The Kynix Blog

Powercast has announced what it claims to be the industry's first RFID sensor tags which can include multiple sensors in a single tag, and provide the industry’s longest read range of 10m, or 32ft. High accuracy temperature, humidity and light sensors are now available, with more sensor types planned for the future. Tags for sensing the RFID reader’s field are also available and use an on-board LED to show field strength. Designed for industrial and manufacturing applications where it’s necessary to monitor data to ensure goods don’t fall outside of acceptable parameters, the ultrahigh frequency (UHF) RFID sensor tags enable environmental condition monitoring throughout the shipping journey, for example, of temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals or perishable products packed with dry ice. Powercast offers two versions of its high-function RFID sensor tags: 1.The PCT100 enables battery-free wireless sensing and can read data within seconds.2.The PCT200 adds a battery with the ability to recharge using any standard RFID reader’s field, making the tag reusable without plugging in or changing batteries. With up to one month of battery life without recharging, the PCT200 provides long-lasting data-logging capabilities while outside the RF field. Users can easily set its data read times from one minute to one hour. The RFID sensor tags use Powercast’s patented RF-harvesting technology where the embedded Powerharvester receiver can generate power purely from a standard RFID reader. How it works: An RFID reader generates an electromagnetic signal, which the Tag’s NXP UCODE RFID chip captures via its receiving antenna. Powercast’s efficient, RF-to-DC converter (50-75% conversion efficiency) then transforms the signal into energy to power the microcontroller and sensors for measuring environmental conditions. The microcontroller then forwards that data over I2C to NXP’s RFID chip for storage in user memory, which the reader can then read out of memory. “We call it high-function RFID because these new passive RFID Sensor Tags have more than ten times the operational power of standard passive RFID tags enabling advanced features and unparalleled computing power,” said Dr. Charles Greene, Powercast’s COO/CTO. Key features:      EPC Class 1 Gen 2 compliant     ISO/IEC 18000-6C compliant     10m read range     High accuracy sensors     Wide RF range: -17 to 20dBm     Frequency range: 860-960MHz     'Find Tag' feature – enables locating one specific tag by illuminating on-board LED     Temperature range: -40 to 85°C     Compact, convenient, hard case package     RoHS compliantHigh conversion efficiency, up to 75% The PCT100 and PCT200 can be configured with one, two or three sensors in any combination of temperature, humidity and light.The PCT100 can also be configured with an onboard LED for showing an RFID reader’s field strength and to verify that it is reading properly. Sample quantities with evaluation software are available from distributors Mouser, Arrow and Future Electronics. Ref.RF/IF and RFID   

The US Department of Energy (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has detailed a living laboratory test of solid-state lighting (SSL) and controls on a 40,000-ft2 floor in a New York commercial office building. Berkeley Lab worked with the Building Energy Exchange (BEEx) on the LED lighting project that also included comprehensive light and occupancy sensors along with connected window shade controls. Berkeley Lab believes the work will speed market adoption of smart lighting and the BEEx will use the work to further its educational mission, serving lighting designers and specifiers that are working on commercial spaces.Lately, much of our coverage about smart lighting and the Internet of Things (IoT) has been focused on what lighting-based connectivity can offer in supporting new applications and services such as indoor positioning, security, asset tracking, and more. For example, Acuity Brands said earlier this year that it has deployed indoor positioning technology in 20 million ft2 of retail space. The IoT hype can make it easy to forget that networked control of lighting and shades confined to a space such as an office floor can deliver tremendous benefits in energy used.Still, roadblocks to more smart lighting installations remain. “Context matters when it comes to figuring out where the market barriers are with respect to contractors, facility managers, and office workers — isolated tests in a laboratory environment are often not enough,” said Eleanor Lee. “Reducing stakeholders’ uncertainty about performance and occupant response in a real-world setting can be critical to accelerating market adoption.” Lee is the Berkeley Lab scientist that led the New York project intended to document the benefits of smart lighting in a working office space — thus the characterization as a living lab. Berkeley Lab and BEEx collaborated on an office smart lighting trial in New York City that combined SSL with sensors and window shade controls. Indeed, the project team monitored energy usage and other characteristics of the office space for a full year before the retrofit to SSL and controls took place. BEEx acted as the local manager of the project.As the nearby photo illustrates, the retrofit replaced fluorescent T5 