Abstract: Droplet interfaces are formed between droplets in an electro-wetting device comprising an array of actuation electrodes. Actuation signals are applied to selected actuation electrodes to place the droplets into an energised state in which the shape of the droplets is modified compared to a shape of the droplets in a lower energy state and to bring the two droplets into proximity. The actuation signals are then changed to lower the energy of the droplets into the lower energy state so that the droplets relax into the gap and the two droplets contact each other thereby forming a droplet interface. The use of sensing electrodes in the device permit electrical current measurements across the droplet interface. The sensing electrodes can be used for either (i) applying a reference signal during droplet actuation or (ii) recording electrical current measurements.

Abstract: An energy storage apparatus suitable for mounting on a printed circuit board using a solder reflow process is disclosed. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes: a sealed housing body (e.g., a lower body with a lid attached thereto) including a positive internal contact and a negative internal contact (e.g., metallic contact pads) disposed within the body and each respectively in electrical communication with a positive external contact and a negative external contact. Each of the external contacts provide electrical communication to the exterior of the body, and may be disposed on an external surface of the body. An electric double layer capacitor (EDLC) (also referred to herein as an “ultracapacitor” or “supercapacitor”) energy storage cell is disposed within a cavity in the body including a stack of alternating electrode layers and electrically insulating separator layers. An electrolyte is disposed within the cavity and wets the electrode layers.

Abstract: A superconductor device includes a high superconductivity transition temperature enhanced from the raw material transition temperature. The superconductor device includes a matrix material and a core material. The enhancing matrix material and the core material together create a system of strongly coupled carriers. A plurality of low-dimensional conductive features can be embedded in the matrix. The low-dimensional conductive features (e.g., nanowires or nanoparticles) can be conductors or superconductors. An interaction between electrons of the low-dimensional conductive features and the enhancing matrix material can promote excitations that increase a superconductivity transition temperature of the superconductor device.

Abstract: An array of membranes comprising amphipathic molecules is formed using an apparatus comprising a support defining an array of compartments. Volumes comprising polar medium are provided within respective compartments and a layer comprising apolar medium is provided extending across the openings with the volumes. Polar medium is flowed across the support to displace apolar medium and form a layer in contact with the volumes, forming membranes comprising amphipathic molecules at the interfaces. In one construction of the apparatus, the support that comprises partitions which comprise inner portions and outer portions. The inner portions define inner recesses without gaps therebetween that are capable of constraining the volumes comprising polar medium contained in neighbouring inner recesses from contacting each other. The outer portions extend outwardly from the inner portions and have gaps allowing the flow of an apolar medium across the substrate.

Abstract: An energy storage apparatus suitable for mounting on a printed circuit board using a solder reflow process is disclosed. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes: a sealed housing body (e.g., a lower body with a lid attached thereto) including a positive internal contact and a negative internal contact (e.g., metallic contact pads) disposed within the body and each respectively in electrical communication with a positive external contact and a negative external contact. Each of the external contacts provide electrical communication to the exterior of the body, and may be disposed on an external surface of the body. An electric double layer capacitor (EDLC) (also referred to herein as an “ultracapacitor” or “supercapacitor”) energy storage cell is disposed within a cavity in the body including a stack of alternating electrode layers and electrically insulating separator layers. An electrolyte is disposed within the cavity and wets the electrode layers.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an electrode, comprising an active layer comprising a network of high aspect ratio carbon elements defining void spaces within the network; a plurality of electrode active material particles disposed in the void spaces within the network; and a first binder material comprising a water soluble styrene butadiene rubber. Disclosed herein too is a method of manufacturing an active layer comprising mixing together a water soluble styrene butadiene rubber, a plurality of high aspect ratio carbon elements, a plurality of electrode active material particles and a solvent to form a slurry; disposing the slurry on a surface of a metal foil; and drying the slurry to form an active layer.

Abstract: A lithium ion capacitor includes binder free positive and negative electrode active layers. The capacitor exhibits high energy density, power density and cycle life and provides a good compromise in performance between an electric double layer capacitor and a lithium ion battery.

Abstract: An energy storage apparatus suitable for mounting on a printed circuit board using a solder reflow process is disclosed. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes: a sealed housing body (e.g., a lower body with a lid attached thereto) including a positive internal contact and a negative internal contact (e.g., metallic contact pads) disposed within the body and each respectively in electrical communication with a positive external contact and a negative external contact. Each of the external contacts provide electrical communication to the exterior of the body, and may be disposed on an external surface of the body. An electric double layer capacitor (EDLC) (also referred to herein as an “ultracapacitor” or “supercapacitor”) energy storage cell is disposed within a cavity in the body including a stack of alternating electrode layers and electrically insulating separator layers. An electrolyte is disposed within the cavity and wets the electrode layers.

Abstract: An electrolyte includes a lithium salt dissolved in a solvent mixture. The solvent mixture may include a first solvent component including an organic solvent having no carbonate groups; a second solvent component configured to improve the electrochemical properties of the first solvent at low temperatures; a third solvent compound configured to promote formation of a passivating SEI layer between the electrolyte and an electrode layer; and a fourth solvent compound configured to stabilize a lithium salt at high temperatures.

