In most steelmaking processes, huge amounts of waste heat at high temperature (700–800 °C) are thrown into the environment without any use. An alternative use for this waste heat is electricity generation through thermoelectric generators. However, these high temperatures, as well as their fluctuations over time, affect not only the conversion rate of the thermoelectric generator but also its useful lifetime. The incorporation of a latent thermal energy storage (TES) system could be a solution; nevertheless, the thermal stability and corrosive effect of the (PCM) phase change material are key aspects for the thermal storage system definition, in terms of durability. In this work, developed in the framework of the European project “PowGETEG” (RFSR-CT-2015-00028, funded by the Research Fund for Coal and Steel), a high-temperature analysis (700–800 °C) of the Li2CO3 thermal properties, thermal stability and corrosive effect on the AISI 304 and AISI 310 stainless steels is carried out. The results show that the eutectic salt Li2CO3 exhibits high thermal stability with neither change in its thermal properties nor material degradation. This work shows that lithium carbonate Li2CO3 and AISI 310 make a very good combination for the definition of a thermal storage system able to protect a high-temperature thermoelectric converter from temperature variations, making it more reliable.

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Additive manufacturing technology is rapidly overcoming some of its initial limitations and, thus, creating a very useful engineering option for prototyping complex geometries for a wide range of electronic devices. Based on important advantages such as turn-around, reliability, material waste reduction, and low implementation costs, the technology is being continuously developed and improved. This paper presents a completely 3D-printed microstrip patch antenna to demonstrate the feasibility of a new conductive Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) material in the fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) antennas using additive manufacturing method. The prototype of the antenna has been fabricated using Raise3D E2 printer, commercial ABS and a new ABS filament developed by Naitec for dielectric and conductive parts of the antenna, respectively. The fabricated antenna is compact and light. Preliminary prototypes and fabrication techniques are presented.

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Due to the great significance of amino acids, a substantial number of research studies has been directed toward the development of effective and reliable platforms for their evaluation, detection, and identification. In order to support these studies, a new electrochemical platform based on PANI/ZnO nanowires’ modified carbon inks screen-printed electrodes was developed for qualitative analysis of electroactive amino acids, with emphasis on tyrosine (Tyr) and tryptophan (Trp). A comparative investigation of the carbon ink before and after modification with the PANI/ZnO was performed by scanning electron microscopy and by Raman spectroscopy, confirming the presence of PANI and ZnO nanowires. Electrochemical investigations by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy have shown a higher charge-transfer rate constant, which is reflected into lower charge-transfer resistance and higher capacitance values for the PANI/ZnO modified ink when compared to the simple carbon screen-printed electrode. In order to demonstrate the electrochemical performances of the PANI/ZnO nanowires’ modified carbon inks screen-printed electrodes for amino acids analysis, differential pulse voltammograms were obtained in individual and mixed solutions of electroactive amino acids. It has been shown that the PANI/ZnO nanowires’ modified carbon inks screen-printed electrodes allowed for tyrosine and tryptophan a peak separation of more than 100 mV, enabling their screening and identification in mixed solutions, which is essential for the electrochemical analysis of proteins within the proteomics research field.