A sugar solution measurement system was developed based on the dielectric properties of the sucrose molecule. An ac conductivity and tan δ study as a function of the frequency was performed to find the suitable frequency range for the measuring system. The results indicate that it is possible to obtain a better response of the sensor using the frequencies as the maxima peak in tan δ appears. Developed setup for sucrose solution was appropriate to measure in a 0.15 to 1 g/mL range with an experimental error of about 3%. The proposed system improves the measurement time over some other methods.
In recent years, polymer engineering, at the molecular level, has proven to be an effective strategy to modulate thermal conductivity. Polymers have great applicability in the food packaging industry, in which transparency, lightness, flexibility, and biodegradability are highly desirable characteristics. In this work, a possible manner to adjust the thermal conductivity in cassava starch biopolymer films is presented. Our approach is based on modifying the starch molecular structure through the addition of borax, which has been previously used as an intermolecular bond reinforcer. We found that the thermal conductivity increases linearly with borax content. This effect is related to the crosslinking effect that allows the principal biopolymer chains to be brought closer together, generating an improved interconnected network favoring heat transfer. The highest value of the thermal conductivity is reached at a volume fraction of 1.40% of borax added. Our analyses indicate that the heat transport improves as borax concentration increases, while for borax volume fractions above 1.40%, heat carriers scattering phenomena induce a decrement in thermal conductivity. Additionally, to obtain a deeper understanding of our results, structural, optical, and mechanical characterizations were also performed.
A ferroelectric material (Bi 0.5 Na 0.5 ) 0.935 Ba 0.065 TiO 3 (BNBT) with a perovskite structure was poled and characterized by electrical impedance spectroscopy as a function of temperature, X-ray diffraction, and Rietveld refinement. The ac conductivity showed a low-frequency dispersion, supporting the idea of heterogeneous potential wells favored by Bi 3þ , Na þ , and Ba 2þ on the A site of the perovskite type of structure. The activation energies for ac conduction depende on the studied frequency. The permittivity and electrical modulus showed a distribution of the relaxation time associated with the delay in the orientation of the dipoles and an important contribution to the short-range conductivity.
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