Abstract: A display apparatus includes pixel electrodes, a counter electrode arranged facing the pixel electrodes, and liquid crystal cells held in a space between the pixel electrodes and the counter electrode. The optical characteristics of the liquid crystal cells change based on potential differences between the pixel electrodes and the counter electrode. The counter electrode includes row counter electrodes divided in accordance with rows of pixels. The display apparatus also includes a counter scanning circuit for sequentially scanning the row counter electrodes in accordance with a pixel row sequentially selected by a vertical scanning circuit and for applying a counter potential of one inverting polarity.

Abstract: An electrode is composed of a carbon carrying a metal and a binder polymer, and it is used as a counter electrode of a dye-sensitized solar cell. The metal carried by carbon is at least one kind of metal selected from the group consisting of Pt, Ru, Co, Ti, Ni, Al and Au. The carbon is needle-like carbon, fullerene, carbon nanotube, conductive carbon black, or the like, and its specific surface area is equal to or larger than 100 m2/g.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are an ion-dissociative functional compound, a method for production thereof, an ionic conductor, and an electrochemical device, the ion-dissociative functional compound being thermally and chemically stable under the condition required of fuel cells and being suitable for use as a material such as protonic conductor in fuel cells. The proton-dissociative functional compound shown in FIG. 1A is composed of a fullerene C60 molecule and about 10 sulfonic acid groups —SO3H as proton-dissociative groups each attached to the fullerene through a difluoromethane group —CF2—. The proton-dissociative functional compound shown in FIG. 1B is composed of fullerene molecules three-dimensionally connected to each other through a linking group —CF2SO2NHSO2CF2—. It contains, as the proton-dissociative group, sulfoneimide groups —SO2NHSO2— and sulfoneamide groups —SO2H2 in addition to sulfonic acid groups.

Abstract: A cathode (1) is formed by compression bonding a mixture to a cathode current collecting net (5). The mixture includes a cathode active material and an electroconductive material such as graphite powder. The cathode active material is a halide of at least one metal element selected from the group consisting of Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn. An anode (2) is composed typically of a metallic magnesium plate. A separator (3) composed typically of polyethylene glycol is arranged between the cathode (1) and the anode (2) to avoid direct contact between them. A battery chamber (8) is filled with an electrolytic solution (4) and is hermetically sealed with a gasket (9). The electrolytic solution (4) may be a solution of a suitable metal ion-containing salt in an aprotic organic solvent, such as a solution of Mg(ACl2EtBu)2 in tetrahydrofuran (THF).

Abstract: The present invention provides a dye-sensitized solar cell which can obtain a high photoelectric conversion efficiency, which can be manufactured at a low cost, and which is superior in a design property, and a method of manufacturing the same. Dye supporting porous titanium oxide layers 2a to 2d are formed on a transparent conductive substrate 1 so as to display predetermined colors, respectively, and compose predetermined patterns, respectively, in accordance with selection of a thickness, a lamination structure, a particle diameter of titanium oxide fine particles, or a combination ratio of two or more kinds of titanium oxide fine particles when titanium oxide fine particles are composed of the two or more kinds of titanium oxide fine particles different in particle diameter from one another.

Abstract: A collision avoidance support apparatus sets a side area right beside an own vehicle in an adjacent lane as a constant-speed target space, which is used for lane change at a constant speed, and also sets a diagonally-front area and a diagonally-rear area as alt-speed target spaces, which are used for lane change at an accelerated speed and at a decelerated speed. Then, a target space that is free of other vehicles is extracted by the apparatus. If there is no target space that is free of the other vehicles, the lane change is determined as unsafe. If there is no other vehicle in the constant-speed target space, the lane change is determined to be safe at the constant speed. If there is no other vehicle in at least one of the alt-speed target spaces, the lane change is determined to be safe at an accelerated speed or a decelerated speed.

Abstract: A radiation detector is constituted by: a recording photoconductive layer; and electrodes provided on both sides of the photoconductive layer. Electric charges, which are generated within the recording photoconductive layer when radiation is irradiated thereon while a predetermined biasing voltage is being applied between the electrodes, are read out as electric signals. The recording photoconductive layer is formed by amorphous selenium that contains alkali metal elements within a range from 0.0007 atomic ppm to 0.0035 atomic ppm.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system for pretreating sample that can unplug a rubber-plugged sample tube and a resin-plugged sample tube in one unplugging unit. The system for pretreating sample includes a sample rack on which a plugged sample tube can be mounted, a conveyor line for conveying the sample rack, and an unplugging unit that has a clamp device for holding the plugged sample tube at the time of unplugging and a plug chuck device for chucking the plug of the plugged sample tube held by the clamp device and unplugging the sample tube. The plug chuck device can unplug both the rubber-plugged and resin-plugged sample tubes. More specifically, the plug chuck device has a combination of an unplugging chuck having a suitable shape for unplugging the rubber-plugged sample tube and another unplugging chuck having a suitable shape for unplugging the resin-plugged sample tube.

