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Agar have long been used as a growth media for plants. Here, we made agar media with embedded fluidic channels to study the effect of exposure to nutrient solution on root growth and pull-out force. Black Eye bean ( Vigna Unguiculata ) and Mung bean ( Vigna Radiata ) were used in this study due to their rapid root development. Agar media were fabricated using casting process with removable cores to form channels which were subsequently filled with nutrient solution. Upon germination, beans were transplanted onto the agar media and allowed to grow. Pull-out force was determined at 96, 120 and 144 h after germination by applying a force on the hypocotyl above the gel surface. The effect of nutrients was investigated by comparing corresponding data obtained from control plants which have not been exposed to nutrient solution. Pull-out force of Black Eye bean plantlets grown in agar with nutrient solution in channels was greater than those grown in gel without nutrients and was 110% greater after 144 h of germination. Pull-out force of Mung bean plantlets grown in agar with and without nutrient solution was similar. Tap root lengths of Black Eye bean and Mung Bean plantlets grown in agar with nutrient solution are shorter than those grown without nutrient. 

Smart and resilient concrete structures will require building materials such as cements that sense flaws. One mechanism of crack detection in structures is monitoring their electrical conduction. Two mechanisms of charge in cement is ionic movement and moisture diffusion. Carbon rich electrically-conducting char is produced by pyrolyzing rice husks and can be used to enhance electrical conduction in cement. This paper studies the evolution of electrical properties in ordinary Portland cement added with up to 15 wt% rice husk-derived biochar. Resistance of cements decreased with increasing biochar addition while moisture loss and resistance both increase as curing time increases. Cement with 15 wt% biochar experiences the largest moisture loss and the most conducting. This suggest charge transport along percolation paths of biochar particles is dominant mechanism in these materials. Electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopic studies reveal formation of Ettringite phase and good wetting/bonding at the interface of biochar particles and cement.

This paper compares creativity experiences and perceptions among employees of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) and students in higher education institutions (HEI) in Brunei Darussalam. The study was conducted through interactions and surveys to assess (i) understanding and practice of creative tools and techniques; (ii) creativity performance in teams and individuals and (iii) perception of creativity among 39 employees in SME and 68 students from HEI. Statistical analysis was carried out using Pearson's chi-square test for goodness of fit and Cramer's V test to estimate strength tests for correlation. The findings indicate a majority in both groups have not received prior instruction in creativity and that employees of SMEs have less interest in receiving creative instructions. There is consensus among both groups that group work will result in greater creative performance. Ambiguity of customer needs or requirement was a factor most often cited to impede creative performance of teams in SME. Results from this study were used to make recommendations to improve practice and learning creativity in SME and HEI.

Porous polydimethysiloxane (PDMS) displays both hydrophobic and oleophilic behaviour which makes it a suitable material to absorb oil in an aqueous stream. Furthermore, its elastomeric nature means that porous PDMS can be a reusable sorbent for oil. For such application, porous PDMS has to (i) absorb oil from aqueous stream quickly and (ii) discharge oil rapidly when compressed. In this study, porous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) has been fabricated using sugar templating method. The ability of porous PDMS to absorb olive, sunflower and vegetable oils with and without vibration was investigated. Small amplitude vibration was found to accelerate the oil uptake process and accelerates the absorption of olive and vegetable oil by 2.5 and 3 times, respectively. Compressive stress-strain curves over compression rates between 2 and 100 mm per min are similar and indicate mechanical property of porous PDMS does not vary significantly and can be rapidly compressed.

This study investigates the mechanical properties of bamboo fiber-reinforced polydimethylsiloxane (BF-PDMS) foams with up to 3.4% (by mass) fiber during compression. Pristine PDMS foams and BF-PDMS composite foams were fabricated using a sugar leaching method. Compression test results of pristine PDMS and BF-PDMS composite foams display plateau and densification regions. Predictions of a modified phenomenological foam (PF) model based on Maxwell and Kelvin–Voight models are in good agreement with compression test results. Stiffness coefficients were extracted by fitting results of compression tests to the modified PF model. Spring and densification coefficients of BF-PDMS composite foams are 2.5- and 15-fold greater than those of pristine PDMS foams, respectively. Strains corresponding to onset of densification computed using extracted coefficients were 35% and 25% for pristine PDMS foams and BF-PDMS composite foams, respectively. Compressing foams at 6.0 and 0.5 mm/min results in highest and lowest compressive stress, respectively. Insights from this study are useful in many areas such as environmental protection, pressure sensing, and energy where PDMS composite foams will find applications.

