Abstract: When the electrically driven fan (14) of a vacuum cleaner is driven, air containing dust is drawn into the cleaner main body (1) through a hose (7) connected to a hose socket (8) and is exhausted into the outside of the cleaner main body (1) through an exhaust port (1b) via first and second suction passageways (10, 13). Disposed outside the first suction passageway (10) is an ion generator (23), it being arranged that plus and minus ions generated in the ion generator (23) are fed to the air stream flowing in the first suction passageway (10). Since the plus and minus ions kill floating germs in the air stream, the exhaust can be purified.

Abstract: An electrode module, and more particularly, an electrode module capable of improving productivity by integrally bonding a current collector and a pair of electrodes using a protective film is provided. The electrode module includes a current collector to receive power from an external power supply, and a pair of electrodes to receive power from the current collector, in which the current collector and electrodes are integrally bonded by thermocompression using a protective film.

Abstract: A capacitive deionization apparatus, wherein a spacing distance between electrodes of cells is uniformly maintained and a flow in the cells is optimized to improve efficiency of the deionization apparatus and contact resistance between a carbon material and a collector is reduce to improve electrical conductivity, is disclosed. The capacitive deionization apparatus which includes a plurality of electrode modules, each having a collector and electrodes disposed on upper and lower surfaces of the collector to electrically and chemically remove ions from liquid, includes a plurality of plates made of a stiff material are alternately stacked with the electrode modules such that the electrode modules are spaced at specific intervals, wherein the collector and the electrodes are pressed by a pair of adjacent plates among the plurality of plates to maintain a contact therebetween.

Abstract: When the electrically driven fan (14) of a vacuum cleaner is driven, air containing dust is drawn into the cleaner main body (1) through a hose (7) connected to a hose socket (8) and is exhausted into the outside of the cleaner main body (1) through an exhaust port (1b) via first and second suction passageways (10, 13). Disposed outside the first suction passageway (10) is an ion generator (23), it being arranged that plus and minus ions generated in the ion generator (23) are fed to the air stream flowing in the first suction passageway (10). Since the plus and minus ions kill floating germs in the air stream, the exhaust can be purified.

Abstract: A method to manufacture a carbon fiber electrode comprises synthesizing polyamic acid (PAA) as a polyimide (PI) precursor from pryomellitic dian hydride (PMDA) and oxydianiline (ODA) as monomers and triethylamine (TEA) as a catalyst, adding dimethylformamide (DMF) to the polyamic acid (PAA) solution to prepare a spinning solution and subjecting the spinning solution to electrostatic spinning at a high voltage to obtain a PAA nanofiber paper, converting the PAA nanofiber paper into a polyimide (PI) nanofiber paper by heating, and converting the polyimide (PI) nanofiber paper into a carbon nanofiber (CNF) paper by heating under an Ar atmosphere. Also, the method to manufacture a polyimide carbon nanofiber electrode and/or a carbon nanotube composite electrode may utilize carbon nanofibers having diameters that are lessened by optimizing electrostatic spinning in order to improve spinnability.

Abstract: A water softener which uses ion exchange resins to soften water and a washing machine having the same are disclosed. The water softener and the washing machine having the same include an ion exchange unit including ion exchange resins therein, the ion exchange unit including a first ion exchange unit and a second ion exchange unit which alternately perform softening of water and regeneration of the ion exchange resins. Since any one of the first ion exchange unit and the second ion exchange unit performs softening of water and the other one thereof performs regeneration of the ion exchange resins, it is possible to continuously supply soft water.

Abstract: A washing machine having a water softening device which improves the solubility of a detergent and a water softening performance concurrently. The washing machine includes a tub; a water supply device for supplying water to the tub; a detergent supply device for supplying a detergent to the tub; and a water softening device for softening the water. The water softening device is disposed such that the water supplied from the water supply device can be mixed with the detergent supplied from the detergent supply device and then the water mixed with the detergent can be supplied to the water softening device.

Abstract: A method of evaluating performance of an activation gas deactivating an antigenic substance including the steps of causing the antigenic substance and the activation gas to react with each other, to obtain a processed antigenic substance, and causing an antibody against the antigenic substance with the processed antigenic substance to measure binding activity of the processed antigenic substance with the antibody is provided, whereby an evaluation method that can accurately and easily evaluate performance of an activation gas deactivating an antigenic substance is provided.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of deactivating an antigenic substance by causing positive and negative ions to act on the antigenic substance, and the positive and negative ions are caused to act in an atmosphere in which each of positive ion concentration and negative ion concentration is at least about 50,000/cm3, and more preferably, at least about 100,000/cm3.

Abstract: An air conditioning apparatus incorporates an ion generating device that generates positive and negative ions by applying an alternating-current voltage between electrodes. The generated positive and negative ions coexist in the air and, when they attach to the surfaces of airborne bacteria, they react chemically with each other and generate radical hydroxyl and hydrogen peroxide, which extract hydrogen atoms from the cells of the bacteria and thereby kill them. This sterilizing effect is combined with the temperature-conditioning, dehumidifying, humidifying, air-purifying, and other functions of the air conditioning apparatus to bring about a comfortable and healthful indoor environment.