Abstract: In a semiconductor wafer including a plurality of imaginary-divided-regions which are partitioned by imaginary-dividing-lines that are respectively arranged in a grid-like arrangement on the semiconductor wafer and a circumferential line that is the outer periphery outline of the semiconductor wafer, a mask is placed so as to expose an entirety of surfaces of the wafer corresponding to respective removal-regions. The removal-regions are regions in approximately triangular form partitioned by the circumferential line of the wafer and the imaginary-dividing-lines. Then, plasma etching is performed on a mask placement-side surface of the wafer, by which the semiconductor wafer is divided into the individual semiconductor devices along dividing lines while portions corresponding to the removal-regions of the wafer are removed.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an electronic device configured to make use of features in terms of design quality and flexibility of a dye-sensitized solar cell. A solar cell-cum-display unit 61 has both a function of a solar cell and a function of a display unit that displays a predetermined display body, allows a predetermined character string such as “PONY” to be indentified, generates electric power from illuminating light or sunlight, and stores the electric power in a storage battery 62. A light source 63 such as a fluorescent lamp radiates light to the solar cell-cum-display unit 61 by the electric power stored in the storage battery 63, whereby the features of the dye-sensitized solar cell can be made use of. The present invention is applicable to a device including a dye-sensitized solar cell.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a solid electrolyte having superior conductive properties and reliability, a photovoltaic device using this electrolyte, and manufacturing methods thereof. The solid electrolyte of the present invention is a solid electrolyte having an electrolyte composition and a matrix polymer. The matrix polymer is formed by polymerization of a first compound having at least two isocyanate groups and a second compound having at least two nucleophilic groups containing active hydrogen in accordance with a polyaddition reaction, and the polymerization is performed after a precursor for the matrix polymer is brought into contact with a surface on which the solid electrolyte is to be formed.

Abstract: A mixture, cation conductor and electrochemical device using same are provided. The mixture and a cation conductor, in which cations can be moved without humidification even in a range of temperatures less than or equal to the boiling point of water, or an electrochemical device such as a fuel cell using them. A fuel electrode and an oxygen electrode, which are oppositely arranged with an electrolyte film in between, is provided. The electrolyte film contains a first compound formed of an imidazole derivative containing N having an unshared electron pair and a second compound of at least one selected from the group consisting of compounds having structures shown below.

Abstract: A paste in which semiconductor fine grain such as titanium oxide fine grain or the like and a binder made of a polymer compound are mixed is coated onto a transparent conductive substrate and sintered, thereby forming a semiconductor layer made of the semiconductor fine grain, after that, ultraviolet rays are irradiated to the semiconductor layer and, by using a photocatalyst effect of the semiconductor fine grain, an organic substance remaining in the semiconductor layer is removed.

Abstract: A paste in which semiconductor fine grain such as titanium oxide fine grain or the like and a binder made of a polymer compound are mixed is coated onto a transparent conductive substrate and sintered, thereby forming a semiconductor layer made of the semiconductor fine grain, after that, ultraviolet rays are irradiated to the semiconductor layer and, by using a photocatalyst effect of the semiconductor fine grain, an organic substance remaining in the semiconductor layer is removed.

Abstract: A method of preparing a porous semiconductor film on a substrate comprising the steps: a) preparing, on a first substrate, an adhesion layer capable of providing electrical and mechanical contact between a porous semiconductor layer attached to said adhesion layer and said first substrate, b) applying on a second substrate that is capable of withstanding temperatures >=300° C.

Abstract: A matrix-addressed type liquid crystal display apparatus having switching devices such as TFTs is provided, featuring that an increased effective voltage can be applied without causing hysteresis in V-T characteristics. Namely, by substantially increasing a value of an applicable voltage in excess of which a display defect starts to appear, a high numerical aperture and a high contrast ratio have been achieved at the same time. In the LCD apparatus of the present invention, a gap between adjacent reverse tilt domains each formed in a portion of a pixel which is arranged corresponding to an arbitrary pixel electrode becomes broader than a minimum gap between adjacent pixel electrodes corresponding thereto, or a thickness of a liquid crystal cell in the portion between adjacent reverse tilt domains is set thinner than a thickness of a liquid crystal cell in the portion of the pixel.

Abstract: A radiation detector is constituted by: a recording photoconductive layer; and electrodes provided on both sides of the photoconductive layer. Electric charges, which are generated within the recording photoconductive layer when radiation is irradiated thereon while a predetermined biasing voltage is being applied between the electrodes, are read out as electric signals. The recording photoconductive layer is formed by amorphous selenium that contains alkali metal elements within a range from 0.0007 atomic ppm to 0.0035 atomic ppm.