lighting with dimmable LED fixtures delivering direct and indirect lighting. The floor-to-ceiling windows received automated shades. And connected sensors spread throughout the mostly-open space can detect localized light levels and occupancy.The test further considered thermal elements of the space given that the ubiquitous windows and daylight can heat a space. The test included the use of linear slot diffusers along the top of the windows that can mitigate rising temperatures. And underfloor air distribution (UFAD) diffusers were used to improve airflow and allow for localized control. Thermal imaging was used to document acceptable temperatures throughout the retrofitted space.The smart lighting project sought to balance the benefits of natural light with visual and thermal comfort and provide workers with enjoyable views when possible. Shades had to be lowered at times to mitigate glare but could be opened at other times, both reducing the need for artificial lighting and fully revealing views for the office.The study focused on the 40-ft perimeter zone of the office floor. Compared to the measured baseline, the electricity required for lighting dropped 79% over the course of six months in which BEEx has monitored the installation. Peak electrical demand dropped 74%.The study did not measure energy dedicated to powering the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system in the space. But the researchers did estimate the impact on HVAC energy and also projected the measured data to suggest an entire building retrofit would have delivered savings of $730,000 per year. Based on installation cost of $3–$10 per square foot, an entire building project would pay back in 3–12 years.BEEx will take the results of the project to help the lighting community with tools and other resources. “Using everything we learned on this project,  we've developed a series of tools that will really help the engaged design professional or building owner make better decisions about lighting system upgrades, and avoid the common pitfalls on the road to a high-performance office space,” said Yetsuh Frank, BEEx managing director of strategy and programs.The Berkeley Lab has not been as involved in the SSL sector as has the DOE Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). PNNL has been behind many of the DOE Caliper and Gateway projects. We have covered many of those reports such as a recent Gateway report on four common indoor lighting applications.Still, the Berkeley Lab is adding to the DOE’s SSL initiative. About a year back we reported on a Berkeley project involving solar-powered LED lighting outdoors where the researchers said such lighting could create 2 million jobs in developing regions. Ref.591-2201-013F591-2001-013F 

(Integrated microscale flow batteries could power and cool future three-dimensional chip stacks.). Tightly packed electronic components generate a lot of heat. Tiny redox flow batteries will beneath supplying energy also dissipating the heat they produce. Researchers at ETH Zurich and IBM Research Zurich have built a tiny redox flow battery. This means that future computer chip stacks – in which individual chips are stacked like pancakes to save space and energy – could be supplied with electrical power and cooled at the same time by such integrated flow batteries. In a flow battery, an electrochemical reaction is used to produce electricity out of two liquid electrolytes, which are pumped to the battery cell from outside via a closed electrolyte loop. The chips are effectively operated with a liquid fuel and produce their own electricity. As the scientists use two liquids that are known to be suitable both as flow-battery electrolytes and as a medium to also effect cooling, excess heat can also be dissipated from the chip stack via the same circuit. The battery is only around 1.5 millimetres thick. The idea would be to assemble chip stacks layer by layer: a computer chip, then a thin battery micro-cell that supplies the chip with electricity and cools it, followed by the next computer chip and so on. Record-high outputPrevious flow batteries (see box) are usually large scale and used mainly in stationary energy storage applications, for instance in combination with wind farms and solar power plants, where they temporarily store the energy produced there so it can be used at a later time. These are the first scientists to build such a small flow battery so as to combine energy supply and cooling. The output of the new micro-battery also reaches a record-high in terms of its size: 1.4 watts per square centimetre of battery surface. Even if you subtract the power required to pump the liquid electrolytes to the battery, the resulting net power density is still 1 watt per square centimetre. In an experiment, the electrolyte liquids are actually able to cool a chip. They are even able to dissipate heat amounts many times over what the battery generates as electrical energy (which is converted into heat while the chip is in operation). Channel system optimised with 3D printingThe most serious challenge in constructing the new micro-flow batteries was to build them in such a way that they are supplied with electrolytes as efficiently as possible while at the same time keeping the pumping power as low as possible. It was important to