| 1. |
- Naghavi, Mohsen, et al.
(författare)
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Global, regional, and national age-sex specific all-cause and cause-specific mortality for 240 causes of death, 1990-2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013
- 2015
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Ingår i: The Lancet. - 1474-547X .- 0140-6736. ; 385:9963, s. 117-171
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Up-to-date evidence on levels and trends for age-sex-specifi c all-cause and cause-specifi c mortality is essential for the formation of global, regional, and national health policies. In the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 (GBD 2013) we estimated yearly deaths for 188 countries between 1990, and 2013. We used the results to assess whether there is epidemiological convergence across countries. Methods We estimated age-sex-specifi c all-cause mortality using the GBD 2010 methods with some refinements to improve accuracy applied to an updated database of vital registration, survey, and census data. We generally estimated cause of death as in the GBD 2010. Key improvements included the addition of more recent vital registration data for 72 countries, an updated verbal autopsy literature review, two new and detailed data systems for China, and more detail for Mexico, UK, Turkey, and Russia. We improved statistical models for garbage code redistribution. We used six different modelling strategies across the 240 causes; cause of death ensemble modelling (CODEm) was the dominant strategy for causes with sufficient information. Trends for Alzheimer's disease and other dementias were informed by meta-regression of prevalence studies. For pathogen-specifi c causes of diarrhoea and lower respiratory infections we used a counterfactual approach. We computed two measures of convergence (inequality) across countries: the average relative difference across all pairs of countries (Gini coefficient) and the average absolute difference across countries. To summarise broad findings, we used multiple decrement life-tables to decompose probabilities of death from birth to exact age 15 years, from exact age 15 years to exact age 50 years, and from exact age 50 years to exact age 75 years, and life expectancy at birth into major causes. For all quantities reported, we computed 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). We constrained cause-specific fractions within each age-sex-country-year group to sum to all-cause mortality based on draws from the uncertainty distributions. Findings Global life expectancy for both sexes increased from 65.3 years (UI 65.0-65.6) in 1990, to 71.5 years (UI 71.0-71.9) in 2013, while the number of deaths increased from 47.5 million (UI 46.8-48.2) to 54.9 million (UI 53.6-56.3) over the same interval. Global progress masked variation by age and sex: for children, average absolute diff erences between countries decreased but relative diff erences increased. For women aged 25-39 years and older than 75 years and for men aged 20-49 years and 65 years and older, both absolute and relative diff erences increased. Decomposition of global and regional life expectancy showed the prominent role of reductions in age-standardised death rates for cardiovascular diseases and cancers in high-income regions, and reductions in child deaths from diarrhoea, lower respiratory infections, and neonatal causes in low-income regions. HIV/AIDS reduced life expectancy in southern sub-Saharan Africa. For most communicable causes of death both numbers of deaths and age-standardised death rates fell whereas for most non-communicable causes, demographic shifts have increased numbers of deaths but decreased age-standardised death rates. Global deaths from injury increased by 10.7%, from 4.3 million deaths in 1990 to 4.8 million in 2013; but age-standardised rates declined over the same period by 21%. For some causes of more than 100 000 deaths per year in 2013, age-standardised death rates increased between 1990 and 2013, including HIV/AIDS, pancreatic cancer, atrial fibrillation and flutter, drug use disorders, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and sickle-cell anaemias. Diarrhoeal diseases, lower respiratory infections, neonatal causes, and malaria are still in the top five causes of death in children younger than 5 years. The most important pathogens are rotavirus for diarrhoea and pneumococcus for lower respiratory infections. Country-specific probabilities of death over three phases of life were substantially varied between and within regions. Interpretation For most countries, the general pattern of reductions in age-sex specifi c mortality has been associated with a progressive shift towards a larger share of the remaining deaths caused by non-communicable disease and injuries. Assessing epidemiological convergence across countries depends on whether an absolute or relative measure of inequality is used. Nevertheless, age-standardised death rates for seven substantial causes are increasing, suggesting the potential for reversals in some countries. Important gaps exist in the empirical data for cause of death estimates for some countries; for example, no national data for India are available for the past decade.
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| 2. |
- Forouzanfar, Mohammad H, et al.
(författare)
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Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 79 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks in 188 countries, 1990-2013 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013.
