Smart technologies comprise a dynamic new interdisciplinary research field that encompasses a wide spectrum of engineering applications including, but not limited to, intelligent structures and materials, actuators, sensors and structural observability, control systems and software tools for the design of adaptive structures. Smart technologies focus on the issues surrounding the safety and integr…
This first book to focus on the use of SPMs to actively manipulate molecules and nanostructures on surfaces goes way beyond conventional treatments of scanning microscopy merely for imaging purposes. It reviews recent progress in the use of SPMs on such soft materials as polymers, with a particular emphasis on chemical discrimination, mechanical properties, tip-induced reactions and manipulations,…
This first concise handbook on this important new class of organic conducting materials gives a broad survey over this emerging field of research. The physical background is covered as well as the synthesis, electronic and nonlinear optical properties and applications of these advanced materials. This information will be of high value for graduate students, researchers and practitioners working in…
This volume is part of the Ceramic Engineering and Science Proceeding (CESP) series. This series contains a collection of papers dealing with issues in both traditional ceramics (i.e., glass, whitewares, refractories, and porcelain enamel) and advanced ceramics. Topics covered in the area of advanced ceramic include bioceramics, nanomaterials, composites, solid oxide fuel cells, mechanical propert…
This title is designed to provide a clear and comprehensive overview of tribology. The book introduces the notion of a surface in tribology where a solid surface is described from topographical, structural, mechanical, and energetic perspectives. It also describes the principal techniques used to characterize and analyze surfaces. The title then discusses what may be called the fundamentals of tri…
The increase of consumer electronics and communications applications using Radio Frequency (RF) and microwave circuits has implications for oscillator design. Applications working at higher frequencies and using novel technologies have led to a demand for more robust circuits with higher performance and functionality, but decreased costs, size and power consumption. As a result, there is also a ne…
Advanced, specialized coverage of microstrip filter design Microstrip Filters for RF/Microwave Applications is the only professional reference focusing solely on microstrip filters. It offers a unique and comprehensive treatment of filters based on the microstrip structure and includes full design methodologies that are also applicable to waveguide and other transmission line filters. The authors …
Be a part of the nanotechnology revolution in telecommunications This book provides a unique and thought-provoking perspective on how nanotechnology is poised to revolutionize the telecommunications, computing, and networking industries. The author discusses emerging technologies as well as technologies under development that will lay the foundation for such innovations as: * Nanomaterials with no…
This volume is dedicated to the theme “Combinatorial Optimization – Theoretical Computer Science: Interfaces and Perspectives” and has two main objectives: the first is to show that bringing together operational research and theoretical computer science can yield useful results for a range of applications, while the second is to demonstrate the quality and range of research conducted by the LAMSAD…
Learn to correct icing and pollution problems in electrical line insulation Written by prominent experts in the field, this book takes an in-depth look at the issues of electrical insulators for icing and polluted environments. It shows: Engineers and environmental specialists how to carry out appropriate insulator contamination measurements, understand how these readings change with time and weat…
This book studies switch-mode power supplies (SMPS) in great detail. This type of converter changes an unregulated DC voltage into a high-frequency pulse-width modulated (PWM) voltage controlled by varying the duty cycle, then changes the PWM AC voltage to a regulated DC voltage at a high efficiency by rectification and filtering. Used to supply electronic circuits, this converter saves energy and…
With increasing concern over climate change and the security of energy supplies, wind power is emerging as an important source of electrical energy throughout the world. Modern wind turbines use advanced power electronics to provide efficient generator control and to ensure compatible operation with the power system. Wind Energy Generation describes the fundamental principles and modelling of the …
Electroactive oligomers form an important class of advanced materials for the development of new devices such as thin-film, flexible batteries; semiconductors; large-area optical displays; and sensors. In addition, the study of oligomeric model compounds is an essential prerequisite for understanding and developing polymers for electronics and optoelectronics applications. Written and edited by le…
Linking of materials properties with microstructures is a fundamental theme in materials science, for which a detailed knowledge of the modern characterization techniques is essential. Since modern materials such as high-temperature alloys, engineering thermoplastics and multilayer semiconductor films have many elemental constituents distributed in more than one phase, characterization is essentia…
This handbook is a unique compendium of knowledge on all aspects of the physics of liquid crystals. In over 500 pages it provides detailed information on the physical properties of liquid crystals as well as the recent theories and results on phase transitions, defects and textures of different types of liquid crystals. An in-depth understanding of the physical fundamentals is a prerequisite for e…