find the ideal compromise. The electrochemical reactions in the battery occur in two thin and porous electrode layers that are separated by a membrane. The scientists used 3D-printing technology to build a polymer channel system to press the electrolyte liquid into the porous electrode layer as efficiently as possible. The most suitable of the various designs tested proved to be one made of wedge-shaped convergent channels. Interesting for large systems, tooThe scientists have now provided an initial proof-of-concept for the construction of a small flow battery. Although the power density of the new micro-flow battery is very high, the electricity produced is still not entirely sufficient to operate a computer chip. In order for the flow battery to be used in a chip stack, it must be further optimised by industry partners. The new approach is also interesting for other applications: in lasers, for example, which have to be supplied with energy and cooled; or for solar cells, where the electricity produced could be stored directly in the battery cell and used later when needed. The system could also keep the operating temperature of the solar cell at the ideal level. In addition, large flow batteries could also be improved with the optimised approach of forcing the electrolyte liquids through the porous electrodes. Ref.ML-2020/H1CNLC-RD1217P

Engineers at the University of Maryland have invented an entirely new kind of battery. It is bio-compatible because it produces the same kind of ion-based electrical energy used by humans and other living things.In our bodies, flowing ions (sodium, potassium and other electrolytes) are the electrical signals that power the brain and control the rhythm of the heart, the movement of muscles, and much more. In traditional batteries, the electrical energy, or current, flows in form of moving electrons. This current of electrons out of the battery is generated within the battery by moving positive ions from one end (electrode) of a battery to the other. The new UMD battery does the opposite. It moves electrons around in the device to deliver energy that is a flow of ions. This is the first time that an ionic current-generating battery has been invented. "My intention is for ionic systems to interface with human systems," said Liangbing Hu, the head of the group that developed that battery. Hu is a professor of materials science at the University of Maryland, College Park. He is also a member of the University of Maryland Energy Research Center and a principal investigator of the Nanostructures for Electrical Energy Storage Energy Frontier Research Center, sponsored by the Department of Energy, which funded the study. "So I came up with the reverse design of a battery," Hu said. "In a typical battery, electrons flow through wires to interface electronics, and ions flow through the battery separator. In our reverse design, a traditional battery is electronically shorted (that means electrons are flowing through the metal wires). Then ions have to flow through the outside ionic cables. In this case, the ions in the ionic cable -- here, grass fibers -- can interface with living systems." The work of Hu and his colleagues was published in the July 24 issue of Nature Communications. "Potential applications might include the development of the next generation of devices to micro-manipulate neuronal activities and interactions that can prevent and/or treat such medical problems as Alzheimer's disease and depression," said group member Jianhua Zhang, PhD, a staff scientist at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. "The battery could be used to develop medical devices for the disabled, or for more efficient drug and gene delivery tools in both research and clinical settings, as a way to more precisely treat cancers and other medical diseases, said Zhang, who performed biological experiments to test that the new battery successfully transmitted current to living cells.. "Looking far ahead on the scientific horizon, one hopes also that this invention may help to establish the possibility of direct machine and human communication," he said. Bio-compatible, bio-material batteries Because living cells work on ionic current and existing batteries provide an electronic current, scientists have previously tried to figure out how to create biocompatibility between these two by patching an electronic current into an ionic current. The problem with this approach is that electronic current needs to reach a certain voltage to jump the gap between electronic systems and ionic systems. However, in living systems ionic currents flow at a very low voltage. Thus, with an electronic-to-ionic patch the induced current would be too high to run, say, a brain or a muscle. This problem could be eliminated by using ionic current batteries, which could be run at any voltage. The new UMD battery also has another unusual feature -- it uses grass to store its energy. To make the battery, the team soaked blades of Kentucky bluegrass in lithium salt solution. The channels that once moved nutrients up and down the grass blade were ideal conduits to hold the solution. The demonstration battery the research team created looks like two glass tubes with a blade of grass inside, each connected by a thin metal wire at the top. The wire is where the