Search Results (4)

Local heating was performed on a thermoplastic polymer film by contact with the tip of a soldering iron heated above the glass-transition temperature. The locally heated area was measured using microscopic Raman scattering spectroscopy, and the spatial distribution of the crystallinity was obtained from the low-frequency peak. The crystallinity distribution can be evaluated using the microscale spatial resolution. The temperature distribution around the locally heated area was calculated by applying the heat conduction equation, and good correspondence was obtained with the obtained crystallinity. Full article

High-quality, reproducible tip coatings are essential for minimizing faradaic currents in electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (EC-STM), especially during in situ and operando measurements. The variability inherent in manual coating methods, influenced by the operator’s skill and a lack of standardization, can lead to inconsistent results, increased research costs, and a greater workload. This study introduces an Automated Tip Coater (ATC) designed to automate and standardize the tip coating process. The ATC features a tip movement system using stepper motors, a rotation module with a DC motor, and a heating block based on a soldering iron. It is controlled by an Arduino development board, supported by motor drivers, and has a user-friendly interface with an OLED display and encoder. The ATC coating mechanism includes a redesigned plate with a reduced gap size and a milled tray to precisely control the amount of insulating material applied to the tip. A fast cyclic voltammetry test in a 0.1 M HClO₄ electrolyte demonstrated that over 75% of ATC-coated tips achieved excellent insulation with leakage currents below ±50 pA—and 30% below ±10 pA—suitable for highly sensitive experiments. Further measurements with EC-STM using the newly coated tips investigated the electrochemical behavior of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG), revealing detailed atomic structures under dynamic electrochemical conditions. The ATC significantly enhances reproducibility, reduces dependency on operator skills, and lowers research costs while improving the accuracy and reliability of EC-STM measurements. Full article

The slaughtering of entire males increases the probability of incidence of tainted pork due to the presence two main compounds—androstenone and skatole. If a surgical castration of young entire male pigs is stopped in the EU countries, fattening of boars is likely to become one of the most commonly used systems in pig farming. Since skatole production and accumulation in fat tissue can be controlled by dietary approaches, several studies have investigated various feed additives to reduce this compound of boar taint. Ones of the most promising is tannins. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of different dietary tannin level supplementation on carcass, pork quality, chemical, amino and fatty acid composition. as well as perception of boar taint and accumulation of skatole and androstenone in adipose tissue. Eighty entire males were randomly distributed to control (T0) and four experimental groups. Control pigs received standard feed mixture (16.8% CP, 13.9 MJ ME) without any tannin supplementation. Experimental pigs received the same diet with administration of 1% (T1), 2% (T2), 3% (T3) and 4% (T4)—sweet chestnut extract rich in hydrolysable tannins for 40 days (from average live weight of 80 kg until slaughter at average weight 122.28 kg ± 5.63 kg). Dietary tannins supplementation did not show any significant effect on chemical composition, cholesterol content, and amino acid composition of muscle as well as fatty acid composition and androstenone accumulation in adipose tissue. A slight or small effect was observed on carcass and meat quality, respectively. Pigs in groups T4 and/or T3-T4 had higher electrical conductivity in semimembranosus muscle and cooking loss value compared to T1, T2 or T0, T1, and T2 groups (p < 0.05). Tannins in the pig’s diet greatly affected fatty acid profile in meat of entire males. The highest tannin levels (4%) increased concentrations of lauric, myristic, vaccenic, linoleic, total PUFA, and n-6 PUFA in muscle compared to the control. Similar results were found in group T3 except for vaccenic, linoleic, and total PUFA. On the contrary, concentrations of heptadecanoic and oleic acids in groups T3 and T4 were lower than those in T1 and T2 groups. Perception of boar taint using „hot iron“ method (insertion a hot iron tip of soldering iron into adipose tissue) tended to decrease in T2 group compared with control. Skatole accumulation in fat tissue was reduced in groups T2-T4 at significance level (p = 0.052–0.055) compared to the control pigs. In summary, tannins supplementation had no effect on chemical and amino acid composition as well as fatty acid profile in adipose tissue, and only slight on carcass value. However, 4% concentration of tannins significantly increased content of some fatty acids compared to control group. Full article

The use of Sn-3mass%Ag-0.5mass%Cu lead-free solder (SAC305) has become common. Since SAC305 has a higher content of tin than conventional tin–lead eutectic solder, erosion of the Fe plating layer used in the solder iron tip and the point soldering machine nozzle frequently occurs. In this study, to prolong the life of the Fe plating layer, the applicability of composite plating in which a carbon-type filler is compounded with Fe was studied. Graphite and a multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) were used as filler materials in the composite plating layer. For both Fe-graphite and Fe-MWCNT composite plating layers, solderability testing and erosion-resistance testing were carried out. In the solderability test, although the spread rates of SAC305 to both Fe-graphite and Fe-MWCNT plating layers slightly decreased compared to the Fe plating layer, SAC305 solder was not repelled against both plating layers. In the erosion-resistance test, the Fe-MWCNT composite plating layer performed the best with the least erosion depth. The erosion depth of the Fe-graphite composite plating layer and the Fe plating layer were 10 and 100 times larger than that of the Fe-MWCNT composite plating layer, respectively. It was confirmed that the diffusion of Fe into molten SAC305 could be greatly reduced due to the composing carbon filler in Fe. Full article