- 2015
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Ingår i: The Lancet. - 0140-6736 .- 1474-547X. ; 386:10010, s. 2287-2323
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor study 2013 (GBD 2013) is the first of a series of annual updates of the GBD. Risk factor quantification, particularly of modifiable risk factors, can help to identify emerging threats to population health and opportunities for prevention. The GBD 2013 provides a timely opportunity to update the comparative risk assessment with new data for exposure, relative risks, and evidence on the appropriate counterfactual risk distribution.METHODS: Attributable deaths, years of life lost, years lived with disability, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) have been estimated for 79 risks or clusters of risks using the GBD 2010 methods. Risk-outcome pairs meeting explicit evidence criteria were assessed for 188 countries for the period 1990-2013 by age and sex using three inputs: risk exposure, relative risks, and the theoretical minimum risk exposure level (TMREL). Risks are organised into a hierarchy with blocks of behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks at the first level of the hierarchy. The next level in the hierarchy includes nine clusters of related risks and two individual risks, with more detail provided at levels 3 and 4 of the hierarchy. Compared with GBD 2010, six new risk factors have been added: handwashing practices, occupational exposure to trichloroethylene, childhood wasting, childhood stunting, unsafe sex, and low glomerular filtration rate. For most risks, data for exposure were synthesised with a Bayesian meta-regression method, DisMod-MR 2.0, or spatial-temporal Gaussian process regression. Relative risks were based on meta-regressions of published cohort and intervention studies. Attributable burden for clusters of risks and all risks combined took into account evidence on the mediation of some risks such as high body-mass index (BMI) through other risks such as high systolic blood pressure and high cholesterol.FINDINGS: All risks combined account for 57·2% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 55·8-58·5) of deaths and 41·6% (40·1-43·0) of DALYs. Risks quantified account for 87·9% (86·5-89·3) of cardiovascular disease DALYs, ranging to a low of 0% for neonatal disorders and neglected tropical diseases and malaria. In terms of global DALYs in 2013, six risks or clusters of risks each caused more than 5% of DALYs: dietary risks accounting for 11·3 million deaths and 241·4 million DALYs, high systolic blood pressure for 10·4 million deaths and 208·1 million DALYs, child and maternal malnutrition for 1·7 million deaths and 176·9 million DALYs, tobacco smoke for 6·1 million deaths and 143·5 million DALYs, air pollution for 5·5 million deaths and 141·5 million DALYs, and high BMI for 4·4 million deaths and 134·0 million DALYs. Risk factor patterns vary across regions and countries and with time. In sub-Saharan Africa, the leading risk factors are child and maternal malnutrition, unsafe sex, and unsafe water, sanitation, and handwashing. In women, in nearly all countries in the Americas, north Africa, and the Middle East, and in many other high-income countries, high BMI is the leading risk factor, with high systolic blood pressure as the leading risk in most of Central and Eastern Europe and south and east Asia. For men, high systolic blood pressure or tobacco use are the leading risks in nearly all high-income countries, in north Africa and the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. For men and women, unsafe sex is the leading risk in a corridor from Kenya to South Africa.INTERPRETATION: Behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks can explain half of global mortality and more than one-third of global DALYs providing many opportunities for prevention. Of the larger risks, the attributable burden of high BMI has increased in the past 23 years. In view of the prominence of behavioural risk factors, behavioural and social science research on interventions for these risks should be strengthened. Many prevention and primary care policy options are available now to act on key risks.FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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| 3. |
- Pecunia, Vincenzo, et al.
(författare)
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Roadmap on energy harvesting materials
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Physics. - : IOP Publishing. - 2515-7639. ; 6:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ambient energy harvesting has great potential to contribute to sustainable development and address growing environmental challenges. Converting waste energy from energy-intensive processes and systems (e.g. combustion engines and furnaces) is crucial to reducing their environmental impact and achieving net-zero emissions. Compact energy harvesters will also be key to powering the exponentially growing smart devices ecosystem that is part of the Internet of Things, thus enabling futuristic applications that can improve our quality of life (e.g. smart homes, smart cities, smart manufacturing, and smart healthcare). To achieve these goals, innovative materials are needed to efficiently convert ambient energy into electricity through various physical mechanisms, such as the photovoltaic effect, thermoelectricity, piezoelectricity, triboelectricity, and radiofrequency wireless power transfer. By bringing together the perspectives of experts in various types of energy harvesting materials, this Roadmap provides extensive insights into recent advances and present challenges in the field. Additionally, the Roadmap analyses the key performance metrics of these technologies in relation to their ultimate energy conversion limits. Building on these insights, the Roadmap outlines promising directions for future research to fully harness the potential of energy harvesting materials for green energy anytime, anywhere.