Recent process developments have permitted the highly anisotropic bulk micromachining 1 of titanium microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). By using the metal anisotropic reactive ion etching with oxidation (MARIO) process, arbitrarily high-aspect-ratio structures with straight sidewalls and micrometre-scale features have been bulk micromachined into titanium substrates of various thicknesses, ranging from 0.5-mm sheet down to 10-μm free-standing titanium foils. Bulk micromachined structures are generally free of residual stresses and are preferred when large, rigid, flat and/or high-force actuators are desired 2 . However, so far there has been a limited ability to select materials on the basis of specific application in bulk micromachining, primarily because of the predominance of MEMS processes dedicated to single-crystal silicon, such as silicon deep reactive ion etching 3 . The MARIO process permits the creation of bulk titanium MEMS, which offers potential for the use of a set of material properties beyond those provided by traditional semiconductor-based MEMS. Consequently, the MARIO process enables the fabrication of novel devices that capitalize on these assets to yield enhanced functionalities that would not be possible with traditional micromechanical material systems.

We investigate the effect of ligament morphology on electrical conductivity of open cell porous silver (Ag). Porous Ag was formed when silver nanoparticles in an organic phase were annealed at 150°C for durations ranging from 1 to 5 min. Electrical conductivity of porous Ag was about 20% of bulk value after 5 min annealing. Porous Ag was modeled as a collection of Kelvin cell (truncated octahedrons) structures comprised of conjoined conical ligaments and spherical vertices. An analytical expression for electrical conductivity was obtained. Electrical conductivity normal to hexagonal faces of the unit cell was computed. Our model indicates contribution of grain boundary to electrical resistance increases significantly after the first minute of annealing and plateaus thereafter. Using experimental electrical conductivity data as an input, the model suggests that the ratio, n , of surfaces of one half of a conjoined cone ligament is between 0.7 and 1.0. Average deviation from experimentally determined relative electrical conductivity, Δ σ r , was minimal when n  = 0.9.

This thesis describes research on a novel process to fabricate integrated nanostructured titanic (NST) features as functional components in microsystems devices. NST features were formed by oxidizing Ti films in aqueous hydrogen peroxide followed by thermal annealing. The oxidation kinetics and properties of NST formed were investigated. The process developed is compatible with current microelectronics manufacturing practices for Si and plastic substrates. Amorphous hydrated titanic gels form when hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2) reacts with Ti. Oxidation of a blanket (unpatterned) Ti surface with hydrogen peroxide results in a titanic layer with high crack density. In this study, NST was formed by reacting pre-patterned Ti thin films with H2O2 solution. Crack elimination was achieved when exposed Ti films were below a threshold dimension. Hydrated titanic gel crystallizes into anatase after annealing at 300°C for 8 hr. Crack elimination is thought to result from stress reduction in titanic gels due to patterning. Oxidation of Ti films occurs by nucleation and growth mechanism. During growth, oxidation of Ti films with thickness 50 nm and below proceeds at a constant rate until films are fully consumed. For Ti films with thickness 100 nm or thicker oxidation rate reduces significantly after a period of growth. This reduction is attributed to a change in mechanism controlling growth of the hydrated titania gel layer. Functionality of NST formed and compatibility of the process with current microelectronics manufacturing practices were demonstrated by exploring three applications. First, a prototype conductometric gas sensor was fabricated that used micrometer-scale NST pad arrays as sensing elements. This sensor is capable of detecting hydrogen and oxygen gas at concentration of a few parts per million (ppm). Second, micrometer scale Au-NST interpenetrating network nanocomposite contacts in micro-switches were fabricated by infiltrating NST features with Au using electroless deposition. Third, results of cell-culture studies showed that mouse fibroblast cells exhibited enhanced initial attachment on NST relative to silicon dioxide which is commonly used in microsystems devices for biological applications.