Corn wet distillers’
fiber (corn fiber) is a byproduct of
the corn-ethanol production process, with high potential as a precursor
for activated carbon due to its moderate nitrogen content and availability.
However, there has been limited investigation into activated carbons
from the corn fiber. In this work, we produce activated carbons from
the corn fiber using three procedures, including direct KOH activation,
hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) followed by KOH activation, and FeCl
3
-catalyzed HTC followed by KOH activation. Catalytic HTC with
FeCl
3
was found to slightly increase the degree of carbonization
relative to uncatalyzed HTC while also removing the nitrogen content
at increasing concentrations and slightly increasing the porosity.
The resulting activated carbon samples are then characterized by thermal
gravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning
electron microscopy, and nitrogen analysis. The two-step process resulted
in activated carbon with substantially higher surface areas than the
one-step process (1220 vs 789 m
2
/g), as well as much higher
thermal stability and nitrogen content (up to 1.20%). The results
show that the corn fiber has potential for activated carbon production,
with the two-step HTC followed by the activation process producing
more favorable material properties than direct activation.
Introduction
Current methods of determining applied forces in the hand rely on grip
dynamometers or force-measurement gloves which are limited in their ability
to isolate individual finger forces and interfere with the sense of touch.
The objective of this study was to develop an improved force measurement
system that could be used during various activities of daily living.
Methods
Custom-made strain gauge sensors were secured to the fingernail of four
fingers and two middle phalanges and calibrated to measure hand forces in
eight healthy individuals during five activities of daily living.
Results
These sensors were capable of measuring forces as small as 0.17 N and did not
saturate at high force tasks around 15 N, which is within the envelope of
forces experienced during daily life. Preliminary data demonstrate the
ability of these tactile sensors to reliably distinguish which
fingers/segments were used in various tasks.
Conclusions
Until now, there has been no method for real-time unobtrusive monitoring of
force exposure during the tasks of daily life. The system used in this study
provides a new type of low-cost wearable technology to monitor forces in the
hands without interfering with the contact surface of the hand.
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