In this article, we report the thin-film deposition of indium–tin oxide (ITO) as a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) on a flexible and transparent poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) substrate by RF sputtering. PDMS, an elastomeric polymer, is highly transparent and can withstand much higher temperatures (∼200 °C) than other commercially used polymers in electronics. In this study, we discussed the Hall electrical measurements and optical transmittance data for ITO thin films on a PDMS substrate. We demonstrated that the transparent PDMS polymer is a new flexible TCO material, with suitable electrical and optical properties for use in electronic devices. An ITO thin film with an electrical resistivity of 3.8 ×10-5 Ω cm, a carrier concentration of 5.9×1021 cm3, a mobility of 3 cm2 V-1 s-1, and an average transmittance of 83% was achieved on the PDMS polymeric substrate.

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With advances in micro fuel cell development, the production of hydrogen for micro reformer has become increasingly important. However, some problems regarding the micro reformer are yet to be resolved. These include reducing the size, reducing the quantity of CO and combining the fuel cell, among others. Accordingly, in this investigation, a micro temperature sensor and a heater are combined inside a stainless steel-based micro reformer to measure and control the temperature and thus improve performance and minimize the concentration of CO. In this work, micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) of the micro channel type are fabricated on a stainless steel substrate to enhance the methanol conversion ratio. The micro temperature sensor and heater are made of gold and placed inside the micro reformer. Although the micro temperature sensor and heater have already been used to measure and control temperature in numerous fields, they have not been employed in micro reformer and commercial products. Therefore, this study presents a new approach for integrating a micro temperature sensor and heater in a stainless steel-based micro reformer to minimize the size and improve performance.

A lot of flow channels should be processed on stainless steel bipolar plates of fuel cell. In order to increase contact area of gas with electrode and ensure the gas flowing smoothly, the flow channels will be multichannel maze. It is difficult to be machined by conventional methods, because the width and depth of the flow channels are very small (about 300μm). When using micro electrochemical machining, flow channels with low surface roughness and good machining accuracy could be produced efficiently. The machining cathode tool, fixture, μ-second grade pulse power supply and machining parameters are introduced. Using microsecond pulse current processing, the maze-shaped flow channel on bipolar plates of fuel cell can be processed seccessfully, with high efficiency and good quality. Thus graphite bipolar plates may be replaced by metal bipolar plates. It may promote the technology advancing for fuel cell, and reducing its cost. Key factors for influencing electrochemical machining process of flow Channels on bipolar plates include the design of cathode and fixture , microsecond pulse current, and suited technical parameters

This paper describes the performance of Ni-P and Ni-Mo-P alloy coatings deposited by electroless plating on the aluminum alloy 5052 to evaluate the corrosion resistance, thermal stability and electro-conductivity of coating assemblies. Corrosion behaviors of the obtained deposits in a 0.5M H2SO4 environment were investigated. The crystalline state and morphologies of Ni-P and Ni- Mo-P alloys were examined by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The experimental results indicate that the Ni-Mo-P coating operated at 70°C and pH 9.0 has a nanocrystalline structure and its corrosion resistance in a 0.5M H2SO4 environment can be enhanced by the co-deposition of Mo as compared to Ni-P films. It has also been found that the Ni-Mo-P ternary alloys reveal good thermal stability after annealing at 400°C. Based on the excellent performance of Ni-Mo-P ternary alloys, these alloys have a potential to be applied to precision mould, optical parts mould, and surface metallization of substrates.