This book covers novel techniques and materials for removing inclusions in metallic melts, resulting in significant improvements to the purity, quality, and materials properties of the cast metal product. It looks at an entirely new generation of intelligent filter materials and filter systems with functionalized surfaces for removing solid and liquid inclusions such as deoxidation products, sulfides, and nitrides carbide from metallic melts. This collection of contributed chapters addresses the overarching goal of the production of lightweight structures and high-demand construction materials within an overall substantially cleaner and more sustainable global supply chain. The chapters cover a diverse array of topics ranging in scope from the development of ceramic foam filters, to in-situ x-ray and optical characterization techniques, as well as advanced modelling of 3D-printed filter structures. Additionally, the book features a number of contributions directly transferable to industrial applications related to the clean metal casting technologies of aluminium and steel alloys.

This book is intended to shed light on the computational modeling and experimental techniques that are used in the characterization of various polymer based composite materials. It covers mechanisms, salient features, formulations, important aspects, and case studies of polymer composite materials utilized for various applications. The latest research in this area as well as possible avenues of future research is also highlighted to encourage the researchers.

This book offers a comprehensive and timely review of planar microwave sensors based on coupled structures. Gathering chapters contributed by the most authoritative researchers on this topic, it presents various strategies for sensor performance optimization using coupled lines, directional couplers, and coupled resonators (either distributed or semi-lumped), focusing mainly on sensitivity optimization, and covering chains of coupled resonators as well. The book also reports on analytical methods, design formulas, sensor validation tests, with both simulation and experimental methods, describing some relevant practical applications. Mainly reflecting the research activity carried out by the different contributors in the last years, this book also includes two introductory chapters to help readers who are not very familiar with microwave sensing technologies and coupled structures. All in all, this book addresses advanced graduate students and researchers involved in microwave and sensor technologies, and may be of interest for engineers and professionals as well, working in areas as diverse as wireless sensors and sensor networks, biosensing, chemical sensing, motion control, microfluidics, Internet of Things (IoT), and smart systems.

This book reviews the recent research achievements of the investigation of interfacial phenomena in polymer/polymer and polymer/metal joint interfaces with the state-of-the-art analytical techniques not previously used in the field of adhesion and bonding. Adhesion performance is determined not only by the two-dimensional interfaces but also by a three-dimensional (3D) region having different properties and structural characteristics that extends into the bulk materials. In this book, the authors also discuss in detail the bonding mechanism by characterizing such 3D regions called “interphase”. The book is of great interest to researchers and engineers devoted to adhesion science and technology.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of piezoelectric sensor devices and instrumentation and their use for chemical and biochemical analysis. Sensors relying on established transducers, such as the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and the surface acoustic wave resonator (SAW) are covered, and novel devices like surface transverse wave (STW) resonators, film bulk acoustic resonators (FBAR) as well as non-piezoelectric devices with mass-sensitive properties are presented. As their name implies, such devices respond directly to mass changes on their surfaces and thus address the most fundamental quality of any analytes.

This book gives evidence-based background information and advice to athletes and coaches on if and how data from wearable technologies can be applied for preparing individual training procedures to achieve improvement on aspects of performance and health.

This book presents the latest developments in the field of vegetable oil -based composites. It focuses on different vegetable oils such as castor, linseed, corn, soybean, olive, palm, and canola oils;, and fillers from inorganic materials and agricultural residues used in the preparation of vegetable oil -based composites. There are several advantages to vegetable oil-based polymer composites, due to their universal availability, inherent biodegradability, low price, and superb environmental credentials (i.e., low eco-toxicity and low toxicity towards humans). This book will be of is of interest to researchers working in the field of bio-based composite materials for the development of green and sustainable materials.

This book presents various design theories and methodologies for silicon-based high-sensitivity broadband receivers, including millimeter-wave radiometer chips and photoelectric receivers, which are core elements in imaging systems, data centers, and telecommunication infrastructures. As a key module in application systems, the high-sensitivity broadband receiver, not only attracts the attention of engineers and researchers in the radio-frequency and optoelectronic fields, but also garners significant interest from other disciplines, including optics, communications, and security.