Abstract: When the electrically driven fan (14) of a vacuum cleaner is driven, air containing dust is drawn into the cleaner main body (1) through a hose (7) connected to a hose socket (8) and is exhausted into the outside of the cleaner main body (1) through an exhaust port (1b) via first and second suction passageways (10, 13). Disposed outside the first suction passageway (10) is an ion generator (23), it being arranged that plus and minus ions generated in the ion generator (23) are fed to the air stream flowing in the first suction passageway (10). Since the plus and minus ions kill floating germs in the air stream, the exhaust can be purified.

Abstract: An air conditioning apparatus incorporates an ion generating device that generates positive and negative ions by applying an alternating-current voltage between electrodes. The generated positive and negative ions coexist in the air and, when they attach to the surfaces of airborne bacteria, they react chemically with each other and generate radical hydroxyl and hydrogen peroxide, which extract hydrogen atoms from the cells of the bacteria and thereby kill them. This sterilizing effect is combined with the temperature-conditioning, dehumidifying, humidifying, air-purifying, and other functions of the air conditioning apparatus to bring about a comfortable and healthful indoor environment.

Abstract: An ion generating device generates O2−(H2O)n (where n is a natural number) as negative ions and H+(H2O)m (where m is a natural number) as positive ions, and discharges those ions into the air so that airborne germs are killed through an oxidation reaction by hydrogen peroxide H2O2 or radical hydroxyl OH generated through as an active species a chemical reaction between the negative and positive ions. Satisfactory sterilization is achieved when the negative and positive ions are generated in such a way that the concentrations of the negative and positive ions are both 10,000 ion/cc at a distance of 10 cm from the point at which they are generated.

Abstract: A perovskite type manganese oxide thin film capable of working at temperatures within an electron cooling range and a high sensitivity infrared sensing element using the same thin film are disclosed. The thin film of perovskite type manganese oxide containing an element Ca or Sr and elements La, Mn and O is characterized in that a metal-insulation phase transition point of the thin film lies within a range of temperatures obtainable by a thermoelectric cooling method. The perovskite type manganese oxide is a thin film produced by a sol-gel method and the film is used for manufacturing an infrared sensing element.

Abstract: An ultra high speed and high sensitivity photo detecting element is fabricated by laminating thin film layers of superconducting material and ferromagnetic material on a substrate. A photo detecting element composed of a photo detecting portion formed on a substrate by laminating alternately at least a thin film layer of ferromagnetic material and at least a thin film layer of high temperature superconducting material between which a thin film layer of insulating material is sandwiched and electrodes connected to the photo detecting portion.

Abstract: A superconducting magnetoresistive element has superconducting portions having a high critical current density and weak-coupling portions having a low critical current density. The superconducting portions and weak-coupling portions are alternately arranged and connected in series. The superconducting magnetoresistive element is fabricated, for example, by forming semiconductor films at a plurality of sites on a substrate in a manner that the semiconductor films are spaced from each other, then forming a superconducting thin film all over the substrate and processing the superconducting thin film into a line pattern which passes over the plurality of semiconductor films, and heat-treating the substrate to diffuse a constituent element of the semiconductor films in the superconducting thin film. Portions of the superconducting thin film overlying the semiconductor films become the weak-coupling portions and the rest portions of the superconducting thin film become the superconducting portions.

Abstract: A superconductive magnetoresistor has a substrate, a ceramic superconductive film which is formed on one face of the substrate, ferromagnetic elements for focusing an external magnetic field, and an insulating film. One of the ferromagnetic elements is integrally combined with the other face of the substrate. The other of the ferromagnetic elements is combined with the ceramic superconductive film thorough the insulating film.

Abstract: A superconducting apparatus has a superconducting element, which is a member to be cooled and which exhibits a superconducting phenomenon; an electronic cooling element composed of a cooling electrode provided to the superconducting element via an insulating layer, p-type and n-type semiconductor layers formed to be connected to the cooling electrode, heat-radiation electrodes provided to the semiconductor layers independently of each other, and a heat-radiation plate provided to the heat-radiation electrodes via the insulating layer; lead wires for electrically connecting the superconducting element and the electronic cooling element to external circuits, respectively. The superconducting element and the electronic cooling element, which are integrally packaged, are installed within the first container. Internally sealed by an inert gas atmosphere, the first container is installed within the second container. The second container is internally sealed in a vacuum state.

Abstract: An apparatus of sensing a magnetic field using a ceramic superconductor magneto-resistive element having a superconductor magneto resistive effect of non linear characteristic against the applied magnetic field, there is provided a coil for applying a bias magnetic field to the magneto-resistive element, the coil is connected to a feed back power source for supplying current for holding the output of the magneto-resistive element constant value, whereby the applied magnetic field is measured by the current supplied to the coil.There is disclosed also a device for sensing a magnetic field using a magneto-resistive element comprising a superconductor member having weak coupling grain boundaries, said device comprising means for applying A.C. bias magnetic field to said element, and means for taking out an output voltage of the element generated by application of the bias magnetic field as the signal representing the intensity of the applied magnetic field.

Abstract: A copper substrate is immersed into a solution in which a Y-Ba-Cu-O series oxide superconducting fine powder is dispersed into an acetone solution and an electric field is applied thereto. A coating deposited on the copper substrate by electrophoresis is sintered with high temperature in vacuum or in an inert gas atmosphere and then subjected to heat-treatment for oxygen composition ratio in an atmosphere of oxygen or air under 500.degree. C. This method prevents occurrence of a CuO layer, which would conventionally be formed at an interface between a Y-Ba-Cu-O film and a Cu substrate disadvantageously, and moreover enables fabrication of superconducting coatings having satisfactory characteristics.