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| 4. |
- Chang, A. Y., et al.
(författare)
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Past, present, and future of global health financing : A review of development assistance, government, out-of-pocket, and other private spending on health for 195 countries, 1995-2050
- 2019
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Ingår i: The Lancet. - : Lancet Publishing Group. - 0140-6736 .- 1474-547X. ; 393:10187, s. 2233-2260
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Comprehensive and comparable estimates of health spending in each country are a key input for health policy and planning, and are necessary to support the achievement of national and international health goals. Previous studies have tracked past and projected future health spending until 2040 and shown that, with economic development, countries tend to spend more on health per capita, with a decreasing share of spending from development assistance and out-of-pocket sources. We aimed to characterise the past, present, and predicted future of global health spending, with an emphasis on equity in spending across countries. Methods: We estimated domestic health spending for 195 countries and territories from 1995 to 2016, split into three categories-government, out-of-pocket, and prepaid private health spending-and estimated development assistance for health (DAH) from 1990 to 2018. We estimated future scenarios of health spending using an ensemble of linear mixed-effects models with time series specifications to project domestic health spending from 2017 through 2050 and DAH from 2019 through 2050. Data were extracted from a broad set of sources tracking health spending and revenue, and were standardised and converted to inflation-adjusted 2018 US dollars. Incomplete or low-quality data were modelled and uncertainty was estimated, leading to a complete data series of total, government, prepaid private, and out-of-pocket health spending, and DAH. Estimates are reported in 2018 US dollars, 2018 purchasing-power parity-adjusted dollars, and as a percentage of gross domestic product. We used demographic decomposition methods to assess a set of factors associated with changes in government health spending between 1995 and 2016 and to examine evidence to support the theory of the health financing transition. We projected two alternative future scenarios based on higher government health spending to assess the potential ability of governments to generate more resources for health. Findings: Between 1995 and 2016, health spending grew at a rate of 4.00% (95% uncertainty interval 3.89-4.12) annually, although it grew slower in per capita terms (2.72% [2.61-2.84]) and increased by less than $1 per capita over this period in 22 of 195 countries. The highest annual growth rates in per capita health spending were observed in upper-middle-income countries (5.55% [5.18-5.95]), mainly due to growth in government health spending, and in lower-middle-income countries (3.71% [3.10-4.34]), mainly from DAH. Health spending globally reached $8.0 trillion (7.8-8.1) in 2016 (comprising 8.6% [8.4-8.7] of the global economy and $10.3 trillion [10.1-10.6] in purchasing-power parity-adjusted dollars), with a per capita spending of US$5252 (5184-5319) in high-income countries, $491 (461-524) in upper-middle-income countries, $81 (74-89) in lower-middle-income countries, and $40 (38-43) in low-income countries. In 2016, 0.4% (0.3-0.4) of health spending globally was in low-income countries, despite these countries comprising 10.0% of the global population. In 2018, the largest proportion of DAH targeted HIV/AIDS ($9.5 billion, 24.3% of total DAH), although spending on other infectious diseases (excluding tuberculosis and malaria) grew fastest from 2010 to 2018 (6.27% per year). The leading sources of DAH were the USA and private philanthropy (excluding corporate donations and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation). For the first time, we included estimates of China’s contribution to DAH ($644.7 million in 2018). Globally, health spending is projected to increase to $15.0 trillion (14.0-16.0) by 2050 (reaching 9.4% [7.6-11.3] of the global economy and $21.3 trillion [19.8-23.1] in purchasing-power parity-adjusted dollars), but at a lower growth rate of 1.84% (1.68-2.02) annually, and with continuing disparities in spending between countries. In 2050, we estimate that 0.6% (0.6-0.7) of health spending will occur in currently low-income countries, despite these countries comprising an estimated 15.7% of the global population by 2050. The ratio between per capita health spending in high-income and low-income countries was 130.2 (122.9-136.9) in 2016 and is projected to remain at similar levels in 2050 (125.9 [113.7-138.1]). The decomposition analysis identified governments’ increased prioritisation of the health sector and economic development as the strongest factors associated with increases in government health spending globally. Future government health spending scenarios suggest that, with greater prioritisation of the health sector and increased government spending, health spending per capita could more than double, with greater impacts in countries that currently have the lowest levels of government health spending. Interpretation: Financing for global health has increased steadily over the past two decades and is projected to continue increasing in the future, although at a slower pace of growth and with persistent disparities in per-capita health spending between countries. Out-of-pocket spending is projected to remain substantial outside of high-income countries. Many low-income countries are expected to remain dependent on development assistance, although with greater government spending, larger investments in health are feasible. In the absence of sustained new investments in health, increasing efficiency in health spending is essential to meet global health targets. © 2019 The Author(s).
