Board of Governors for Higher Education, State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

Other

The State University of New York

University of Rhode Island

William B Euler

Brett L Lucht

Yu Wang

Otto J Gregory

James Castracane

Igor A Levitsky

Bai Xu

Natalya Tokranova

Nadia Archambault

Gregg S Huston

Mara Dubnicka

Benjamin B Cromwell

Lasanthi Sumathirathne

Angela Thach

A piezoelectric polymer used as a piezocatalyst, and methods of manufacture and use therefor. A preferred piezoelectric polymer is poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF) due to its piezoelectric response and good flexibility. The polymer can be doped with a metal, metal salt, metal carbonyl, metal oxide such as ZnO, CoO, or TiO, or ion such as Cr, Co, or Zn. The dopant can be chosen so that when the polymer is PVDF the dopant increases the amount of β-phase PVDF and/or γ-phase PVDF relative to α-phase PVDF, thereby increasing the piezocatalytic response of the polymer. The compound to be decomposed can be adsorbed on the surface of the piezoelectric polymer. Applications include wastewater treatment, COcapture and reduction, hydroformylation, water splitting, and ammonia synthesis.

Piezocatalysis using piezoelectric polymers

A sensing system for explosives is provided. The sensor is based on a layered structure of approximately a monolayer of a fluorophore deposited onto a few nm of a transparent polymer, supported by a substrate. The fluorophores can be xanthene laser dyes, which have high quantum yields, and the polymers can be commodity materials polymethylmethacrylate and polyvinylidene difluoride. The different fluorophore/polymer combinations give different emission responses to analytes, including both signal quenching and enhancement. The pattern of responses can be used to identify the analyte. The common explosives TNT, PETN, RDX, HMX, and TATP as gas phase species can all be uniquely identified at room temperature using only the natural vapor pressure of the explosive to deliver sample to the sensor.

Sensing system based on a fluorophore array

A thermal indicator material which comprises a plurality of polythiophenes having a second low temperature color and a high temperature color. The polythiophenes are structured and arranged to exhibit a color change from the second low temperature color to the high temperature color when the thermal indicator material is exposed to a temperature that meets or exceeds a pre-determined temperature and to exhibit a color change from the high temperature color to a first low temperature color when the thermal indicator material is exposed to a decline in temperature from a temperature that meets or exceeds the predetermined temperature to a temperature of within the range of between about 5 to 20&#xb0; C. below the pre-determined temperature that occurs in a time period of greater than 2.0 seconds.

Thermochromic indicator materials with controlled reversibility

The invention is directed to use of polythiophenes in a method to determine the genuineness of an article which method comprises providing an article treated with a composition comprised of a polythiophene, the polythiophene having a low temperature color and a weak fluorescence and the structure of the polythiophene being designed such that when the composition is placed in a heat-exchange relationship with the article, the low temperature color will change to a high temperature color and the weak fluorescence will change to a strong fluorescence when a pre-determined temperature is met or exceeded in the article, heating the article to a temperature that meets or exceeds the pre-determined temperature and detecting the color and the fluorescence change.

Thermofluorescent pigments for security and safety applications

A method for forming a photovoltaic cell which includes forming a nanostructured layer in a semiconductor material having a plurality of pores opening onto a surface, the plurality of pores having a depth greater than about 1 micron and a diameter between about 5 nanometers and about 1,200 nanometers, and disposing an organic charge-transfer material in the pores of the nanostructured layer. A first electrode is attached to the semiconductor material, and a second electrode is attached to the organic charge-transfer material. The semiconductor material has a thickness between about 5 microns and about 700 microns. Desirably, the nanostructured layer has a porosity of less than the porosity corresponding to the percolation threshold, and the organic charge-transfer material extends at least about 100 nm from the surface of the nanostructured layer. The organic charge-transfer material may partially cover the sides of the pores of the nanostructured layer thereby providing a generally cylindrical cavity therein.

Hybrid solar cells based on nanostructured semiconductors and organic materials

The invention relates to polymeric/semiconductor thin film strain gauges comprising visible light from spectrometer () which is directed onto a thin film passive sensor () having a transparent glass substrate () and a laminated construction in succession from the substrate (), of a polyimide layer() a polysiloxane layer () filled with alumina particles, a polyimide layer () and a polysiloxane layer () filled with alumina particles.

Intensity-based optical waveguide sensor

A thermochromic polymer-based temperature indicator composition which comprises a polythiophene and a carrier medium. The composition is characterized in that the polythiophene is present in the medium in an amount of about 0.05 to about 5.0% by weight based on the total weight of the composition. The structure of the compound is designed such that when the composition is placed in a heat-exchange relationship with an article, the composition will exhibit a color change when a design temperature or a temperature beyond the design temperature is reached in the article.

Growing community of inventors

Narragansett, RI, United States of America

William B Euler