Abstract: A flatness sensing device includes a pressure sensing unit and a controller. The pressure sensing unit includes a plate portion, and a pressure sensor fixed and exposed at an edge of the plate portion. A sensing surface of the pressure sensor is flush with the bottom surface of the plate portion. The pressure sensor senses a pressure or lack of pressure of an object to be tested when it touches the object to be tested. The controller receives the pressure value output from the pressure sensor and determines a flatness of the object to be tested, the controller can issue an alarm on finding non-flatness and cause the degree of flatness to be displayed to a user.

Abstract: A composite lithium metal anode includes: (1) a porous matrix; and (2) a flowable interphase and lithium metal disposed within the porous matrix.

Abstract: A polymer composite includes a polymeric matrix and conductive fillers dispersed in the polymeric matrix. The polymeric matrix includes a polymer having a thermal expansion coefficient of at least about 100 ?m/(m K), and the conductive fillers have surface texturing.

Abstract: An electrical water filter device includes a plurality of porous electrodes and one or more porous separators. Each of the one or more porous separators is interposed between two adjacent porous electrodes. A respective porous electrode includes a connection portion extending outside an edge of a porous separators next to the respective porous electrode.

Abstract: A method for extracting metal ions from water is provided that includes disposing two electrically conductive electrodes in water, where the water includes a target ion species in solution, where at least one of the electrically conductive electrodes is a functionalized electrode having species-specific adsorption of the target ion species, and providing electrical current to the electrically conductive electrodes such that the one or more target ion species are deposited to metallic form or metal oxides at the functionalized electrode by one or more electrochemical reactions.

Abstract: A stretchable polymer electrolyte includes a stretchable copolymer; a lithium salt; and an organic liquid, wherein the stretchable copolymer includes a non-crosslinked first repeating unit, a non-crosslinked second repeating unit, and a crosslinked third repeating unit, the first repeating unit includes a first hard segment and a first soft segment, the second repeating unit includes a second hard segment and a second soft segment, and the third repeating unit includes a third hard segment and a third soft segment.

Abstract: A lithium ion battery electrode includes silicon nanowires used for insertion of lithium ions and including a conductivity enhancement, the nanowires growth-rooted to the conductive substrate.

Abstract: A conformal graphene-encapsulated battery electrode material is formed by: (1) coating a battery electrode material with a metal catalyst to form a metal catalyst-coated battery electrode material; (2) growing graphene on the metal catalyst-coated battery electrode material to form a graphene cage encapsulating the metal catalyst-coated battery electrode material; and (3) at least partially removing the metal catalyst to form a void inside the graphene cage.

Abstract: A stretchable electrode includes: a current collector; and, disposed on a surface of the current collector, a metal layer or an electrode active material layer, wherein the current collector includes a spiral-type coil spring and an elastic polymer, the spiral-type coil spring including a coil spring wound in a spiral pattern around a point, and wherein the elastic polymer is disposed in at least a portion of an inside of the coil spring, in at least a portion of a space between spiral coils of the spiral-type coil spring, or both.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for a watermark-based message queue. One of the methods includes receiving a first connection request for messages associated with a user device. A first connection session is established with the user device. A message queue of messages associated with the user device is identified, each message in the message queue is associated with a respective timestamp, and the message queue is associated with a current watermark that identifies a first timestamp. An oldest message in the message queue at the time the first connection session was established is identified. An updated watermark that identifies a second timestamp associated with the oldest message is associated with the message queue. One or more messages that have a timestamp newer than or equal to the first timestamp identified by the current watermark is provided to the user device.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to nitrogen-rich silicon nitride and methods for depositing the same, and transistors and other devices containing the same. In one or more embodiments, a passivation film stack contains a silicon oxide layer disposed on a workpiece and a nitrogen-rich silicon nitride layer disposed on the silicon oxide layer. The nitrogen-rich silicon nitride layer has a silicon concentration of about 20 at % to about 35 at %, a nitrogen concentration of about 40 at % to about 75 at %, and a hydrogen concentration of about 10 at % to about 35 at %. In one or more examples, the passivation film stack contains the silicon oxide layer, the nitrogen-rich silicon nitride layer, and a third layer containing any type of silicon nitride, such as nitrogen-rich silicon nitride and/or hydrogen-rich silicon nitride.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are nanofiber structures, and methods of making and using the same. In some embodiments, provided is a porous sheet comprising a plurality of nanofibers in contact with a supporting structure comprising a plurality of supporting elements, wherein: the nanofibers have an average diameter of about 10-900 nm; the supporting elements have an average thickness less than, about equal to, or greater than that of the thickness of the nanofibers; the sheet has an average thickness that is about 75%-150% of an average thickness of the supporting elements; a total volume of the nanofibers is less than about 20% of a total volume of the porous sheet; and/or a total volume of the supporting structure is less than about 50% of the total volume of the porous sheet. In some embodiments, provided is a multilayer structure comprising one or more sections, where each section independently comprises one or more porous sheets as described herein.