electrons flow through to move from one end of the battery to the other as the stored energy slowly discharges. At the other end of each glass tube is a metal tip through which the ionic current flows. The researchers proved that the ionic current is flowing by touching the ends of the battery to either end of a lithium-soaked cotton string, with a dot of blue-dyed copper ions in the middle. Caught up in the ionic current, the copper moved along the string toward the negatively charged pole, just as the researchers predicted. "The microchannels in the grass can hold the salt solution, making them a stable ionic conductor," said Chengwei Wang, first author of the paper and a graduate student in the Materials Science and Engineering department at the University of Maryland in College Park. However, the team plans to diversify the types of ionic current electron batteries they can produce. "We are developing multiple ionic conductors with cellulose, hydrogels and polymers," said Wang. This is not the first time UMD scientists have tested natural materials in new uses. Hu and his team previously have been studying cellulose and plant materials for electronic batteries, creating a battery and a supercapacitor out of wood and a battery from a leaf. They also have created transparent wood as a potentially more energy-efficient replacement for glass windows. Creative Work Ping Liu, an associate professor in nanoengineering at the University of California, San Diego, who was not involved with the study, said: "The work is very creative and its main value is in delivering ionic flow to bio systems without posing other dangers to them. Eventually, the impact of the work really resides in whether smaller and more biocompatible junction materials can be found that then interface with cells and organisms more directly and efficiently." Source:University of Maryland Ref.ML-621S/ZTNMS412FE-FL26E  

（Metal-semiconductor-metal junction (tunnel barrier) incorporated into a single graphene nanoribbon: The atomic and electronic structure of the nanoribbons can be probed with atomic resolution using advanced microscopic techniques.）   Essential electronic components, such as diodes and tunnel barriers, can be incorporated in single graphene wires (nanoribbons) with atomic precision. The goal is to create graphene-based electronic devices with extremely fast operational speeds. The discovery was made in a collaboration between Aalto University and their colleagues at Utrecht University and TU Delft in the Netherlands. The work is published in Nature Communications. The 'wonder material' graphene has many interesting characteristics, and researchers around the world are looking for new ways to utilise them. Graphene itself does not have the characteristics needed to switch electrical currents on and off and smart solutions must be found for this particular problem. "We can make graphene structures with atomic precision. By selecting certain precursor substances (molecules), we can code the structure of the electrical circuit with extreme accuracy," explains Peter Liljeroth from Aalto University, who conceived the research project together with Ingmar Swart from Utrecht University. Seamless integration The electronic properties of graphene can be controlled by synthesizing it into very narrow strips (graphene nanoribbons). Previous research has shown that the ribbon's electronic characteristics are dependent on its atomic width. A ribbon that is five atoms wide behaves similarly to a metallic wire with extremely good conduction characteristics, but adding two atoms makes the ribbon a semiconductor. "We are now able to seamlessly integrate five atom-wide ribbons with seven atom-wide ribbons. That gives you a metal-semiconductor junction, which is a basic building block of electronic components," according to Ingmar Swart. Chemistry on a surface The researchers produced their electronic graphene structures through a chemical reaction. They evaporated the precursor molecules onto a gold crystal, where they react in a very controlled way to yield new chemical compounds. "This is a different method from that currently used to produce electrical nanostructures, such as those on computer chips. For graphene, it is so important that the structure is precise at the atomic level and it is likely that the chemical route is the only effective method," Ingmar Swart concludes. Electronic characteristics The researchers used advanced microscopic techniques to also determine the electronic and transport characteristics of the resulting structures. It was possible to measure electrical current through a graphene nanoribbon device with an exactly known atomic structure. "This is the first time where we can create e.g. a tunnel barrier and really know its exact atomic structure. Simultaneous measurement of electrical current through the device allows us to compare theory and experiment on a very quantitative level," says Peter Liljeroth.  Source:Aalto University Ref.MN3306STTH2002G-TR 

