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Solution based polymer thermoelectric generation technologies provide a low-cost and eco-friendly means of direct energy conversion from low-grade heat to electricity.

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We investigated the effects of vibration (35?Hz, 45?Hz and 55?Hz) as countermeasure locally applied to unloading hind limbs on bone, muscle and Achilles tendon. 40 female Sprague Dawley rats were divided into 5 groups (n=8, each): tail-suspension (TS), TS plus 35?Hz/0.3?g vibration (TSV35), TS plus 45?Hz/0.3?g vibration (TSV45), TS plus 55?Hz/0.3?g vibration (TSV55) and control (CON). After 21 days, bone mineral density (BMD) and the microstructure of the femur and tibia were evaluated by ?CT in vivo. The biomechanical properties of the femur and Achilles tendon were determined by a materials testing system. Ash weight of bone, isotonic contraction and wet weight of soleus were also investigated. 35?Hz and 45?Hz localized vibration were able to significantly ameliorate the decrease in trabecular BMD (expressed as the percentage change from TS, TSV35: 48.11%, TSV45: 31.09%), microstructure and ash weight of the femur and tibia induced by TS. Meanwhile, 35?Hz vibration significantly improved the biomechanical properties of the femur (57.24% bending rigidity and 41.66% Young?s modulus vs. TS) and Achilles tendon (45.46% maximum load and 66.67% Young?s modulus vs. TS). Additionally, Young?s modulus of the femur was highly correlated with microstructural parameters. Localized vibration was useful for counteracting microgravity-induced musculoskeletal loss. In general, the efficacy of 35?Hz was better than 45?Hz or 55?Hz in tail-suspended rats.

Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs), consisting of ceramic topcoat and metallic bond coat, are applied onto Ni-based superalloy hot components in turbine engines to protect the components from high temperature gas. Detrimental phases in the superalloy substrate such as topologically close-packed phase (TCP) and secondary reaction zone (SRZ), resulting from interdiffusion between the bond coat and the substrate, significantly deteriorate the desired mechanical properties of the superalloy substrate. In this paper, a NiRuAl coating was produced onto Nibased superalloy to inhibit the interdiffusion between the coating and substrate. During the processing, a dense and continuous Ru film of around 4 mm thickness was first electrodeposited onto a K3 superalloy at 70uC using a current density of 1?2 A dm 22 . The NiRuAl coating was formed by pack aluminisation of the Ru coated specimen in argon atmosphere at 900uC. The coating shows a two-layered structure: the top layer NiAl and the bottom layer NiRuAl, with the potential functions of diffusion barrier and high temperature oxidation resistance.