Abstract: Conductive films formed from composites of phenylalanine and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS). The composite films formed by introducing aromatic amino acid phenylalanine in PEDOT:PSS improved the conductivity of the film to about 594 S/cm, a 400% increment compared to the conductivity of a pristine PEDOT:PSS film of about 1.5 S/cm. The conductivity can be tuned by adding a varying amount of phenylalanine in PEDOT:PSS. By further processing these composite films by treating them with methanol followed by annealing, conductivity of over 2200 S/cm can be achieved. In addition to increased conductivity, the composite films also have higher optical transmissivity compared to a native PEDOT:PSS polymer film with the composite thin film achieving transmittance of over 97%.

Abstract: An apparatus for determining a topological charge of one of more optical beams. For single beams, a trapezoidal optical element having a front face and an opposing rear face that is not parallel to the front face is oriented so that the optical beam is reflected in a direction other than along the optical path. The reflection of the optical beam by the trapezoidal optical element produces an interference pattern that can be captured by an optical imager and that can be decoded to determine the topological charge of the optical beam. For a plurality of superpositioned beams, an air spaced trapezoidal optical element may oriented to reflect the plurality of beams onto an optical imager to capture the interference pattern. The interference pattern may be interpreted to identify the topological charge of each of the plurality of optical beams.

Abstract: An apparatus for determining a topological charge of one of more optical beams. For single beams, a trapezoidal optical element having a front face and an opposing rear face that is not parallel to the front face is oriented so that the optical beam is reflected in a direction other than along the optical path. The reflection of the optical beam by the trapezoidal optical element produces an interference pattern that can be captured by an optical imager and that can be decoded to determine the topological charge of the optical beam. For a plurality of superpositioned beams, an air spaced trapezoidal optical element may oriented to reflect the plurality of beams onto an optical imager to capture the interference pattern. The interference pattern may be interpreted to identify the topological charge of each of the plurality of optical beams.

Abstract: A system and method for measuring the R-value of thermal insulation. The temperature difference between the insulation surface and the surrounding air layer is measured, as is the temperature difference between the air at the outer and inner surface of the insulation. Using these measurements and the resistance value of the surrounding air layer, the R-value of the insulation is calculated.