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| 5. |
- Cheng, W., et al.
(författare)
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Mitigation of ultrafine particulate matter emission from agricultural biomass pellet combustion by the additive of phosphoric acid modified kaolin
- 2021
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Ingår i: Renewable energy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0960-1481 .- 1879-0682. ; 172, s. 177-187
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The emission of ultrafine particulate matter (PM0.2) originated from the agricultural biomass pellet combustion poses great threat to atmospheric environment and human health, which restricts its large-scale utilization. In this study, a new phosphoric acid modification method is proposed to improve the PM0.2 reduction efficiency by kaolin additive. The effects of phosphoric acid concentration and treatment time on the physicochemical properties of kaolin and on the mitigation of PM0.2 emission from the pellet combustion are investigated. Results indicate that phosphoric acid modification destroy the internal structure of kaolin by the leaching of Al cations and the formation of active free silica. Meanwhile, the pore structure increases after modification with residual P deposited on the surface, which results in better alkali capture ability of modified kaolin. With the addition of phosphoric acid modified kaolin, significant reduction of PM0.2 emission can be achieved and the reduction ratio is proportional to the acid concentration. The maximum PM0.2 emission reduction ratio reaches 64.5% for the kaolin additive modified by 12 mol/L phosphoric acid for 6 hours. Finally, the PM0.2 reduction mechanism is proposed based on the analysis results, which provides technical knowhow for the industrial application of agricultural biomass pellet combustion.
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| 6. |
- Dai, X W, et al.
(författare)
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Pyrolysis of waste tires in a circulating fluidized-bed reactor
- 2001
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Ingår i: Energy. - 0360-5442 .- 1873-6785. ; 26:4, s. 385-399
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Using a circulating fluidized bed (CFB) as the main reactor, an integrated process development unit was operated aiming at the pyrolysis of waste tires. The main chemical processes in the CFB can be divided into two zones corresponding to pyrolysis and secondary reactions. The pyrolysis of tire powder was carried out at various pyrolysis temperatures, particle sizes of tire powder and feed positions. The effects of temperature, residence time and heating rate on pyrolysis were analyzed based on the experimental data. The main trends are that (1) a long residence time contributes to secondary reactions and (2) lower temperature and heating rate favor carbonization, which reduces the oil yield. Analysis of the pyrolytic oil shows that the predominant components are aromatics, followed by alkanes, non-hydrocarbons and asphalt.
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| 7. |
- Qu, Muchao, et al.
(författare)
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Mechanical and electrical properties of carbon nanotube/epoxy/glass-fiber composites intended for nondestructive testing
- 2023
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Ingår i: Polymers for Advanced Technologies. - : Wiley. - 1042-7147 .- 1099-1581. ; 34:8, s. 2554-2563
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this study, ternary polymer composites sheets comprising glass fiber (GF) reinforced epoxy with various fractions of carbon nanotubes (CNT) were manufactured using hot-pressing technology. A multiscale morphology analysis was presented using scanning electron microscopy. The thermal behavior of the glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) was investigated using thermogravimetric analysis, DSC, and DMA, which indicated an application temperature up to 71°C for the composites. Mechanical uniaxial stretching and three-points bending tests showed that the addition of 0.1–0.2 wt% CNT decreased the dissipated energy of the specimen by 50% and increased the Young's modulus by more than 100%. During all stretching and bending measurements, the relative change in electrical resistance (RCR) was recorded as function of strain, revealing a relationship between the electrical signal and the applied deformation of the GFRP. Finally, the standard equation for fitting RCR versus strain was optimized, reducing the number of fitting parameters from five to three. The electrical and mechanical properties of the CNT/GF/epoxy composites show that they are suitable sensoring materials for wind-turbine blades and other glass-fiber reinforced epoxy constructions, especially for nondestructive testing.