Abstract: An energy storage apparatus suitable for mounting on a printed circuit board using a solder reflow process is disclosed. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes: a sealed housing body (e.g., a lower body with a lid attached thereto) including a positive internal contact and a negative internal contact (e.g., metallic contact pads) disposed within the body and each respectively in electrical communication with a positive external contact and a negative external contact. Each of the external contacts provide electrical communication to the exterior of the body, and may be disposed on an external surface of the body. An electric double layer capacitor (EDLC) (also referred to herein as an “ultracapacitor” or “supercapacitor”) energy storage cell is disposed within a cavity in the body including a stack of alternating electrode layers and electrically insulating separator layers. An electrolyte is disposed within the cavity and wets the electrode layers.

Abstract: A lithium ion capacitor includes binder free positive and negative electrode active layers. The capacitor exhibits high energy density, power density and cycle life and provides a good compromise in performance between an electric double layer capacitor and a lithium ion battery.

Abstract: An energy storage apparatus suitable for mounting on a printed circuit board using a solder reflow process is disclosed. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes: a sealed housing body (e.g., a lower body with a lid attached thereto) including a positive internal contact and a negative internal contact (e.g., metallic contact pads) disposed within the body and each respectively in electrical communication with a positive external contact and a negative external contact. Each of the external contacts provide electrical communication to the exterior of the body, and may be disposed on an external surface of the body. An electric double layer capacitor (EDLC) (also referred to herein as an “ultracapacitor” or “supercapacitor”) energy storage cell is disposed within a cavity in the body including a stack of alternating electrode layers and electrically insulating separator layers. An electrolyte is disposed within the cavity and wets the electrode layers.

Abstract: An energy storage apparatus suitable for mounting on a printed circuit board using a solder reflow process is disclosed. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes: a sealed housing body (e.g., a lower body with a lid attached thereto) including a positive internal contact and a negative internal contact (e.g., metallic contact pads) disposed within the body and each respectively in electrical communication with a positive external contact and a negative external contact. Each of the external contacts provide electrical communication to the exterior of the body, and may be disposed on an external surface of the body. An electric double layer capacitor (EDLC) (also referred to herein as an “ultracapacitor” or “supercapacitor”) energy storage cell is disposed within a cavity in the body including a stack of alternating electrode layers and electrically insulating separator layers. An electrolyte is disposed within the cavity and wets the electrode layers.

Abstract: An energy storage apparatus suitable for mounting on a printed circuit board using a solder reflow process is disclosed. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes: a sealed housing body (e.g., a lower body with a lid attached thereto) including a positive internal contact and a negative internal contact (e.g., metallic contact pads) disposed within the body and each respectively in electrical communication with a positive external contact and a negative external contact. Each of the external contacts provide electrical communication to the exterior of the body, and may be disposed on an external surface of the body. An electric double layer capacitor (EDLC) (also referred to herein as an “ultracapacitor” or “supercapacitor”) energy storage cell is disposed within a cavity in the body including a stack of alternating electrode layers and electrically insulating separator layers. An electrolyte is disposed within the cavity and wets the electrode layers.

Abstract: An RFID tag tuning circuit is capable of tuning the impedance matching between an RFID integrated circuit (IC) and an antenna on an RFID tag to increase the amount of power that the IC can extract from an incident RF wave. The tuning circuit tunes the impedance matching by adjusting a variable impedance coupling the antenna and the IC. Prior to tuning, the variable impedance is set using a voltage output from a tuning switch stage of an IC rectifier.

Abstract: An RFID tag tuning circuit may be capable of adjusting the impedance matching between an RFID integrated circuit (IC) and an antenna on an RFID tag to increase the amount of power that the IC can extract from an incident RF wave. The tuning circuit switches a variable impedance coupling the antenna and the IC between several different impedance settings, where each impedance setting differs from an adjacent impedance setting by a respective impedance step size and at least one impedance step size has a different value than another impedance step size. The tuning circuit may switch the variable impedance by incrementing through a counter, decrementing through the counter, or performing some search algorithm. The tuning circuit may also initialize the variable impedance based on a default impedance setting or a random impedance setting derived from a random counter.

Abstract: A Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag integrated circuit (IC) includes a power rectifier component. The rectifier component includes a first current path formed by a first rectifying element, a second rectifying element, and a pump node coupled to the first and second rectifying elements. The first and second rectifying elements are coupled to a first phase of a radio frequency (RF) waveform while the pump node is coupled to a second phase of the RF waveform. The rectifier component also includes at least one biasing element coupled to the pump node and configured such that its terminal voltages vary with phases and amplitudes similar to that of the second phase of the RF waveform.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for synchronous communications using a serial data stream employs a housing with a controller and a back plane. The housing accepts one or more modules for interconnection with the back plane. The back plane distributes power to the modules and provides a communication link from the controller to each module. Each communication link includes a data out line, a data in line and a clock line, where each clock line is derived from one clock source.

Abstract: Circuits, devices and methods for use in RFID tags include receiving multiple RF signals from multiple ports. The signals are added after some processing, to produce a single combined signal. Additional components process the single combined signal by itself.

Abstract: An RFID tag tuning circuit may be capable of adjusting the impedance matching between an RFID integrated circuit (IC) and an antenna on an RFID tag to increase the amount of power that the IC can extract from an incident RF wave. The tuning circuit switches a variable impedance coupling the antenna and the IC between several different impedance settings, where each impedance setting differs from an adjacent impedance setting by a respective impedance step size and at least one impedance step size has a different value than another impedance step size. The tuning circuit may switch the variable impedance by incrementing through a counter, decrementing through the counter, or performing some search algorithm. The tuning circuit may also initialize the variable impedance based on a default impedance setting or a random impedance setting derived from a random counter.