we developed, validated, and tested a low-cost surveillance and...
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Tolerance Optimization of Antenna Structures by Means of Response Feature Surrogates
PublicationFabrication tolerances and other types of uncertainties, e.g., the lack of precise knowledge of material parameters, have detrimental effects on electrical and field performance of antenna systems. In the case of input characteristics these are particularly noticeable for narrow- and multi-band antennas where deviations of geometry parameters from their nominal values lead to frequency shifts of the operating frequency bands. Improving...
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The effect of imidazolium ionic liquid on the morphology of Pt nanoparticles deposited on the surface of SrTiO3 and photoactivity of Pt–SrTiO3 composite in the H2 generation reaction
PublicationPhotocatalytic water splitting has great potential in solar-hydrogen production as a low-cost and environmentally friendly method. Different unique techniques used to obtain photocatalysts with various modifications to improve H2 generation have been introduced. In the present work, SrTiO3 was successfully synthesized via the solvothermal method in the presence of ionic liquid (IL) - 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide ([BMIM][Br])...
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Environmentally Friendly Fabrication of High-Efficient Fe-ZnO/Citric Acid-Modified Cellulose Composite and the Enhancement of Photocatalytic Activity in the Presence of H2O2
PublicationIn the present study, a novel Fe-ZnO/citric acid-modified cellulose composite (x%Fe-ZnOy% CAC) was synthesized using an environmentally friendly hydrothermal method. The obtained samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV−vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), nitrogen physisorption, and electrochemical and photocurrent density...
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Multifaceted Analyses of Four Different Prototype Lightweight Photovoltaic Modules of Novel Structure
PublicationDynamic growth of photovoltaic capacity in Poland encourages many entities to invest in photovoltaic systems. However, in the case of buildings with low roof-bearing capacity it can be problematic or even impossible to mount conventional PV modules due to their relatively high weight. Hence, the use of lightweight PV modules is a potential solution. In this paper four different prototype silicon lightweight modules of novel structure...
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Recent Advances in Loop Heat Pipes with Flat Evaporator
PublicationThe focus of this review is to present the current advances in Loop Heat Pipes (LHP) with flat evaporators, which address the current challenges to the wide implementation of the technology. A recent advance in LHP is the design of flat-shaped evaporators, which is better suited to the geometry of discretely mounted electronics components (microprocessors) and therefore negate the need for an additional transfer surface (saddle)...
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Fundamentals of Data-Driven Surrogate Modeling
PublicationThe primary topic of the book is surrogate modeling and surrogate-based design of high-frequency structures. The purpose of the first two chapters is to provide the reader with an overview of the two most important classes of modeling methods, data-driven (or approx-imation), as well as physics-based ones. These are covered in Chap-ters 1 and 2, respectively. The remaining parts of the book give an exposition of the specific aspects...