When you hear the word battery, what do you think? Those annoying pink Duracell rabbits, the ones you have stolen from the back of the remote control or the fact that your phone’s battery may as well cease to exist because nowadays it barely lasts all of five minutes? It is a common fear in most of us, that whilst we are out having a good time your phone’s battery is quickly fading in your pocket. However, we never seem worried about the battery’s eventual lifespan, which for the record is normally between three and five years. There are in fact ways to keep your battery in pristine condition for a long and powerful life; even though batteries do not enjoy eternal life. Many smartphone manufacturers insist that devices rate batteries at 300-500 cycles, which isn’t necessarily good news for us. Apple claims that its laptop batteries reach 80% of their original capacity after just 1,000 charges. After this point batteries aren’t able to hold as much electricity and will power your device for increasingly shorter periods of time. Whilst you taken on all this negative battery news fear not; let’s take a look at some tips to extend your battery’s lifespan, whether that is an iPhone, Android phone, Windows phone, tablet, or laptop. Let’s start with something that is on everyone’s minds – the big question; when re-charging a battery should you let it run to zero before charging full to 100%? One reason why people are unsure is something they’ve heard of called the battery ‘memory effect’. What is battery memory effect?Battery memory effect is about batteries remembering remaining charge if you don’t let them go all the way to zero too often. So a battery frequently charged from 20-80% might ‘forget’ about the 40% that’s left uncharged (0-20% and 80-100%). Sounds like a bit of an old wives tale? Well it sort of is true, but only for older nickel-based (NiMH and NiCd) batteries, not the lithium-ion batteries in your phones now. Fortunately for us, Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries don’t suffer the memory effect so you basically what is best for them is the total opposite; charge them often but not all the way throughout the day, and don’t let them drop to zero. Don’t charge your phone battery from zero to 100%The golden rule with Li-ion batteries is to keep them 50% or more most of the time, so when it drops below 50% if you can just top it up a little bit. ‘Little and often’ as they say a few times a day seems to be the optimum to aim for. But ideally don’t charge it all the way to 100%. It won’t be fatal to your battery if you do fully recharge, I mean most of us are forced to do this every now and again in an emergency, but constantly doing a full recharge will shorten the battery’s lifespan. So a good range to aim for when charging a Li-ion battery is from about 40-80% in one go. Try not to let the battery drop below 20%. When should I do a full battery charge?Experts recommend that you do a full zero to 100% battery recharge, or as they call it a ‘charge cycle’ maybe once a month only. This is so the battery can recalibrate - a bit like restarting your computer, or, for humans, going on holiday and relaxing. Another top tip; the same rule applies to laptops. Should I charge my phone overnight?Most modern smartphones are clever enough to stop charging when full, so there isn't a great risk in leaving your phone charging overnight. However some experts have recommended you remove the phone from a case if charging for a long time, as a case could lead to over-heating. This is what Lithium-ion batteries do not like. Should I use fast battery charging?Many Android phones have a feature that allows for fast charging, often referred to as Qualcomm Quick Charge or, in Samsung's case, Adaptive Fast Charging. These phones have special code usually located in a chip known as the Power Management IC (PMIC) that communicates with the charger you are using and requests that it send power at a higher voltage. However, unfortunately for the Apple lovers out there, the iPhone 6 doesn’t feature fast charging, but its Qualcomm PMIC is smart enough to recognise when you use a higher-amp charger (like the one you get with the iPad), which is a good thing because fast charging will heat up that Li-ion battery and cause it increased wear and tear. For this exact reason, phones shouldn’t be left in a hot car, on the beach or next to the oven. Overheating the battery will suffer long-term effects on its lifespan and on the other hand so will a super-cold one, so don’t leave your device in the freezer or out in the snow. If you can, switch off fast charging on your Android phone. Can I use any charger?It is best to use your charger, so where possible use the charger that came with your phone, as it is sure to have the correct rating. Or make sure that a third-party charger is approved by your phone's manufacturer. Cheap alternatives from Amazon or eBay may harm your phone, and there have been several reported cases of cheap chargers actually catching on fire. Storing battery tipsDon’t leave a Li-ion battery li-ing around too long at 0%. Try to leave it at around 40-50%. These batteries drain at about 5-10% a month when not in use. So if you let your battery discharge completely and leave it uncharged for a long period of time it may eventually become incapable of holding a charge at all – RIP it’s officially dead. It’s unlikely you’ll leave your smartphone lying in a drawer for very long, but think about laptops, battery packs or spare batteries that are unused for long periods of time. So try to keep them all at least half charged. Ref.ML-621S/ZTNML-614S/FN