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| 8. |
- Sodhro, Ali Hassan, 1986-, et al.
(författare)
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Energy-efficiency Comparison between Data Rate Control and Transmission Power Control Algorithms for Wireless Body Sensor Networks
- 2018
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Ingår i: International Journal of Distributed Sensor Networks. - : SAGE Publications. - 1550-1329 .- 1550-1477. ; 14:1
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article presents comparison between data rate or rate control, that is, video transmission rate control algorithmand transmission power control algorithms for two different cases. First, energy consumption due to high peak variabledata rates in video transmission. Second, energy depletion due to high transmission power consumption and dynamicnature of wireless on-body channel. The former one focuses on constant (fixed) transmission power level and variabledata rate (‘‘severe’’ conditions), for example, medical monitoring of the emergency patients. The latter considers variabletransmission power level and constant (fixed) data rate (‘‘less severe’’ conditions), for example, electrocardiography measurement for patients in wireless body sensor networks. Besides, energy efficiency comparison analysis of battery-drivenor video transmission rate control algorithm and transmission power control–driven or power control algorithm is presented. Finally, proposed algorithms are analyzed and categorized as energy-efficient and battery-friendly for medicalapplications in wireless body sensor networks.
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| 9. |
- Wang, Weichao, et al.
(författare)
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Remarkably enhanced hybrid piezo/triboelectric nanogenerator via rational modulation of piezoelectric and dielectric properties for self-powered electronics
- 2020
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Ingår i: Applied Physics Letters. - : AIP Publishing. - 0003-6951 .- 1077-3118. ; 116:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The hybridization of different materials for energy scavenging techniques based on piezoelectric and triboelectric effects has been studied widely for various applications of nanogenerators. However, there are few reports utilizing the same oxide matrix materials with appropriate doping to simultaneously enhance the piezoelectric and triboelectric outputs. Herein, a hybrid nanogenerator (HG) consisting of a piezoelectric nanogenerator (PENG) and a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) was constructed using (Ba0.838Ca0.162)(Ti0.9072Zr0.092)O3 (BCZTO)/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as a piezoelectric layer and Ba(Ti0.8Zr0.2)O3 (BZTO)/PDMS as a triboelectric layer. For the PENG, how the electrical output was related to the BCZTO ratio in the BCZTO/PDMS composite films was systematically investigated. For the TENG, remarkably enhanced output performance is attributed to the ferroelectric polarization and large permittivity of the BZTO/PDMS. The Kelvin probe force microscopy measurements show that the poled BZTO/PDMS composite film with a 20 wt. % mass ratio of BZTO has the highest surface charge potential, in line with the macroscopic electrical outputs of the TENG. Interestingly, the output performance of the PENG in the HG is significantly enhanced compared to the PENG acting alone, which is also verified by COMSOL simulation. After rectification, the HG can produce a maximum output voltage of 390 V and a current density of 47 mA/m2. This work not only provides a feasible solution to enhance the output performance of the HG but also offers an effective approach to develop a small, portable power source with promising application in self-powered electronics.
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| 10. |
- Wang, Y., et al.
(författare)
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Moisture induced electricity for self-powered microrobots
- 2021
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Ingår i: Nano Energy. - : Elsevier Ltd. - 2211-2855 .- 2211-3282. ; 90
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sustainable operation of microrobots mandatorily needs a continuous supply of energy, which is usually provided by a battery. However, with the miniaturization of the microrobot, the reduction of weight, and the limited lifetime of battery, self-powering of microrobot is a key challenge. Inspired by the crawling of cockroaches, we present an untethered insect-scale robot driven by moisture induced electric power. A moisture-based energy harvesting device has been exploited and embedded in the microrobot, which can capture and store atmospheric water under various environmental conditions through a hygroscopic gel and generate electricity based on redox reaction. The device produces an output voltage of ~1.4 V and an output current of ~43 mA. A combination of moisture-electricity powered vertical vibration and the asymmetric structural design of the microrobot enables its forward locomotion at an average speed of ~4.01 cm/s. Our work could facilitate multifunctionality in future self-powered microrobots and mesoscale devices. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd
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