Abstract: A battery electrolyte solution is that includes an organic electrolyte solution, a lithium-sulfur (Li2S) compound, soluble lithium polysulfide (Li2Sx) microparticles, and a redox mediator comprising a soluble quinone derivative.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for methods of post-treating an etch stop or a passivation layer in a thin film transistor to increase the stability behavior of the thin film transistor.

Abstract: Molten lithium electrochemical cells are disclosed. A solid electrolyte separates a molten lithium metal or molten lithium metal alloy from a cathode. The molten lithium cells provide high Coulombic efficiency and energy efficiency at operating temperatures less than 600° C. The cells are useful for stationary energy storage in power grids.

Abstract: This disclosure provide a nanopillar electrode device, comprising a substrate patterned with a plurality of metal pads. The device may further comprise a plurality of nanopillars electrode arrays, wherein each nanopillar electrode array is attached to the substrate above a metal pad and electrically connected to the pad. The device may further comprise and a chamber surrounding the nanopillar electrodes, which can be used for culturing cells of interest for recording action potentials. The nanopillar electrode device may be configured to apply a voltage through the nanopillar electrodes from a voltage source. Nanopillar electroporation may be used to increase the permeability of cell membranes to allow intracellular recording. Also provided are methods of device fabrication, and methods of use.

Abstract: A method includes performing by a processor: receiving a first plurality of power system frequency measurements from a plurality of phasor measurement units (PMUs) in the power system over a first time interval, generating a first plurality of multi-dimensional ellipsoids based on the first plurality of power system frequency measurements, extracting a plurality of first graphic parameter values from the first plurality of multi-dimensional ellipsoids, respectively, performing a regression analysis on the plurality of first graphic parameter values to generate a predictive relationship between the plurality of first graphic parameter values and inertia values of the power system, receiving a second plurality of power system frequency measurements from the plurality of PMUs over a second time interval, generating a second plurality of multi-dimensional ellipsoids based on the second plurality of power system frequency measurements, extracting a plurality of second graphic parameter values from the second plura

Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling congestion in a data network are provided. A base target round-trip time (RTT) for packets of a network flow including packets transmitted from a source network device to destination network device is obtained. A number of hops packets associated with the network flow traverse between the source network device and the destination network device is determined. A topology scaled target RTT for the network flow is determined based on the base target RTT and the determined number of hops. A congestion window size for the network flow is managed based on the topology scaled target RTT.

Abstract: A conformal graphene-encapsulated battery electrode material is formed by: (1) coating a battery electrode material with a metal catalyst to form a metal catalyst-coated battery electrode material; (2) growing graphene on the metal catalyst-coated battery electrode material to form a graphene cage encapsulating the metal catalyst-coated battery electrode material; and (3) at least partially removing the metal catalyst to form a void inside the graphene cage.

Abstract: A battery electrode material includes: 1) primary particles formed of an electrochemically active material; and 2) a secondary particle defining multiple, discrete internal volumes, wherein the primary particles are disposed within respective ones of the internal volumes.