optimum energy-storage properties were obtained in 0.90(BNT-BT)-0.10NT with energy-storage density of 1.2 J/cm 3 and energy-storage efficiency of 74.8% at 10 kV/mm. The results demonstrate that (1 -x)(BNT-BT)-xNT ceramics are promising candidate for high-temperature energy-storage application. IntroductionCapacitors play an important role in energy-storage system. Compared to batteries, capacitors possess faster charge-discharge time and higher power density [1,2]. However, the energy that capacitor dielectrics can store is much less than fuel cells or lithium ion batteries [3]. Thus, the development of new capacitor materials with high energy-storage capacity is a challenge for researchers. Additionally, since electronic equipment is often exposed to extreme temperatures in industrial applications, such as space exploration and deep oil / gas well drilling [4,5], the temperature reliability of capacitor materials is also very important. Bi 0.5 Na 0.5 TiO 3 (BNT) based ceramics have been actively studied for energy-storage application in recent years [6-10]. Among the reported systems, (1x)Bi 0.5 Na 0.5 TiO 3 -xBaTiO 3 (BNT-BT) binary solid solution at the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB, 0.06 ≤ x ≤ 0.10)[11] is a promising candidate for high-temperature energy-storage capacitors. On the one hand, the existence of double dielectric anomalies over the studied temperature range can help to improve the temperature stability of the dielectric properties. On the other hand, BNT-BT shows large maximum polarization, which is favorable for obtaining high energy-storage density. Modifications of BNT-based high-temperature energy-storage ceramics focus on expanding the temperature range with stable permittivity, as well as improving their energy-storage density and efficiency. Niobates are the most widely reported members to modify the dielectric and ferroelectric properties of BNT-based ceramics, such as NaNbO 3 [12, 13], KNbO 3 [14, 15], (Li, Ag)NbO 3 [16], Na 0.5 K 0.5 NbO 3 [17-20], and (Na, Bi)NbO 3 [21]. Tantalum and niobium belong to same family in the periodic table of elements. According to J. König [22] and M. Spreitzer [23], tantalate addition can significantly broaden the dielectric anomaly of BNT ceramics. However, the exact dielectric temperature stability has not been reported, neither has the effect of tantalate on the ferroelectric properties.To explore the potential use of tantalate modified BNT-based ceramics for temperature-stable energy-storage application, a new system based on (1x)(0.92Bi 0.5 Na 0.5 TiO 3 -0.08BaTiO 3 )-xNaTaO 3 ((1 -x)(BNT-BT)-xNT) ternary solid solution was prepared in this work. The effects of NT on the structure, dielectric stability, electrical properties, and energy-storage properties of the system were comprehensively investigated. Experimental Procedure(1 -x)(BNT-BT)-xNT (x = 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15) ceramic samples were prepared by traditional solid-state reaction method [8,[24][25][26]. First, the raw powders Bi 2 O 3 (purity 99.0%), Na 2 CO 3 (purity 99.8%), TiO 2 (p...

Wearable sensors are increasingly used in smart garments for detecting and transferring vital signals and body posture, movement and respiration. Existing fabric strain sensors made from metallized yarns have low sensitivity, poor comfort and low durability to washing. Here we report a knitted fabric strain sensor made from a cotton/stainless steel (SS) fibre blended yarn which shows much higher sensitivity than sensors knitted from metallized yarns. The fabric feels softer than pure cotton textiles owing to the ultrafine stainless steel fibres and does not lose its electrical property after washing. The reason for the high sensitivity of the cotton/SS knitted fabric sensor was explored by comparing its sensing mechanism with the knitted fabric sensor made from metallized yarns. The results show that the cotton/SS yarn-to-yarn contact resistance is highly sensitive to strain applied to hooked yarn loops.

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To investigate the characteristics of compression, buffering and energy dissipation in beetle elytron plates (BEPs), compression experiments were performed on BEPs and honeycomb plates (HPs) with the same wall thickness in different core structures and using different molding methods. The results are as follows: 1) The compressive strength and energy dissipation capacity in the BEP are 2.44 and 5.0 times those in the HP, respectively, when the plates are prepared using the full integrated method (FIM). 2) The buckling stress is directly proportional to the square of the wall thickness (t). Thus, for core structures with equal wall thicknesses, although the core volume of the BEP is 42 percent greater than that of the HP, the mechanical properties of the BEP are several times higher than those of the HP. 3) It is also proven that even when the single integrated method (SIM) is used to prepare BEPs, the properties discussed above remain superior to those of HPs by a factor of several; this finding lays the foundation for accelerating the commercialization of BEPs based on modern manufacturing processes.